Second-generation potato breeder Walter De Jong knows a winning potato when he sees one. Which is why, when he first spotted trial NY150 among his field plots in 2004, he immediately took note. Walters goal at the time was to breed a more resilient potato - high yielding and attractive in the field, and resistant to diseases plaguing potato growers in the Northeast, such as Potato Virus Y (PVY) and late blight. Walking the rows, Walter was surprised to discover one experimental line that yielded an unexpected bonus: an abundance of golf-ball-sized potatoes with bright white flesh. By conventional market standards at the time, they were a little too small, but Walter and field manager Matt False thought that NY150 was something worth pursuing - a suspicion confirmed when they first tasted it. Over the years, still deemed unmarketable, NY150 earned a quiet cult following, first within Walters lab, and then beyond. Growers praised its uncommon size (naturally small, even at normal seed spacing), and cooks coveted its exceptionally creamy texture and nutty flavor. Ready for a national stage, the recently named Upstate Abundance remains Walter and Matts favorite eating potato. And just recently, Walter learned something new about his beloved potato: its lineage includes a variety developed by Walters father, a retired potato breeder himself. Hows that for prized pedigree? ROW 7 SEED COMPANY: Founded by Chef Dan Barber, vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek and organic seedsman Matthew Goldfarb, Row 7 is a seed company grounded in the notion that deliciousness can change the world. Row 7 pairs chefs and plant breeders to develop new varieties of vegetables and grains that make an impact in the soil and at the table, striving to make ingredients taste better before they ever hit a plate.