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Tomato prices burn salsa fans

By Monica Soto Ouchi
Seattle Times retail reporter

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES At Agua Verde Cafe, a Mexican restaurant in the University District, the salsa bar is a favorite stop for diners. The salsa in the foreground is tomato-based.

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A tomato touches every plate, and these days, each tomato costs as much as the plate.

"We're actually praying that prices are going to go down," said Cesar Sahagun, who runs three of the Seattle chain's stores.

Florida hurricanes battered tomato crops in the fall, sending prices up as much as fivefold nationwide. Consumers may be able to forgo a slice of tomato in their sandwich, but it's tough to be a Mexican restaurant without pico de gallo.

Local restaurateurs have responded to the shortage by modifying salsa recipes or switching to lower-grade tomatoes to hold down costs.

Take away tomatoes and sales would be, well, muerto.

At Taco del Mar, the chain recently and reluctantly replaced a third of its salsa recipe with canned diced tomatoes in its Montana stores.

Prices there spiked the most — from $12 for a case of roma tomatoes to $68 — in the past two months. While the fast-food chain hasn't altered its salsa recipe in Washington, it's asking employees to handle tomatoes ever so gently.

"It is literally gold," said John Nelson, Taco del Mar's director of purchasing and distribution.

Florida usually provides the majority of fresh tomatoes during the winter months, but hurricanes in August and September delayed planting.

The shortage pushed prices up to $4 a pound in grocery stores, and wholesale prices climbed as much as fivefold. Produce experts say prices should come down in early January as the harvests from Mexico kick in.

Mike Osborn, manager of Sosio's produce stand at Pike Place Market, said he sells high-end tomatoes for $3.99 a pound, and customers have been able to absorb his $1-a-pound increase.

The lower-quality tomatoes, in particular, have really gone up.

"Even the flavorless ones are now $4," Osborn lamented.

Sysco Food Services of Seattle, which sells bulk food to thousands of restaurants in Washington and Idaho, paid between $15 and $17 for a 25-pound case of tomatoes in September.

The cost rose to $29 in October, $38 in early November, and $59 by month's end.

Sysco produce buyer Juan Espinoza said the company anticipated the increase and signed an exclusive 90-day contract with Penny's Salsa in Auburn for fresh diced tomatoes. The diced fruit from the processor is costing less per pound than would whole tomatoes from the manufacturer.

	ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES At Sosio's at Pike Place Market, the shopper at right selects an heirloom tomato selling for $7.99 a pound. The variety stacked at left sells for $4.99 a pound.

As prices rose dramatically on whole tomatoes, offering diced ones "made more product available to our customers," Espinoza said.

Azteca Mexican Restaurants, which prepares up to 14 specialized salsas, made the switch to pre-diced tomatoes for its salsas.

Mateo Ramos, the chain's vice president of operations, said it uses the more expensive, whole tomatoes only for menu items that require garnish. Even though the company has sought alternatives, "we've been hit pretty hard," he said.

At Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club, where patrons can order prickly-pear cactus margaritas and rent sea kayaks, the restaurant removed its fresh salsa from the complimentary salsa bar about three years ago.

Patrons abused it, co-owner Mick Heltsley said.

The University District restaurant now charges $1 a bowl. Heltsley says he doesn't plan to raise prices, but he still feels the pinch.

"We weren't planning on a tomato shortage," Heltsley said. "The moral of the story is: Don't play with your food, and no food fights allowed."

Monica Soto Ouchi: 206-515-5632 or msoto@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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