The Best Things We Ate or Drank (from Provenance Food & Wine) in 2013

Our 3rd annual list is here!

We stock so many wonderful items and, if you know us at all you know that we LOVE talking about food & drink. This list is short & sweet, but come chat us up & we'll gladly share more with you.

Herewith, the best things we ate or drank in 2013:

Tracy Kellner: Reluctant Trading Experiment "Divakar's No. 004 Black Tellicherry Peppercorns" - the most wonderful, aromatic and flavorful pepper I've ever tasted. I've been using this to top everything at home, sometimes even without salt (though their Icelandic Salt is just as amazing).

Joe Patt: Caponi Pappardelle. Andrea & Alessandro Tagliagambe, who credit the regional water, the fresh eggs they purvey from a nearby farm that are split by hand, and high quality durum wheat flour, also sourced locally. They dry the pasta for 70-80 hours at room temperature which results in supreme flavor, texture and aroma. This is about as close dry pasta comes to fresh pasta, and once you try it, you won't go back to the mass-produced stuff.

Mary Stover: I was drawn to Sir Kensington's Mayonnaise because I LOVE mayonnaise. This is the dreamy best - thick, creamy and bright with a hint of lemon. Yum yum with french fries, spoon a bit into tuna salad, and try a smear on a tomato sandwich. The best!

Richard Sparks: Reluctant Trading Experiment Flaky White Icelandic Sea Salt and Black Tellicherry Peppercorns. I'd never had salt and pepper until I tasted these! Steak au poivre! Granny's sausage gravy and biscuits! Simple...sensational!

Nicole Benjamin: I just love Zócalo Gourmet Pussac Punay Andean Heritage Beans. Organically cultivated, visually stunning, and I feel so good after eating them. Simply prepped, real foods = my kind of medicine!

Nathan Sohnly: Chiriboga Blue spread on Potter's Crackers Cranberry Hazelnut Crisps with a small glass of 1985 Toro Albala Don Pedro Ximenez Gran Reserva Sherry on the side. Salty and creamy blue contrasts the subtle, nutty sweetness of the crisp while this awesome vintage sherry ties it all together with its own smoky, sweet richness.

Leslie Parry: Desperada Wines' Fragment: a dazzling Sauvignon Blanc from the Central Coast with a bouquet of mango, citrus and sage, and a palate of persimmon, honeycomb and sea spray. California dreamin'!

Meet Your Makers:Daniel and Tamara Herskovic of Mayana Chocolate

The next time your brain says “CHOCOLATE” and you reach for sweets wrapped in silver foil from some town in Pennsylvania…don’t. You should also ignore the naked blonde chick on horseback too because she’s got nothin’ compared to our friends Daniel and Tamara Herskovic, local chocolatiers right here in our city’s own backyard. Mayana Chocolate has been successfully turning out some of the most beautiful and critically acclaimed confections in the city for years now and Provenance Food & Wine was more than happy to put their candy bars on our shelves (and in our mouths). Provenance staffer Nathan caught up with the married duo to discuss their bars, world domination, and how we almost lost them both to a pig farm and a shoe store.

PFW: Ok Daniel and Tamara, several months ago I fell in love and I fell pretty hard....with The Kitchen Sink. I'm referring to your out-of-this-world artisan candy bar which is layer after amazing layer of peanut butter, pretzel, milk chocolate, crispy rice, and your very own fleur de sel caramel...did I mention the 66% dark chocolate tying the whole thing together? You've created a line of artisan bars that we're thrilled to carry here at Provenance Food & Wine...and they should come with a warning label. Aside from putting smiles on your customer’s faces by way of your confections, what else do you hope to accomplish through Mayana Chocolate?

MC: Provenance Food & Wine was the first store to put Mayana Chocolate
candy bars onto the shelf and we are excited to have our product there! We love that our candy bars place a smile on our customers’ faces. Beyond that we think world peace (or domination) through Mayana Chocolate is the ultimate accomplishment. We're close...like, a few bars away from our goal.


PFW: I know you've both combined your backgrounds of event planning and culinary arts into quite the successful business that is Mayana Chocolate. When you teamed up (in life and in work) was artisan chocolate always the end goal? Or did you find inspiration for your line of sweets in other ways?

MC: When Daniel and I met he was just learning to make chocolate confections which was lucky timing on my part! I admired his passion to learn. Even now he gets a dreamy look in his eyes when he talks about chocolate and a new flavor combination he wants to try. It's important to both of us that we love what we do.


PFW: "Like a kid in a candy store" is a phrase that still gets tossed around. It's how I feel pretty much daily walking into Provenance for work. (Wine-aholic and proud of it). Looking back to childhood were confections and the art of chocolate-making something you wanted to be involved in as an adult? Or did you both have other plans in mind when you became "big kids"?

MC: I wanted to be a ballerina and a pig farmer. I had it worked out that I'd fly back and forth from NY to the farm. If someone would've told the 8-year-old me that I'd end
up making chocolate I would have added that to my ballerina-pig farmer gig. Daniel's mom encouraged him to be a ladies shoes salesman. I think they watched a lot of "Married with Children" at their house. Daniel rarely notices my shoes unless they're covered in chocolate.


PFW: We always love asking our vendors about the "wow factor", or the spark that got the creative gears turning in your mind which eventually led to creating the business. Being fully immersed in the chocolate world, was there a specific moment (or chocolate) that comes to mind that made you think, "Ok, we can definitely do this for a living"?

MC: We had a catering client who asked for a chocolate confections table in lieu of a birthday cake. It was so beautiful to see them on displayed and see her guests' reaction to them. It was the first time I heard someone say, "they're too pretty to eat!" and then proceed to eat as many as possible. Chocolate is a complicated ingredient but it's fun! It's chocolate!


PFW: As if Daniel's bars aren't works of art as it is, the gorgeous designs on top a-la Tamara only enhance the beauty of each product. Where do you both find the inspiration for not just the flavor profiles of each candy bar, but for the artistic visual details as well?

MC: Honestly we have our sights set on some incredibly cool custom artwork in the near future. Currently, we can work with clients in placing their name, logo, special dates and more onto their custom chocolates. We're also developing a "wedding proposal" bon bon box that will take your engagement story to the next level.


6 PFW: I was SUPER lucky to be working one Saturday afternoon here at Provenance while Tamara was doing a tasting of some of your bars and truffles. (I may or may not have been the guy who was no more than 2 inches away from your samples the whole day...too good!) Providing our customers with a taste of your bars was all they needed before buying one (or several) for themselves to take home; a great way to grow your customer base. In what other ways do you strive to expand your products to new (and old) customers?

MC: Chocoholics have become my favorite type of [customer]. Our marketing meetings have churned out great ideas such as sky writing and placing golden tickets into our packaging. They aren't very long meetings.


PFW: It’s important to us at Provenance that our customers know from start to finish it takes three days to create your artisan bars. It’s truly a labor of love and you can really tell when looking at the final product. Being able to sell a handcrafted locally made product that not only tastes but looks amazing is a major benefit for our customers who come in craving something sweet. What do you both feel is another major benefit that Mayana offers its retailers and consumers?

MC: Everything is hand crafted by us. Our dairy products are organic and we are on a first name basis with the dairy farmer. Our chocolate is Fair Trade. All the almonds in the Space Bar are hand roasted by Daniel. Each batch of caramel takes approximately 1 hour in our copper kettle. Each candy bar is hand cut. Our "jobs" would be a lot easier if we cut corners but where would the fun be in that?!


PFW: As someone who enjoys his chocolate as much as he enjoys his wine, I would imagine a major highlight to working at Mayana would be experimenting with different ingredients to create new flavor profiles and textures for your bars and truffles. Do you both have a favorite aspect to running your business?

MC: Daniel obsesses about his caramel and all the kitchen equipment. I love chocolate so it all works out.


PFW I’m sure you guys keep all your new confections under lock and key but is there anything we can tell our customers to look forward to seeing in the coming months as Mayana gets closer to the holidays and New Year?

MC: Yes, we will feature new candy bar flavors along with toffee and marshmallows!


PFW Working with sugar and chocolate is still relatively foreign to me. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made rookie mistake numero uno in the past when I tried to melt chocolate without the aid of a double-boiler which of course resulted in a scorched mess. (Burnt chocolate: there are few things worse in this world). Have you guys had any stand-out successes or follies in the kitchen over the years since founding Mayana Chocolate that our readers might enjoy hearing about?

MC: Daniel throws caramel out...there, I said it. He says things like, "it wasn't good" or, "the sugar restructured"...Those instances are few and far between but when it happens it ruins his day. I have to remind him it's chocolate, it's supposed to be fun. Bottom line is that if it isn't perfect it won't leave our facility.

August '13 Staff Selection: Edmond Fallot Mustards

This month's Staff Selection is from Richard Sparks. Read on to see what he has to say about his pick, the Edmond Fallot Mustards. These are 10% off all month long!


Summer farmers' market fare is great with a splash of mustard! The Edmond Fallot collection of Dijon-style mustards offers up wonderful options for dousing sausages, creating exciting vinaigrettes, basting a grilled roast or topping off a burger. For a variety of foods, the rustic grainy or silky smooth Dijons jack up the flavors of potato salad, slaws and a lot more.


Family-owned Fallot has been creating strong & biting mustards for the gourmands of Burgundy since 1840.
After a fun morning running into favorite Provenance vendors like Sharpening by Dave, River Valley Mushrooms & Spark of the Heart at the Independence Park Farmers Market, my partner and I went home & put together a lovely Sunday dinner. Here are some of the mustardy highlights! Find yourself a bright & refreshing white wine to pair with this meal, like South African Chenin Blanc or Spanish Albarino.

Marinated Chicken Skewers (From a Logan Sq customer; had to try this!)

•50/50 blend of yogurt and mustard of your choice
•Finely chopped garlic
•Fresh oregano, chopped
•Red pepper flakes

All items "to taste". Create enough marinade to generously cover the amount of chicken skewers or other protein. Cover & refrigerate for a few hours. Grill & enjoy!

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Hilda's Potato Salad

•6-8 medium new red potatoes
•3 eggs
•5 scallions or ½ larger red onion (or combo), chopped
•2 stalks celery, chopped
•2 TBSP finely chopped red bell pepper
•3/4 cup mayonnaise or combo mayo & yogurt
•1 TBSP Dijon mustard
•2-3 TBSP pickle juice
•salt, pepper & sweet Hungarian paprika to taste

Scrub & boil the potatoes until tender. I leave the skins on. Boil the eggs. Allow potatoes & eggs to cool. Chop eggs & cut potatoes into bite sizes of your choice. Add in all the veggies & toss. Salt, pepper & sprinkle paprika to taste. In a separate small bowl, combine the mayo, mustard & pickle juice until smooth. Pour over the salad, and again stir to combine all ingredients evenly. Chill before serving if you can wait that long!

Meet Your Makers: Melissa Yen of Jo Snow Syrups

Melissa Yen of Jo Snow Syrups was our very first interview for our blog known as "Meet Your Makers", started in early 2012. Nathan from our staff caught up with her again, and she's not only one of our favorite producers, she used to work at Provenance! Read on for some FYI and a few good recipes to try with her syrups:

PFW: So Melissa, you’ve mentioned on your website that you used to own a café and would get so bored with the flavored syrups that were available to you at the time. Hence you began creating your own as a means to break from the drab French Vanilla and Caramel flavored staples of coffee-shops across the country. What would you say you hope to accomplish with Jo Snow Syrups by creating fun and exciting flavors like Ginger Passion Fruit or Fig Vanilla Black Pepper?

MY: To inspire people, to take them out of their comfort zone, to shake things up! To share my passion! To make people lighten up & have fun!

PFW: Syrups can be sticky business (pun most certainly intended). Did you make your way into the creative sector of flavored syrups by way of your former café? Or was there some other ‘sweet’ way you managed to get into this area?

MY: I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that “joke”! Yes, Jo Snow Syrups was born out of the café. Once we sold the café I took 4 months off to “recover”, then set about figuring out what I wanted to do next. I have always wanted a food product. I get so excited when I see things I have never seen before. I love creative, well made, tasty artisan products. I was trying to figure out what I could make when I stepped back & realized, I HAD a food product that I knew how to make well, that people enjoyed, hence Jo Snow was born.

PFW: Before running Jo Snow Syrups did you have a dream to run such a fun, lighthearted business putting smiles on people’s faces? Having seen you and your team crush it at farmers markets here in Chicago it looks like you’ve wanted to do this for quite some time.

MY: Thanks. I am very lucky to have the staff I have. They are awesome! You know, the majority of teams’ names start with a C or a K. Kaicy, Kevin, Kaitlin, Kathy, Cory, Kelly! How fun is that! Funny, I have owned other small businesses & they are always a little bit "out of the norm”. I used to own a retail shop that sold fun somewhat-wacky stuff from artisan & other cultures. I’ll never forget this company that sold wood carvings modeling on the Balinese flying dragons that were so popular, except one of their creations was a Grandma holding a pie with wings. It cracked me up! I also used to items from Mexico. It started with “serious”stuff, silver, tin, carved masks, etc & then it turned into Mexican Wrestling masks & these cool vinyl publicity bags with chickens on them. I always seem to end up on the light hearted side of things. Again, people are so serious. I hope I can help them lighten up.

PFW: With a variety of flavors to choose from at Jo Snow, including Tangerine Lavender Honey, Hibiscus Basil Orange Blossom, and Balsamic Black Walnut it’s clear to us at Provenance Food & Wine you’ve got a creative and imaginative streak in you. Would you say you’ve been this way since you were a kid? Did you ever think growing up you would one day be at the helm of such a successful and fun business catering to old and young alike?

MY: You know, I don’t know. I have always been drawn to “different” things, fashions, people, images, etc. I love to create. I have tried many different outlets. This one just is the one that seems to work!

PFW: We’re always talking at Provenance about certain ‘wow’ factors that come with being able to taste and experience such fantastic products. For me personally I remember trying REAL maple syrup for the first time and thinking, “Wow! So THIS is what maple syrup is supposed to taste like?!” Did you have a ‘wow’ moment while researching or working with syrups that made you think, “Wow, this is good. But I can make this great!”?

MY: I always start with an idea of flavor combos, but the finished product doesn’t always end up to be my original idea. I will make a syrup, taste it & see what it needs, what it is missing, what needs to be bumped up or toned down. Hibiscus Basil Orange Blossom started as Hibiscus Cilantro Lime…it didn’t quite work, so I started subbing out some of the flavors til I got to “Wow”!

PFW: No disrespect to the classic coffee-house syrups of old (i.e. Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut, etc) but after trying a few drops of your Café de Olla in my brew it’s easy to never look back. Where do you find the inspiration for the wonderfully broad flavor profile of your syrup portfolio?

MY: I often find my inspiration in other cultures. The Café de Olla is based on a Mexican coffee drink. The Cardamom Rose Water is based on a Turkish coffee. The Fig Vanilla Black Pepper is inspired by the Mediterranean. I just love the food & flavors of other cultures.

PFW: We can find you around local farmers markets this summer, totally decked out in classic Soda Jerk attire: paper-hat, suspenders, bow tie, etc. offering your delicious syrups in the form of snow cones. In what other ways do you make strides to expand your products to new customers who are looking for an alternative to the ‘high fructose corn syrup and food dye’ concoctions that come from big-box producers?

MY: It takes a certain person to appreciate my flavors & I love when I find that person. I sell to cafes, bars restaurants, retail stores. I do demos, tastings, collaborations & holiday shows to try to expand my audience. And somehow people seem to find me too!

PFW: Your syrups begin with a base of organic evaporated cane juice and from there you add a variety of natural herbs, spices, and extracts to create the complex and structured syrups we’re so lucky to carry at Provenance Food & Wine. Your all-natural approach to syrup-making is a major benefit to our customers seeking something without all the added sweeteners and phony flavors they may find elsewhere. What would you say is another great benefit you offer to customers who utilize Jo Snow Syrups?

MY: Versatility. Jo Snow Syrups are very versatile. They can be used in the obvious…cocktails, sodas, coffee, but it really gets interesting when people start making vinaigrettes with my syrups, or glazing quick breads with them or drizzling them on cheese.
Also, by buying Jo Snow you are supporting a small local business & I think you should feel good about that!

PFW: Having watched you and your team dominate at your booth on hot summer days at the farmers market it seems to me the most enjoyable part of the job would be the spinning shaved ice machine you use to create your flavored snow cones. Would you say this is in fact your favorite part of the job or is it found somewhere else for you?

MY: Funny, my team does most of the spinning! I love connecting with my customers. I truly love customer service. I love turning people on to a flavor they might have been “afraid” of. That moment when they tentatively try the fig vanilla black pepper with a look of doubt & then their face lights up & they say “boy, this is awesome”, that makes my day!

PFW: What would you say is the least favorite part of running Jo Snow Syrups?

MY: The heavy lifting! Those 50 pound bags of sugar are heavy!

PFW: Since summer is well underway, could you leave us and our customers with your favorite summertime cocktail that uses Jo Snow Syrups? Or several?

MY: Sure…the first two are courtesy of the fabulous Jenny Kessler at Masa Azul, refreshing, tasty & fun…just the way I like them! The third is courtesy of Sonja Kassenbaum at North Shore Distillery. Again…simple, delicious cocktail. The tangerine lavender honey syrup pairs so well with her Chamomile Citrus Vodka.

Kentucky Lemonade
1 oz Cherry Thyme syrup
1.5 oz Bourbon
Lemonade & Iced Tea
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake & strain over ice into a Collins glass. Top with half iced tea and half lemonade. Garnish with a hand slapped sprig of thyme and optional cherry.
Use iced mint tea for a fun twist!

Rosemary’s Greyhound
1 oz Grapefruit Rosemary syrup
1.5 oz vodka
2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake & strain over ice into a Collins glass. Top with grapefruit sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Sunshine in a Glass
2 oz North Shore Distillery Chamomile Citrus Vodka
¾ oz Jo Snow Tangerine Lavender Honey syrup
½ oz fresh orange juice
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Shake ingredients with ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a swath of orange peel

July 2013 Staff Selection: 10% off Dave's Coffee Syrups

This month's Staff Selection comes from Lauren Pett:

Several years ago there was a restaurant in Bucktown that specialized in regional New England fare. It was there that I was first introduced to the Rhode Island drink known as "coffee milk." Despite having spent my entire childhood on the East Coast, I had never encountered this insanely delicious (and simple) beverage before. Once I tasted the ice-cold milk laced with sweet coffee syrup, I was hooked. Sadly, the restaurant closed, and coffee milk was gone from my life.

Until now! Rhode Island coffee roaster Dave's Coffee (a certified organic, family-owned company) makes their coffee syrup the old fashioned way - hand-roasted in small batches, cold-brewed & simmered with natural cane sugar. No corn syrup, no artificial flavors, just sweet, sweet coffee goodness. Available in vanilla & mocha flavors as well as plain ol' coffee, these syrups can be added to much more than just milk. Try adding a spoonful or two to sparkling water for a refreshing take on iced coffee, or drizzle over ice cream for a slower-melting affogato.

If you're feeling more ambitious, try one of these recipes (keep in mind the syrup is highly concentrated, so you should probably dilute it with water first, or substitute coffee syrup for some of the coffee in the recipe):

Coffee Granita
http://tinyurl.com/davescoffeesyrupgranita

Tiramisu
http://tinyurl.com/davestiramisu

6 Thoroughly Modern Coffee Cocktails
http://tinyurl.com/davescoffeecocktails

June 2013 Staff Selection: 10% off Cuisine Perel Vinegars

We all have our "thing", right? That pantry item we collect like it's going out of style. Some peeps love their mustards, some go gaga for hot sauce, and others collect finishing salts.

Me? My name is Nicole, and I'm an acid hound. My kitchen always has a basket full of lemons & limes, so of course - I love vinegar! My salad dressings always tip the scale on the ratio of vinegar to olive oil. And I like it! Lately, I'm really diggin' the line of Cuisine Perel vinegars we carry at Provenance. These fruit-based vinegars have such beautiful flavor, and are so versatile.

Cuisine Perel is located near Northern California's wine country, and everything they produce is inspired by the local bounty of seasonal produce and fine wines. I use them in marinades, to deglaze meat, drizzle on roasted vegetables, etc. The possibilities are endless with a good vinegar, trust!

Here are a few recipes to try out. Who knows? You just might unleash the acid hound within.

Citrus Asparagus Salad
http://tinyurl.com/citrusasparagus

Soy Chicken Thighs (Sub Cuisine Perel Black Fig Vinegar for Balsamic)
http://tinyurl.com/soychixthighs

Blood Orange Salmon
http://tinyurl.com/bldorgsalmon

Meet Your Makers: Nancy Potter of Potter's Crackers

2006 was a great year for cheese, and cheese-lovers alike. That year Peter Potter Weber and his mom Nancy Potter founded Potter’s Crackers in Madison, WI. With combined extensive experience in baking and food science they set out to provide the people of Wisconsin and beyond with crackers worthy of the amazing artisan-grade cheeses that were being turned out by some of the best creameries and dairy farms the Cheese State has to offer. Provenance Food & Wine staffer Nathan was able to talk with Nancy Potter herself about what matters most: cheese, butter, baked goods, family, and more…

1 I’ll be the first to admit it; more often than not when I pick up a bag of Potter’s Crackers with intention to pair them with one of the great artisan cheeses we carry at Provenance Food & Wine, I end up eating the whole bag before Cheese meets Cracker. You’ve managed to create a product that literally cannot be consumed quickly enough. Aside from making a ridiculously tasty snack, what else do you hope to accomplish through Potter’s Crackers?

NP: I had a friend whose father was the most dedicated dairy farmer you could ever meet. He loved his cows and the land with his whole being. He died a number of years ago from “farmers’ lung”, the result of years of unknowingly spreading dangerous chemicals on his fields. I knew that someday I wanted to make a contribution to the organic world in his honor. I know that is a little heavy for a blog post but it’s the truth!

2 On your website I see that prior to founding Potter’s Crackers back in 2006, Nancy was running New Glarus Bakery for almost 25 years and Peter had been studying food science at the University of Wisconsin. Was a family background in baking and a desire to study the science of all things food that led you to founding Potter’s Crackers? Or was there some other form of inspiration that got you into the business of handcrafted artisan baked crackers?

NP: Growing up in a family-owned business, it was clear early on that Pete had an entrepreneurial spirit. I remember well his first lemonade stand. He was selling it for .10 a glass and sales were not going well, by noon he had only made a dollar. He came back later in the day and had made $14! Given the math I couldn’t figure out how this could be but I never should have doubted Pete. He moved the stand to outside the door of a local museum and started opening the door for everyone going in and out. Said he converted almost 100% of these visitors to customers and they usually added a tip!

For me, baking has always felt like magic, you take those elemental ingredients in the door and out goes a finished product in a completely different form. It still feels like magic to me-that’s why I still make crackers. We started making crackers because the cheese here in Wisconsin from our artisan cheesemakers keeps getting better and better and it deserved a better cracker.

3 As a family based in the great cheese state of Wisconsin how important was it to you to create a cracker that could garner as much attention and respect as the cheeses that come out of your home states creameries and dairy farms?

NP; I should read ahead, I keep answering the questions ahead! Yes, we needed a better cracker in the great state of Wisconsin. The interesting thing is our positioning; a cracker is sort of the bridesmaid and never the bride. You want a cracker that tastes great on its own but compliments, not overpowers the cheese it is paired with, always a balancing act.

4 Being a Certified Organic business by MOSA, the Midwest Organic Services Association, you’re obviously paying close attention to using the most sustainable and best possible local ingredients to use in your baked goods. How would you say Potter’s Crackers takes advantage of being located in such an agriculturally-rich region of the country?

NP: Well, we make our crackers with butter and you can taste it! Crackers are of course a low-fat food by nature. We started with total whole grain base and then added just enough butter to get the texture we wanted. Tiny amounts of top quality really influence the final product. Its not just the Wisconsin organic butter that makes the difference, I think the quality whole grain adds a natural sweetness that adds up to deliciousness!

5 Here at Provenance Food & Wine we love a good pairing. Naturally your crackers are a go-to recommendation we make to our customers when they’re looking for something to have with any number of our cheeses (especially our broad collection of Wisconsin varieties). When developing each of your crackers are you thinking of specific cheeses in mind to pair them with?

NP: Well, it is sort of a chicken and egg situation. Sometimes we taste a cheese and it just screams pairing with a certain cracker (like Blue with Rye or Pleasant Ridge with Rosemary) and sometimes we taste a cheese and it inspires work on a new flavor. All of our employees offer up new flavor ideas regularly; we usually spend those quieter months after the holidays to do flavor testing.

6 Anyone that’s been to Wisconsin knows how beautifully scenic it can be. Working and living in such an inspirational area must help the creative process when looking to develop flavor profiles for your products. What is it about the region that inspires your team to turn out such delicious goods?

NP: You know we are lucky enough to live in a beautiful spot but I have to say, most of our inspiration comes from two sources, cheese and cheeseheads aka people! I do the famous Dane County Farmers’ Market. I always groan about pulling myself out of bed at 4:30 am on every beautiful summer Saturday morning but once I get there, I love it! It’s the meeting with the customers, hearing their cracker ideas and anecdotes that inspires me. I come in Monday morning with their ideas to share, it’s the customers that inspire us the most.


7 The number and variety of cheeses being made in Wisconsin every day is probably mind-boggling (people have lost count I’m sure). At Potter’s Crackers do you ever feel compelled to turn out new or different products to keep up with such a lively dairy industry or does slow and steady win the race? With that in mind are you developing anything new at the moment now that we’re coming into such a bountiful time of year?

NP: In any business you want to be sure to be able to deliver on your promises so we are conservative on what promises we make that’s for sure. But, one thing we are working on is a line of Crisps here in Wisconsin. Pete has been doing them in California since early spring and its been going great! They are a heartier cheese vehicle that folks have been loving. We are busy perfecting the Wisconsin version and sourcing our local ingredients. Look for Potter’s Crisps Wisconsin this summer!

8 One of the favorite parts of my job at Provenance is just being scheduled on a day that we’re sampling out a cheese, because that usually means bowl of Potter’s on the side to pair with it (snack time!). Is sampling your crackers along the way while working in the bakery your favorite part of the job?

NP: Okay, confession time, I eat five crackers a day, everyday! Contrary to the popular believe that constant exposure leads to palate monotony, I love the crackers and could make a meal of them every day. I have found giving myself a limit with the knowledge I can have them everyday keeps me happy!

9 So I’ve mentioned earlier how my favorite cracker of yours, hands down, has got to be the Caramelized Onion. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the countless hours spent chopping away at a mountain of onion for the benefit of people like me and our customers. With that in mind, would you say tearing up over the onions if your least favorite part of the job? 

NP: So, we have tried EVERYTHING to help make chopping onions less painful; fans, under cold water, in a walk-in fridge, eye goggles, face masks, you name it, nothing works. We chop 2, 40 pound bags at a time and caramelize them all. Lets just say, Caramelized Onion Crackers are a true labor of love. We welcome any suggestions in the onion chopping department and are willing to try them all!

10 Finally, could you share with our readers one of your favorite stories or anecdotes that’s occurred along the way at Potter’s that has stood out over the years since you started the business?

NP: Hands down, it was our first sale! Pete and I had done lots of trial batches and worked on packaging and we had our first bags ready, we were nervous and excited. An Eastside Farmer’s Market about four blocks from the cracker kitchen had just started up and they let us in as a vendor before anyone had every seen a Potter’s Cracker! Pete took our only vehicle to opening day with what we thought he might sell and sample. He called me after the first hour and said, “Bring all the crackers we have, right away!” I ran the four blocks carrying as many crackers as I could! There is no other way to describe it, its like your baby taking her first steps, we were beside ourselves we were so excited!

That beginning gives you some idea of the support that our community has given us from the very beginning. We wouldn’t be anywhere without the great people of Madison WI and folks like you committed to your business and selling great cheese and telling the world about Potter’s. I can only say thank you.