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Compiled by "Smart Mouth" columnist Amelia Robinson, Seen and Overheard is fueled by juicy tidbits, oddball tales and strange sightings.
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Fake turkey inventor has local roots
Proving all roads pass through Ohio, the man who gave the world meatless turkey spent a spell in Yellow Springs and went to college in Springfield.
Seth Tibbott, the inventor of Tofurky said his life was forever changed when he left his hometown of Chevy Chase, Md. to study education at Wittenberg University in 1969.
He became a vegetarian for ethical, environmental and health reasons after reading Francis Moore Lappe’s “Diet For A Small Planet” in 1971.
The 1974 Wittenberg grad trained to be a naturalist at Glen Helen Ecology Institute. He taught outdoors education in Yellow Springs and later in Adams County from 1973 until 1980.
“I’ve got history in Ohio,” Tibbott said. “It is near to my heart.”
He also taught school for a short time in Fairfield.
Tibbott founded Turtle Island Foods in Forest Grove, OR. in 1980 using $2,500 from his career as teacher and naturalist. Tofurky is its best known product.
Tibbott introduced the turkey alternative - a blend of wheat protein and organic tofu - in 1995 so that vegetarian could easily share in “the magic of Turkey Day.” About 500 fake birds sold that year.
The company expects to sell about 350,000 this holiday season.
The label is the country’s second-largest brand of refrigerated and frozen meat alternatives and is sold in several stores, including Kroger and Trader Joe’s. Tibbott said it will be available in Meijer next year.
Tibbott’s company has grown by leaps and bounds since its start.
It makes several soy-based products, including meatless sausage, bacon and deli slices. Turtle Island Foods is building a $10 million, solar powered food processing plant in Oregon, Tibbott said.
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