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THE PANTRY www.kitchenwarenews.com n OCTOBER 2016 n KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW 1 9 Prize-Winning Pacific Pickle Works Expands Production BY LORRIE BAUMANN Away out West where the sun sets over the ocean, Bradley Bennett is a pickle- packing pro. He's the founder of Pacific Pickle Works, which is making a name for itself as a maker of some of the zippiest garnishes you can plunk into a cocktail. Last year Pacific Pickle Works' Jalabeaos won a Good Food Award, and this year, Brussizzle Sprouts won the Specialty Food Association's sofi Award for the best appetizer and Asparagusto! won a Best of Show award f rom the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. "That run of victories was kind of fun!" commented Bennett, Pacific Pickle Works' Principal Pickle. Those are on top of awards for the company's Bloody Mary Elixir from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Los Angeles International Spirits Competition and the SIP Awards, an international spirits competition in which consumers are enlisted to judge. Bennett defines the Pacific Pickle Works product line as a West Coast take on pickles. "So much of the pickle tradition in the U.S. is an old East Coast, New York kind of a thing that came mostly f rom European immigrants who brought their tradition over," he said. "We saw that as an opportunity to do something a little different." The West Coast influence gave the Pacific Pickle Works products their Latin flavors inspired by the cuisine to be found in the local taquerias and Asian-inspired flavor fusions like Fenn Shui, for instance, which is a fennel root pickled in a rice vinegar blend spiced with citrus zest, ginger and Thai chili. The Asian-influenced ingredients make a nice complement to the fennel root, which doesn't work with a traditional savory treatment, Bennett said. "We're just sort of paying homage to those kinds of things – using chiles, keeping everything very f resh and crisp," he added. Pacific Pickle Works also relies heavily on southern California's bounty of produce. Bennett buys much of his produce f rom local organic farmers the day after it 's picked, and then it 's in the jar soon afterwards. The speed of that transition f rom field to pickle jar produces a product with both extra crispness and f resh taste, he said. Bennett 's been playing with combinations of local produce and spices for about a decade, making batches of pickles and handing them out as gifts to friends and family before he started selling them to a few local Santa Barbara retailers in 2011. The pickle packing continued to be a small side project for the next few years, but then more retailers started spotting his pickles on their competitors' shelves and began coming to him. By late 2012, Bennett realized he had a full-time business on his hands and started looking for ways to increase his production with the construction of a new facility to take the place of the shared space in which he'd been working, trading his pickles for the use of a kitchen. He found an old warehouse and built a kitchen into it, leaving the rest of the space as storage for his pallets of jars and the product that's waiting to be shipped. The new facility opened in September, 2015, and the increased capacity has meant that Bennett was able to team up with a distributor and expand the distribution of his products outside southern California. " We make everything here, by hand. No outsourcing, no copacking of anything," Bennett said. "It has really changed things for us – allowing us to scale our business to these new demands." Retail prices for Pacific Pickle Works products range f rom $8.99 to $10.99 depending on variety. For more information, visit www.pacificpickleworks.com. KN Bolder Beans Add Crunch to a Bloody Mary Bolder Beans produces crunchy, pickled green beans and other pickled vegetables that are a healthy snack — a perfect addition to a Bloody Mary and a great gift. Bolder Beans are sugar free, fat free and even gluten free. Each jar contains less than 100 calories and each serving has only one carbohydrate. In addition, there is nothing artificial added and all ingredients can be pronounced. Bolder Beans started as a wonderful addition to a Bloody Mary. Just add a couple pickled green beans instead of a piece of celery and your Bloody Mary is transformed. "I first tried a pickled green bean in a Bloody Mary in New Orleans," said Rogue Edwards, Owner of Bolder Beans. "When we returned home to Colorado, we couldn't find anything we liked, so I decided to make my own." A single jar is perfect for a hostess gift, a teacher appreciation item, a pot luck dinner or just a simple thank you. Purchase a jar online at www.bolderbeans.com or custom order a gift box that will really stand out. Prices range from $8 a jar to $30 a gift box depending upon the items selected. For the Bloody Mary lover, a Bolder Beans Bloody Mary gift set is really unique. This special gift box includes a jar of Bolder Beans, Bloody Mary concentrate mix, rim salt, a bean fork and even a pack of beef straws. Just add the vodka for a complete set that will make any Bloody Mary lover smile. Bolder Beans come if three tasty flavors: mild, medium and hot. The mild beans have a big, bold, dill pickle taste that is crunchy and zesty without the added heat. For the medium flavor, a jalapeño is added to the jar to give it a big, bold kick with a peppery jalapeño taste. A habanero is added to the hot and gives the bean a sweet heat. Whether they are chopped up in a salad, added to a Bloody Mary, or eaten right out of the jar as a good snack or an easy appetizer, Bolder Beans are sure to please any pickle person. For more information, visit www.bolderbeans.com. KN A Blast of Sweet Heat: Fresh Origins Herb Crystals Habanero Habanero is Fresh Origins' newest flavor in its lineup of Herb Crystals®, Flower Crystals® and Fruit Crystals®. They are zesty and crunchy with just the right amount of heat and sweetness. This all- natural orange-colored flavor Crystal has an authentic f resh pepper flavor-kick that will add excitement to any food, f rom sweet to savory, including salads, meats, seafood, pastr y, f resh f ruit, gelato and chocolate. "I love the Herb Crystals not only for their vibrant flavor but also for the unique texture they impart to my desserts," said Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini. Herb Crystals and Flower Crystals are an innovative original concept f rom Fresh Origins. With dazzling, all-natural colors, an exciting crunch and flavors of f resh flowers and herbs, these are exciting new flavor ingredients. The color and flavor comes only f rom the f resh whole herbs and flowers with no added flavors, preservatives or coloring, and the crystals are Kosher Certified. The process starts with growing the most flavorful f resh herbs and edible flowers. These are carefully hand harvested at the peak of flavor and color content, then combined with pure cane sugar to create beautiful and flavorful crystals. They taste amazing and will add an enticing, distinctive finishing touch to any culinary creation f rom desserts to savory dishes and even beverages. Crystals add color, texture and flavor to salads, f resh f ruit and chocolates. For mixology, these crispy granules with their concentrated flavors can be dissolved in any cocktail for a touch of garden-f resh taste. They can even be used as a kind of instant, all-natural cocktail mixer; just mix Crystals with components such as water and vodka to create a cocktail. They can also be heated and melted to create a naturally-flavored simple syrup. Another application is to toss the Crystals into a poured cocktail for the ultimate finishing touch with a sparkling dazzle of color and layer of flavor at the bottom of the glass, adding dimension and texture to be savored in the last sip. Tea can also be sweetened in a distinctive new way. Cr ystals are available in Basil, Mint, Cilantro, Habanero, Fennel, Rose, Hibiscus, Cranberry and Pumpkin Spice flavors. They are shelf stable and are best used within six months of purchase, or f rozen for longer shelf-life. Fresh Origins is America's leading producer of microgreens and edible flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and har vest all year. Fresh Origins produces over 400 microgreens, Petite™ greens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™, Cr ystals and related items. For more information, visit www.f reshorigins.com or call 800.263.0812. KN

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