makers // Mouth.com

Mustard and Co.
craig kanarick, December 8, 2022

Ah, mustard. It seems to us that this daring dip has been unfairly tamed, forced into condiment conformity: the same...

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{"id":12064445,"title":"Mustard and Co.","created_at":"2014-02-04T13:50:59-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/mustardandco.jpeg?7063031939782941791\"\u003eAh, mustard. It seems to us that this daring dip has been unfairly tamed, forced into condiment conformity: the same bright yellow brand tends to dominate. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnter Justin Hoffman. All Justin cared about was mastering mustard. But he worked for The Man – which is actually a gourmet sandwich shop in Seattle, Washington, so it could have been worse. One day, Justin shared his mustard recipe with his co-worker and fellow mustard enthusiast Bryan Mitchiner: a grinding process that wouldn’t destroy the pungent spiciness of the mustard seed; no exposure to heat; and a bit of honey, balsamic vinegar and curry powder. Soon enough, the duo hatched the idea to start a business – and the rest was mustard magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt Mustard and Co., founded in 2013, they utilize quality local ingredients and time-worn techniques that preserve the mustard seed’s natural, almost horseradish-y spiciness. The result is a raw, organic and honest mustard flavor that emboldens any food it touches. And Justin and Bryan are all about challenging the hot dog status quo, encouraging mustard lovers and novices alike to try new and unexpected uses – dipping, saucing and mixing it into all kinds of creations. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith Mustard and Co., you don’t have to feel awkward about your weird mustard-use preferences – the bolder, the better.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"craig kanarick","user_id":1386282,"published_at":"2022-12-08T11:19:18-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T11:19:18-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"12064445-mustard-and-co","tags":""}
Kansas City Canning Co.
Brent Bailey, December 8, 2022

Old traditions meet new flavors in Kansas City Canning Co.’s jars. Tim Tuohy seeks out the most local, seasonal and...

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{"id":1220870162,"title":"Kansas City Canning Co.","created_at":"2018-02-28T12:11:09-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/KansasCityCanning_mikc.jpg?v=1519837848\" alt=\"\"\u003eOld traditions meet new flavors in Kansas City Canning Co.’s jars. Tim Tuohy seeks out the most local, seasonal and unique ingredients he can find for his pickles, preserves and shrubs, then cans them for year round enjoyment - just like in the olden days.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTim was raised canning with his grandmother in New Jersey (where they canned tomatoes for Sunday sauce). In New York City, while Tim was getting his degree at the Institute of Culinary Education, he moved into an apartment in Queens that had a cherry tree in the backyard, he started harvesting the fruit, making shrubs and pies, and having a lot of fun doing it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhen he moved to Kansas City in 2013, he continued canning fruit and year later,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e Kansas City Canning Co. was born.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEvery jar Tim makes is hand-packed and hand-labeled, for truly handcrafted products and pickles that are 100% dill-ish, and truly a labor of love.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Brent Bailey","user_id":23116578850,"published_at":"2022-12-08T11:14:04-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T11:14:04-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"kansas-city-canning-co","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2018-02-28T12:11:09-05:00","alt":"","width":240,"height":160,"src":"\/\/www.mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/KansasCityCanning_mikc.jpg?v=1519837869"}}
Jasper Hill Farm
Rachael Stuart, December 8, 2022

Andy and Mateo Kehler wanted to find meaningful work (dairy farming) in a place they love (Greensboro, Vermont), which is...

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{"id":13454145,"title":"Jasper Hill Farm","created_at":"2014-04-07T12:10:09-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/cellarsjasperhill_medium.jpeg?45240\"\u003eAndy and Mateo Kehler wanted to find meaningful work (dairy farming) in a place they love (Greensboro, Vermont), which is why they started Jasper Hill Farm in 2003. The pastures are grazing grounds for 45 Ayrshire cows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePerhaps more noteworthy is the 22,000 square-foot facility with 7 underground aging cellars, the first of its kind in the U.S. Jasper Hill uses that space to mature and care for unripened cheeses from other artisan makers (like Weybridge from Scholten Familiy Farm!).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJasper Hill is totally committed to the American artisan cheesemaking movement, and to helping farms find new sources of income through quality small-scale cheesemaking. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey're also deeply committed to sustainability. In 2009 they began working on the \"Green Machine,\" a system that turns the the waste generated by farm animals and cheesemaking into nutrient-rich compost, water for irrigating pastures and even energy for running the creamery boiler. It's been up and running since August of 2012. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe're thrilled to carry some incredible cheeses from this amazing force in the American artisan cheese world. \u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Rachael Stuart","user_id":4350961,"published_at":"2022-12-08T11:05:14-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T11:05:14-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"13454145-jasper-hill-farm","tags":""}
Fruition Chocolate
Alex Farrington, December 8, 2022

Fruition Chocolate is a small bean-to-bar maker out of the Catskill Mountains in New York. Chocolatier Bryan Graham's frequent trips...

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{"id":10350157,"title":"Fruition Chocolate","created_at":"2013-11-22T14:51:36-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Screen_Shot_2013-11-22_at_2.50.35_PM_medium.png?21441\"\u003eFruition Chocolate is a small bean-to-bar maker out of the Catskill Mountains in New York. Chocolatier Bryan Graham's frequent trips to his grandmother's farm in upstate New York made him fall in love with both chocolate and food at a young age. His passion was so strong that within two years of his apprenticeship at Bear Cafe in Woodstock, NY, he was promoted to Pastry Chef -- at only 18 years old!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThese days, Graham is honing his craft and love for chocolate and providing us with one of the best office snacks: chocolate-covered cranberries scented with orange oil. A jar of them belongs in your desk drawer, too!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Alex Farrington","user_id":6845096,"published_at":"2022-12-08T11:03:19-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T11:03:19-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"10350157-fruition-chocolate","tags":""}
French Broad Chocolates
Brent Bailey, December 8, 2022

Take a look back on your life. Can you point to one moment, one accident that changed it all? For Dan...

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{"id":8521121,"title":"French Broad Chocolates","created_at":"2013-08-08T11:33:02-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/FrenchBroad_b532e16e-7b1f-458f-9002-15a9a2c72d03.jpg?56503\"\u003eTake a look back on your life. Can you point to one moment, one accident that changed it all? For Dan and Jael Rattigan, it all traces back to a single plane ticket. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSaid plane ticket was originally purchased by Jael for a business school environmental seminar in Costa Rica. But after she wound up dropping out of the program, she decided to fly down anyway, and Dan came along. They romped through the jungles of Costa Rica in a school bus-turned-RV, and loved it so much they took a huge leap and decided to settle down in the small village of Puerto Viejo. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAnother accident: stumbling upon a FOR RENT sign on a cafe space with an apartment perched just above. For the next two years, they ran a restaurant together and also bought a piece of land that would later become their very own cacao farm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eNot another accident: a son, but raising him in Costa Rica this turned out to be too difficult, too far away from the rest of their family. So they packed it all up and settled in Asheville, NC, a town with a great food scene and a strong, intimate community. A successful year-long stint selling handmade truffles and caramels at farmers markets led them to open the French Broad Chocolate Lounge in downtown Asheville.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOwning that first cacao farm definitely had an impact on how they source beans. The farm they purchased was abandoned after Costa Rica's cacao industry collapsed in the 1970's. While simultaneously getting it back on its feet, French Broad imports directly from other farmers in Peru, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica. They even work directly with the fermentaries to make sure that there are fewer middlemen in between them and the cacao. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe beans are shipped straight to their factory and tasting room. Sorted by hand, defective ones removed, the beans are roasted in 10-20 kilo batches then processed in machines hand-built by Dan. The chocolate bars are hand-foiled and hand-wrapped in beautifully-designed, 100% post consumer recycled paper wrappers. Every step of the process must meet the couple's super high standards. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eNothing accidental about that. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 class=\"p1\"\u003eDoes North Carolina feel very far from the farm?\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWell, if you draw a line on a map due north from our cacao farm in Puerto Viejo, you'd run right into Asheville. It's on the same meridian!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 class=\"p1\"\u003eWhat's most interesting to you about running French Broad Chocolates?\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhat's NOT interesting? Adventure travel to far-off lands, being part of a new artisan food industry, creating a happy work environment for over 40 people, making an impact on our local community, playing with our food...\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Brent Bailey","user_id":23116578850,"published_at":"2022-12-08T11:02:44-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T11:02:44-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"french-broad-chocolates","tags":""}
Fine and Raw
craig kanarick, December 8, 2022

Daniel Sklaar quit his job as an NYC financial analyst to work as a raw chef in Arizona. He returned...

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{"id":4705582,"title":"Fine and Raw","created_at":"2011-11-27T02:05:36-05:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/FineRawDaniel_Sklaar_medium.jpg?11290\"\u003eDaniel Sklaar quit his job as an NYC financial analyst to work as a raw chef in Arizona. He returned to New York City to live out his dream: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emaking luxurious fine chocolate using raw organic ingredients. Or, restated more simply: Fine and Raw.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn his Brooklyn chocolate lab, Sklaar starts with only the highest quality ingredients\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e – \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eraw, fair-trade cacao powder; Mexican agave nectar; Malaysian virgin coconut oil; Himalayan sea salt\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e – \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand combines them using low heat to maintain both flavor and nutrition. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe might get crazy and throw in some ‘yacon,’ a crisp sweet tuber from the Indies. Or add a bit of tocos, a rice bran with a cappuccino flavor. None of his products contain white sugar, none contain dairy, none contain toxins or chemicals, and none are heated over 118 degrees (so they qualify as ‘raw’). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSklaar loves the creativity that comes with his newfound career. “I get to play and experiment. It’s uncharted territory.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSklaars mantra: Save the world through silliness and chocolate! For a good life, follow his prescription and, for 5 minutes every day, store one chocolate on your tongue.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"craig kanarick","user_id":1386282,"published_at":"2022-12-08T11:01:19-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T11:01:19-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"4705582-fine-and-raw-chocolate","tags":""}
Bixby Chocolate
China Millman, December 8, 2022

Lots of people love chocolate. Kate McAleer loves it more. So much so, that she earned diplomas in both pastry...

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{"id":8435985,"title":"Bixby Chocolate","created_at":"2013-08-02T11:16:35-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/bixby_medium.jpg?9204\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLots of people love chocolate. Kate McAleer loves it more. So much so, that she earned diplomas in both pastry arts and management from the Institute of Culinary Education and a certificate from Ecole Chocolate in Vancouver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen her mom got breast cancer. During the course of recovery (and luckily, she did), Kate and the rest of her family decided to embrace a cleaner way of living, committing themselves to organic, natural foods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLots of people are just like Kate – they chocolate, but are determined to eat healthy. Chocolate, she realized, isn’t the problem. Chocolate \u003ci\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e a real food. It comes from the fruit of the cacao tree and is packed with healthful antioxidants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo Kate decided to start a chocolate company that would reinvent the candy bar using real food ingredients – fruit, nuts and spice. And her family didn't just inspire the business idea, her parents also made it possible! They let Kate move back into her childhood bedroom where she could start teaching herself how to start a small business. And then, when she actually began making chocolate bars, her parents worked the line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst in the Hudson Valley and now in Rockland, Maine, Bixby Bars are made in small batches, using organic chocolate along with nuts and fruits from small farms, like black currents from upstate New York and hazelnuts from Oregon. The chocolate, nuts, fruits and spices are all mixed together, hand-cut into bars, then coated with chocolate. Each finished bar is wrapped by hand in her signature jewel-toned foil and finished with a beautifully-designed label. The delicious bars are all gluten-free and Kosher – some are even Vegan!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bar names come from Kate's passion for golf, which she played competitively in school. And the company is named for Lillian and William K. Bixby, Kate’s great-grandparents who lived the American Dream at the turn of the 20th century. Now, Kate is living her own dream, churning non-stop to make chocolate we can all feel good about.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow did you wind up in culinary school? \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’ve always loved food but never quite imagined I would have a culinary career. Chocolate became a medium through which so many of my interests came together that I decided to delve right in and learn as much as I could. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy she owes it all to mom. . . \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eShe has always been an amazing inspiration, and really encouraged me to follow my dreams and \u003c\/span\u003epassions throughout my academic career. When the idea come around to start a chocolate bar company, she was the cheerleader, saying I should really write a business plan and give it a shot while I was young.\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"China Millman","user_id":2545890,"published_at":"2022-12-08T10:53:33-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T10:53:33-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"8435985-bixby-co","tags":""}
Leckerlee
craig kanarick, December 8, 2022

"Leckerlee" – it's a made up word that sounds as cute as the treats that bear its name, and is...

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{"id":15371673,"title":"Leckerlee","created_at":"2014-09-11T17:38:17-04:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/leckerlee_edited.jpg?60792\"\u003e\"Leckerlee\" – it's a made up word that sounds as cute as the treats that bear its name, and is just as delicious on the tongue. \"Lecker\" means \"delicious\" in German, and in some dialects \"leckerle\" refers to a \"delicious little treat.\" It just so happens that the owner of Leckerlee's last name is Lee, so she had no choice but to go with the name for her homemade lebkuchen business. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSandy Lee's lebkuchen obsession started in Berlin, where she moved on a whim and lived for 2 1\/2 years, working as a corporate development professional. She tasted the almond-hazelnut-gingerbread treats at a Christmas market, got hooked immediately, and started dreaming up ways to create her own. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer daydreams became all the more pressing when she began contemplating a return to New York City – she couldn't imagine leaving behind her beloved traditional German lebkuchen. So when Sandy got off the plane back in NYC, it was with a business plan for Leckerlee in tow. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Berlin she'd conducted tireless research and lebkuchen tastings, picked the brains of master German bakers, and scoured lebkuchen books as old as the late 19th century before devising her signature lebkuchen recipe. It was a rich, dense, nutty and spicy treat that feels like equal parts cake and cookie – in other words, the true, classic lebkuchen characteristic of Nuremburg, and her personal favorite. Some are coated in dark chocolate, others with a sugar glaze, and all sit atop a crisp edible wafer that medieval monks originally used to manage the super sticky dough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStateside, Sandy made minor tweaks to ingredients (some weren't widely available outside Germany), and hit the ground running. She sells her lebkuchen in quaint decorative tins that are traditional in Germany, making for a beautiful holiday gift that keeps on giving – the tins are usually kept around to re-use as spice or coffee storage. The treats soon became a hit, inspiring the same obsession in first-time triers as it did in Sandy, who says the big appeal is that there's simply no other treat like it in America. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's not quite gingerbread, but we still say run, run as fast as you can to catch a tin of lebkuchen for yourself!\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"craig kanarick","user_id":1386282,"published_at":"2022-12-08T10:39:55-05:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T10:40:41-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"15371673-leckerlee","tags":""}
Three Keys Coffee
Mouth Team, June 6, 2022

The story behind this maker is music to our ears because it’s a tale of adventure, creativity, inclusivity, and exceptional...

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{"id":557687767074,"title":"Three Keys Coffee","created_at":"2022-06-06T15:43:53-04:00","body_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/Edited_DSCF0453_copy_480x480.jpg?v=1654544716\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe story behind this maker is music to our ears because it’s a tale of adventure, creativity, inclusivity, and exceptional coffee—all things we at Mouth love and appreciate. Husband and wife co-founders Tio and Kenzel Fallen developed their passion for coffee after visiting several coffee-producing regions. Tio, a mechanical engineer, was intrigued by both the science of roasting and the art of creating an exceptional coffee, an experience that reminded him of making music. (Respect: he had played trumpet for the famed Florida A\u0026amp;M University marching band.) So back home in Houston, Texas, they dreamed up a craft-roasted coffee company inspired by jazz and the place where music, art and coffee intersect. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe result is Three Keys Coffee, named for the three valves of the trumpet. It’s an homage to their ability to produce notes across a creative and complex range of tonal outputs. Just as Hank Mobley, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, and others dared to create new sounds while remaining rooted in classical technique, so too does Three Keys elevate the at-home coffee-drinking experience through vibrant bag design, curated Spotify playlists to pair with each roast, and—most importantly!— top-quality, award-winning coffee.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eListen to this: In just a few short years, their craft coffee riff has drawn accolades from connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike, with four of the coffees scoring 92 or higher on a 100-point scale in blind ratings by Coffee Review, an authority on global coffee reviews since 1997, and one roast, “Congo Square,” named a top 30 coffee of 2021. Another brew was a finalist for the 2022 Good Food Awards and their packaging won a global Sprudge award. Oh, and they were awarded a sustainability grant from Oatly. This all bodes well for their ultimate goal, which is to make “specialty” coffee more accessible to everyone, just as jazz recordings brought live music sets to a more expansive audience. To which we say: Hear! Hear!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2022-06-06T15:46:03-04:00","updated_at":"2022-09-28T13:06:57-04:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"three-keys-coffee","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2022-06-06T15:43:53-04:00","alt":"","width":2827,"height":1885,"src":"\/\/www.mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/Edited_DSCF0453_copy.jpg?v=1654544634"}}
Mr. Bing
Mouth Team, January 4, 2022

Brian Goldberg and Benjamin Duvall met in Beijing while studying abroad, and both developed a love for jianbing—a type...

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{"id":556745490466,"title":"Mr. Bing","created_at":"2022-01-04T12:27:58-05:00","body_html":"\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0100\/5392\/files\/MrBing_240x160_67f088b8-cadd-46e3-874c-43f0fb46585a_480x480.jpg?v=1641317193\" alt=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBrian Goldberg and Benjamin Duvall met in Beijing while studying abroad, and both developed a love for jianbing—a type of savory crepe—sold by vendors off the back of bicycle carts. So upon returning to America after 10 more years spent living and traveling throughout China, they definitely missed their favorite treat. That’s what propelled them to become street hawkers themselves, establishing Mr. Bing as a popular food stand at NYC markets.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe only downside of jianbing is that it’s not exactly shelf-stable! So when the duo decided to move into the product space, their attention turned to the brick-red condiment traditionally tucked inside the crepes. Known as chili crisp, the presiding brand—both in America and abroad—is the famous LaoGanMa, emblazoned with a wise grandmother on the bottle. And while Brian and Ben loved it as much as anyone, they wanted to create a USA-made version, that was vegan, all-natural, and free of gluten and MSG.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOften referred to as the “gold standard of chili crisp” (with all due respect to grandma), their condiment is slightly sweet and not too spicy, featuring exclusively NYC-sourced ingredients, and made with a higher ratio of crunchy bits of garlic and onions than other crisps on the market. It also includes three types of chilies and two types of mushroom powder, for an intense complexity of flavors, all blended together with non-GMO expeller pressed canola oil. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDuring the pandemic, they were actually asked to provide 80,000 servings of chili crisp as part of a first responder pantry box project. And goodness knows, the blend is something every home cook will find themselves turning to again and again and again, since it amps up practically everything, from scrambled eggs to ice cream. Use it as a coating for fried chicken, a mix-in for cream cheese, a vinaigrette for salad, or a topping for garlic knots!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSince Asia has been such a formative part of Brian and Ben’s lives, they’re committed to supporting the community through every part of their business, from partnerships to hiring. They also donate a portion of online proceeds to Hearts of Dinner—a nonprofit that prepares and donates meals to elderly Asians in NYC.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn other words, Brian and Ben are doing \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ebing\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e things with chili crisp.\u003c\/span\u003e","blog_id":1310142,"author":"Mouth Team","user_id":48867525,"published_at":"2022-01-04T12:28:41-05:00","updated_at":"2022-01-04T12:28:41-05:00","summary_html":"","template_suffix":"","handle":"mr-bing","tags":"","image":{"created_at":"2022-01-04T12:27:58-05:00","alt":"","width":2410,"height":1607,"src":"\/\/www.mouth.com\/cdn\/shop\/articles\/MrBing_240x160_93b94fc4-0919-4708-a78a-c03c5ad79d86.jpg?v=1641317279"}}
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