notable EDIBLES YOU DON’T KNOW JACK
W
hen Diana Dussan wanted to test her new jackfruit jerky, she knew if she could win over her “sixty-something, retired-military, anti-anything-vegan, moun-
tain-man of a stepdad,” she’d be onto something. In the end, he not only liked it, he didn’t even believe her when she told him he
Dussan rolled out her original, peppered and sweet-chili fla-
was eating a dehydrated fruit. “It was the texture that got him,”
vored jerkies at the Texas Farmers Market at Mueller in Decem-
she says. “He didn’t expect it to crunch like meat.”
ber and they sold like crazy, despite the blustery 25-degree weath-
Snack Jack was born from a three-month restrictive diet Dus-
er that day. Since then, she’s launched a booth at Barton Creek
san’s doctor prescribed as a health booster. Cooking up snacks
Farmers Market, The Wandering Vegan pop-up market and San
that fit the bill revived her dormant dream of starting a food busi-
Antonio’s Vegan Stop Shop. She plans to break into retail stores
ness—preferably one that didn’t involve animal death. Though
next, after she moves the cottage-food operation out of her home
Dussan sometimes eats meat, she does marketing for a farm-ani-
and into an industrial kitchen.
mal-welfare nonprofit, so she didn’t want to be part of the prob-
Her original business plan didn’t call for growth this fast,
lem. Instead, she says, “I wanted to make something everybody
but she’s rolling with it—especially if it helps her achieve one
could enjoy.” She grew convinced that that something would be
of Snack Jack’s goals: to stop sourcing jackfruit from Thailand
jackfruit—a botanical master of disguise that not only passes as
and get it from Brazil, where the plant is an invasive (and, hence,
meat, but is also high in fiber, potassium and lots of other good
organic) species. “It’s taking over the rainforest,” she says. “We
stuff. Plus, it tastes just fine without the junk that gets added to
want to turn it into a positive.”—Steve Wilson
other jerkies. Dussan doesn’t even have to tinker too much with the recipe to produce a separate Paleo version.
For more information, visit snackjackjerky.com
CATERING | EVENT AND TENT RENTALS | FLORALS WWW.WHIMHOSPITALITY.COM 10
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