By Doug Geed
Something you'll never see in my blog (and something I'm certain News 12 management would never allow anyway) is an endorsement of a particular product -- a recommendation that you try a certain restaurant, deli or pizza place. I have my favorites of course, but there are so many across our Island, all owned by people who work their tails off, that any kind of "plug" here is not fair.
But I do think it's appropriate when I make an occasional comment on air about our local agriculture industry and encourage people to buy local vegetables when they can -- or take a drive to an East End farmstand. First of all, there's nothing fresher or better for you than a locally grown fruit or vegetable and it helps Long Islanders -- not some corporation based out of our state or country. On top of that, it also helps preserve all that beautiful farmland in eastern Suffolk. Our East End is such a treasure, I'd hate to think that it will become like the rest of Long Island one day. One way to ensure that never happens is to keep the farming industry profitable.
So with all due respect to Lay's, Ruffles, Wise and all the other potato chip conglomerates out there, I'd like to recommend that the next time you try a potato chip, you try North Fork Potato Chips. You may have seen them in your local deli or at King Kullen (a supermarket chain by the way, that promotes Long Island agriculture pretty heavily).
The "company" is run by the Sidor Family -- Martin and his wife Carol. Marty's family bought a farm in Mattituck back in 1910 and they've farmed ever since. During that time, most potato farmers have either gone out of business or switched to another crop that brings in more money. After all, how much can you charge people for a potato to help offset the huge cost of farming? Yes, like everything else, farming on Long Island is more expensive than just about anywhere else in the country.
So 5 years ago, the Sidors decided to take some of the potatoes they grow and make them into chips. They have a place in Cutchogue where they're produced -- and I have to tell you, it's fun to watch.
I don't mean to make it sound like a small-time operation, but when I looked at the assembly line, it kind of reminded me of something the Little Rascals would build in those old Our Gang comedies. Potatoes are dumped into a hopper -- cleaned and peeled. They then go into a slicer where slivers of potatoes shoot out into hot oil. (Sunflower oil, by the way -- healthier than cottonseed used by the big potato chip guys.)
The cooked chips then go in a spinner to get rid of any excess oil after cooking. Imperfect ones are picked out along a conveyor belt -- salt is added as the chips make their way up a belt and into the bags where they are sealed minutes after being cooked.
You can see the operation this coming Sunday, March 22nd, starting in the 5 pm newscast and running through Monday afternoon. They'll also be featured in an upcoming East End Show which airs every weekend on News 12.
I'm not a huge fan of potato chips (I'm a pretzel guy -- I eat them almost every day), but these chips are good. They actually taste like a potato. That may sound stupid, but so many potato chips just taste like little salted, oily chips to me -- these have a real potato taste. And my favorite of their flavors was definitely the sweet potato chips. Made with real sweet potatoes, there's no salt added at all because of the big flavor of the potato itself.
No, the Sidors will never take over the snack food world, but they represent a good, home-spun local story. They still live in that same old farm house the family bought nearly 100 years ago. Carol says people will occasionally call her and ask for "the production manager" or "distribution manager." She tells them "Well, my husband grows the potatoes and I do everything else, so how can I help you?"
Nice people -- good potato chips.
http://www.northforkchips.com/