June 16th 2002 >> The Press Democrat Home Grown Food processing plays burgeoning role in Sonoma County's economy By TED APPEL
A small but growing cluster of food processing companies is
becoming an economic force in Sonoma County, expanding steadily
during the recession to feed consumers' appetites for organic
and specialty foods.
The homegrown industry has earned a national reputation
that draws buyers from supermarket chains, upscale gourmet
shops and health food stores across America to sample the
county's diverse bounty.
"It is a destination spot for buyers. In one trip, they
can visit so many suppliers," said Andy Berliner, president
of Amy's Kitchen, a Santa Rosa company that makes an array
of frozen vegetarian meals.
We
spend so much time RAVING about Amy's soups and various and sundry frozen
entrees and snacks, that we sometimes forget they have a whole line of
veggie burgers. So to get reacquainted with them, we ran out and bought
a box of Texas
Burgers and got busy with our grill pan. Let's start out by saying that
pretty much EVERYTHING Amy's puts out is effortlessly delicious. SOMEONE
over at that company has EXCELLENT taste buds... >> More News