#123 On the Road in Rice Country with The Salad Collective

USA Rice's Chain Engagement Program brings U.S.-grown rice concepts and information to restaurant operators of all sizes. It also brings culinary and marketing teams to farms and mills to make deeper connections. In October 2025, USA Rice brought a team from the Salad Collective, operators of Mad Greens, Snappy Salads, and Tokyo Joe's, to California during harvest. Their schedule was packed, touring Farmers' Rice Cooperative, Christine Wylie's seed operation, and Charley Mathews Jr's dryer and farm, as well as seeing wildlife and water management up close. Michael was on the tour and sat down with Cameron Jacobs to talk about the concepts as well as tour participants.

With special guests:

Chef Jeff DiSanto, Director of Culinary, Salad Collective, Dawn Whittenburg, Director of Marketing, Tokyo Joe's, and Cameron Jacobs, VP of Domestic Promotion, USA Rice

Hosted by:

Michael Klein and Deborah Willenborg