Ua loaʻa iā George Wooten, pelekikena o Wayne E. Bailey Produce Company, ka manaʻo no ka ʻuala ʻoki hou ma mua o 10 mau makahiki aku nei, akā ʻaʻole i kēia makahiki i hoʻomaka ai nā huahana mai ka laina o George Foods.
Ua hoʻokumu ʻo Wooten i ka hui ʻo Pembroke, NC, e hoʻolako i nā mea kūʻai aku i ka ʻoluʻolu i nele i ka ʻuala. Me ka ʻai ʻana o ʻAmelika ma kahi o 3.8 paona wale nō i ka makahiki i hoʻohālikelike ʻia me 28.5 paona i ka makahiki i ka makahiki 1930, ʻo George Foods kahi hakakā piʻi. Akā ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten e hoʻololi ka manaʻo hou i ka manaʻo o ka poʻe e pili ana i ka mea kanu.
ʻIke ka poʻe kūʻai mai ʻAmelika i ka ʻuala ma ke ʻano he mea hoʻomaha a ʻo ke kūʻai ʻana maʻamau e huli i ka Thanksgiving a me ka Kalikimaka. Akā, ʻo ka ʻuala he mea ʻai nui loa ia, wahi a Wooten, no ka mea, ʻaʻohe mea hiki ʻole iā ʻoe ke hana me ia. Hiki iā ia ke lilo i ʻāpana o kahi meaʻai, kahi kīʻaha ʻaoʻao a i ʻole ka mea ʻai.
"Hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻolei i kou hoalauna inā ʻaʻole ʻoe makemake," wahi āna me ka hoʻomākeʻaka.
ana
Ke hana nei ka hui ma waho o kahi hale 95,000-square-foot, akā ʻaʻole e hoʻohana ʻia ia mau mea a pau no nā hana ʻoki hou. Hoʻolālā ʻo Wooten e hoʻonui i ka hale ʻoki hou no ka lawelawe ʻana ma mua o ka ʻuala; makemake ʻo ia e lilo i mea hoʻolako i nā mea āpau "koe wale ka letus" ma kahi radius 250-mile o Pembroke, wahi āna. Ua kūʻai ʻo ia i ka mīkini no kahi laina kāpeti a ke kamaʻilio nei ʻo ia me kahi mea hoʻolako kāloti.
He hale ʻai pai ka hale a hiki i ka wā i kūʻai mai ai ʻo Wooten, no laila he hale ʻai meaʻai me ka palekana 24-hola. Hoʻohana ʻo Wooten i 45 poʻe ma ka hale hana, me ka hiki ke hana i nā limahana 200 ke hoʻohui ʻia nā laina hou aku. Ua "cstatic" ka poʻe o Pembroke e hana hou ana ka mea kanu, wahi a Wooten.
ʻO North Carolina ke kapikala ʻuala o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, e hana ana ma kahi o 40 pakeneka o ka lako o ka lāhui, e like me ka North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission. ʻO 8 mau mile wale nō ka mea kanu mai ka mokuʻāina, a ʻo Pembroke ma kahi o 40 mau mile mai Chadbourn, NC, kahi i hoʻokaʻawale ai ʻo Wooten i kona manawa me Wayne E. Bailey Produce. Aia ʻo George Foods ma ke kahakai hikina, ma kahi o 700 mau mile mai Miami a me Boston. E lawelawe mua ana ka hui i kēlā wahi, ʻoiai ʻo 65 ka nui o ka heluna kanaka US e noho ana ma ka hikina o ka muliwai Mississippi, wahi a Wooten.
Makeke Hou-Oki
ʻO George Foods ka mea hana ʻuala mua loa i ʻoki ʻia ma North Carolina, a ʻo ka lua ma ka ʻāina. He ʻoihana hou kēia i nui ka lumi no ka ulu ʻana, wahi a Sue Johnson-Langdon, ka luna hoʻokele no ka North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia i ka noiʻi ʻana a ke komisina ua kahaha nā mea kūʻai aku i ka ʻike ʻana e hiki iā lākou ke ʻai i ka ʻuala ma ke ʻano he ʻoki hou.
Me nā huahana i ʻoki hou ʻia e loaʻa ana nā māhele mākeke i kēlā me kēia makahiki, ʻōlelo ʻo Johnson-Langdon ua hala ka ʻuala.
“Ua hiki mai ka manawa o ka uala ko lakou wahi.”
No ka pahu hopu pōkole, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten ua manaʻo ʻo ia e hoʻoponopono i 5 miliona paona ʻuala, a ma hope e kūkulu ʻia i 10 a 15 miliona paona. ʻO Wayne E. Bailey Hoʻopuka i nā pūʻolo e pili ana i 100 miliona paona i kēlā me kēia makahiki, a ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten he 10 pakeneka o ia mea he pahuhopu kūpono no nā huahana ʻoki hou.
Me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka sila ʻana i ka ʻūhā liʻiliʻi, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten he 14 mau lā ke ola o nā huahana i ʻoki hou ʻia. He mea maʻamau kēlā, ʻōlelo ʻo ia, no ka mea ʻaʻole lākou e hoʻohana i nā kemika e hoʻolōʻihi i ke ola.
Ke hana nei ka ʻoihana no nā mea kūʻai aku lawelawe meaʻai, a ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten e hoʻolauna paha ʻo ia i ka laina kūʻai i ka hāʻule. ʻAʻole ʻimi nā mea kūʻai aku i nā huahana ʻuala a hiki i ka lā hoʻomaha. No ka mea ʻoi aku ka paʻakikī o ka ʻuala ma mua o ka ʻuala keʻokeʻo ma kahi o 2.5 mau manawa ma mua o ka ʻuala keʻokeʻo, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten he mea kūʻai nui ka ʻuala hou i ʻoki ʻia.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Johnson-Langdon ʻaʻole paha he mākeke nui no ka ʻoki ʻoki hou ʻana, akā ʻo ka hapa nui o nā koi mai ka mea maʻalahi.
"ʻO nā mea e hōʻemi i ka manawa hoʻomākaukau e ʻike ʻia he waiwai," wahi āna.
Ua maikaʻi ka pane mai nā mea kūʻai lawelawe meaʻai. ʻO ka palai ʻuala ka mea lanakila loa i kēia manawa, akā ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten, no ka mea, ʻo ka fries ka meaʻai a puni ka makahiki. Manaʻo ʻo ia e piʻi aʻe ke kūʻai ʻana aku i kekahi o nā huahana ʻē aʻe i ke kokoke ʻana o ka wā hoʻomaha.
Aia kekahi hoihoi mai nā kula ʻo North Carolina. Hāʻawi ka hui i kekahi mau kula kūloko i nā lāʻau ʻuala, ʻo ia kahi ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi ma mua o ka palani.
Koho Menu
Ua hana pū ʻo Chef Tony Merola me Wooten mai ka makahiki 1998 e hoʻomohala i nā huahana hou a me nā mākeke no ka ʻuala. Ua kōkua ʻo ia i ka hana ʻana i nā meaʻai hou me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka mea kanu a hoʻolilo i ka manawa e kamaʻilio me nā mea kūʻai aku a me nā mea lawelawe lawelawe meaʻai e hoʻomaopopo iā lākou e pili ana i nā pono o ka ʻuala a haʻi iā lākou "he aha kā lākou e nalo nei." Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia ua makemake ʻo ia e ʻike ʻia ka ʻuala ma mua o kahi mea hoʻomaha.
"He 1,001 mau mea hiki iā ʻoe ke hana me ka ʻuala," wahi a Merola.
Ua hana ʻo Merola i nā ʻano meaʻai hou me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ʻuala e hāʻawi i nā kumu kuke ʻē aʻe e hoʻohana ai.
Ua hoʻomohala ʻo ia i nā ʻuala no ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ʻuala me ka barbecue, stir-fry, soup, lettuce wraps a me ka pasta, i kapa ʻia ʻo ia "he kīʻaha weliweli." ʻAʻole hoʻohana ʻo Merola i ke kō ʻeleʻele ma luna o ka mea kanu, akā hoʻomoʻa mālie ia i mea e hoʻopuka ai i ke kō maoli a me ka ʻono.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Merola, ʻo ka ʻuala ka mea maʻalahi loa no ka mea hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻai iā ia ma ke ʻano he mea kanu a me ka mea ʻai. Ua kamaʻāina ka hapa nui o nā mea kūʻai aku i ka hoʻohana ʻana i kahi puree no nā pai ʻuala a i ʻole soufflés, akā ua ʻōlelo ʻo Merola e hiki nō ke hoʻohana ʻia ka mea kanu e hana ai i ka crème brulee a me ka ʻuala ʻuala, i kapa ʻia ʻo ia "ʻano maikaʻi loa."
ʻO ka mea kanu kekahi o nā mea olakino maikaʻi loa ma waho, wahi a Merola. A ʻae ʻo Weight Watchers. Ua koho ka hui meaʻai i ka ʻuala ma ke ʻano he mea ʻai meaʻai o ke kau no ʻOkakopa a hiki i Dekemaba.
Ua kapa ʻo Wooten i ka hui hou ma hope o kona makuakāne ʻo George. Ua make ʻo ia i ka makahiki 6 o Wooten, akā hoʻomanaʻo ʻo ia i kona makuakāne ʻo ia ka mea nui loa - he kanaka noʻonoʻo a me ka hana. He kanaka pāʻoihana ʻo Wooten ma ka ʻoihana lako, no laila ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten ma ka lima o ke Akua i hoʻopau ai i ka ʻoihana huahana.
I ka makahiki 13 o Wooten, ua mare kona makuahine iā Elroy Bailey, ke keiki a Wayne E. Bailey, ka mea nāna i hoʻokumu i ka hui ʻuala ʻuala i kapa ʻia kona inoa. Ua holo ʻo Elroy i ka hui mai 1970 a hiki i kona make ʻana i 1991, a ua lilo ʻo Wooten i pelekikena i kēlā manawa. Ke hoʻomau nei ʻo ia i ka pelekikena a ʻelua keiki kāne e hana ana ma laila. ʻO kāna hiapo, ʻo George Wooten III, ka luna mahiʻai, a ʻo kāna keiki kāne ʻelua, ʻo Adam, ʻo ia ka luna hana. He mau kaikamahine māhoe kāna, he kumu kekahi o lākou a ʻo kekahi ma ke kula puka.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten ʻo kāna hana ma ka ʻoihana huahana ua hāʻawi iā ia i ka manawa e huakaʻi ai ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, a i ʻEulopa i ʻelua mau manawa.
"Ke hele au e kaʻana like i koʻu manaʻoʻiʻo," wahi āna. "Aole o'u hilahila i ka Euanelio."
ʻO ia ka ʻōlelo a Wooten i hoʻolaha ai ma kāna ʻeke. Aia ma luna o nā pahu ʻuala nui mai Wayne E. Bailey Produce "ʻo ka ʻuala ka makana a ke Akua i nā kānaka, a ʻo Iesu ka makana a ke Akua i nā kānaka" i paʻi ʻia ma luna. ʻAʻole hiki iā ia ke paʻi i kēlā ma nā pahu o nā mea kūʻai aku, akā ʻo nā mea ʻē aʻe, e like me Winn-Dixie, Publix a me Outback Steakhouse, ʻaʻohe manaʻo. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten ua lohe ʻo ia mai ka poʻe i paipai ʻia e ka leka.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia ua manaʻo ʻo ia ʻo ia ke kākoʻo mua no ka huakaʻi holoʻokoʻa o kahi hui Kalikiano. He kākoʻo kāna hui no Spirit West Coast, he ʻaha mele Kalikiano a me ke aʻo ʻana i mālama ʻia ma ʻAukake ma Monterey, Kaleponi. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wooten he mea nui ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi ʻoihana a me ka ʻaoʻao ʻuhane ke kākoʻo ʻo ia i kahi hanana.