Chef Spike Mendelsohn knows the good stuff.

A former contestant on the hit reality TV show, “Top Chef,” Mendelsohn decided to use the publicity from the show to his advantage and open his dream restaurant—a classic, all-American burger joint in our nation’s capital called “Good Stuff Eatery.”

Since its inauguration just over two years ago, Good Stuff Eatery has been catering to Capitol Hill taste buds. To get into the political groove, Mendelsohn introduced the Obama Burger and the Maverick (McCain) Burger during the 2008 election, and the competition between the two burgers was just as fierce as it was between the politicians.

Good Stuff Eatery features farm-fresh and seasonal ingredients prepared in the correct way as to maximize flavor. All the ingredients used in the recipes are from no more than 100 miles away, except for a few specialty items.

Mendelsohn and his sister, Micheline, have also produced The Good Stuff Cookbook that features dishes from his Capitol Hill eatery, including burgers, fries, shakes and lettuce wedges.

Some of the standout recipes in the book include the rich, moist and decadent Southern Style Cornbread, which tastes great served alongside Uncle D’s Chili, named for Spike’s Uncle Denny. In addition, you can now have your very own Prez Obama Burger at home served next to Vidalia Onion Petals or Handcut Fries; and don’t forget to top off the meal with a Toasted Marshmallow Shake. With these recipes, you are sure to be as big a hit with your friends and family as Good Stuff Eatery is to Washingtonians.

California wines are known the world over for quality and excellence, and California olive oil is well on its way to gaining an equally stellar reputation.

For U.S. consumers, California olive oil offers freshness and great flavor, according to Dan Flynn, executive director of the University of California at Davis Olive Center. These characteristics make it a “must buy” for foodies.

“For the consumer, what is important for them to look for when selecting olive oil is freshness,” Flynn said. “When you open up a bottle of fresh olive oil—and many consumers have never experienced this in the United States—it should smell fresh. It should smell perhaps grassy. That’s a sign of fresh olive oil.”

Flynn explained that many American consumers have yet to experience olive oil that both smells and tastes fresh.

California olive oil is produced from California olives, which is the key to quality. The quick turnaround from the orchard to the mill is vital for freshness and good flavor.

Olives have been grown in California since the late 1700s when Spanish missionaries began planting the trees; olives have been an important cash crop for more than 100 years when the California Black Ripe Olive process was established through the University of California.

While olive oil has been produced in California all that time, it has gained in favor over the past 20 years. According to Flynn, all sectors of the California olive industry are optimistic for continued growth in California olive oil consumption.

“Ten years ago a Spanish company came into California with the idea of growing olives in a hedgerow system that could be mechanically harvested,” Flynn explained. “This super-high density system has been the driver of olive oil production in the state.”

The United States consumes about 70 million gallons of olive oil each year. California produces about 850,000 gallons each year, about 1 percent of the total consumed in the United States.

Because freshness is vital for olive oil connoisseurs, Flynn believes California’s share of the olive oil market will continue to grow in the United States. “The value of California olive oil is its fresh, complex flavor,” he said.

Retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s now sell California olive oil, and Flynn expects more companies will begin offering California olive oil. More acreage is going into olive oil production and the California olive industry is committed to growing the market.

Flynn believes in four years California will be producing 4 million gallons of olive oil and five years after that, the state could be producing 10 million gallons. “Chefs will start taking notice and find out what really good olive oil is all about,” Flynn said.

There is still much room for growth in American consumption of olive oil. “Americans only consume about the equivalent of a wine bottle per person per year, whereas in Greece, which is the top olive oil-consuming nation, each person consumes the equivalent of 30 to 35 bottles of wine per year,” Flynn said.

Mary Cusick, SVP, Marketing, Bob Evans Restaurants

Bob Evans has deep roots in agriculture and a history of great partnership with Farm Bureau.

In 1946, Bob Evans opened his first restaurant in Gallia County, Ohio, and began making fresh premium sausage for his customers. Guests traveled many miles to taste the sausage that ads proclaimed was “made by a farmer on a farm.” Today, Bob Evans’ Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio, is still operational, and tens of thousands of visitors come each year to experience the place where it all started.

The farm is still home to the first restaurant and Bob and Jewell Evans’ homestead, which has been converted into a company museum. Each fall more than 30,000 visitors attend the Bob Evans Farm Festival that celebrates the harvest season and features local artisans, farmers, food and entertainment. This October we will celebrate our 40th anniversary farm festival.

The farm is not only a tourist attraction. It serves as the touchstone for everything we do at Bob Evans. Our new “Taste of the Farm” retail concept and new “farm fresh” menu items like our real fruit smoothies and farm-fresh wraps were inspired by the experience of the farm and our founder’s belief in the importance of local agriculture.

We have also recently introduced our new “Fit from the Farm” menu offering a wide variety of healthful, nutritious choices to our guests. At a time when wallets are tight, many people are turning to Bob Evans for quality food at an affordable price. We’re bringing greater focus to what we call our “family-first” guests—moms and dads in their mid-40s with kids at home.

This demographic is so important because they are not only making meal choices for themselves, but for their children as well. While targeting this audience, we have an opportunity to provide them with quality food as well as education about agriculture and healthy living.

Bob Evans Farms has been a partner to the agricultural community for many years, partnering with numerous ag organizations like the Pork Board, the Cattlemen’s Association and, of course, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the state Farm Bureaus.

Our founder believed strongly in supporting causes tied to our natural world and the families in it, including conservation, agriculture, preservation, animal husbandry, hunger, children and families.

Our philanthropic efforts also support our roots in Gallia County, Ohio, as well as groups like 4-H and FFA. We have a firm commitment to animal well-being and have programs in place to support it. And with a rising interest in the “farm to table” concept and organic ingredients, we have the opportunity to educate our consumers about the agricultural community. We know now is the perfect time to tell the story of our nation’s farmers, and we’re working with our partners to do just that.

We’re excited for the new direction and energy in our business, and we’re proud to help tell the story of agriculture across the country, in our restaurants and with our food products. It’s the right thing to do for our company, our partners and our guests.