Paul Newman 1925-2008

I was very sad to learn that Paul Newman died today. I buy Newman's Own products a lot because I respect the cause and I know they are wholesome and organic.

I was in elementary school when I noticed my mom putting some Newman's Own items in our cart and Paul Newman's face on a variety of things as we walked around the store. This was unusual to me because we always bought generic. She explained that he was a great movie star with famous blue eyes and he donates 100% of the profits to help charities and hungry kids, so by us purchasing the product to feed me and my brother we were, in a way, also helping to feed other kids.

This was a long time ago before organic was "hip" and we knew all the benefits. Paul Newman, to me, branched that gap between organic being a privelege that only the rich could afford to provide to their families. He put an array of items out there that made it possible for the everyday parent to feed their kids with organic options.

Hands down my favorite salad dressing is Newman's Own caesar. The oil and vinegar based one, not the creamy. For a long time we couldn't find it in North Carolina (where I lived with my parents). Once in a blue moon a relative, sometimes as far away as Florida, would find a few bottles and mail them to me. Even now, I always have a bottle in my pantry and use it not only on salads, but also to marinate meats and vegetables with. We also regularly use his salsa and olive oil.

I'm very glad that his daughter joined the cause and this Newman's Own tradition will be carried out in his name with honor and dignity. To date, Newman's Own has generated over $250 million dollars in revenue that was immediately recycled and donated to charity.

That's such a great legacy to leave behind and I think he went above and beyond the company's motto of "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good."