Food & Beverage Magazine - April Issue 2021

INDUSTRY LEADERS • TRENDS • BEVERAGE • CUISINE • CHEF • RESTAURANT • HOSPITALITY

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Cover Feature

with

AT TR AC T M O R E C US TO M E RS

INCREASE PROFITS

WITH CRAFT BEER BREWED ON SITE 5 30 -8 0 2-50 2 3 · B R E W BI LT.C O M

TAP INTO THE RESTAURANT BREWING EQUIPMENT & EXPERTISE OF BREWBILT. Offer craft beer brewed on site.

BrewBilt will design and build your brewing system that will successfully take your business to new levels.

IN-HOUSE FINANCING AVAILABLE

APRIL 2021 COVER IMAGE Anthony Lane, Founder/Owner of Lane and Simple

Produced by Prophet Cassettes Productions; Photography by Austin Tate Edited by Patrick Campbell

PUBLISHER MICHAEL POLITZ Michael@fb101.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LAUREN KANE Lauren.Kane@fbmagazine.com EDITOR AT LARGE JENNIFER ENGLISH SpiritsKitchen@gmail.com NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR COLLIN MILLINGTON Collin@fb101.com NATIONAL SALES MANAGER JEFF TIMM Jeff.Timm@fbmagazine.co NATIONAL SALES MANAGER RON STERN Ron.Stern@fbmagazine.co DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMATIC SALES BARB ROGERS Programmatic@fbmagazine.com PODCAST ENGINEER BRAD JONES Brad@marque.media CORPORATE EXECUTIVE CHEF KEVEN LEE Info@chefkevenlee.com GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN CHRISTOPHER BURKE Chrisburke.design00@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS LAUREN MCINDOO MICHELE TELL TARRY HART KAIULANI DELGADO MATT FROHMAN VEDO PITNJAKOVIC DEBBIE HALL We honor and remember the support of Chef Kerry Simon, Gary Cantor, Robin Leach, Chef Paul Prudhomme, & Gary Coles

Food & Beverage Magazine® is owned and published electronically by Beautiful People, LLC. Copyright 1995-2016 Beautiful People LLC. All rights reserved. Food & Beverage Magazine® and distinctive logo are trademarks owned by Beautiful People, LLC. “fb101.com” is a trademark of Beautiful People, LLC. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of Food & Beverage Magazine.

Requests for permission should be directed to: Lauren.Kane@fbmagazine.com. The information contained has been provided by such individual, event organizers or organizations. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author, organization or public relation firm. Food & Beverage Magazine is not affiliated with any other food and beverage or hospitality publication.

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Sarah Bramlett, Mississippi Hummingbird Co.

Written by Dana Setting

Sarah Bramlett accidentally became a serious baker. When her oldest son turned five, the local bakery’s quote for his cake was so large that Sarah decided she would just bake it herself. Challenged by her husband to secure all the necessary equipment for under $100, Sarah rose to the occasion, and the cake turned out perfect. Her friends and family noticed.

Requests began to pour in, and in 2019 the Mississippi Hummingbird Co. of Houston,Texas was born.

Sarah, a mom of three, a wife, and a full-time teacher, is a self-taught baker. She spends her limited free time mastering new baking and design techniques and her nights fulfilling orders. With such a full schedule, those nights can be quite long, but according to Sarah, “The challenge energizes me. I’m lucky that I get to create things that taste good, but it’s also so rewarding to see an idea through to completion.” A perfectionist and careful researcher, Sarah said she likes to stay on her toes, always looking to explore new ideas and try new things when it comes to her baking.

Part of this is because she likes to expose her three sons to new things. She likes to intro-

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duce them to new flavors and encourages them to broaden their culinary taste buds.

When it comes to baking at home, a family favorite is almond macarons with almond filling. She says her sons have become quite the food critics.

With a degree in Fine Art, and a background in sculpture, Sarah’s bakery really does produce masterpieces. She says that it’s a nice change of pace to have sculptures around that you can eat and actually enjoy. While the Mississippi Hummingbird Co. gradually expands (they recently began offering wedding cakes), growing a small business amidst the Covid-19 pandemic has come with its share of challenges.

Events were cancelled for an initial two-week period, but it soon became clear that the shutdowns and delays would last much longer.

For the young bakery, it could have meant the end, but in challenge, Sarah feels right at home. “When Covid hit, it forced me to slow down and re-evaluate my priorities,” she said. She shared that the biggest challenges she had to overcome were setting boundaries and learning to advocate for herself, her family and her time. She’s accomplished much of this by streamlining the bakery’s ordering system and the options offered.

The Mississippi Hummingbird Co. offers a variety of fully customizable baked goods from cookies, to macarons, and cakes of all varieties. Sarah loves trying new things and says she can accommodate just about anything. In recent months, as the world slowly reopens, the bakery has provided full-sized wedding cakes— a sign that further growth is on the horizon.

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!"#$%&' !()*#) Chef CHEVEN Interviews Christi Hoehn, Owner of Talk of the Table Who is Christi Hoehn?

“It depends on the day, some days I feel invincible, others I feel vulnerable and weak. Thankfully the invincible days are more often and as the amazing opportunities have been coming my way, I’m all that much more driven to reach for the stars.”

Christi fought illness since she was 15, finally diagnosed at the age of 20 with an autoimmune disease, Scleroderma. She didn’t expect to live past 26-27 but had never accepted that fate - and here she is at 56 still proving them wrong.

Because of circulatory complications, Christi lost the left leg below knee in ‘96 and the right leg below knee in 05. “For me, it was a relief, as pain was the driving force in my life.” Unfortunately, she got frostbite on both legs after being outside at a Christmas market in Germany. “I was in my wheelchair and didn’t realize how cold my legs were, despite the many layers I was wearing as well as my prosthetics. It became too painful to wear the legs and I accepted that I’d be using the wheelchair.”

“I am not defined by the chair or my legs - but society isn’t as kind.” Says Christi. “More often than not, I’m invisible.” My experience of Christi is that her determination and enthusiasm toward cooking and life as a whole has been enhanced due to the obstacle's that her life presented– a mother of three, a Grandmother of three, a self-taught culinarian. Christi has developed a passion for the art of cooking and shares her works with the community she has built around her. Through Table Grilling (a communal cooking

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experience) Christi is no longer “invisible”. In fact, she is very visible not only to her peers, but to the large network of professional Chefs that are now honoring Christi for her creativity, passion, and drive.

BUT THE FOOD, CHRISTI! THE FOOD! “Food has always been a huge part of my life. I have so many fond memories of cooking with my grandmother and gardening with my grandfather. Grandma taught me how to make the perfect pie crusts, always doubling the recipe so I could roll it out, spread with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, roll, and slice into pinwheel “goodies” to enjoy. My grandpa’s garden was epic, we’d ride the tractor and till the soil, daily trips to tend to the ripening vegetables.

They canned gallon size jars of spicy pickles cucumbers, okra, cauliflower, tomatoes, and more.

Grandpa always ordered the top-quality cheeses and

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meats, I was the only kid I knew that had a huge jar in the refrigerator with feta suspended in brine! He smoked meats in his hand built monstrous sized brick smoker/grill.

Growing up Jewish and eating all of those delicacies, (aside from gefilte fish!). The Manischewitz mixes a stark contrast to the from scratch cooking from my other grandparents. Noodle Kugel, Matzo ball soup, beet borscht, mandel bread, blintzes....ahh the memories!

Christi currently enjoys preparing unique Focaccia decorated with a mosaic of vegetables and herbs.

Deliciously presented and fascinating to the eyes as the presentation moves the table talk with awe. Who needs a flower bouquet on the table when you have her Focaccia to light up the moment?

“A constant crowd pleaser is my delicious cobbler. I have tweaked a recipe I found many years ago and it is, in my opinion, the best cobbler ever. I’ve now modified the recipe and make it ON THE TABLE GRILL using canning jar lids! Here’s the oven version: Here's a recipe I tweaked years ago that is a favorite of this house, you can use sour cherries, peaches, or nectarines for a delicious cobbler. I don't care for super sweet desserts so the sugar has been significantly reduced.

Christi’s Cobbler In a 7x11 baking dish (screw the baking dish, use a cast iron skillet) melt 1 stick of butter at 325 until sizzling. Keep in oven until you're ready to pour batter or make batter ahead.

How do you think you can impact the world?

Combine: “I hope it’s through kindness and the willingness to share my story, my cooking, and the light that permeates my being. Sitting at the table together, learning, sharing, enjoying cooking and spending time together. I believe strongly that food is a bond between us all and the more we can come together, the greater understanding we have of each other.

In my life thus far bringing people to the table unplugged is such a message that is powerful to permeate the discomfort of shyness or unwilling to blossom. Breaking the “Focaccia” (bread) with family/friends/peers through TABLE GRILLING is the best way to open minds and remind each other how precious life can be.” Through this, Christi is not only recognized as a survivor but also a pioneer of hope and the endurance of Love, Food, and Community.

1 c flour 3/4 c sugar 1/4 t salt 2 t baking powder 3/4 c milk 1/2 t vanilla cinnamon to taste (put a lot, it’s delicious)

Mix until smooth, set aside.

Combine 1 qt fruit and 1/2 cup sugar.

Pour batter into sizzling butter, mixing slightly. Pour fruit over batter and bake for 1 hour or until brown at 325. Serve warm or cooled with vanilla ice cream.

I like to put this in the oven right before we eat so that it's hot out of the oven for dessert. https://fb.watch/4hfZZmsGwj/ <—— this is one made on the table grill!”

What is your favorite dish to prepare?

Chef Keven Lee known as CHEVEN, has been instrumental in redefining the concept of catering in Los Angeles, California. With the growth of his career from CIA in NY, Pastry studies in Luzern Switzerland, Resorts in Costa Rica and Executive positions in Fabulous Las Vegas and Hollywood CA, many look at CHEVEN as a self-driven innovator and an uber-creative mind not to be reckoned with.

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Chef CHEVEN interviews Chef Joseph Yoon, Owner and Founder of Brooklyn Bugs What defines Brooklyn Bugs, and what is your motivation and inspiration?

I am an Edible Insect Ambassador, Chef, and Warrior—we work closely with universities, museums, Chefs, and thought leaders to raise awareness and appreciation for edible insects. Our work helps to explain why the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) endorses them to address food security and sustainability. The fact that we can disrupt the system to address such important matters, and help to provide innovative solutions to how we can sustainably reimagine what the future of food can look like is of great inspiration and motivation to me.

How did you source/find your vendors?

I’ve been very fortunate to work with a close group of vendors who have been extremely supportive of my mission from day one. There have been events where I’ve fed thousands of people at Purdue University, Montana State University, or the American Museum of Natural History where we shared upwards of a dozen unique samples to thousands of people throughout the day. Through all this, my vendors have graciously donated their products for our programming. We luckily found one another through the web or “buzz” we generated What’s the business model?

People tend to think of edible insects in terms of extremes because they think of insects viscerally as a pest or an undesirable that causes disease or ruins their garden. Our work focuses on outreach and education to redefine and reimagine that *edible* insects are sustainably farmed or harvested specifically for human consumption, are nutrient dense, and most importantly, can be prepared deliciously. We also offer business to business consulting and R&D, and are looking to find partners to expand our operations to include consumer packaged products in the near future.

How have you succeeded, and how has it “maninsectated” (manifested)?

It’s been incredibly rewarding to receive numerous grants to tour across the nation, be invited to share my work internationally (sadly postponed due to covid), work with renowned artists and scientists, and see our work validated with a tremendous amount of global press (thank you guys)! As a chef, I never thought I’d have an impact on global initiatives, and it has been incredibly rewarding and humbling at the same time.

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Why is this important for the culinary world to embrace?

We are already depleting our natural resources to feed the current population, and will have to find solutions for how we can sustainably feed the burgeoning global population. I don’t like to emphasize the doomsday scenario though, but prefer to focus on the fact that there are over two thousand types of edible insects that over eighty percent of the world’s nations already consumes with vastly different flavor profiles, textures, and functionality.

Imagine if we were able to tap into the wealth of talented chefs to help us define and understand how we can best incorporate and utilize edible insects, and be part of the solution towards a sustainable planet.

How will it redefine culinary arts from day-to-day to Michelin starred restaurants?

Think about how excited chefs are to work with new ingredients, and as this practice becomes more widely accepted amongst chefs, this would truly be a dynamic and exciting new frontier. I’m not suggesting that we give up everything else, but only to consider adding insect protein as another ingredient to a chef’s arsenal. The possibilities to create everything from comfort food to haute cuisine would virtually be endless, with our imagination being the only limitation.

Chef Take: Interviewing Chef Joseph, I found him to be extremely passionate about curving the mindset of the globe to better understand the diversity and creativity of insects as a major source of protein. Sustainability is prominent in today’s preservation of food resources. Through this direction, Chef Joseph has held introducing and educating the industry with the “need to know” on edible bugs to the highest professional standards.

I am fascinated by Chef’s passion and knowledge. In today’s industry, it seems that we are struggling to source new ingredients and creatively present them, whether in a recipe or presentation. I feel that chefs today are reverting back to classic techniques and redefining the foundation of cuisine from culture to culture. With the introduction to insect protein, Joseph has opened a door to new-age techniques, flavors, and art of plating.

In the coming weeks, Chef Joseph and I will host a live video tasting and crash course educating about edible bugs. This will be followed with a hands-on cooking demo of what I have learned. Stay tuned!

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A sweet introduction to the toughest diet you’ve never heard of Written by Ross Jason

A new diet is emerging out of the medical literature and into wider society. Its rules are constantly changing, you won’t know what’s safe to eat without an app, and you can’t have garlic, onion, or celery. Allow me to introduce you to the Low FODMAP diet, a niche medical diet for the digestively distraught. It’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise.

Developed by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo-, Mono- and di-saccharides And Polyols. In plain English, the 4 types of sugars naturally present in all kinds of foods. A low-FODMAP diet is one that eliminates your exposure to these sugars. They’re special because of their tendency to ferment in your small intestine, an environment that should be nearly sterile. If you have severe digestive issues like IBS, SIBO, Crohn’s, or Ulcerative Colitis, FODMAPs likely set off your symptoms. Avoiding them might be your first step towards salvation.

FODMAPs only exist in carbs, so anything without them, like meat or fish, is safe. Alliums like garlic and onions (fructans), berries like blackberries (sorbitol), other fruits like apples (fructose), cheese (lactose), mushrooms (mannitol), peas (oligosaccharides), and hundreds of other foods are off the list. To keep everything straight, you need to use the Monash FODMAP App—it uses a red/yellow/green light system to show you what safe ingredients and serving sizes look like. The diet has three phases: complete elimination, supervised reintroduction, and a long-term personalized plan based on your reintroduction results.

Why Low FODMAP? While growing in popularity, the Low FODMAP diet isn’t something you just hop on yourself. If it sounds helpful to you, investigate your gut health deeply with your doctor first.

Despite the intense limitations, some of us are eating exceptionally well on the low-FODMAP diet and feeling much better. FODMAPs are everywhere, if you can’t control what’s on your plate, you won’t know if it’s safe. This is forcing dieters like me to get busy in the kitchen and to hone our skills. If you want to make yourself a gut-friendly treat, try out my low-FODMAP coffee cake (It’s also gluten, dairy, and soy free).

Holy Fodmap Coffee Cake Ingredients 1/3 Cup gluten free breadcrumbs 2 Cups gluten free all-purpose flour 1 Cup beet sugar 1 tsp salt 10 Tbsp Butter Flavored Coconut Oil (BFCO) 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ¾ cup (1 small container) vanilla coconut yogurt 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla ¾ cup pecans, blended ½ cup maple sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Appliances 10-inch Springform Pan Food processor

Directions Allow all ingredients to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°.

Blend your pecans in the food processor until finely chopped, set aside.

Grease your springform pan and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Turn pan to coat the sides and tap out excess. In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, beet sugar, and salt. Add BFCO and cut in with a whisk until your mixture resembles small chunks or crumbs. Be careful not to overmix. Add yogurt and continue whisking, crumb formation will intensify. Pause here and remove one cup of crumbs, set aside. Continue whisking, add baking powder and soda. Add egg, vanilla and whisk aggressively for 1.5-2 minutes until batter is smooth. Pour batter into the pan, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl and smoothing the top with a spatula. For the topping, add leftover batter crumbs in bowl with chopped pecans, maple sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk together with a fork until mixture is homogenous. Sprinkle crumbs over the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack.

Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake to release it from the sides of the pan and remove the sides. Let cool for 1.5hrs, serve.

Ross Jason is the founder of Fearless FODMAP. He regularly posts recipes on YouTube and his Blog, fearlessfodmap.com/blog.

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Water & Lemon 1½ oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka 4-8 oz water (to taste) 1 lemon slice, garnish

Just add Tito’s Handmade Vodka and water to a glass with ice. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Pro-tip: This is Tito’s go-to cocktail, so feel free to stir up seconds.

Per 1.5 oz serving: 98 calories, Carbohydrates 0 grams, Protein 0 grams, Fat 0 grams.

!"#$%&'($ )*%(*$ WSWA Educational Foundation, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Join Forces to Establish the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund $100K in Scholarships Will Be Awarded to Undergraduate and Graduate Hospitality Majors In Memory of Industry Veteran Robert Qualls The WSWA Educational Foundation (the charitable arm of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America), Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits today announced the launch of the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund in memory of Robert Qualls, an extraordinary hospitality and spirits industry veteran.

The scholarship fund will award a total of $100,000 in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a hospitality degree over the next five years, which will be funded equally by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Four students per year pursuing studies in the hospitality space will be awarded $5,000 each to help fund their education expenses.

“The WSWA Educational Foundation is proud to play a part in establishing the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund, helping the next generation of hardworking and determined students make contributions to the hospitality industry for decades to come,” said Michelle Korsmo, WSWA President and CEO. “Service and education can be the keys to success for so many like Robert.

This educational program generously funded by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits will make many more dreams possible.”

“Robert started at Glazer’s in San Antonio as a route salesman in 1982 and spent 36 years with Southern Glazer’s until finishing up his career at Tito’s,” said Bennett Glazer, Executive Vice Chairman of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “He was a leader from the beginning and rose to senior management quickly. He was also the initial contact in 1998 to bring Tito’s to Glazer’s. At that time, he developed a special relationship with Tito Beveridge that lasted the rest of his life. Robert was a loyal, committed, dedicated team player with great leadership skills and will always be remembered for his infectious smile.”

The Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund strives to honor and uphold Robert’s legacy of hard work, generosity and selflessness by empowering students to follow in his footsteps. As a proud University of Texas at Austin alum, Robert started his career in the hospitality industry as a distributor sales representative.

Throughout his forty-year career, which included impactful leadership roles at Southern Glazer’s and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Robert helped to build brands, manage complex businesses and mentor the next generation of spirits industry

professionals.

“Robert was the kind of genuine, loyal friend that most people are lucky to meet in their lifetime,” said Tito Beveridge, founder of Tito’s Handmade Vodka. “Smart, optimistic and perpetually beaming, Robert was a true gentleman with a heart bigger than the state he was born in. His commitment to making Tito’s better every day was an inspiration to not only me, but every single person he worked with. Robert was a one-of-kind mentor, and this scholarship not only serves to honor his memory, but also to help jumpstart the studies and careers of students nationwide who seek to follow in his footsteps.”

Full-time or part-time students with an eligible connection to an alcohol producer, wholesaler or retailer may apply for the scholarship starting today through May 31 via the application link at https://www.wswa.org/scholarships. Details on eligibility are at the link. Winners are slated to be announced in August 2021 and will be selected by an independent panel of judges through a competitive application process.

Please help us provide more hospitality scholarships by contributing to the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund. You can donate at https://www.wswa.org/scholarships and choose the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund button - or use the QR code below.

For more information about the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund and submission guidelines, visit https://www.wswa.org/scholarships.

QR Code to donate to the Robert Qualls Scholarship Fund:

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Lane & Simple showcases the true meaning of success in the F&B industry.

By Debbie Hall The award-winning Lane & Simple sweetens the soul with unique wedding cakes and desserts.

Anthony Lane, chef and owner of Lane & Simple, started his Houston-based business over five years ago and is experiencing tremendous growth despite the pandemic and current economic challenges.

“It was a love of chocolate chip cookies that started it all,” he laughs. “The nuance of cookie dough is such an art. People think cookie dough is just putting ingredients in a bowl and mixing it. There is so much more. First, there is the creaming of the butter and sugar for a very extensive period of time to get a nice and chewy cookie with a subtle crust.

I have to thank Christina Tosi for the tip. There are so many variations in texture and taste, depending on the ingredients and how the dough is made.’’

His business then expanded into bespoke wedding and celebration cakes with savory catering options as well.

“Find me a kitchen and I can make it happen” could be his motto as Anthony has delivered cakes to locations in many southern states. He is an active participant on the social app Clubhouse and, through that app, has found new clients with destination weddings.

When Lane first started his company, one of his goals was to foremost serve people and serve them well while giving back. He lives by the saying, “People over profit,” and, while he understands that this might not be taught in a traditional business school and may not be a popular opinion, this is how he chooses to operate his business. His philosophy has been proven successful as he continues to care for his clients as Lane & Simple grows.

“I try to provide awesome customer service and

really listen to people about what they want. I work hard to be able to create their dream wedding cakes and desserts by going the extra mile—even with a full time job.”

The name Lane & Simple is a combination of his last name and the simplistic yet elevated style of his wedding cakes and desserts that are simply ready to serve. He enjoys the artistry of creating beautiful cakes and pastries. Part of his success is that Lane is proficient in many areas, not just pastry. Lane competed in a competition against some of the finest restaurants and chefs in Houston and won awards with his special gumbo and simple pound cake, adding to his expertise with savory foods. He has also worked under an executive chef as a pastry chef at a restaurant in Houston. Lane credits some of his development as a chef and business-owner to participating in and leading conversations on Clubhouse.

During his time on Clubhouse, Lane connected with James Beard Award winning journalist, Jennifer English or as he nicknamed her, Momma J, who hosts several podcasts for Food and Beverage Magazine along with other amazing minds in different spaces on the app. Lane has met many chefs, foodies, and content creators with similar interests, which curated more Clubhouse “hallways” for food and entertainment content.

“It has just exploded and I see the platform continuing to expand it’s reach,” says Lane.

He experienced a change in how he interacted with Clubhouse after spending more time in the Food and Beverage Magazine club rooms. He was able to take part in connecting several people with the network they needed in order to be successful in both life and business. This is one of the goals of the social app— to provide real and genuine networking relationships through the medium of

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Local Chefs set to open an hourly rental commercial kitchen for womxn. Their goal is to create opportunities with a new share kitchen, local residents and Chefs, Kiah Gibian, owner of the food truck, Wilde Thyme, and Catina Smith, Founder of Just Call Me Chef, have purchased a building in the Old Goucher neighborhood.

Our Time kitchen’s mission is to support minority womxn* who want to build food businesses by lowering systemic barriers and creating access to resources in a supportive environment.

“My partner, Kiah, and I are committed to providing a viable commercial kitchen option for women with small food businesses to thrive. We look forward to creating a space that will initiate increased revenue streams for women who previously did not have access due to a lack of capital.” - Cat About Our Time Our Time is a minority run business, whose owners have a proven track record in creating commercially successful businesses, applying entrepreneurial know-how and overcoming the challenges that come with building sustainable brands in the Baltimore food space. As individual owners, we have separately had to innovate and problem solve how to sustain our creative and mission driven cooking. We know from first hand experience where there are cracks in our local food economy and how to create an alternative approach to both feeding our community and building assets for minority owned food businesses. Our target market is the growing number of minority owned food enterprises that are operating on a scale that prohibits access to large commercial kitchens that traditionally have been associated with restaurants.

“We’re not creating something new, we are addressing access issues. Offering hourly rental options and childcare will allow more people to be able to benefit from our commercial kitchen, and that’s our goal” -Kiah Our Time is now! We have acquired the building we plan to operate in but we still have a great deal of work before we can open doors. Part of our mission is that our collective of owners and the clients we work with build their personal wealth and assets. Ownership of our kitchen and building is vital to being able to accomplish some of our businesses goals. We will be on the hunt for funding via; grants, crowdsourcing, and investors and we welcome any and all support along our way.

“Now more than ever it is our time to create a commercial kitchen space that is safe, efficient and affordable. Now more than ever it is our time to create and build sustainable businesses for us and by us. Now more than ever it is our time to come together to build a future for our community and our city. Are you with us?” -Cat and Kiah To follow along with us on our journey to opening day, be sure to follow us on social media @ourtimekitchen, and newsletter as we conquer our milestones. Check us out at www.ourtimekitchen.com.

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Our economy has seen a huge rise of food entrepreneurs who operate their businesses under the cottage food model. During the pandemic with so many people losing their jobs or having their finances tested, many people began to turn their passion for baking into a profit right from their home.

reach out to the community manager within their local state. From page features to having a business owner host community baking/cooking classes; this is a wonderful way to raise brand awareness for your cottage business.

A cottage food business is defined as a producer or maker who prepares their items from a residential kitchen. With overhead being a little lower than the traditional retail model this is an amazing way for baking enthusiasts to start a business. While laws vary from state to state this is a perfect way for bakers to begin to sell their items within their local communities.

If your cottage food operation needs a business plan then Bplans.com is a perfect site. Bplans.com provides business documents and free business plans also. Their website also contains tips and tools to help a business owner develop their elevator pitch.

Having a business plan and pitch is perfect for helping cottage food owners to present themselves to banks, investors, or crowdfunding sites. This will help raise additional capital needed to market their business and grow.

To most; baking is second nature as many bakers have tried and true recipes on hand. Common cottage food items range from bagels to jams, pickled vegetables, and cakes. Finding an item to produce for a lot of business owners is relatively easy. However, the real test comes from finding ways to make the business grow and thrive.

Baking a product can be common; but selling, marketing, and raising awareness for those products is an area that most cottage food operators struggle with. Since most business owners who recently started did so as a way to generate income into their household; it can be hard to invest a ton of money if the resources just aren’t originally there.

Due to its ease of accessibility social media is often the general route for attracting sales that most business owners choose in the beginning. Because social media platforms are common people begin to advertise within their own network of close associates as a means of sharing their goods.

However, the online arena is filled with equally wonderful sites which can help you showcase your business and market your goods.

Listing yourself on a wide range of sites is not only good for increasing your online presence but it can lead to new connections and potential clients.

The following resources are dedicated to helping cottage food operators grow and market their business so they can stand out in their communities and generate more sales.

Many have heard of the popular review site Yelp but very few know of its role in helping food lovers gain new reach. Yelp is an online review directory dedicated to promoting local businesses. Patrons can rate their items that they have purchased from community owners and include pictures as well. These social aspects make the app very user-friendly and tailor the experience. For business owners, they also offer social pages which have dedicated staff who help showcase locally owned businesses. Each city has a community manager which usually facilitates the page and shines new light on businesses. It is highly recommended for new business owners to

Another directory site for cottage food owners to try is Nextdoor.

Nextdoor is a site that is centered around connecting you with people directly within your local neighborhood. Nextdoor provides free business page listings which allow you to present your cottage food business and upload imagery.

The Nextdoor platform provides resources to help with branding, sales, and more for business owners. Using the Nextdoor site is a great way to gain new customers and stand out. Many business owners see great success on this platform.

The above sources are all wonderful additions to add to one’s marketing strategy.

Altogether with any marketing plan, the main ingredient will always be consistency. While operating a business can sometimes be tough, marketing a business doesn’t have to be. Try incorporating one of these new resources into your business for cottage food success.

Chef Bio Chef Amanda Schonberg is an award-winning baker and speaker.

Chef Schonberg is the founder of Baking For Business. Baking For Business is an online platform dedicated to providing business classes and resources to helping cottage food producers run successful businesses.

Chef Schonberg has spoken for brands such as Facebook, Louisiana State University School of Business, and International Cake Exploration Society.

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Zen of Slow Cooking Blends More than Spices Like many small businesses, the Zen of Slow Cooking—which creates gourmet slow cooker and Instant Pot spice blends—started as an effort to solve a problem. How does a busy mother of three juggle schedules, homework and family time, yet serve delicious, healthy dinners?

For Meg Barnhart of Lake Forest, Illinois, the answer was: get a slow cooker. She did meal prep during the school day, freeing afternoons for the kids. Meg found her chopping time Zen-like, and the blissful aromas worked magic on her family. Realizing she was on to something, Barnhart partnered with Jane McKay, a young mom with a background in food science/recipe development. Immediately clicking, they launched a food blog in 2012, which then blossomed into a business. They started by mixing spice blends for their recipes, quickly selling out at the local farmer’s market. Leveraging the growing “speed scratch” home cooking trend, they expanded into wholesale and retail markets. From the beginning, their intention was three-fold: to simplify family dinner…to create healthy, wholesome products…and to use their business as a force for good. While COVID has hurt many small businesses, Zen sees its customer base growing—as parents homeschooling their students and college students living off-campus look for fast, tasty cooking options.

Business as a Force for Good From the start, Zen was a social-impact business. Committed to creating an inclusive economy, Zen of Slow Cooking partners with a social enterprise to provide employment for adults with developmental disabilities. They outsourced their packaging to Planet Access Company, which employs adults with developmental disabilities. (Search, Inc.—a not-for-profit that helps such adults live full lives—awarded Zen its Trailblazer Award for community job creation).

In addition, Zen supports a wide range of causes close to their mission—health and wellness, cancer research, Fair Trade, sustainable business practices—as well as numerous local charities.

In 2017, Zen was granted B Corp certification. Certified B Corps are for-profit companies that meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. And in 2020, they became a Certified Women Owned Business.

Creating Healthy, Mindfully sourced Products They currently offer six “Zen Blends,” including Smoky BBQ (their best-seller) and Coq au Vin (their most widely

searched recipe) and three whole spice infusions. Zen sources its ingredients meticulously, starting with non-irradiated spices, free of additives and no/low salt. It purchases saffron from Rumi Spice, a Certified B Corp that’s bringing economic stability to Afghanistan by sourcing spices from native farmers.

Zen Blends have earned Non-GMO Project Verification, reaffirming the company’s mission to produce clean, high-quality products. Their ground spice blends are sold for $3.50 per pouch online. All ingredients are listed on the packaging, along with a shopping list and recipe.

A True Business Partnership Although Barnhart and McKay are separated by more than a decade and now, an ocean (McKay who is British, returned to the U.K), their partnership continues to flourish. “When I met Jane, I knew she was the right person,” says Barnhart. “A shared work ethic, vision and value system are key to a strong partnership—and those were our guiding principles from the beginning.

Meg’s focus is bringing Zen to more home cooks; mine is bringing more innovation into the kitchen,” adds McKay, who is continuously developing the new recipes found on their website. “We complement each other’s skills—and we share a passion for great food and social causes.”

Spice Pack Trio The duo continues to attract new opportunities. For example, in 2017, their Sichuan blend won the Specialty Food Association sofiTM award for best seasoning/spice product. In 2018, Barnhart won the association’s Leadership Award. And in 2019, they won over Walmart, bringing Zen blends to 1,200 stores nationwide.

Zen of Slow Cooking keeps spicing up mealtime—helping home cooks as well as those in need. Zen Blends are sold at Whole Foods, Walmart, and grocery and specialty stores nationwide—plus on Amazon and thezenofslowcooking.com. Recently, a trio of Zen blends were added to WW (formerly Weight Watcher’s) Love Collection available in-store/online.

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Meet the Queen of Habanero Belize, the tiny Caribbean nation located in the Yucatan Peninsula, is known for it’s lush jungle, excellent scuba diving, historic Mayan archaeological sites, and friendly locals. Formerly a colony of Britain, Belize was known as British Honduras until 1973 prior to independence in 1981. The multicultural nation is home to people of Creole, Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna, East Indian, Mennonite, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and European descent. Although a small nation with a population of just about 400,000 people, it’s fertile soil is perfect for farming, creating a bounty of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables, sometimes almost too much for locals.

Marie Sharp noticed this and saw opportunity.

Now known as the “Queen of Habanero,” Marie Sharp’s empire had very humble beginnings. Based in Dangriga in the Stann Creek Valley, a more southern region of Belize, Sharp was commissioned to grow habanero peppers for a customer in Belize City who was making his own pepper sauce. In 1980, she began to experiment with ingredients from her farm at Melinda Estates making varieties of habanero pepper sauce with a carrot base from her home with a small kitchen blender. Sharp’s customer’s pepper small scale sauce operation was left with a ton of raw product and pails of pepper sauce mash. Friends and family members who had tried her sauce concoction believed she should bring it to market and that is what she did.

Sharp hit the road with a variety of pepper sauces and tortillas to test her product at local markets. Soon she realized that people needed a balance of heat and sweet. On her walks around the farm, she would see many fruits going to waste and she knew there was another opportunity for her budding company to step into tropical fruit jams. Along with her hot sauces, she would bring jam and crackers to her tastings whilst doing all of her own marketing along the way to build her customer base.

From 1980 until 1994, Sharp's sauces were sold under the brand name Melinda's.

No stranger to adversity, Marie lost her brand name, almost went out of business, and had to rebrand as Marie Sharp’s. Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods Ltd., supplies her 100% plant-based condiments and jams, from the Stann Creek district of Belize, Central America.

The woman-owned & led company, helmed by Ms. Marie Sharp (82), supplies Culinary Institute Academy graduates and Michelin starred chefs with ingredients.

The company’s original carrot-based habanero pepper sauce bolsters great acclaim. In 2016 she was inducted in the “Hot Sauce Hall of Fame.”

The family-owned business, with leadership across generations, is a shining star in the consumer packaged goods category creating premium quality products to more than 30 countries.

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RICE DOUGH • 200 grams 찹쌀가루 (Chapssalgaru – Korean sweet rice flour) • 30 ml Water Throw bag of Chapssalgaru in the freezer the night before as starting with the sweet rice flour frozen is preferred.

SWEET FINISH • 100 grams Honey • Rose & Lavender petals • Cubeb or Long Pepper • 인절미 (Injeolmi – Sweet Soybean Powder) • Sift and mix flour with water thoroughly using fork

• Sesame oil

• Place dough in a steamer for 20 minutes

• Once out of the steamer, cool slightly until workable room temperature * Or try my grandma’s trick, wear knit gloves, put disposable plastic gloves on top, use elastics bands on your wrist, and drizzle lightly with sesame oil • Knead on a well-oiled cutting board or bowl until it comes together. Roughly 5-6 minutes. It should be a sticky, chewy dough at this point.

• Cut dough in 3 and roll into index toe size log • Cover tray with injeolmi and roll logs in powder

• Heat up honey until it comes to soft simmer • Add flower petals and a crack of cubeb or long pepper • Let steep • Keep sauce warm while you cut your toe sized tteok logs into bite-sized pieces • Drizzle honey sauce all over and enjoy

scan this QR code with your phone for an exclusive behind the scenes video (limited time!)

CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO COVER

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healthy products that provide the nutrients and vitamins needed to maintain a busy lifestyle.

As the brand continues to build, the ROAR team is constantly fine-tuning what it means to be a ROAR consumer, a global citizen, and a “complete” human being. ROAR has a clear mission to celebrate the whole consumer by providing clean, hard-working beverages that make wellness convenient, effortless, and empowering. According to Galindez, this mission statement is the brand’s guiding light and serves as the brand’s ethos.

“I’ve always believed that consumers become loyal to brands with a strong sense of purpose,” says Galindez.

“We’ve all seen fad brands come and go, but the ones that last are the ones that have a clear intention. Ours is to empower individuals to be their ‘whole and complete selves.’

Galindez has been building beverage brands since 2001 when Red Bull created the energy category in the U.S. At the time she was hired, Red Bull was not available anywhere. The brand was the first of its kind and essentially created the energy drink category. Building on her experience as a marketer at Red Bull, she developed strategies for other products and used the expertise she built at the Red Bull brand throughout her career.

Working at Red Bull taught Galindez the power of disciplined brand strategy. As a rising brand, Red Bull had an edge that needed to be preserved; her team clearly defined how the brand would show up in the marketplace and stringently evaluated sales and marketing opportunities to determine if they would fit the Red Bull brand. Even if the opportunity was the “shiniest,” most “quick-win” type of opportunity, it was turned down if it did not pass the Red Bull brand guidelines.

“That discipline made Red Bull what it is today,” confirms Galindez.

Eventually, she would join the launch team at VitaminWater and SmartWater, developing their stories and marketing programs that would compel customers to try an enhanced water beverage, an entirely new beverage category at the time.

“We’re just scratching the surface with the hydration and wellness support ROAR can offer its consumers, and I’m excited to see where we’ll go next,” says Galindez. “Above all, we are looking to create delicious, effortless products to help our consumers feel whole. Our goal continues to be to provide clean, hard-working beverages that make wellness convenient, effortless, and empowering.”

ROAR is sold at 7-Eleven, Safeway, Albertsons, and Wegmans, as well as natural grocery stores such as Sprouts, Natural Grocers, and The Fresh Market.

ROAR can be purchased online at ROAROrganic.com or Amazon. To learn more and find a local retailer, visit www.roarorganic.com and follow-on Facebook & Instagram at @roarorganic.

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refreshing Cucumber Watermelon; juicy and sweet Georgia Peach; and tart and mellow Blueberry Açai.

natural boost for their bodies. It’s been remarkable to see.”

Each bottle of ROAR is made with premium, USDA-certified organic ingredients and pairs familiar fruits with more exotic flavors for a unique drinking experience. Additionally, each bottle of ROAR contains only two to three grams of sugar per bottle, measuring only 20 calories per bottle. ROAR contains no artificial flavors or coloring.

The reformulated beverage is now the perfect complement to a busy lifestyle as a one-stop hydration and wellness solution,

“We’ve seen consumers really gravitate toward the various benefits ROAR offers,” Galindez points out.

“Some love the hydration potential, while others are looking for an organic treat. Just as many use ROAR as a way to supplement their own wellness routines, relying on the product’s vitamins and antioxidants as a

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“The usage occasions really grabbed us as we dove into the data. Some people use ROAR to rehydrate after a workout, but others use it as an on-the-go solution or something to sip throughout the workday. It’s really a one-size-fits-all beverage,” she says.

In looking deeper at the data around ROAR’s consumers, the brand found its target market was comprised of about 70 percent women. Feedback from its consumers indicated that they are most interested in drinking

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ROAR Organic’s brand restage gives consumers the complete package.

By Debbie Hall

Consumers have enjoyed ROAR Organic beverages for over eight years as an organic hydration solution, and ROAR has quickly become a favorite in households across the country thanks to the hydration beverage’s delicious taste, low-calorie and low-sugar health proposition. This year, the brand will showcase its new direction under the guidance of Alexandra Galindez, the brand’s CEO and leader.

Galindez, an industry veteran plans to bring heart, soul, and hydration to consumers nationwide with a new brand direction. She is a powerhouse with a rich background in beverage brands and brings her expertise and unique background to ROAR Organic beverages as their RTD beverages and powder sticks hydrate the world.

Upon joining the brand, Galindez recognized that ROAR had a unique opportunity to give customers a beverage that more closely matched their lifestyles as a complete solution in a bottle. She had a vision for what ROAR could become: a beverage that not only provided a delicious, low-calorie hydration option but also supplied the essential vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients that many Americans were missing in their daily diets.

Galindez led the team in reformulating the ROAR brand’s promise of “Complete Hydration” to encapsulate her new vision. Under her new direction, the ROAR formula remains gluten-free, vegan, and keto-friendly but also now offers 100 percent daily value of energy vitamins B5, B6, and B12; 100 percent daily value of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and electrolytes from coconut water. What was once a beverage focused primarily on low-calorie hydration now filled multiple roles for consumers.

Ready-to-drink ROAR beverages come in four delicious flavors: sunny, tropical Mango Clementine; crisp and

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Complete Hydration

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APRIL 2021 COVER IMAGE Alexandra Galindez, CEO of ROAR PUBLISHER MICHAEL POLITZ Michael@fb101.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LAUREN KANE Lauren.Kane@fbmagazine.com EDITOR AT LARGE JENNIFER ENGLISH SpiritsKitchen@gmail.com NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR COLLIN MILLINGTON Collin@fb101.com NATIONAL SALES MANAGER JEFF TIMM Jeff.Timm@fbmagazine.co NATIONAL SALES MANAGER RON STERN Ron.Stern@fbmagazine.co DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMATIC SALES BARB ROGERS Programmatic@fbmagazine.com PODCAST ENGINEER BRAD JONES Brad@marque.media CORPORATE EXECUTIVE CHEF KEVEN LEE Info@chefkevenlee.com GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN CHRISTOPHER BURKE Chrisburke.design00@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS LAUREN MCINDOO MICHELE TELL TARRY HART KAIULANI DELGADO MATT FROHMAN VEDO PITNJAKOVIC DEBBIE HALL We honor and remember the support of Chef Kerry Simon, Gary Cantor, Robin Leach, Chef Paul Prudhomme, & Gary Coles

Food & Beverage Magazine® is owned and published electronically by Beautiful People, LLC. Copyright 1995-2016 Beautiful People LLC. All rights reserved. Food & Beverage Magazine® and distinctive logo are trademarks owned by Beautiful People, LLC. “fb101.com” is a trademark of Beautiful People, LLC. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of Food & Beverage Magazine.

Requests for permission should be directed to: Lauren.Kane@fbmagazine.com. The information contained has been provided by such individual, event organizers or organizations. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author, organization or public relation firm. Food & Beverage Magazine is not affiliated with any other food and beverage or hospitality publication.

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ICING SMILES IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST EVER “SUGARTHON” A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER AND VARIETY SHOW

Thursday, May 20th, 2021 HOSTED BY: Chef Charity FEATURED PERFORMERS: Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe, Splash Animals, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy, Justin Willman, Brandon Louis CAKE INDUSTRY TALENT: Sylvia Weinstock, Joshua John Russell, Jacques Torres, Mike Elder, Ashley Holt, Anne Heap, Adriano Zumbo, Elissa Strauss for more information visit WWW.ICINGSMILES.ORG/SUGARTHON-2021

INDUSTRY LEADERS • TRENDS • BEVERAGE • CUISINE • CHEF • RESTAURANT • HOSPITALITY

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