Llance and Lori Kezner of Garlicit!
I am completely and utterly enamored by artisan products, especially those that are developed with a strong passion for quality and purely created from the heart and soul. People who follow their interests or create something just for sheer enjoyment often stumble upon a product that can emerge into much more than was ever imagined.
The products highlighted today in our Food Finds column tell this very story. From flour to garlic to custom cookies – all of these products have in common the hands-on approach, starting with very small batch production to control quality and cost and ending with…well, the path is still unfolding but all three are going strong and learning along the way what works.
Brenda Crow, Food Shed
Today, we also introduce a new contributor to Table Talk – Brenda Crow, owner of Food Shed, who represents many products in this category. From time to time Brenda will be writing for Table Talk and keeping us up to date on those “gotta have it” products.
Bluebird Grain Farm
Have you ever had the opportunity to bake with freshly milled flour? How about flour that was freshly milled on the farm from which it was grown and harvested?
In a climate where consumers are increasingly hungry to hear more about the source of the food they eat, flour has somehow been left out of the equation. But it shouldn’t be – it’s the backbone of American cuisine and baking with fresh flour is as illuminating as eating a strawberry straight from the field.
Located in the small community of Mazama, Washington, the Lucy family has quickly become my whole grain hero. Not only for the type of grain they grow – emmer wheat or farro, one of my all-time favorites – but also because they put an extraordinary measure of care into everything they do at their family farm, Bluebird Grain Farm. The Lucy’s grow this ancient grain, along with their hard red and hard white wheat and rye, in harmony with nature – organically and open-pollinated. In order to maintain all the goodness, the end product never leaves their hands…that is until it gets to yours.
Now back to that fresh flour bit. Maybe you’ve always considered yourself the best baker on the block, or maybe you just dabble as a diversion – either way, Bluebird’s freshly milled flours will elevate your art. The first time I opened a bag of their emmer flour, my homemade heart sung. Full-bodied, bright, almost fluffy, their flour has vitality that is unmatched. My cakes were more tender, my levain more flavorful. Heck, even my cupcakes had more verve. In a world increasingly interested in knowing where our food comes from, add flour to the list.
Submitted by: Brenda Crow, FoodShed
Llance and Lori Kezner found out that the small kitchen samples they were making for friends and family were very tough to replicate in a small batch factory setting. When they wanted to make their product to sell on the shelf at stores, they ran into a whole host of taste issues that ended up giving them their big break. They ended up shifting their focus to quality ingredients that would stand up to shelf stable requirements.
Small batch production requires the correct amount of heat and acidification for proper food safety. The problem is that these requirements totally changed the taste and properties of their original idea. All the ingredients were wrong for the type of production they decided to do. These two spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the quality properties of each ingredient.
Their big break came with the new flavors and characteristics from the production. Since the ingredients were now being cooked at over 180 degrees Fahrenheit at extended periods of time, all of the ingredients totally changed in taste and texture. The garlic ended up being mild, the other ingredients and oil changed, so the flavor and texture was totally new to us.
At first they thought they had a failure on their hands. As it turned out, when they opened up the finished product to people who had never tried it before, the mildness of the product suddenly turned into what everyone liked.
GarlicIt! started out with two flavors, Basil and Chipotle, then added Thai, Curry and Sichuan Pepper to the mix. These flavors really represented the types of cooking Llance and Lori do at home and the flavors that they developed to support their own cooking desires. The latest product, which is caramelized garlic, offers a new avenue to explore, moving in a new unexpected direction with garlic as a gourmet garnish.
cookie |box|
A small batch, custom bakery, cookie|box| was created by friends and business partners Marcia Sisley-Berger and Anne Nisbet. It was inspired by their desire to create something both beautiful and delicious, and to share a love of baking and the happiness it inspires. They think cookies are delicious, nostalgic and fun. Plus they make people smile. How great is that? They were also looking for an outlet for their urge to feed people good things to eat.
Anne and Marcia thought cookies were under-represented in the marketplace. At least their kind of cookies – two to three bites of unadulterated deliciousness and pure flavor. And because they feel very close to their creations, they name them. Like Mary Ann, a Guittard chocolate chip and sea salt cookie, or Emma, cornmeal shortbread spiked with lime and fresh thyme. Olivia, a unique black olive and lemon shortbread, is part of the Pairing Collection of cookies designed to go with wine, beer and cocktails (they call Olivia the party girl because she’s great with a martini!). Melanie, toasted pecan and lemon, is always a favorite. They bake a wonderfully chewy traditional macaroon too – she’s called Happy and has a Valrhona cocoa-infused cousin named Joy.
Another part of the business that they love, love love, is custom baking for events. Cookie|box| has been commissioned to develop and name cookies for individuals, designed and decorated cookies for showers and parties and developed custom collections for corporate gifts. There’s not a holiday or occasion that can’t be celebrated with something clever and tasty from cookie|box|.
Recently for a few special occasions I asked cookie l box l to create custom gifts and both times my expectations were more than served. My favorite was a beautiful box of small cookies designed especially for a baby “girl” shower for 40 guests. The shower theme was strollers, so we had stroller cookies, baby bottle cookies and tiny macaroons in beautiful “baby” colors. The box came beautifully packaged and wrapped and featured a custom designed note with a congratulatory Welcome Baby poem. A total hit with guests and with me!
Stay tuned for more great products to be introduced on the Table Talk Radio That Tastes Good blog.
