StarNewsDaily.com – Week of February 2, 2012 – Vol.5, No. 5 – FREE
Wood Brothers Celebrate Grand Opening of Potato Chip Factory
By Dusten Rader Entertainment Editor
The Brothers Wood Potato Chip Factory celebrated its Grand Opening on Saturday, January 28 in Corry Pa. The event featured a ribbon cutting by dignitaries and legislators, a tasting and a live viewing of the process in which the chips are created. Brothers Jon and Curtis Wood always dreamed of opening a potato chip factory and that concept recently became a reality. Jon, the owner of Mayville’s WoodCrest Golf Course (woodcrestgolfclub.com) first looked at the business in 1992 but decided it wasn’t possible to open at that time. So, he and his brother spent the following years planning until they knew exactly what they wanted. Five years passed and they revisited the idea and began producing the chips at the golf course. They then decided to begin co-packaging with Troyer Farms. But, unfortunately Troyer Farms shut down the facility. So, the brothers then decided it was time to purchase the still in tact facility in Corry Pa. The brothers are still utilizing Troyer Farms employees who have been volunteering their time to help get the business started. “They have been completely so helpful down here,” said Jon. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help of the Erie Chamber of Commerce and the Troyer Farms people. They brought much experience with them from 15 years to 25 years. Right now they are volunteering but eventually when we start pro-
Brothers Wood: Curtis and Jon. (Photo by Dusten Rader)
ducing more they will come on board. My brother and I are in this together but they are really the ones who are making this go.” The brothers plan on spending the next six months getting the facility ready and producing enough chips to get on the shelves at Wegmans, Tops and local stores. Jon and Curtis believe in the product’s ability to succeed based on the uniqueness of the chip. The process in which the chips are produced yields a chip unlike any other. Using corn oil and frying the thick sliced potatoes longer creates a thick, dark and crispy chip with great flavor.
“I always hate it when you get to the bottom of a bag of chips and you find nothing but crumbs,” said Jon. “With our chips there are no crumbs.” The brother’s tag line for the chips goes like this, “We may be small potatoes, but once you take a swing at the Brothers Wood Potato Chips, you’ll agree that we’re a long drive from ordinary. Our Chips are a little darker, a little thicker and a little crispier than the average kettle cooked chip.” The name Wood Chips came from the brother’s last name. But, it also came from chopping trees on the golf course.
“One day I was out chopping trees on the golf course and I remember looking down and seeing wood shavings all over me and thought this would be a great idea for a potato chip,” said Jon. “People ask if they are really made out of wood but no they are potatoes.” Eventually the Wood brothers will start producing some seasoned chips as well. But, they first want to get the original salted chips on the shelves for the community to try. For more information visit thebrotherswoodcompany.com or call 716-789-CHIPS.
Showcasing Women and Their Art ‘Women Create’ Exhibits in Jamestown, February 11-March 31
Inside This Week
Patricia Pihl Star Staff Writer
The 3rd on 3rd Gallery at the Reg Lenna Civic Center will mark its one year anniversary with the “Women Create” Exhibit showcasing the talents of 40 local artists. The juried art collection is as varied as the women themselves, with an eclectic variety of art and media, representing the work of students, hobbyists, and professional artists. Founders Debra Eck and Jennifer Schlick built on the success of last year’s SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) event at Infinity Performing Arts saying the show was well received by the community. Eck, who is a member of the National Women’s Initiative said,“the show was a good start, but we weren’t satisfied...we felt it had so much more potential to be developed into another event.” With the goal to promote women artists in the community year round, the two then formed CAW, or Creative Arts of Women. Their collaboration lead to The Women Create Exhibit, as well as spin-off events, including workshops and salons, culminating with a celebration on March 31of SWAN Day. “It’s not so much about creativity as much as it is about art as this hidden economic driver,” says Eck. “SWAN highlights the economic contribu-
Community News Main pg. 5
“Red Garden” by Judith Whitaker of Frewsburg
tion that women’s art makes to the community all over the world.” For Women Create, Schlick said,“we put out a call for work and asked women to submit images. We had over 50 artists and over 150 works.” A small committee was formed to judge the submissions and how the pieces would work within the gallery space, which Schlick describes as similar to a New York City loft.
The collection is diverse with a variety of art and media including three dimensional pieces, paintings, and fiber art. An entire wall of the exhibit will feature what are called flag books, which will display among their accordion folded pages the photos of women artists at work. Schlick and Eck were the first to receive a grant for the flag-book presentation from
the Ray and Wyn Evans Foundation. The goal being to make visible the invisible contributions of women to the creative and economic communities in which they live. After March, the books will be available for display in other venues. The community can participate in
Artist Profile Main pg. 10
Continued on page 2
Pink the Rink Sports pg. 5