makers // Mouth.com

Field Trip
Mouth Team, April 24, 2019

When you first spy a bag of Field Trip Jerky, you might just break out into a big childish grin....

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{"id":30860869666,"title":"Field Trip","created_at":"2019-04-24T11:30:51-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Field_Trip_Jerky_large.jpg?v=1556120367\" alt=\"Field Trip Jerky founders\"\u003eWhen you first spy a bag of Field Trip Jerky, you might just break out into a big childish grin. A baseball-cap-topped turkey trekking near California’s Yosemite Falls. A horned cow journeying under a starry sky and the shadow of Alaska’s Mount McKinley. A helmeted pig rafting in Oregon’s Crater Lake. These cartoon-covered bags of jerky are quite a trip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTom Donigan, Scott Fiesinger and Matt Levey are the creators behind these adventurous animals and Field Trip Jerky. The concept for the company was born of necessity. In the early aughts, the trio were on a ski trip on the slopes of Vermont’s Green Mountain Range. They stopped off at many a gas station in search of quick sustenance (a common road trip trope). They loved jerky, but every stop-and-shop only offered varieties laden with preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavors… not to mention tons of added salt and refined sugar. They returned to Brooklyn, determined to create a superior product. Matt took the lead on development and flavor, Tom became an expert on marketing and brand development (including creating the kooky animals) and Scott managed production and distribution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJerky is one of the oldest methods of preserving food (as early as ancient Egypt). For Field, the key to making their jerky so good is high-quality top round lean beef sourced within 150 miles of New York City (where they work). It's sliced into large strips, marinated and rubbed with seasonings in a vacuum tumbler. The strips are then laid out on a rack and placed into a dehydrator. This finished product is chopped up and bagged. But the jerky they created isn’t distinctive for what it’s made of but what it \u003cem\u003eisn’t\u003c\/em\u003e made of—no preservatives, nitrates, MSG, added sugars or corn syrup. Just pure meaty flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike the animals on their packages, the founders can often be found in a variety of outdoor spaces on their weekends. Tom is the rock climber and hiker; Matt is an avid cyclist and runner; Scott is the daring mountain skier. But wherever you might find them, whether in the great outdoors or in the concrete jungle of New York City, you can guarantee that they’ll have a bag of jerky in hand.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-24T11:32:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-06-06T16:43:07-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"field-trip","tags":"beef jerky, Brooklyn, chicken jerky, field trip jerky, jerky, jerky makers, makers, Mett Levey, pork jerky, Scott Feisinger, Tom Donigan, turkey jerky","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-24T11:30:51-04:00","alt":"","width":480,"height":300,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Field_Trip_Jerky.jpg?v=1556119851"}}
Simple Times Mixers
Mouth Team, April 19, 2019

Friday happy hour and you’re out with your coworkers. One of you orders a Moscow Mule, another a Manhattan, and...

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{"id":30814502946,"title":"Simple Times Mixers","created_at":"2019-04-19T12:41:08-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/SimpleTimesCrop_large.jpg?v=1555692110\" alt=\"Simple Times Founder\"\u003eFriday happy hour and you’re out with your coworkers. One of you orders a Moscow Mule, another a Manhattan, and for you? Margarita on the rocks, no salt. The bartender whirls, mixes, shakes and pours, and as if by some kind of alchemy the three drinks appear, perfectly concocted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGood bartenders can seem like magicians. With specialized knowledge and an encyclopedia of recipes, they’re able to turn the bottles lined up on the back wall of the bar into countless wonders. But Mark Tinus, founder of Simple Times Mixers, wanted to take some of that magic out of the bar experience, and let people make their own magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally working as a craft spirits and liquor representative in the Columbus, Ohio area, Mark would often find himself creating mixers of his own to showcase the alcohol. On the sales trail, he talked to consumers one-on-one, and would hear the same thing over and over: people were often reluctant to buy craft spirits because they weren’t confident in their cocktail skills. Though Mark had samples on hand, people didn’t think they could actually execute the same drink at home. When he started researching for readily available mixers for these potential customers, all he found were mixers heavy on added sugar and full of artificial flavors. Nothing could measure up to his homemade mixers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince he couldn’t find a mixer on the market that did the trick, he decided that he would just have to create one. Harkening back to a time when fresh real ingredients were the norm, he named his company Simple Times and launched in late 2017. All of the fruits in his mixers are cold-pressed in-house, using only the highest quality fruit, roots, and organic cane sugar. Much of the produce comes from local farmers within 45 miles of his Columbus facility. No preservatives, artificial flavors, colors or extra acids are allowed, which leads to mixers that taste and look as vibrant as the fruits they come from. And they’re easy to use for even the most amateur of bartenders, always poured at a 3 to 1 ratio with a spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe can say with confidence that Mark’s taken all that bartender magic and made it... well, simple.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-19T12:42:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-06-05T20:24:34-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"simple-times-mixers","tags":"Cocktail Mixers, Columbus Makers, craft cocktail mixers, craft cocktails, Mixologist, Ohio Makers, Simple Times, Simple Times Mixers, Small-batch cocktail mixers, Small-batch cocktails, small-batch mixers","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-19T12:41:08-04:00","alt":"","width":4664,"height":3109,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/SimpleTimesCrop.jpg?v=1555692068"}}
Spielman Bagels
Mouth Team, April 18, 2019

Portland isn’t exactly known for its bagels. Rick and Raf Spielman of Spielman Bagels are looking to change that. After...

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{"id":30459002914,"title":"Spielman Bagels","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:02:06-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/SpielmanBagelsCrop_large.jpg?v=1554735518\" alt=\"Spielman Bagels\"\u003ePortland isn’t exactly known for its bagels. Rick and Raf Spielman of Spielman Bagels are looking to change that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter 18 years in the trenches of coffee roasting, father and son duo Rick and Raf Spielman were ready to offer a new product to their devoted coffeeheads on SE Division Street, Portland. The two had been working on a unique bagel, something that had a foundation in New York technique but with a Portland flair. After a little experimentation, their recipe combined tart natural sourdough leavening, milk, honey, and a careful attention to the dough when it was kettle-boiled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir first batch of bagels with quite literally boiled atop a hot plate and went out on their counters in 2011. At first their coffee business kept pace with these doughy-meets-crusty creations, but as word spread, bagels soon, ahem, rose ahead. Requests started to stream in from vendors in both Portland and Salem, and wholesale clients were chomping at the chance to get in on the deal. Only two years later, they took over a 1,700 square-foot bagel factory, and daily production was at 2,500 a day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue to their dedication to freshness, Rick and Raf do not sell the bagels far from Portland, but a partnership with our friends at Jacobsen Salt Co. created their toasted bagel chips. Now, we can get a taste of their bagel magic... even in New York.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-18T11:33:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-06-06T16:52:44-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"spielman-bagels","tags":"Bagels, Maker Bios, Portland Makers, Spielman Bagels","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-08T10:59:13-04:00","alt":"","width":1032,"height":688,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/SpielmanBagelsCrop.jpg?v=1554735553"}}
Askinosie Chocolate
Mouth Team, April 12, 2019

Shawn Askinosie was a criminal defense attorney in the city of Springfield, Missouri, and he was good at his job......

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{"id":30637064226,"title":"Askinosie Chocolate","created_at":"2019-04-12T13:27:34-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Askinosie_large.jpg?v=1555596541\" alt=\"Askinosie founder\"\u003eShawn Askinosie was a criminal defense attorney in the city of Springfield, Missouri, and he was good at his job... some might’ve even said notoriously so. But he knew one thing. If he continued at the high-stress job, it was going to lead him to keel over someday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe didn’t really have any hobbies or interests outside of the courtroom (besides taking his teenage daughter to see the Backstreet Boys). His was a case that he simply couldn’t crack. One day, driving under the bright blue Missouri sky, a thought struck him, as he says “dropping right into [his] head.” He needed to make chocolate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis realization led to some grounds for hesitation. Shawn knew absolutely nothing about chocolate, beyond the fact that he loved eating it. But he was motivated by his newfound passion, quit his job and applied his lawyer-ly knack for research and analysis to chocolate. He buried himself in chocolate: where it comes from, its history, how it’s made and how to craft a unique chocolate offering. Within a few months, he found himself in the Amazon rainforest, trailing cocoa farmers to observe the techniques up close.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack home, he found a countertop grinder and started making chocolate directly from the beans. Appealing to his wife Caron, they worked together to throw parties where they surreptitiously focus-group tested their initial experiments. It wasn’t long before their fervent passion led them to purchase a building for production along with a 6,000-pound granite \u003cem\u003emelanguer\u003c\/em\u003e (a big step up from his at-home chocolate grinder) from Europe... and this was only two years after he left the courtroom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose cocoa farmers he met early on in his quest became the central defining feature of Askinosie. Shawn has always been committed to sourcing the beans and building relationships with the growers, not only personally but financially as he set up a system to share Askinosie profits with them. They are equal parties in his eyes, treated with fairness, dignity, and respect and he’s built business relationships spanning four continents. Two of his sources include farms in Tanzania and the Philippines, where he has sponsored food programs that nourish 1,600 children per day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd business practices aren’t the only thing that are incredible about Askinosie—their chocolates have earned three Good Food Awards, six silver awards from the Specialty Food Association, and seven International Chocolate Awards. A chocolate that satisfies your taste buds and your soul.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur verdict? Criminally delicious.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-12T13:27:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-06-06T16:45:12-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"askinosie","tags":"Askinosie, chocolate, chocolate maker, Chocolate shop, chocolatier, Gourmet chocolate, maker bio, Maker Bios, Springfield maker","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-12T13:27:34-04:00","alt":"","width":570,"height":380,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Askinosie.jpg?v=1555090054"}}
The Matzo Project
Mouth Team, April 12, 2019

Passover is a miraculous time of year. Yes, for the careful observation of religious tradition, of course, but also for...

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{"id":30021812258,"title":"The Matzo Project","created_at":"2019-03-22T10:33:31-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Matzo_Project_LR_large.jpg?v=1555681570\" alt=\"\"\u003ePassover is a miraculous time of year. Yes, for the careful observation of religious tradition, of course, but also for the Manischewitz wine and, of course, Streit’s matzo. Because let’s face it—the domination of these brands over the holiday is nothing short of miraculous. Ashley Albert, founder of the Matzo Project, \u003cspan\u003ethought it was high time that the brittle and flavorless unleavened bread got a desperate update. \u003c\/span\u003eThe aha moment hit her right outside the New York Streit’s factory where she was walking with her mom. Peeking through the windows to watch the bakers, a worker noticed them and passed over a fresh matzo right from the oven. She recalls, “It was the freshest matzo I’d ever encountered and, amazingly, it still managed to taste stale!”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe soon tapped her old Jewish summer camp buddy, Kevin Rodriguez, to be her business partner and help her on the mission to free everyone from the same ol’ matzo. They launched the Matzo Project, baking off hand-rolled crackers one at a time and sprinkling them with innovative toppings like Himalayan sea salt, cinnamon sugar and “everything” seasoning (a riff on another Jewish classic!). And while flavor might be the most noticeable difference from grandma’s matzo, the texture is wildly different too – snappy and sturdy, able to withstand some heavy dipping sauces. (As you well know, Streit’s crumbles under even the least chunky of haroset.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bag sports the company mascot, a Jewish bubbe with heavy glasses, joking, “Would it kill you to try something new?” Clearly their goal is to move matzo out of the dusty ethnic food aisle and into the modern snack space. With a product like this, we don’t think it’ll be all too long. But call your mother, will you?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote: Matzo Project matzo is indeed kosher (thank G-d), but not Kosher for Passover. Yet.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-12T11:15:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-06-06T16:53:26-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"the-matzo-project","tags":"Ashley Albert, Kevin Rodriguez, matzo project, New York artisan, New York Makers, New York matzo, Passover matzo, Streit's Matzo","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-12T11:15:52-04:00","alt":"","width":2400,"height":1600,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Matzo_Project_LR.jpg?v=1555082152"}}
Cult Crackers
Mouth Team, April 8, 2019

As a child growing up in Malmö, Sweden, Birgitta Durell took her daily knäckerbröd for granted. The earthy, dense, and...

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{"id":30459363362,"title":"Cult Crackers","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:07:02-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/CultCrackersCrop_large.jpg?v=1554735447\" alt=\"Cult Crackers\"\u003eAs a child growing up in Malmö, Sweden, Birgitta Durell took her daily \u003cem\u003eknäckerbröd\u003c\/em\u003e for granted. The earthy, dense, and sour-bitter rye crackers are everywhere in the country, lining supermarket aisles and fresh-baked in more traditional homes.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut then she moved to California. It was only a matter of weeks before Birgitta wrote to a friend back in Europe, begging for a recipe that would satisfy her craving. What she received in response was very different from her memories, using corn flour and a healthier mix of seeds. She tried it, liked it, and began baking it on the regular.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor a while, she baked just for herself – she didn’t think the crackers would appeal to American tastes. However, as a salesperson for her brother’s line of high-end Swedish cookware, she would bring \u003cem\u003eknäckerbröd\u003c\/em\u003e samples to trade shows, adding a little taste of Sweden alongside the wares. Prospective customers would eye the cookware but then clearly try to snag extra cracker samples.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe tipping point came through a lucky meeting. The Durells had the Dar family over for dinner at their Berkeley home, after they met through their school-aged daughters. The table, as was the family’s custom, was set with the beloved crackers. When Birgitta’s husband commented that he’d been trying to get her to turn the cracker into a business, Dianna (mouth full of cracker) immediately volunteered to help.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike most crackers that have a base recipe and introduce different flavors through herbs and spices, Birgitta and Dianna’s crackers feature the flour. The \u003cem\u003eflour\u003c\/em\u003e IS the flavor. Her mixture of six seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax, hemp, chia, and pumpkin) never changes, but the binding flour can be one of three: original corn, cassava, or buckwheat. The two still hand-mix the batter pan by pan in West Berkeley, but Birgitta has dreams of her crackers gaining a cultish following... just like in Sweden.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eUnderbar!\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-08T10:57:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-04-08T10:57:59-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"cult-crackers","tags":"California Makers, Crackers, Cult Crackers, maker, Makers","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-08T10:57:59-04:00","alt":"","width":863,"height":575,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/CultCrackersCrop.jpg?v=1554735479"}}
Banner Road Baking Company
Matt Powell, April 8, 2019

Banner Road is a straight-as-an-arrow pathway between State Highway 152 and Interstate 40 in west-central Oklahoma. It wasn’t paved until...

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{"id":30459985954,"title":"Banner Road Baking Company","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:20:05-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/BannerRoadAnneCroyCrop_large.jpg?v=1554735004\" alt=\"Banner Road Baking Company, Anne Croy\"\u003eBanner Road is a straight-as-an-arrow pathway between State Highway 152 and Interstate 40 in west-central Oklahoma. It wasn’t paved until recent years, and for generations, small family farms have called the road their own. One of those plots belonged to the Croy family. As a young woman, Anne Croy remembers the family activity on the farm, harvesting fields of ripened grain, tending a small herd of livestock, growing the vegetable gardens and fruit orchard. The farm was a network of interlocking efforts to bring food to market and to the their own kitchen table. It was a simple life that fed the Croy extended family, and it fed Anne’s love affair with food and with the earth. For real.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnne’s road to becoming a chef was not quite so straight-as-an-arrow. She left home to study fine arts in college, and worked in the restaurant industry to make spare change. Upon graduation, she worked in the furniture and design industry where she climbed up the ladder until reaching the status of art director. But she found herself thinking less about form and function and more about fruits and vegetables.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnne busted a move, left her design job and went to work in the pastry kitchen of St. Louis’s Gerard Craft’s Pastaria. She developed their gelato and classic Italian dessert program, but even in a professional kitchen, her mind kept wandering back to Banner Road, specifically memories of harvesting oats and grains. It was this love that led her to granola. She wanted to make a product that highlighted the fruits (and grains) of Banner Hill, taking both health and taste into account.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHer granolas wouldn’t be called straight-forward, with ingredients like dried banana chips and Askinosie chocolate (another Mouth favorite). But sometimes you need some deviations from the straight-and-narrow.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Matt Powell","user_id":26976452642,"published_at":"2019-04-08T10:50:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-04-08T10:50:42-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"banner-road-baking-company","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-08T10:50:42-04:00","alt":"","width":1000,"height":667,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/BannerRoadAnneCroyCrop.jpg?v=1554735042"}}
Li-Lac Chocolates
Mouth Team, April 8, 2019

In a time before big chain supermarkets, cities were sprinkled with small producers from butchers to bakers and yes, even...

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{"id":29935435810,"title":"Li-Lac Chocolates","created_at":"2019-03-20T14:43:34-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/LilacChocolatesVintage_large.jpg?v=1554734913\" alt=\"Li-Lac Chocolates Christopher Street\"\u003eIn a time before big chain supermarkets, cities were sprinkled with small producers from butchers to bakers and yes, even candlestick makers. On the way home from work or school, one might stop in to a variety of specialty producers for the evening’s dinner ingredients. For many residents of New York’s West Village, an every-now-and-then indulgence along the way was Li-Lac Chocolates. The oldest chocolate house in Manhattan, it was originally opened in \u003cspan\u003e1923 by Greek chocolatier George Demetrious \u003c\/span\u003ein a small space on Christopher Street. Passersby would catch glimpses of marble tabletops, glittering copper kettles, and the delicately detailed chocolates through the windows. Truly quaint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo how does a quaint chocolate shop survive a nearly 100-year history in ever-changing New York City? Demetrious was a man steeped in tradition, shunning automation and trend. And it’s just that dedication to the old way of doing things that the company credits for its longevity. Not only are many of the recipes the same as they were in the 20s, but some of the marble tables and large copper pieces from the original location are still proudly part of chocolate production, holding court to tempering and making the company’s famous fudge, respectively.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, some things have changed. The company is in its fifth iteration, now jointly operated by Anthony Cirone (himself a frequent customer of the Christopher Street shop before its closure in 2005), Anwar Khoder (a chocolatier for the shop since 1989), and Christopher Taylor (the finance guru of the lot—hey, someone has to read the spreadsheets). Storefronts have expanded to five across New York City, including a Brooklyn chocolate factory where people can still peer at the Willy Wonka-esque activity through oversize windows. But one thing is assured never to change—Li-Lac’s commitment to old-school chocolate making. Cirone remarks, “People tell us all the time about how Li-Lac was always part of their life in the Village.” Now, more people can be part of the Li-Lac tradition, dating back to a time when small makers were the only makers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2019-04-08T10:49:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-05-14T14:21:16-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"li-lac-chocolates","tags":"Brooklyn, Brooklyn chocolate, Brooklyn chocolate factory, Brooklyn chocolatier, Brooklyn makers, Li-Lac Chocolates, Li-Lac chocolatiers, New York City, New York City chocolate, New York City chocolatiers, New York makers, New York oldest chocolate shop, New York oldest chocolatier, oldest chocolatier in New York","image":{"created_at":"2019-04-08T10:49:07-04:00","alt":"","width":868,"height":579,"src":"\/\/mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/LilacChocolatesVintage.jpg?v=1554734947"}}
Olympia Provisions
Brent Bailey, April 3, 2019

Started by Michelle Cairo, Tyler Gaston, Nate Tilden, Martin Schwartz and Elias Cairo back in 2009, Olympia Provisions is one...

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{"id":6466858,"title":"Olympia Provisions","created_at":"2012-08-23T09:43:58-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/OlympicProvisions_medium.jpg?28790\"\u003eStarted by Michelle Cairo, Tyler Gaston, Nate Tilden, Martin Schwartz and Elias Cairo back in 2009, Olympia Provisions is one of the nation's few USDA-approved salumerias. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElias calls himself a “Salumist,” meaning he crafts American Charcuterie using local (Oregon and Washington-sourced) meats for wholesale to grocery stores, restaurants and wine bars around the country. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorking within the mediums of pork fat and the delicate craft of meat fermentation, Cairo is a true artist. Many of his fat-marbled, lovingly aged works are inspired by time spent in Europe during his early days of chefdom. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA greek-inspired salami is flecked with garlic, cumin and a touch of orange zest, while a garlic-and-pepper spiked saussicon sec tastes of pure French bistro, begging for a glass of vin du table to wash down its indulgent richness. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of their fantastically inspired salumi is prepared and aged in their one-of-a-kind meat curing facility, which is located in the historic Olympic Mills Commerce Center, a beautifully restored cereal mill and a landmark in a Southeast industrial neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMaker Website: \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.olympiaprovisions.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eolympiaprovisions.com\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Brent Bailey","user_id":23116578850,"published_at":"2019-04-03T18:25:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-05-14T14:32:02-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"olympia-provisions","tags":""}
Charlito's Cocina
Brent Bailey, April 3, 2019

Charlito is Charles Wekselbaum, but the nickname given by Spanish-speaking friends and family has long eclipsed his birth name. He...

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{"id":6316228,"title":"Charlito's Cocina","created_at":"2012-07-23T13:29:31-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Charlitos.jpg?56504\"\u003eCharlito is Charles Wekselbaum, but the nickname given by Spanish-speaking friends and family has long eclipsed his birth name. He was working at his Cuban-born father's hardware store by day, and moonlighting as a culinary student by night. Studying under a master charcutier at New York City's French Culinary Institute, he was able to dive deep into the old world wonders of cured meat to discover a real passion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, instead of a more typical externship, Charlito headed to Spain to stay with familly in Salamanca and Extremadur – known to cured-meat lovers as the promised land, the land of Serrano ham and the (until recently) forbidden fruit, the one and only, Jamón Iberico. “My cousins are really old school country mountain men. They cure their own olives, chorizo, make their own wine in their own home, just as the family has been doing for generations.” Charlito learned technique, process, and the importance of paying attention to every last detail when making these old family recipes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow Wekselbaum managed to pull himself away from all that gustatory bliss, we’ll never know. But we’re glad he did, because he clearly inherited the family gift. He wasted no time – Charlito’s Cocina was up and running by early 2011. “I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool someday to have a little inn or restaurant that followed the business model of a microbrewery – bar in the front, wholesale business in the back. Wouldn’t that be awesome to do that with charcuterie?” Did we mention how happy we are that he returned to the states? \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe business runs out of Long Island City, though Charles makes sausage itself in a larger facility in St. Louis, MO. The 100% pasture-raised, heritage-breed Berkshire Pig is mixed with \u003cspan\u003ehand-harvested fleur de sel and other spices in small 200-pound batches (larger producers uses industrial machinery that mix 500-1000 pound minimums). Then, it is stuffed by hand into all natural beef casings and tied one at a time before hanging up to dry for a minimum of 6 weeks.\u003c\/span\u003e For the vegetarians, Charlito's also created a very special 'sausage' of dried black mission figs that holds its own on any cheese plate. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: The name Wekselbaum might sound familiar to you if you've been reading our Meet Your Maker series thoroughly! Charlito's mother is none other than Nancy Wekselbaum of The Gracious Gourmet. So, if you pair Charlito's sausage, some cheese and The Gracious Gourmet's Spiced Sour Cherry Spread or Artichoke Tapenade on a big platter, it's a true family affair.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMaker Website: \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/charlitoscocina.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003echarlitoscocina.com\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Brent Bailey","user_id":23116578850,"published_at":"2019-04-03T18:25:00-04:00","updated_at":"2019-05-14T13:41:16-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"charlitos-cocina","tags":""}
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