From my Catering Days and promotion piece
The back story
While making sandwiches, I began working on my brand of snacks. I learned that other brands of caramel Popcorn are made with corn syrup, artificial preservatives and additional unnatural ingredients. I wanted to eat a small bag of caramel or cheddar popcorn without overindulging on excessive oil and salt. I wondered,” How would that same bag of caramel popcorn taste if it were used with real Madagascar vanilla?” I then decided to use some of my cooking experiences to create a few unique flavors, but my first goal was to start simple. Use only natural organic ingredients. This made for a more fulfilling snack.
I wanted to create something that was simple yet rich in taste. The Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean is pretty much my standard because of its intense flavor even though it has fewer seeds than a Mexican vanilla bean. Subtle flavor hints are very important to me.
After becoming familiar with the technique of making flavored popcorn, I started developing my own flavors such as Bacon Cachaca (Brazilian Rum) Crunch, Honey Truffled popcorn w/Apple wood Smoked Salt, Pumpkin Pie Madness (Seasonal) and Chipotle Cheddar.
I learned that it was easier for big food processors to order non-organic ingredients from large distributors. The large distributors often offered subpar ingredients at a cheaper rate which was done by building relationships with large farms and companies who had the ability to produce a large amount of sometimes subsidized goods.
I chose to work with smaller distributors who focused on specialty items and/or organic products. It’s quite funny because through the years I’ve built strong relationships with the farmers and distributors who understood my needs which helped made a better product.
This snack was created because I wanted to create a snack with the same ingredients that I believed in.
I was able to raise the money needed but I financed the project myself.
I knew the competition in New York was heavy so I wanted to make a product that stood out among other snacks. The goal was to create a design that was fun, yet elegant and vintage, so I hired a designer Gustav Dejert from Stockholm Sweden.
The flavors that I settled on:
- Caramel Cachaca Crunch (Brazillian Rum Caramel)
- Honey Truffle Caramel Honey Truffle Caramel
- Chipotle Cheddar
Kenmore Videos
A few videos that I made for Kenmore showcasing their cookware along with Chef Mark Bier. I had a great time there. Despite the background music being cheesy.