Oser Communications Group

NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2018 n GOURMET NEWS N H 9 6 Eliot's Adult Nut Butters Offer Bold Flavor By Lorrie Baumann There are actors for whom subtlety is just overrated. They like to make a splashy en- trance onto the scene. Enter Eliot's Adult Nut Butters, which showed up in the sofi Award competition this year for the first time and promptly took home a silver sofi for Harissa Cashew Butter and the bronze sofi for Spicy Thai Peanut Butter. Harissa Cashew Butter pairs the com- plex Moroccan hot pepper sauce's flavor with the rich creaminess of cashew butter. The subtle heat and intense spices of Harissa pair incredibly well with the natural sweet- ness of the cashews. Spicy Thai Peanut But- ter blends true Thai flavors, featuring kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and cayenne chili. It makes great peanut noodles or sauce for broccoli, chicken, tofu or salad rolls. Not a lot of subtlety there -- just bold, au- thentic flavors from a company started just four years ago by Michael Kanter. "I started the company in the Eliot neighborhood of Portland, Oregon," Kanter says. "I wanted to pay a homage to the area." The Harissa Cashew Butter and Spicy Thai Peanut Butter are two of Eliot's Adult Nut Butters' current line of seven flavors. The others are Garam Masala Peanut Butter, Espresso Nib Peanut Butter, Honey Chipotle Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chili Almond But- ter and Sriracha Sunflower Butter. They're all based on the concept that adults don't have to grow out of their love for peanut but- ter as they grow into an appreciation for complex flavors. "We wanted to stand out from a shelf dominated by kid flavors and packaging," Kan- ter said. Kanter decided to make the nut butters after taking a step back from his career as a chef. After cooking in restau- rants in New York, Seattle and Portland, he was munching on some spiced cashews one day while having a think about his next ca- reer move. It occurred to him that he was en- joying that flavor by the handful, so he might also like it as a nut butter. A quick experi- ment convinced him that the idea had merit. Today, his Spicy Thai Peanut Butter is his best seller. One reason for its success is that the home cook can easily do more with it than just spread it on a cracker, and it's an easy few minutes from having a jar of Eliot's Adult Nut Butters Spicy Thai Peanut Butter on the shelf to a peanut noodle entree, according to Kanter. "You can make something really foodie-sounding, but the secret is that you just open a jar," he said. "It's a balance of interesting flavors, but they have to work.... I'm not trying to tap into the latest fad." The 12-ounce jars of the peanut butters re- tail for $8.99. The Sriracha Sunflower Butter retails for $10.99, and the almond and cashew butters retail for $12.99 to $14.99. The products are made in small batches in Portland, Oregon with U.S.-grown peanuts, almonds and sunflower seeds. They're natu- rally gluten free, and all are vegan. Marketing Campaign Promotes Imported Cheeses To help familiarize Americans with the vast array of cheeses imported into the United States, the Cheese Importers Association of America (CIAA) has launched an integrated promotions campaign to raise awareness of the many wonderful ways to experience im- ported cheese. Sponsored by the Imported Cheese Board with funds derived from the United States Qualified Import Program (QIP), the "I Love Imported Cheese" campaign is designed to provide an entertaining, engaging and edu- cational experience for American consumers to fall in love with the quality and variety of imported cheeses from around the world, and the many ways to enjoy them. With thousands of unique varieties to dis- cover, each embodying the distinct heritage of the country and region it is produced in, imported cheese is a cheese lover's passport to a global tasting tour. The national campaign targets American specialty cheese con- sumers through a variety of communication touch points in- cluding social media, in-store merchandising, sampling events and a website with cooking videos and recipes, cheese pro- files and pairings, entertaining ideas and more. The "I Love Imported Cheese" social media campaign will provide a vital forum for people who want to be part of a commu- nity of cheese lovers who share their passion for imported cheese and the extraordinary taste it brings to recipes and entertaining. The Cheese Importers Asso- ciation is a non-profit organi- zation that serves its members, the world dairy community and - ultimately - the end con- sumer by helping to facilitate the efficient import of dairy products from around the world into the United States. To learn more about the imported cheese ex- perience, visit the campaign's website at www.iloveimportedcheese.com. Seasoning Blends and Spices Fresh from Wisconsin PS Seasoning & Spices is a fourth-genera- tion family-owned and operated Wisconsin- based company specializing in seasoning blends and spices. The company's product offering also includes marinades, sauces, glazes, dips, baking mixes, soups, beverages and much more. PS Seasoning & Spices proudly serves a broad range of industries, including the cheese, sausage, meat/deli, baking, pizza and snack foods industries from specialty retailer to industrial food service. Services offered include product develop- ment, seasoning blend duplication, co-pack- aging and custom blending for commer- cial quantities to small batch. PS Seasoning & Spices develops products in its culi- nary center, which is complete with two full test kitchens – a culi- nary application kitchen and a sausage manufacturing kitchen. The company has a highly skilled and experienced food technical team that develops award-win- ning products for customers throughout the U.S. and be- yond. PS Seasoning & Spices is known for unparalleled cus- tomer service and quality con- trol. For more information, go to www.blendwithps.com (wholesale) or www.psseasoning.com (retail). Beaver Brand Extra Hot Horseradish Beaver Brand™ Extra Hot Horseradish won a ChefsBest ® 2018 Award of Excellence. The award uses a proprietary judging process called SAQA ® , "Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis," to select award winners. The ChefsBest Excellence Award is awarded to brands that surpass quality standards estab- lished by independent professional chefs. The Beaver Brand Extra Hot Horseradish comes in two retail sizes: 4 ounces and 8.5 ounces, selling for $1.99 and $2.99 respec- tively. For more information, contact Beaverton Foods at 503.646.8138 or go to www.beavertonfoods.com. Teabag Sachet Line from Art of Tea Art of Tea recently launched its fresh line of individually wrapped Eco Pyramid Teabag sachets, completing the com- pany's rebranding efforts. The sachets, which are available in both bulk cases and retail-ready packaging, now feature the same striking patterns as the company's Artisan Tea Tins and Glass Canisters. Now cafes, restaurants, and other hospi- tality spaces can provide both a loose-leaf tea program and a single-serve tea expe- rience with one consistently beautiful aes- thetic. For more information, contact Art of Tea at 877.268.8327 or go to www.artoftea.com. Taste Tradition in Busha Browne's Original Hot Pepper Jelly Busha Browne's Original Hot Pepper Jelly is a traditional spicy-sweet condiment based on the world famous hot and flavorful Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper. Busha Browne Pepper Jelly is the perfect accompaniment for cheeses and meats (hot or cold) and excels when mixed with cream cheese for canapes or used as a spread or a dip. It also makes a superb glaze for meats and vegetables. Busha Browne's Original Hot Pepper Jelly is gaining popularity both for its gourmet fla- vor and its versatility as well as for fresh in- gredients and artisan quality in a taste of Jamaican tradition. For more information, contact Source Atlantique at 201.947.1000 or go to www.sourceatlantique.com. Charlie's Wild Boar & Pork Sausage Charlie's Sausage is a form of culinary conservation that turns a metaphorical sow's ear into a silk purse. The sows in question are actually wild boars, which are destroying levees, farmland and forests of the Gulf South at an incredible rate. Charlie's Sausage has partnered with trappers to reduce the threat of environ- mental damage and to produce a unique wild boar and pork sausage. Beginning with fresh, natural ingredients, this sausage is made with a Cajun recipe and smoked in a hardwood fire smokehouse, giving it a delicious, rich flavor. Charlie's Sausage comes in 12-ounce packs of three flavors: Original, Mild and Green Onion. Each pack retails for $5.99. For more information, contact Charlie's Sausage at 855.601.2786 or go to www .charliessausage.com.

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