The Albany Gazette - Stolon Introduces the Restaurant Industry's First Hand Cut Seed Oil Free Fry Platform

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / May 14, 2026 / The fryer is changing. Stolon Superfoods today officially launched the restaurant industry's first fully integrated hand cut, seed oil free fry platform at the National Restaurant Show, introducing a new standard for how restaurants source, cook, and serve fries.

What started in Charleston five years ago, then grew to 100's of restaurants across the Carolinas, is now launching nationwide.

Built for performance chefs and designed to satisfy demanding guests, the Stolon fry platform delivers the taste and texture of fresh hand cut fries without in-house cutting, soaking, drying, storing or the use of industrial seed oils.

"We didn't set out to make a better fry," said Steve Carroll, Stolon's Restaurant Guru. "We set out to rebuild the fry station. Hand cut quality without the labor. Clean oil without sacrificing performance. That's what operators have been missing."

A CATEGORY SHIFTING PRODUCT LAUNCH

For decades, restaurant frying has been built on two assumptions: Hand cut fries require labor, and frying at scale requires seed oils.

Stolon challenges both.

Its hand cut style frozen fries are steam blanched and flash frozen at peak freshness, then par fried in avocado oil to deliver a crisp exterior, fluffy interior, and extended hold times under real service conditions.

A proprietary process creates industry-leading hand cut white fry hold times without the use of coatings, gums, or chemical additives commonly found in conventional frozen fries.

At the core of the platform is Stolon's signature two-ingredient white fry: Regenerative Potatoes and Avocado Oil. Nothing else.

Paired with Stolon's high-performance avocado fry oil, the system allows restaurants to eliminate seed oils entirely while maintaining speed, consistency, and margin.

"This is the first time we've seen a real alternative that works operationally," said a Chef at Basic Kitchen. "You get the texture of a fresh cut fry without dedicating a prep station to potatoes, and you can finally stand behind the oil you're cooking in."

LIVE AT THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT SHOW

At the National Restaurant Show, Stolon is frying its Hand Cut Frozen Fries in High Performance Avocado Fry Oil, so operators can see the system and sample the fries in real time.

Attendees get to evaluate:

• Hand cut texture vs conventional frozen fries

• Avocado oil clarity vs traditional seed oils

• Extended hold time performance without coatings

• Plate coverage and consistency under volume

"The reaction has been immediate," said Brandon Barker, Stolon's Culinary Lead. "Operators come in curious about seed oils. They leave talking about the fries."

An operator from Nickel Hotel added, "It eats like a hand cut fry but runs like a frozen product. That's the unlock."

FROM CHARLESTON TO NATIONAL SCALE

What began as a local Charleston fry program has evolved into a scalable foodservice platform.

With strong adoption across the Carolinas, Stolon is now expanding nationwide following its National Restaurant Show debut.

Drivers of adoption include:

• Rising consumer awareness around seed oils

• Labor constraints in restaurant kitchens

• Demand for clean-label ingredients

• Premium menu positioning opportunities

"We are watching the early stages of a revolution in the kitchen fryer," said Alec Warren, Stolon's Executive Director. "Guests are asking better questions. Operators are upgrading their kitchens. The fry station is one of the last places to evolve and we're here to help that happen."

THE NEW FRY STANDARD

Stolon's launch signals a broader shift in how restaurants think about one of their most foundational menu items.

Not just fries. It's about eliminating prep and delivering a consistent "hand cut" experience consistently.

Not just oil. It's about what the oil represents to your guests about your ingredient standards.

"Clean eating isn't a niche anymore," said Steve Carroll, "It's becoming the expectation. The fry station just caught up."

About Stolon Superfoods

Stolon Superfoods was founded by chefs, growers, and clean-food rebels who believe great food starts with authentic, clean ingredients. The company produces hand cut style frozen fries and seed oil free frying systems for restaurants using regeneratively grown potatoes that are steam blanched, flash frozen at peak freshness, and par fried in avocado oil. Built for kitchens that care about ingredient transparency and performance, Stolon helps operators deliver craveable fries without seed oils, industrial shortcuts, or back of house labor tradeoffs.

Media Contact:
Grace Mogul
Stolon Superfoods, LLC
[email protected]
(843) 212-6864

SOURCE: Stolon Superfoods LLC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(A.Moore--TAG)