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Monday, May 14th, 2012—As all of you loyal followers have now learned, there is never a dull moment for the Tater Team! Chicago has done a superb job at keeping the team on their toes! This week they were sure to cover all the bases that consist of adventure: new experiences, new locations, new faces, and oh yes..new dramas.
The team was honored to start their week by spending some quality time with their cherished comrade, Spuddy Buddy! They were taken aback to learn just how much personality the big spud had (as was the rest of potato nation). He kept the crowds in a laughing uproar with his imaginative dance moves and playful personality! On Tuesday, the show came to an end and Spuddy parted with tearful goodbyes.
Which one is the real Spuddy?!?
The crew got plenty of rest time to recharge their batteries on Wednesday and Thursday. They took advantage of the alluring sunshine and filled their days with the beach, long boarding, exploring, the zoo, and yes…more eating. Feeling ambitious, Kaiti and Ellis tackled an eight mile journey on foot to visit two distinguished eateries: Spacca Napoli, an authentic Italian pizzeria, and Lutz Café & Pastry for some food-network-worthy pastries. It was a long passage but the mouth watering food was well worth the excursion.
Kaiti and Ellis laid on the beach trying to absorb as much vitamin D as possible! It wasn't until Ellis started mouthing off to Kaiti that she thought he needed to be taught some manners!
By Friday morning they were itching to get some face time with their beloved potato fans everywhere. Rolling into the parking lot of US Food, the team was humored to see a little red wagon with a load of potatoes sitting in the space that was reserved for the “big red wagon”. The charming sidekicks sat side by side ready to take on the event! Shortly after arriving the crew was thrilled to be joined by a mix of local preschoolers and kindergartners! Their joy for the big spud was easily contagious and the smiles never stopped coming. One tot was particularly giddy as she exclaimed, “That’s even wider than my dad!” Needless to say, the tots had the Tater Team well equipped with more than enough one-liners to keep them in stitches the rest of the event.
Denis Jennisch and Frank Swanson: The little red wagon in front of the big red wagon!
Chicago tried throwing the team a few curve balls Saturday morning, but as expected, they knocked ‘em out of the park! The crew swung back and forth between events until ending their day at Save and Shop. They were flattered to see the parking lot overwhelmed with excited fans eagerly awaiting the trucks arrival (and no, this time Bethanny Frankel wasn’t there). Pictures immediately began snapping as the crew stepped from the truck. It was by far the team’s most “paparazzi” like experience. Once the crowd began to dissolve they were faced with their next loyal follower. This particular young lady saw the truck at the toll booth coming from Wisconsin into Chicago! As soon as she saw the spectacle she found the tour’s webpage and tracked the truck’s passage for three weeks! She finally intercepted the trucks path and even brought a friend of hers, Darth Tater!! The team was foolish to think they could turn their backs from the potato, leaving Darth unsupervised. Viewing the big spud as a threat, Darth had a plan. With one swift motion of his light saber he would bring an end to his over grown enemy and to the tour as well. As his arm raised, preparing to strike, Spuddy Buddy descended down from the hefty chain and knocked the light-saber from Darth’s death-grip. In defeat, Darth coward back into the hands of his owner. Another job well done by the team’s valiant hero, Spuddy Buddy. Good will always prevail!
Sorry Darth Tater...not today!
Happy Mothers Day! Sunday was a beautiful day and the Tater Team was happy to soak up some rays and hand out some brag-worthy postcards. The parking lot was swarmed with happy families spending the warm day together. A plethora of laughs were shared while the team witnessed many mothers “getting there way” in the spirit of the holiday. Even a die-hard Jurassic Park fan pulled up in front of the spud, sending the team back to the dinosaur age!
Is it just me...or does the spud look like a giant dinosaur egg?
The Hot Potatoes are also proud to announce their first hit single has been released! Check out the Famous Idaho Potato Tour’s Youtube or Facebook page to listen to their infectious tune! On those same pages you can even see Spuddy Buddy in action for yourself at the NRA convention! Check them out and don’t forget..keep coming back for more! 
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012—The Big Idaho Potato Truck and the self-dubbed “Tater Team” were brought together for one reason and one reason only: to promote the rock star that is the Famous Idaho Potato. But alas sometimes Murphy’s Law will try to obstruct even the purest of missions no matter how sincere the goal. Now I might quickly add, Spudnation, that you should not fret for this intro is not meant to scare you. You see, this “Murphy” guy is no longer around. Therefore his law did not account for two very recent phenomena: a six ton Idaho Potato and an unstoppable support crew of misfits. Disaster may have been looming at every step but it fell short at every turn at the hands of a deeper resolve. In the end, after a little turbulence, the crew and the unstoppable Spud rolled into the safety of McCormick Place’s vast chambers… its temporary home. And herein lays the change of pace. With Idaho’s pride tucked away in preparation for the National Restaurant Association, the Tater Team was relieved of their travel duties, and sought out their own adventures in the streets of Chicago.
Our truck was the first one in and will be the last one out. Now that is dedication.
Chicago’s weather for the last week was bad enough to keep even the most adventurous souls inside. So inside the Tater Team did stay. “Inside where?” you ask, well they thought that Chicago’s improv clubs and fine dining establishments were a good place to start. Second City’s legendary establishment echoed with Kaiti’s equally legendary laugh, Portillo’s Italian beef and Chicago-style dog added a well earned inch to Paul’s waist line and Ellis showed no shame as he put away half of a large-Lou Minalti-butter-crusted-deep-dish pizza pie. Needless to say, the Tater Team is more LARGE and in charge than ever before. But you won’t hear them regret it one bit.
Paul battles it out in a torrential downpour. Once we get smart we make it over to Lou Minalti’s Pizzeria where there is not only delicious grub, but it was dry! The third picture from the left shows a local improv group at Second City. And the last photo is an official, Chicago-style dog from Portillo’s.
The long layover in the Windy City caught the eye of a key figure that made a very special appearance in order to ‘ketchup’ and take in the sights with the Tater Team. It was a man who needs no introduction, for he is an iconic Idaho representative: Spuddy Buddy. Spuddy literally hopped on ‘board’ with Kaiti and Ellis as they wheeled him around Chicago from the Lincoln Park Zoo to Navy Pier. Stories were shared and memories were made as the old friends longboarded on the boardwalk, sandwiched between Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Rumor has it Spuddy is going to be making even MORE appearances throughout the tour! Don’t miss out and make sure you watch for the Adventures of Spuddy album on Facebook.
On the left, Spuddy Buddy poses outside the famous Navy Pier. On the right are the transportation tools the Tater Team used to show him around.
By the time Friday rolled around the Team was itching for action! They made their way down to McCormick Place to get their hands dirty while getting the truck clean. The team worked vigorously to buff the truck until it was ‘show worthy’. Their work was only slowed when new fans stopped by to talk about and admire Miss Idaho and the Big Idaho Potato. Team manager Laura, from Foerstel, arrived soon after the fresh coat of spit-shine, and after a month of conference calls and iChat dates, the full team was finally reunited.
The man in the green shirt stops at the traffic light to take a picture of the Big Idaho Potato Truck looking all fresh and clean.
Saturday marked the beginning of a promising weekend. After a week of preparations, McCormick Place came alive with the opening of the National Restaurant Association. The once empty halls were filled with hundreds of vendors that were swarming with thousands of potential clients. Never has there been such a high density of food samples per square foot, and the Team made it their mission to test every one. But after two days of valiant eating, they have reported that they are not even half way done with the event. It looks like we may have to chalk up a victory for the NRA and deliver the Tater Team their first defeat. But while the food is a definite highlight of the show, it is by no means the main attraction. From a very small and unofficial sample of the NRA Show’s population, we were almost unanimously voted the unofficial “Best in Show…case” (we cannot guarantee that there was no bias used in the calculation of this result). The Big Idaho Potato Truck dropped jaws, cracked smiles and brought out the little kid in everyone that passed. But like any main course, it is always better accompanied by sides. In the case of our Giant Spud, we had two! Spuddy Buddy came out to celebrate and take pictures with his adoring fans and the Idahoan occupied the space next door where they prepared an outstanding array of Idaho Potatoes. To some it was just simply overwhelming. But that is just how Idaho Potatoes roll.
From left to right: The amazing duo from Foerstel, Laura and Linda, touch up the Giant Spud before the NRA; the Tater Team goofs off with the Spuddy Buddy cut out; Frank Muir, Laura, Robin (Kaiti’s sister) and the Tater Team do a group shot at the IPC Photo Booth; the Idahoan is flaunting their delectable line of products next door; Spuddy Buddy poses with some fun fans from the show.
Though it was not the typical week of appearances, it was a unique change for all of those involved. The Idaho Potato Commissioners, the management crew at Foerstel and even the Mayor of Chicago got to experience what the Tater Team goes through every day. And while it was real nice of them to share the experience, the Team better hope that Frank, the President and CEO of the IPC, and his lovely wife do not decide to run off and take their places for the remaining six months.
Chicago’s Mayor (center), Rahm Emanuel, chose the IPC stand as one of only six to be visited during the opening ceremonies. He is accompanied by Frank Muir (left) and Don Odiorne (right) from the IPC.
Sunday, April 29th, 2012—Adventure: an exciting or unusual experience. What better word to describe the week we just had?! Try to imagine navigating the busy streets of downtown Chicago in a wide load semi truck! With our adventures quickly stacking up, the checks on our tour’s “bucket list” keep on coming! Getting a police escort-Check! Meeting more prestigious big wigs- Check! Traffic Jam- Check! Sampling authentic Chicago style food- Double Check! Getting front row seats to a chef throw down- Check! It was hard just to keep up!
We were thrilled to start our weekend off in Wisconsin. What a more perfect pair than cheese and potatoes? Our loving fans were delighted to see our big spud and we were just as delighted when Todd Schmidt, the Foodservice Representative for the Northeastern states, dropped in to meet us. Finishing our visit off at a local Piggly Wiggly, we were off to the Windy City where we will be planted for the next three weeks!
Upon arriving in Chicago, the worker in the toll booth took one look at our potato and called for a police escort to get us to town safely. After a few minutes, a police car rolled up and we followed the trail blazer down the hectic highway. With our heads growing bigger, we safely made it to town and parted with our newly found comrade. We settled in for the night, eagerly awaiting our next event.
Pulling into the parking lot of a Jewel Osco our eyes bulged to find a mass of people lining the store. The fans had obviously been there for several hours as we noticed they were all stocked with their own snacks, blankets, and chairs. Our heads grew another inch as we took in the flattering line. Jumping out of the truck we braced ourselves for the rush of our excited and very loyal fans. When we noticed the line stayed stationary, we were quick to learn of another event taking place at the store. Bethenny Frankel, from a hit reality TV series Bethenny Ever After, was due to be at the store in another half hour to sign autographs on her newly released bottles of Skinny Girl cocktails. After our heads returned to normal size, we interacted and took pictures with all of our shocked admirers. We were humbled to hear many people say, “This is the best day ever! Meeting Bethenny and a Giant Potato!” That’s something you can’t say every day! After the event, we got to experience our first official “Chicago style” hot dog from Portillos restaurant, and later a pizza from Ginos East, a famous Chicago hot spot. Now we are proud to say we have sampled two of Chicago’s signature dishes!
Friday morning we got our first taste of just how unfriendly city streets can be to semi trucks! Trying to make a tight turn that was bordered with guard rails; we brought traffic to a standstill. Once we found out the rails would not allow us the space we needed (mid-turn), Kaiti had to jump from the truck to back up the cars that had lined up behind us. While she fought trying to rearrange the stopped cars to give Paul some back up room, he fought through the merciless turn. Eventually, the 30-point turn was no match for us and Paul prevailed!
Later that afternoon while being stationed in front of a Meijer, we got a visit from a very entertaining character. Fred Young isn’t someone you have most likely heard of, but certainly someone you have heard from! He is the voice of over 35 pinball games nationwide and can impersonate 998 voices! He entertained us with skits from TV shows and movies such as Family Guy, The Simpsons, Star Wars, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and even Elmo. Fred was fantastically talented and kept us very amused. Of course we couldn’t end the day without meeting one more Idaho Potato Commission “big wig”. Don Odiorne, Foodservice Vice President, stopped by and introduced himself. It is so nice for us to finally put a face to all these names we keep hearing of!
Although we had a fun week, Saturday morning took the cake! We positioned ourselves in front of Ina’s restaurant bright and early. She gave us a warm welcome and served us an outstanding breakfast. Ina has been labeled the “Breakfast Queen” and we learned it is a well deserved title! Kaiti was in heaven while she devoured her Pulled Pork Hash. It was a scramble of pulled pork, Idaho potatoes, onions, peppers, cheese, topped with two poached eggs, and a side of sweet BBQ sauce to pull it all together. Yum! The restaurant was warm and friendly and Ina is sure to enforce her no cell phone policy. “Everyone in here should be able to enjoy each other’s company and eat breakfast without the sound of cell phone rings from every direction.” She explained. It gives that restaurant a very loving and peaceful atmosphere.
After breakfast our morning was just beginning! David Burke, head chef at PrimeHouse in Chicago, showed up for a chef throw down with the Breakfast Queen! Ina had to make the meat and David had to make the potatoes. Both of the finished products looked fantastic! To see their finished dishes visit www.watch312.com, David’s online show.
As you can tell, we had a full week with plenty of stories that never stopped coming! Where are we heading now? The National Restaurant Association Tradeshow! We are so excited to be a part of this tradeshow so be sure to stay tuned to our Facebook and web page to learn why.
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012—You always hear people say that the best part about traveling are the people you meet and the things you see. And while the Tater Team agrees whole heartedly with that saying, they would also like to add ‘the things we eat’ to the list. Which is why they could not have been more happy to start off their 3rd week of the tour in Kansas City; home of some of the sauciest BBQ this side of the Mississippi! They ate until they were fit to burst to ensure that they had enough fuel to last them until Wisconsin; their final state of the week. But it was not the destination that had them excited, it was the ‘in-betweens’, or better yet, ‘the journey’, that they were so anxious to experience. And they can definitely say that it has been a memorable one thus far.
Right from the get-go there seemed to be more food than manageable in the Kansas City area. But the great thing was that you had options. If you were tired of BBQ then you could have just come to your local Hen House in Overland Park for the Famous Idaho Potato Tour’s first Chef Event! That’s right, the Tater Team had an entourage of supporting acts that featured the wonderful chefs from bluestem Restaurant (lower case intended), a magnificent vegetable carver, and a couple of DJs from the local radio station, 95.7 The Vibe.
Chefs Megan and Colby Garrelts, from bluestem Restaurant, kept their minds distracted and their mouths watering with the sight and smell of their Smoked Idaho Potato Soup. The soup was a puree of crispy pork, fava beans, fresh goats milk mousseline, 5 lilies (5 different onions), and most importantly, Idaho potatoes! But hold on now, don’t go scarfing it down just yet, first we need to top it off with some of their chewy bacon bits and fresh chives!
The next act at the Chef Event was the boardwalk veteran, Stu Tarlowe. Stu showed up to teach the people how to whittle your Idaho potatoes into roses. And the only thing sharper than his knife was his tongue. Stu ‘wheeled and dealed’ as he demonstrated some of his most exotic carved-vegetable novelties: roses out of potatoes, beets, and rutabaga; palm trees out of sweet potatoes, bell peppers and grapes; and even a salad shark carved from a cucumber. The only time his hands, or his mouth, stopped moving were to put an exclamation point on the punch line of a well placed joke. Be sure and check out the Kansas City Event webisode to learn how to turn your baked potatoes into beautiful roses!
Shortly after the Chef Event, the team got back on the road and set their sights on Iowa, the Potato State… or wait, that’s Idaho… which is by Illinois right? I will have to double check on that. Either way, they were heading to Iowa, which is the state often confused with Idaho. Right from the start their shared plight with the rest of the country’s lack of geographical awareness created a lasting bond between the residents and Tater Team. People were excited to see the potato but even more excited to tell their stories about being mistaken for Idahoans. Overall, the warmth of the people and their excitement over the giant spud created a welcome environment while the tour stayed in the Des Moines area. And just so we can clarify, Idaho does potatoes and is in the Pacific Northwest. Iowa does corn and is in the Midwest. See the picture below if more info is needed.
The next stop on the tour took the team to Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of the Mall of America. This was a special stop on the tour both inside and outside of the events. Outside of the events the Tater Team’s driver, Paul, was reunited with his son after a month on the road. His son, Ian, rode down from North Dakota with his uncle and some cousins to check out our giant spud and ride some coasters inside the Mall of America. Tour Ambassador Kaiti also had a monumental visit to the mall by keeping her shopping bill under a $1,000 and limiting her shoe purchases to only four pairs. Needless to say, everyone was impressed by her extraordinary will power. But old habits were harder to kick for Tour Ambassador Ellis. He let his indecisiveness to purchase a new pair of running shoes bubble over into a two-hour struggle that had the salesman ready to abandon his commission. But in the end, the shoes were bought and Kaiti swears she heard him muttering about returning them before the end of the day.
Cubs Super Valu was the store chain nice enough to host our tour in the Minneapolis area. It was a wonderful, sunny day for the events and the Tater Team were not the only ones out to enjoy it. Marketers Keith and Amy from Betty Crocker’s potato division brought out their crew from the research and development group to do a little ‘onsite’ R&D. This division deals with potato products such as flavored mash, casserole and skillet potatoes that you can purchase across the United States. The best part about their products is that the majority of their potatoes are sourced right out of the Blackfoot, Idaho region. The lively crew brought their own potato props for a photo shoot before wrapping up the day’s festivities at Old Chicago.
As the team finished up the week by crossing the border into Wisconsin, they looked back at some of the new friends they had made. People from all over the country are getting to experience the most spectacular attraction on wheels, and no one leaves without understanding how important Idaho Potatoes are to us and to them. Even more rewarding are the displaced Idahoans that run up full of pride and excitement to reconnect with the oversized icon of their home state. After countless impressions in only three weeks, it is hard to imagine how many more will come in the next six months.
Leslie Mitchell (left) grew up in Boise and graduated from Capital High School. Rob Insinger (right) and his family have had a vacation home in Ketchum since his parents honeymooned their in the 1940s. The two met in Boise, moved to the Denver area and have been following our tour so that they could come and see us.
Elder Westmoreland (right) grew up in Meridian and is currently serving an LDS mission in the Des Moines area with his companion, Elder Russell (from Utah). Both had to stop to take pictures as they were driving by and saw the giant Idaho spud parked on the side of the road.
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promote and do research to expand the markets for Idaho-grown Potatoes.