image
image
image
image
Food Safety Blog Recipes

Tag: Product

From Our Fields to Your Kitchen: Gills Onions Retail Products

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

There’s nothing better than a freshly diced onion, but actually peeling and chopping the onion can be one of the worst jobs in the kitchen. 

At Gills Onions, we know this fact isn’t just true in commercial kitchens. The average American consumes over 20 pounds of onions each year. That’s a lot of chopping and a lot of tears. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

With our retail line-up of fresh cut onions, we’re bringing the delicious flavor of the world’s best onions to your kitchen. Say goodbye to tears and hello to the best onions you’ve ever had. 

Our Onions, Your Grocery Store

We pack our retail products in 6 oz., BPA-free, recyclable clear cups with reusable lids. A breathable under-lid film seals in that sweet onion aroma and locks in freshness. 

Customers crave convenience as much as they crave flavor. This packaging makes it easy to store fresh onions in your fridge, use what you need, and reseal the container until the next time. 

Currently, we process and package:

  • Diced Yellow Onions – Use to spice up any recipe that calls for chopped or diced onions. 
  • Diced Red Onions – Add something extra to soups, chilis, and sauces, or use as a colorful condiment. 
  • Diced Celery and Onions – The perfect blend for potato salads, tuna salads, and holiday stuffings and casseroles. 
  • Diced Mirepoix – An aromatic mix of onions, carrots, and celery. Add to sauces, braised meats, and marinades. 

You’ll find our products in the value-added section of retail grocers throughout California. 

Quality, Convenience, and Flavor

Our retail line-up comes 100% washed and ready-to-use with an 18-day shelf life – the longest shelf life of any fresh cut onion. All our products are kosher-certified, gluten-free, and non-GMO verified. 

Gills Onions is the only vertically integrated grower, processor, and shipper in the U.S. That means we grow, cut, and ship every onion that arrives in your kitchen, allowing us to maintain the highest quality standards. Our onions are grown “The Gill Way.” We are dedicated to innovative and sustainable agricultural practices, which create better tasting onions and better fields for future generations. 

Growing Our Retail Options

Our retail product line is growing! There are exciting new products on the horizon, like diced pickled onions – a tangy complement to grilled meats, dips, deviled eggs, potato salad, and more. 

We’re also working on partnerships with major retailers that would allow us to make our delicious fresh cut onions available in grocery stores across the United States. We can’t wait for you to taste the difference – and enjoy the convenience – of onions grown “The Gill Way.” 

If you’re still chopping onions, it’s a crying shame. Contact our sales department to learn more about how we can save you time and money.

Calculate Your Onion Savings

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

When it comes to food preparation, we understand the power of saving chefs time and money. That’s why Gills Onions prides itself on being a value-add product. Our whole-peeled and sliced onions not only taste the best in the industry, but they also shine in the back end of the kitchen as an efficiency star, saving you time, labor and money.

To illustrate how beneficial our onions can be, we love to use the Gills Onions Product Calculator. Learn more about this fantastic tool on our website, and how you – the chef or operator – can calculate your potential annual savings by using Gills Onions.

Use Our Online Savings Calculator For Free

The onion product calculator is simple to use and free to try – so what’s stopping you? We’ll break it down a little to further explain how it works.

  1. First, choose the product you’re measuring. 
  2. Next, select the base cost you would typically pay for this item. 
  3. Third, input the time it typically takes for you to prepare this item. 
  4. The last variable is the hourly wage of whoever prepares the onions, which will vary by region. 

After inputting all of this information, the calculator will automatically populate the fields below.

  • Gross Weight
  • Gross Cost (per lb)
  • Trim Loss
  • Net Usable Weight
  • Net Cost (per lb)
  • Direct Labor Cost (per case)
  • Indirect Labor Cost (per case)
  • True Cost (per case)
  • True Cost (per lb)

Based on these figures, you’ll be able to see just how much the time and money that goes toward preparing your own onions can impact your overall costs—and we’re confident you’ll be pleased with the savings. “I’d say 90% of the time, we beat the price of preparing the product on your own,” said Owner/CEO Steve Gill.

100% Useable Product

One of the reasons Gills Onions saves people so much time and money is that we ship a 100% usable product. This means that with Gills, there is no waste – every last bit of the onions you receive can be incorporated into the kitchen.

“We do have 100% usable product,” said Steve. “Others don’t know what percentage yield they get, and with all the waste that comes with peeling an onion, it makes a lot of sense to buy from somebody like ourselves.”

Eliminate Hidden Labor Costs & Cut Down on Injuries 

One of the key takeaways from the product calculator is the indirect labor costs that come with onion preparation. Time spent cleaning up whisps of onion scales, taking out the trash more often, and taking a moment in the walk-in freezer to let your eyes stop watering all add up! “Onions are the most powerful vegetable in the world,” said Steve. “They make you cry!”

Steve elaborated on this point further, saying, “Usually, the people who are peeling onions feel like they’re being punished. It’s not a glamorous job.”

Our whole peel program enables chefs to get rid of these hidden labor costs, as well as reduce injuries in the kitchen. Gills Onions save you and your staff the headache of peeling, cleanup, waste disposal, and slicing injuries that come with preparing onions on-site.

How Your Team Can Use This Tool Out In The Field

For our operators, the product calculator is also a great tool to use out in the field. When your clients want to talk onions, you can be prepared to show them potential savings instantly. “I always say, get people to look at their savings in a calendar year,” said Megan Jacobsen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Commodity prices on sack onions fluctuate throughout the year, but our whole-peeled onions offer a consistent yield, consistent price, and consistent quality, every single time.”

Try out the product savings calculator today, and start your whole peel journey with Gills.

Ready to try onions grown “The Gill Way?” Contact the Gills Onions sales department to learn more.

The Gills Industrial Onion Program

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

Quantity, Quality, and Flavor

When you buy a product by the truckload, you want to know that it’s the very best. At Gills Onions, we work with industrial customers to deliver the very best onions in the industry. We know that industrial operations depend on us to bring them massive amounts of onions with massive amounts of flavor. And, like any onion that goes out of our doors, each piece of an industrial shipment must be fresh. 

Industrial Onions Add Value to Your Operation

Industrial customers buy big batches of onions, and they see big value in return. Many industrial customers operate seasonally. One of our biggest client segments is the tomato sauce industry. When the summer tomato harvest rolls around, our truckloads of fresh onions roll out. 

Fresh cut onions add value to your operation by eliminating inefficiencies. When you purchase bulk fresh cut onions from Gills, you save time, labor, and overall costs. Typically, one in every three loads of bulk onions is onion waste. That’s wasted inventory, wasted time, and wasted transportation costs. Gills solves this problem for you.

Gills Onions offers industrial batches of both whole peeled and diced onions. Our customers benefit from Gills’ industry-leading shelf life. Our industrial diced onion shipments are guaranteed fresh up to 11 days. Whole peeled onion bins stay fresh even longer – up to 18 days after manufacture.

What You Can Do with All Those Onions

Even though our industrial onions arrive in large batches, every piece comes from an onion that was held to the highest individual standards. Our onions are perfectly grown, cleaned, and cut under the watchful eye of expert growers and processors. They arrive to you fresh, flavorful, and ready-to-use. 

So what can you use them for? As we mentioned above, our onions are an essential part of the tomato sauce industry, but they are delicious in other sauces and condiments as well. Some of our industrial customers purchase whole peeled onions and take them to their own processing facilities to create specialty cuts for their own customers. A perfect example is the long, thin slices of onion you find in your favorite fajitas. 

Expand Your Horizons with Gills Onions

Buying in large quantities should never mean compromising on quality. At Gills Onions, we grow, harvest, wash, peel, trim, and cut every onion before it arrives at your facility. We lead the industry in safety and quality assurance practices. From seed to shipment, we can confidently say that our onions are the very best. But don’t take our word for it. Our onions speak for themselves. 

Ready to try onions the Gills Way? For more information, contact the Gills Onions sales department.

The Art (and Science) of Caramelizing Onions

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

A celebrity chef recently told us, “Every great meal starts with onions, garlic, and olive oil in a pan.” At Gills Onions, we couldn’t agree more. Onions are the foundation of adding great flavor to any dish. 

Specifically, chefs love caramelized onions, because they’re a delicious and simple way to elevate a recipe and add that special touch. 

Caramelized Onions Are Trending 

If you take a look at current foodservice trends, you’ll see that plant-based dishes and bursting flavors are stealing the show across the board. Caramelized onions could be the poster child for both these movements. 

When you think of sweet foods, onions may not be the first product that comes to mind. But compared to most vegetables, onions are naturally sweet. The caramelization process takes advantage of those natural sugars to create intense and unforgettable flavors. These onions can then be used in a recipe in a variety of ways – always providing a complex sweet, savory, rich base for your dish. 

Gills Onions Make the Best Caramelized Onions

At its heart, onion caramelization is a slow, delicate process. You can’t rush it. It’s an art and a science. 

You start by sweating onions over medium-low heat, adding small amounts of water anytime the onions start to look dry or begin to brown very quickly. The water moistens the onions and helps dissolve sugars to prevent burning. When the onions begin to brown, lower the heat and stir periodically. A finished batch of caramelized onions should be a rich brown color, greatly reduced in size from the beginning of the process, and soft (but not mushy). The carmelized onion process can typically take from 45 to 60 minutes. 

The success of the onion caramelization process depends heavily on the quality of onions that you use. Every time a chef cooks with Gills Onions, they can’t stop raving about how different an experience they had compared to  cooking with bulk sack onions. That difference is because of our unique growing process and prescription for onions that taste better and stay fresh longer. 

Chefs need water to caramelize onions. It prevents the sugars from burning. But, too much water can also spell disaster in the form of mush. When onions have too much moisture it means one thing: they’ve already started to go bad. 

Gills Onions are naturally drier than other onions in the marketplace. That’s why they have a guaranteed shelf life of 18 days. The fresher the onions, the better the caramelized batch. 

Get Started with These Caramelized Onion Recipes 

There are so many ways to use caramelized onions, and they all taste amazing! Here are a few of our favorites to get you started. 

Ready to try onions the Gills Way? For more information, contact the Gills Onions sales department. 

From Seed to Table: The Journey of a Gills Onion

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

In celebration of our 40th anniversary, we wanted to share with you the journey of a Gills Onion, from seed to table. Family owned and operated since 1983, we’ve grown immensely since our early days. What hasn’t changed is our love for onions!

 Let’s peel back the layers and discover the roots of our onions’ success.

Where the Gills Onion Begins

From the soil to the sunshine, our onions have been nurtured with care and attention every step of the way – “The Gill Way.” It all begins with selecting the right onion seed. Our varieties are carefully selected for their flavor, quality and growing region. 

Our growing partner, Rio Farms, manages the entire process from start-to-finish before the onions make their way to Gills Onions facility in Oxnard, California. There is truly an art and science to growing the perfect Gills onion. Our growing methods were personally developed by Steve Gill and help to ensure that our products are not only grown in the most environmentally conscious way but also have the best quality and shelf life in the market place for value-added onions. 

Onions on the Move: A Look at the Transportation Process

Our job is to get millions of pounds of the highest quality fresh-cut onions from our fields to your table, but we can’t do it alone. That’s where our wonderful team at Gills Freight comes in. 

During the growing season, Gills Freight drivers move the necessary equipment needed throughout the onion growing process. Once our beautiful onions have been harvested by Rio Farms, our transportation team hauls them to our state-of-the-art processing facility. 

Unleashing the Flavor: The Gills Onions Production Line

The true magic happens when the raw onions make it to the Gills Onions processing facility. Our team begins by loading the onions into a conveyer that leads to the peeling and cutting stations. The cutter removes the top and tail of each onion while simultaneously scoring the onions’ skin to make for an easier peel. Once in the peeling machine, we use a combination of air and water to blow the skin right off the onions.

The onions make their way back down to the Gills Onions team for quality assurance. They swiftly cut off any bruises and imperfections that might have been missed. The onions then journey over to the washing station, where they’re rinsed with cold, ozonated water that kills bacteria. 

Then, it’s off to slicing, dicing, and slivering where onions are prepped, packaged and sealed for each customer order. 

Gills Onions: Bringing Quality to You

After being processed and packaged, the onions are ready to hit the road once again and find their forever homes at your favorite restaurant, in your kitchen and even in your favorite tomato sauce. 

As a consumer, you have the confidence knowing that we know exactly where your onions are grown, processed and packaged. We take tremendous pride in our full traceability program. 

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: We know onions. It’s what we do, and we do it best.

But don’t take our word for it. Our onions speak for themselves. 

Ready to try onions grown “The Gill Way?” Contact the Gills Onions sales department to learn more.

What Makes a Perfect Onion Ring?

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

Originally published in Flavor & The Menu

It’s easy to depend upon the enduring popularity of onion rings, choosing to do little, if anything, to tinker with the basic recipe that has served you well for years. After all, onion rings naturally ride high on the craveability scale, beloved for the way their crispy, crunchy exterior leads to a sweet, savory, toothsome interior. But if you’re only leaning on the tried and true, and not leaning in to take full advantage of the natural affinity consumers have for onion rings, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to fire up your menu.

Onions rings present chefs with an attractive gateway to easy but impactful innovation. Minor modifications can lead to memorable differentiation, giving your operation a competitive advantage with signature takes that don’t mess with success. Here are five areas of inspiration to explore:

1. Thickness

Arguably the easiest way to change up your onion rings is to simply increase or decrease the thickness of the onion slice. Or dispense with uniformity and deliver a variety of sizes with each order.

2. Batter Base & Seasonings

Simple swaps to the ingredients of batters and dredges that will coat the onions can deliver a virtually endless array of new flavor profiles and textures for your onion rings. Almost anything goes, as you explore the variables found in both wet and dry ingredients. Have you been relying on a buttermilk or beer batter? Consider a cider-based batter or one spiked with tequila. A tempura-style batter lends a lighter coating giving the onion a greater showcase, while breadcrumbs dial up the crunch factor. Swap wheat flour for chickpea flour or quinoa.

Crank up the heat with hot sauce in your batter for Nashville Hot onion rings, served with a honey drizzle, suggests Michael Ponzio, Executive Chef, Union League Club of Chicago. “It’s an amazing vegetarian option that is sweet, spicy and has great texture.”

There’s no rule that onion rings must be fried, and Ponzio suggests bypassing the batter altogether. “Wrapping the onion slices in bacon and cooking them on the smoker or in an oven with a barbecue glaze can be an amazingly flavorful addition to a burger or chicken sandwich.”

3. Dips, Dusts and Drizzles

Start your signaturization by focusing on finishes. Trade Buffalo dip for a cheesy fondue, double down on onion flavor with a french onion dip, swap honey mustard for mustard cream. You can even play with fan favorite ketchup by using a spicy rendition or leaning on the juicy sweetness of banana ketchup.

“Use a cornmeal batter and add Old Bay seasoning as a dust for an onion ring that evokes a fish fry,” suggests Ponzio. For an upscale take, he recommends tossing the freshly fried onion rings with shredded parmesan and serving them with a truffle aioli. Another idea is to drizzle the rings with a mix of Tabasco sauce and fresh lime juice. “The spice and acidity pair beautifully with the fried breading and the onion’s sweetness,” Ponzio notes.

Dusting with spice blends like dukkah, togarashi, garam masala, gochugaru, baharat and Chinese 5 spice opens wide the global pantry, giving your onion rings a truly distinctive flavor swagger.

Onion rings needn’t be relegated to the side of the plate. Use them to top burgers, sandwiches and bowls.

4. Stuff It

You can fill the hole in the center of your onion slices or use two rings, one inside the other, to sandwich a filling. Fill the ring with a fried egg or sandwich a melty mozzarella between onion layers. Insert a jalapeño popper or stuff the onion with guacamole. Instead of offering a dip on the side, set it in the center of the onion ring.

Ponzio suggests stuffing an onion ring with a breakfast sausage and after cooking, make it the protein of a breakfast sandwich. “It will add the onion’s sweetness to the sandwich—and deliver an amazingly tall presentation!” he says, adding, “I also see a hybrid between an onion ring and a Juicy Lucy as something that could be incredibly popular. Stuff an onion ring with ground chuck and cheese, batter and deep fry. When you cut it open, the cheese will ooze from the middle and the dish will deliver tons of different textures and flavors.”

5. Fun with Formats

Extend the onion ring concept beyond the conventional appetizer or side. Onion rings are making more frequent appearances as toppers for burgers and other handhelds. (Use smaller slices to make sliders stand out and look twice their size, without adding more protein, suggests Ponzio.) Toppers for salads and bowls is another take on this concept. “You could put together a Buffalo onion ring Caesar salad or add onion rings on a pulled pork bowl for a barbecue entrée salad,” says Ponzio. Another option is to adapt the loaded fries concept, swapping in a platter of onion rings as the base for several craveable toppings.

Seasonings and finishes aren’t the only opportunity to go global with onion rings. Indian pakora and bajii are two variations on crispy, battered coated onion fritters.

If you want your onion rings to earn pride of place on Instagram, consider impactful presentations, such as an artfully constructed tower of rings. Or riff on the current hot burger trend, suggests Ponzio, of placing a ring mold on top of the burger, filling it with melted cheese and at tableside, lifting the ring for a dramatic cascade. “You can use an onion ring as the vessel for the same effect,” he notes.

The signature seasoning blends of world cuisines are one way to go global with onion rings. Adapting formats like these Indian-style onion fritters is another way to provide differentiation.

Hero Ingredient

While the most obvious points of differentiation are found in the ingredients that make up the coatings, the finishes and the inclusions, onion ring success is rooted in the culinary advantages found in a quality onion. It starts with consistency.

“Every time a chef cooks with Gills Onions, they can’t stop raving about how the experience differs from using bulk sack onions. Our lower moisture onion is the difference—achieved through a unique growing process and prescription for onions that taste better and stay fresh longer,” says Megan Jacobsen, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Gills Onions.

You won’t get any argument from Chef Ponzio: “Once I had a chance to work with Gills Onions, I was pleasantly surprised,” he says, adding, “The onions were crisp, clean and fresh. They have such great integrity, they can last for days in the cooler before they are compromised., The quality of Gills pre-prepped onions is second to none. Gills is now my go-to onion for my operation.”

“Specific onion varieties are selected for our sliced department,” says Jacobsen. “We even have a comprehensive in-house onion ring testing monitoring program through our Quality Assurance department. It’s constantly analyzing the sugar levels, overall quality of the raw onion and shelf life for a better onion ring experience for you and your customers.”

Ready to try onions the Gills Way? For more information, contact our sales department.

Celebrating 40 Years With Gills

Posted on by Megan Jacobsen

This year marks 40 years with Gills – happy anniversary to us! We’re so excited to celebrate this incredible milestone and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Since 1983, this family-owned business has been committed to feeding the US and Canada the best onions, and things have only gotten better with time. Take a journey back in time with us, and see how Gills got to where we are today. 

Back to Our Roots

The Gill family has a long history of farming in Ventura County, California, with roots stretching all the way back to the 1880s. “My whole family grew up on a farm,” said Owner/CEO Steve Gill. “We were heavy into vegetables, but I started the onion growing and fresh-cut processing side of our business.” 

In the beginning, Steve founded Gills Onions as an industrial processing plant, providing whole peeled onions to a salsa company. Over the last 40 years, that small food ingredient factory evolved and expanded into a massive foodservice and retail partner known for its whole peeled and diced onions. 

“It’s a night and day difference,” said Steve about the company’s evolution. “Food safety wasn’t as widespread back then, and we were just learning how to do business at that point. Our equipment is better now, technology is better, and most importantly, our onion varieties and growing program are better.” 

Gills Mission and Vision

Our mission has been to provide the highest quality onion from the beginning. Thanks to Steve’s innovations over the last 40 years, Gills has improved soil health, saved thousands of kWh in energy, and developed unique relationships with seed breeders, machinery manufacturers, and other partners. 

“Steve has very dramatically changed our onion growing program,” said Megan Jacobsen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “He’s not just a processor on the Gills side; he is a boots-on-the-ground farmer with our sister company, Rio Farms. We believe that from seed-to-package everything begins with the soil, and Steve takes great pride in that.”

The Future of Gills

The future certainly looks bright for Gills, and no matter what lies ahead, we’re ready for new challenges and successes as they come. “As our customers evolve, we evolve with them,” said Jacobsen. “That’s what we’ve done for the past 40 years, and it’s what we will continue to do for the next 10, 20, 30, and 40 years to come. Our commitment to our customers is to continue providing a great product that is safe and reliable.”

As we look to the horizon, we’re excited about opportunities to implement new technology, increase sustainability efforts, and do what we do best – grow onions.

“Whole peeled onions are our future,” said Steve. “We will keep providing the best onion in the country.”  

See Gills at the 2023 IFPA Foodservice Conference

Gills is thrilled to be back at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Foodservice Conference & Expo this year. On July 27 & 28, 2023, we’ll be in Monterey, California with attendees from all over the industry. Whether you’re in foodservice buying, distribution, or business solutions, we’d love to see you there. Stop by our booth and say hello to Steve and other team members, and join us in celebrating 40 years!

Cheers to The Best Onion Around

The past 40 years have been an amazing journey of growth, leading us to the very top. Gills Onion truly grows and delivers the best onions in the country, and we couldn’t have done it without Steve’s vision, a dedicated team at our facility and farm, and all of you who have supported us along the way. 

Cheers to 40 years and the next 40 to come! 🥂

Ready to try onions grown “The Gill Way?” Contact our sales department to learn more.

Harvest Has Begun, and Fresh Onions Are on Their Way

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

Spring is here, and at Gills Onions that means one thing: harvest has begun! In addition to having the longest shelf life in the industry, Gills Onions is always one of the first to market in California with a fresh crop of delicious onions. We’re celebrating the transition from storage onions season to fresh onion season. Here’s why you should too. 

What Fresh Onion Season Means for You

April 19 marks the start of the freshest Gills onions arriving to our customers. We are raking in fresh yellow onions from our fields across California. Red onion harvest will follow around the first part of May. Since our onions can always be relied on for fantastic flavor, you may wonder what differences you can see between onions fresh from harvest and those cultivated for storage season. 

There are several notable perks to fresh onions. Virtually no odor can be detected from the onions that come directly from harvest. There also won’t be any green sprouting or telescoping, which can sometimes happen when an onion reaches the end of storage season and is trying to grow again. You’ll also notice some visible differences between fresh onions and storage onions. It’s common for fresh red onions to appear pale and even almost white. This color difference has to do with the early season varieties we plant and the fact that red onions develop a deeper color as they cure and wait to be processed. Your yellow onions may appear to be whiter as well for the same reasons. 

What Harvest Season Looks Like at Gills Onions

At Gills Onions, we strategically time our onion planting, harvesting, and varieties so that we can meet the need for onions year-round. We typically harvest from April to November from three major growing areas of California. Each region has its own set of strengths that help us consistently produce quality onions. 

Our fields in Imperial County (Brawley) are the first to harvest each year. This region gives us a strong onion supply as we transition out of storage onion season. Then, we move to Kern County (Bakersfield), where a large amount of our onion supply is grown. We plant such large amounts in this region because the environment favors short, intermediate, and long day onions alike. Finally, we move to harvest in the fall into Monterey County (King City). These fields provide the bulk of our storage onions. 

In order to harvest over such a long span of time, we have to plan our planting accordingly. We typically start planting the Brawley fields in October or November each year so they are ready to start harvesting in April. The final fields in King City are usually finishing being planted as we start harvesting the Brawley crop in the spring. This strategy keeps growers busy, but it keeps our customers in delicious onions no matter the time of year. 

Behind the Scenes of Harvest

This video gives you a brief behind the scenes look at how our onions are harvested. You’ll see two machines passing through the field. The first is a chopper, which cuts the green tops off of the onions. The second is the digger, which pulls the onions from under the ground onto the earth’s surface. Once these two machines have done their jobs, a row of beautiful fresh onions can clearly be seen. 

These onions are left in the open air and warm sunlight to cure for two to three days. Then, they are picked up and transported to our sorting facility, where they are checked for quality. The best onions are loaded onto trucks and delivered to our processing facility in Oxnard, California, where they are washed, peeled, sometimes cut, and prepared for shipping to customers like you. 

Gills Onions are 100 percent California grown and, boy, do they taste good. But don’t take our word for it. Fresh onions are on their way to you, and our onions speak for themselves. 

Ready to try onions the Gills Way? For more information, contact our sales department. 

Restaurant Feature: Tacos La Bonita

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

“No onions, no tacos!” says Maria Agraz, co-owner of Tacos La Bonita in Ventura County, California. At Gills Onions, we work with some of the best restaurants in the business, and Tacos La Bonita, right here in our hometown of Oxnard, California, is an excellent example.

Meet the Dynamic Duo Behind Tacos La Bonita: Maria and Jessica

Tacos La Bonita has been feeding Oxnard for over eight years. Owners Jessica Ochoa and Maria Agraz are a taco dream team. Jessica is the genius behind the flavors, and Maria is the welcoming heart and soul of restaurant. 

The duo initially began as a local catering business, and the food was so popular their customers were practically begging for a place to get more. Jessica and Maria opened their first food truck three years later and added another truck a year after that. Today, they have a fleet of five food trucks – four here in Oxnard and one in Las Vegas – and a brick and mortar restaurant.

You Can’t Have Tacos Without Onions

Tacos La Bonita became a Gills Onions customer shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. It was difficult for everyone to get the food and supplies they needed during the start of the pandemic, and restaurant owners were no exception. Jessica and Maria were having a hard time getting onion deliveries from their regular supplier and would often have to go without. 

Maria recalls one occasion when a customer called to complain that his tacos didn’t have cilantro or onions. He reminded them that a taco without onions is not a taco. 

Maria knew that, “A good taco needs tortillas, meat, onions, cilantro, and a great salsa — and that also needs onions!”

So, they approached our team at Gills Onions, right there in their hometown.

A Partnership Made in Taco Heaven

Our partnership with Tacos La Bonita ended up being a partnership made in taco heaven. Not only were we able to provide their kitchen with a steady supply of high-quality onions in a challenging time of supply and demand, but the onions also allowed them to increase their speed and output. Gone are the days of having to peel and dice their own onions by hand, a process that significantly slows down production time and increases the risk of kitchen accidents. 

On average, it takes 90 minutes to whole peel and dice a 50 lb sack of onions, and all that knife work is the reason why cuts, lacerations, and punctures are the number one most common injury in commercial kitchens. Value-added diced onions eliminate these problems, and our Gills Diced Onions are always recipe ready.

Today, Tacos La Bonita’s team is working smarter and safer and getting customers their food faster. 

“When I see Gills Onions in stores and in our kitchen I am filled with pride,” Maria says. “We always get our onions on time, and Gills customer service is amazing.” That reliability in quality and service is essential because as we now know, “No onions, no tacos!”

You can find Tacos La Bonita on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, or visit their four food trucks and mini restaurant here in Oxnard, CA, as well as their newest food truck in Las Vegas. 

Ready to speed up the day-to-day work in your kitchen and level up your food the “Gills Way?” Contact our sales department to learn more.

Unpeeled: How Gills Onions Strives for Energy Efficiency

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

For over a decade, Gills Onions has been fully dialed into the importance of sustainability. From the leaders of the Energy Management Team to peeling line employees, everyone at Gills feels the drive for energy efficiency, and everyone’s input is welcome and valued.

Learn more about our latest efforts striving for sustainability and some of the successes we’ve been able to celebrate.

Our Sustainability Partnership

One of the most important efforts we’ve made toward sustainability in recent years is our partnership with Cascade Energy and Southern California Edison Company. Currently, Gills is in a two-year Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program with these companies, and the results have been fantastic. 

“One of the key takeaways from this partnership is that now whenever we look at a future initiative, even if it may not be directly related to sustainability, we still use the energy lens to evaluate it,” said Laura Hamman, Sustainability Manager. “Energy efficiency is one more element of the vetting process — because efficiency can apply to everything.”

Having a fresh set of eyes in our processing plants has been a huge help for sustainability, and we’re always thrilled when opportunities arise to make “green” onion improvements. 

How Assessments Lead to Improvements

Within the SEM partnership, Gills Onions has been constantly evaluating efficiency and figuring out new ways to optimize energy use. When it comes to sustainability, the small things really do add up. 

With the help of SEM program engineers, yearly audits identify things we can improve on in each area of consumption — including refrigeration, compressed air, process equipment, lighting, and more.

Some of the projects we’ve been working on as a result of this program include:

  • Optimizing pressure cooler operation (turning off fans when no liquid/refrigerant is flowing at the evaporator)
  • Adjusting the compression ratio for the compressors
  • Installing valves to shut off compressed air when not in use
  • Repairing compressed air leaks
  • Employee engagement, training, and recognition (including our “Turn It Off” awareness campaign)

These projects are a team effort among all of our departments, and we’re so proud of the work they’ve put into this initiative so far.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

We’re happy to report that our hard work is paying off, and we’ve got the numbers to prove it. By investing in major capital projects (like replacing a large ammonia refrigeration compressor), during the first two years of our SEM partnership, Gills Onions saw a 21% reduction in annual energy consumption and a huge leap from our goal of 12% savings.

And we’re not stopping there! Some other exciting projects we’ve been working on to improve the overall efficiency of the plant include new peeling lines with reduced compressed air use, and water recycling in our wastewater system through the use of effluent water for dilution.

Sustainability is truly an ongoing effort, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

The Future Looks Green for Gills

Due to the success of our SEM partnership, we have been invited back to participate in a second cycle and continue our advancements. Only the companies with the most potential and drive to continue with the program have received this invitation, and we are thrilled to be part of that cohort. 

“It has been a labor of love,” said Hamman. “It’s been really nice to see the results, and we keep going strong. Even if it’s a small change, it matters.”

Ready to try onions grown “The Gills Way?” Contact our sales department to learn more.

Onions – The Unsung Hero

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

Article Originally Published in Flavor & The Menu

As kitchen ingredients go, onions often don’t get the respect they deserve. While flashier seasonal products – looking at you, truffles, morels and spring peas – often hog the spotlight with special menu items created around them, the ever-present onion remains in the background doing its important work with little or no fanfare or attention.

At Gills Onions, however, it’s a much different story. What began in 1983 as a passion project of brothers and fourth-generation farmers Steve and David Gill to offer the highest quality, sustainably grown fresh-cut onion products to its foodservice and retail customers, has become one of the largest family-owned onion growers and processors in the world. Using a three-pronged approach to its onion farming that focuses on innovation, conservation and sustainability, Gills ensures their onions have the best growing conditions and the lowest environmental impact.

To help shed some light on their unique onion growing process, Gills Onions recently hosted a true farm-to-table experience for a group of chefs at one of their farms in Bakersfield, Calif.

“It was eye opening to taste through many onions and learn the details of the farming that result in such a superior product,” says Chef Chris Shackelford of Trelio Food and Wine in Clovis, Calif.

Creating a superior product starts with using the highest quality soil that is rich in macro- and micronutrients, which in turn creates a strong root system aiding in withstanding pests and extreme weather. Raised from seed to harvest by their experts, Gills’ onions are processed in their own facility, guaranteeing they are in control of the entire process up until their onions arrive at customers’ doors.

TRACING QUALITY

“Product tracing is extremely important,” says Chef Michael Ponzio of Chicago’s Union League Club. “Knowing the care and attention that goes into a product I buy helps ensure that my customers are receiving a quality product from a safe and reliable vendor. We have so many options now, so it is our responsibility to provide our customers with the best products.”

Gills Onions’ Steve Gill echoes that sentiment. “At Gills, we have the ability to trace the product all the way back to the field. Traceability should not stop at the distributor level; it needs to have the ability to be traced all through the supply chain.”

For Shackelford, the ability to trace a product to its source is not only vital for food safety but also plays a role in food consistency. “Agriculture can vary year to year and knowing a farmer that has put considerable effort into the terroir and farming practices ensures that we are cooking with a consistent piece of produce each time,” he says.

Getting a glimpse firsthand into the sustainable symbiotic waste-powered energy solution Gills Onions employs – including converting 100 percent of their onion waste into emissions-free electricity—was another pleasant discovery for the chefs. “Their sustainability practices blew my mind,” says Ponzio. “It is amazing how they use their own byproduct to make methane for their production, and how a business that size could be so environmentally friendly.”

Available in a variety of formats, ranging from diced and sliced to slivered and whole peeled, Gills Onions arrive 100 percent washed—ensuring that the unsanitary dirt and bacteria common with unpeeled onions isn’t brought into your kitchen—and ready to use. “We’ve worked hard to achieve an 18-day shelf life to ship into every market within the U.S. and Canada,” says Gill, adding that their onions’ strong cellular structure translates to less odor and can be cut with fewer tears. “This level of quality does not happen by accident.”

And chefs have taken notice.

“It’s not easy as a chef to commit to buying processed products, but Gills takes the time to focus on their quality and shelf life ensuring that the peeled onions we get are even better than the whole commodity ones we used to buy,” says Ponzio. “This helps my team save time, be more productive and actually increases our quality.”

Ready to try onions the Gills Way? For more information, contact our sales department.

2023 Food Trends to Watch for // December Innovation Lab

Posted on by Foodmix Marketing

This past December, Gills Onions invited four amazing chefs to craft innovative recipes inspired by Flavor & The Menu’s upcoming food trends for 2023. Each expert culinarian was tasked with creating different recipes based on flavor trends while using a very special ingredient – Gills onions! The results were nothing short of magical, and we can’t wait to feature these recipes more throughout the year.


All About Flavor (& The Menu)
Flavor & The Menu’s (FTM) trend forecasting has been a staple in the restaurant industry for nearly 20 years. We love working with these experts (along with FoodMix Marketing Communications) in our Innovation Labs to inspire chefs from all over the world. Every year FTM looks at menu development through the lens of flavor, and the trend list for 2023 is bursting with it.


The Chefs Behind The Magic
We couldn’t have asked for a more fitting group of chefs for this experience. Each of them is wildly talented and went above and beyond in their flavor creations. Meet the chefs who joined our Innovation Lab, and take a look at a few of their standout recipes:


Steven Agosto
Steven is the Executive Chef for Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon, California. As a New York native, Steven has been inspired by flavors from various cultures including Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Ireland.

Make It Stick
One of the phenomenal recipes Steven created with us was Miso Seabass Anticuchos. This Andes-inspired dish drew from the “Make it Stick” trend and featured delicious sliced onions and Japanese miso paste – all served on a bed of corn and edamame.

Miso Seabass Anticuchos


Amanda Jackson
This Georgia native has been featured on Food52, Popsugar, and Netflix’s “Cooked With Cannabis,” and is the co-owner of School of Fish Taco Truck. Amanda loves experimenting with a variety of flavors, alongside her specialty – Rural Black American cooking.


The Dark Side of Butter
Amanda’s Brown Butter and Caramelized Onion Mac and Cheese was inspired by one of our favorite FTM flavor trends: The Dark Side of Butter. As FTM notes, brown butter lends a “roasted flavor, toasty aroma, silky mouthfeel, and deep complexity” to its dishes, which is why it’s a top food trend for the year.

Brown Butter and Caramelized Onion Mac and Cheese


Melissa Chickerneo
As Executive Chef for BTS Catering and Events, Melissa is passionate about bringing creative elements into her recipe development. She has prepared meals for astronauts, US Presidents, celebrities, and for several Olympic Games.


Mustard’s Moment
One of Melissa’s innovative recipes that we loved was her Caramelized Onion and Whole-Grain Mustard Compound Butter. Melissa paired this decadent butter with a mouthwatering steak, inspired by the FTM trend: Mustard’s Moment.

Caramelized Onion and Whole-Grain Mustard Compound Butter


Gary Nguyen
Gary grew up in LA and loves traveling all over the world to receive inspiration for his culinary creations. As a private chef, Gary elevates dining experiences to a new level every time by playing with color, plating, flavor, and presentation.


Cider Culture
Gary shone with his take on Pancetta Sweet Potato Hash for the FTM trend category: Cider Culture. This sweet and salty pub-style breakfast featured red onion, tomato, avocado, red cabbage, sweet potato, and pancetta – all topped with a deliciously runny fried egg.

Red onion, tomato, avocado, red cabbage, sweet potato, and pancetta


Other Food Trends We Love for 2023
Along with the four mentioned above, our guest chefs incorporated Gills Onions into a few other FTM 2023 trends during this innovation lab:


True Colors
FTM predicts even more color at the table in 2023, as chefs continue to be inspired by the natural vibrant hues in their repertoire. Ingredients like beets, ube, butterfly pea flower, turmeric, and lavender, will all lend unique pigments to the palate this year.


Asian Breakfast Wakes Up
Skipping breakfast is OUT in 2023, and Asian breakfast is IN! From fried rice bowls to steak and eggs, chefs are breaking out their Asian-inspired recipes bright and early this year. Other ingredients like matcha, red bean, soy sauce, and kimchi are all making their way to the breakfast table as well.


Time for Thai
Thai-fusion cuisine will be showing up all over the map in 2023 as chefs use this flavor category in unique ways. Classic East Asian features like rice noodles, shrimp crackers, tom yum soup, and Thai iced tea combine with Tex-Mex, French cuisine, American dessert, and even cocktails.


Our Commitment to Flavor
At Gills, our commitment to flavor is rooted in a deep love for quality, food service, and farm-fresh ingredients. Whether these chefs were making a cucumber salad or a bahn mi sandwich, Gills Onions played a crucial role in bringing all of these recipes to life. We love working with industry experts in settings like these, and hope to keep inspiring chefs to work their magic — from the back of the kitchen to plated perfection.

Ready to try onions the Gills Way? For more information, contact our sales department.