Cooking with the Spadas,
a family tradition

In 1940 Leo Spada, the immigrant son of an Italian farmer, and his wife, Mary, were farming small parcels of land in a tiny coastal town in Oregon. Times were tough, and the Spada’s young sons Ernie and Leon were brought into the family farming business at an early age. This same year, the Spada Family moved to Portland and started United Salad Co., the area’s first distributor of pre-packaged produce.

Mary Spada

As war rages across much of the globe, folks on the home front were forced to make do with less. With women suddenly working on factory floors around the clock, there was less time for them to prepare family meals. That’s when Mary Spada began packaging fresh, ready-to-serve coleslaw in eight-ounce containers. Before long, pre-packaged tomatoes, celery, and spinach were added to the fresh, ready-to-serve product line. The label she started, Mary’s Pride, is still used today on hand cut and packaged produce and on premium fruit grown in their orchards in Washington’s fertile Yakima Valley.

In 1972, Ernie Spada, Sr. started Pride Packing Co. a Food Alliance certified grower shipper of stone fruits, apples and pears. With more that 3,000 acres and three packing facilities, Pride Packing was also one of the first in the Yakima Valley to adopt the “Two Leader” growing and pruning technique. It is now recognized as an innovative method that lets more sunlight on the fruit. This makes for sweeter fruit and helps shorten harvest time so the fruit is extra fresh when it arrives at your local grocery store.

Beyond the orchards, the tradition continues with the third generation Spada family. The children of Ernie Spada, Sr. and Marie Spada carry on the family heritage. Ernie Spada, Jr. manages and overseas extensive operations in retail produce with United Salad Co. and foodservice produce with Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. and Duck Delivery of Washington, Inc. Produce distribution centers located in Oregon and Washington. Older sister Teresa Spada has been practicing as a CPA for the last 30 years with her own practice; younger sister, Charisse, manages the Accounts Receivable and Credit Divisions for all companies.

For three generations, the Spada Family has been providing the very best farm to fork produce from Northwest farms and orchards. Back in the day, Mary Spada’s prized peach pie was a sure sign that summer had finally arrived. Today, the Spada sisters continue in their Grandmother and Mother’s footsteps, creating wonderful seasonal dishes using the freshest local produce available. Today, every product from Mary’s Pride represents that same family heritage of premium quality and tender loving care. Around here, the finest fruits of the season are as natural as the great Northwest. That’s Mary’s Pride.

We hope that you enjoy these Spada family recipes from Grandmother Mary, Momma Marie, Teresa and Charisse. Bon Appetit!