In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Chef Nate Weir, vice president of culinary at Modern Market Eatery and a champion of including blueberries on menus. After culinary school Weir worked in full-service, ingredient-driven restaurants in Boulder, and was the sous chef at Salt Bistro, 5280 Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant” in 2009. He joined the Modern Market team in 2011 as its first chef and “corporate” employee. In 12 years growing the Modern Market brand, he has worn many hats – from purchasing and food cost to developing systems for training and operations. He has also led culinary efforts at Lemonade, a trend-setting California fast-casual restaurant, where he completed a full reboot of the colorful, unique menu and hand-crafted beverage program.

“We like to take a good fresh ingredient like blueberries and try not to overthink it. It provides a ton of versatility on the menu. It's extremely flexible in the ways that we can use it. Guests love it and best of all, it's extremely good for you too. So it really checks all the boxes.” - Nate Weir

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Chef Weir and his work. 
• A discussion of the versatility and advantages of bringing blueberries to menus, and how Chef Weir makes that happen. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Daniel Bustamante in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on December 14, 2023.