French Fry Fairy

Chris Voigt and the Potato Challenge

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat nothing but potatoes for 60 days? Well there is now one man who can give you a firsthand account of his 60-day potato eating experience. Chris Voigt, who is the Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission, has spent a total of 15 years in the potato industry, working for both state and national potato organizations.  I can tell you all about Chris, but I thought it is best to let him explain his experience in his own words.

FFF: Can you tell me a little bit about your 60-day potato diet?

Chris Voigt: I ate 20 potatoes a day for 60 days straight.  No traditional toppings like sour cream, chili, cheese, or butter, only seasonings and oil for some of the cooking.  The intent of the diet was to remind people that the potato is so good for you, that you could literally live off them for 60 days, without any negative impact to your health. That’s why I wasn’t able to use any toppings other than seasonings. I couldn’t use anything that would add any substantial nutrition since I was trying to prove that the potato was nutritious just by itself.  I started on October 1st and completed my 60 days on November 30th.  I would like to say that I’m not encouraging anyone to follow in my footsteps.  This is not the next fad diet but was simply a bold statement to remind the public that there is a lot of nutrition in a potato.  I recognize that there is no one single food product that can meet all of your nutritional needs, but if you had to pick one, the potato would be a good choice. 

FFF: What gave you the idea to eat nothing but potatoes for 60 days?

Chris Voigt: It seemed like potatoes, French fries, and potato chips were being blamed for everything that was bad in the world.  I woke up one morning, feeling beat up about the image of the potato and decided to do something about it.  I thought of the movie, “Stand by Me”.  There is a scene in the movie where these boys are camping out and are having one of those great conversations around the camp fire that only little boys can have.  One of the boys asks, “If you could only have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?”  In the movie, he says Cherry flavored Pez, but I chose potatoes.  I thought if I commit to a diet only of potatoes, then I could show the world how healthy they really are.  Read the rest of this entry »

Stunt Tater and Coach Potato

Recently, I have been reading a lot about a new potato character in town, Stunt Tater! He reigns from Idaho and has taken the potato world by storm. I was lucky enough to catch up with him to get some insight into his antics.

FFF: Where did you grow up?

Stunt Tater: As you may know, potatoes grow from cut pieces of potato called seeds, and each piece of potato that has an “eye” is potentially a Tater Tot. I grew up on the Eastern side of Idaho, outside a town called Idaho Falls. I was 120 days old when a farmer harvested me and rather than end up being cut into a French fry, I snuck off the truck and have been running ever since. You can’t call me a “couch potato” because I get plenty of exercise.

FFF: What is your day job?

Stunt Tater: During the daytime I try to help my buddy Dr. Potato answer questions that chefs and Read the rest of this entry »

French Fries

There are a number of restaurants famous for French fries that I have yet to visit. I feel like there is a whole world of fries just waiting for me to review. I have researched some of the top restaurants that serve some pretty famous fried tubers and have put together a top 10 wish list of restaurants I would like to visit to try their French fries.

If I had not already visited Pomme Frites in NYC or Burger and Beer Joint in South Beach, I would definitely want to add those to my list. However, since those have already been crossed off, that just made room for two more places to visit on my list.

If you have any comments on any of these restaurants or suggestions of places to go, I would love to hear from you!

1. Le Roy Jucep in Quebec

In the brief research I did on the invention of poutine, I found two restaurants that possibly invented the famous Canadian dish. One of the restaurants is no longer in operation, but luckily Le Roy Jucep is still in full swing in Drummondville, Quebec. Poutine is a French fry dish made with cheese curds and gravy. Om nom nom nom…

2. Maison Antoine in Brussels

There is a long history to French fries and the debate stills goes on as to whether France or Belgium is home to fries. Maison Antoine has fresh cut fries and a wide variety of dipping sauces. I can’t wait to get to Brussels to Read the rest of this entry »

Albert Hannemann (Al-B) playing Volleyball

Sometimes I wish I had the drive to work out as hard as professional athletes, but unfortunately my passion is French fries. I caught up with Albert Hannemann, who is a professional beach volleyball player and entrepreneur.

Known to his friends as Al-B, Hannemann has a impressive professional record. Here are some of the highlights.

• Won the 2009 US Open Championship in Manhattan Beach, CA.
• Won the AVP Hermosa Beach Open
• US Olympic Festival Gold Medalist
• NCAA National Champion as freshman at UCLA
• NCAA Academic All-American at University of Hawaii
• Student-Athlete of the Year at University of Hawaii

I caught up with Al-B to learn a little bit more about what he is up to and his feelings on French fries!

FFF: What is your favorite type of French Fries?

Al-B: I just ate them at the Dallas airport! Sweet potato fries all the way! Read the rest of this entry »

So, my blog has a pretty limited topic. There is only so much you can say about potatoes. I thought I would expand my horizons and get the low down on French fries from someone who is an expert on food. Christine Najac seemed like the right place to start. Her palate is much more diversified than mine, so I thought she might teach me a thing or two.

FFF: What is your favorite type of French Fries?

SFFW: Thin and salty, like McDonald’s, I tend to favor the Golden Arches

FFF: Where is your favorite place to enjoy French fries?

SFFW: McDonald’s with my 7 year old nephew and 10 year old niece Read the rest of this entry »

French Fry Diary Creator - Glenn Walker

I have found another soul in this world who is as fond as French fries as I am! I couldn’t believe it when I found the French Fry Diary blog. The creator of this website, Glenn Walker, was way ahead of me on his French fry adventures. In fact, his blog has been in the works for 10 years! I was still in school 10 years ago and was not doing anything as exciting as traveling the world to find the best French fries. I would like to give three cheers to the creative source behind the French Fry Diary.

He was nice enough to spend some time with me answering some questions. Read the rest of this entry »

Marc Serota and Shaq

I first met Marc Serota at a company we both worked for and was immediately impressed with his photography. He had a really cool background and an upbeat personality that makes everyone smile. We hit it off as friends right away!

Marc has been lucky enough to photograph some of the top players in sports and some pretty groovy people in the entertainment world. He shot the photography for books for Dan Marino, John Elway,
Troy Aikman and Brett Favre. I am going to embarrass him here, but he also shot the photography for a Britney Spears book.

I thought I would catch up with him and ask him a few questions about French fries and other things he has been up to lately.

Read the rest of this entry »

When I first started my French Fry Fairy blog, I had no idea I would make so many new friends. Although most of my blogger friends reside in Miami, I have made a few friends across the world. Grace writes a great blog, Sunshine and Potatoes, which is witty, funny and an interesting read. Grace also has a love for potatoes, so I thought she would be perfect for a French Fry Fairy Interview!

FFF: What is your favorite type of French Fries (skinny fries, sweet potato fries, duck fat fries, etc)?

Sunshine and Potatoes: I love all French Fries but I think my favorites are crispy seasoned curly fries. I could eat them all day.

FFF: Where is your favorite place to enjoy French fries?

Sunshine and Potatoes: In DC, there is a great burger place called Good Stuff Eatery and they have amazing fries. They are hand cut and fried to perfection. You can get them salted or with thyme and rosemary. Plus, they have amazing mayo dipping sauces (chipoltle, mango, old bay and siracha). I like to mix the chipoltle, mango and siracha. It’s a party in your mouth. Now that I am back in California I have to find a new place for fries.

Read the rest of this entry »

I want to find the most delicious French Fries in the world, so I have recruited the help of other people to give me their opinions on the fried tubers. I caught up with Terrence Wilkins, who is a former NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts to tell me all about his experiences with French Fries.

FFF: What is your favorite type of French Fries (e.g. skinny fries, sweet potato fries, duck fat fries, etc)?

TW: Skinny fries have always been my favorite.

FFF: Where is your favorite place to enjoy French fries?

TW: I really just enjoy making and eating French fries in the comfort of my own home.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last year I made it my personal mission to search the world in search of the best French fries. Although I think my opinion is a very credible source for French fry lovers, I thought I would open up the opportunity to other people to share their ideas on French fries.

My first interview choice should be obvious – The Burger Beast. His opinions on burgers and other food are well-respected throughout South Florida and maybe even the world. So…. Enough of my blabbering and let’s get to it!

FFF: What is your favorite type of French Fries (e.g. skinny fries, sweet potato fries, duck fat fries, etc)?

Burger Beast: Fresh Cut, it wasn’t part of the choices but I figured I’d throw that out there.

Read the rest of this entry »