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You’ve Got Your Coffee All Wrong, shares Maurice Contreras at Volcanica Coffee
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You’ve Got Your Coffee All Wrong, shares Maurice Contreras at Volcanica Coffee

By Gerry Jones — 2 years ago

You’ve Got Your Coffee All Wrong, shares Maurice Contreras at Volcanica Coffee

Just about everyone has their coffee preferences.  But the truth is, most of us aren’t enjoying coffee the best it can be and we don’t even know it.  The beans, the grinding, the flavor (or lack thereof).

 

And before you ask, nope, good coffee doesn’t need to be expensive.  Actually most great coffee is more affordable than the bad stuff you’re currently drinking.  True story.

 

But I wanted to get answers and advice from a coffee expert, so I had a conversation with Maurice Contreras from Volcanica Coffee.

Maurice Contreras Volcanica Coffee

Maurice Contreras, Volcanica Coffee

Native Costa Rican Maurice Contreras started Volcanica Coffee to import excellent-tasting coffee from volcanic regions, such as his homeland, to consumers. He started the company in his garage and now operates a coffee plant near Atlanta with 20 employees, including his wife and two adult children.

 

What is your favorite thing about coffee?

 

My favorite thing I like about coffee is really the flavor. That actually was how I got started. I’m from Costa Rica and for a long time I would do annual trips with the family. It was a family vacation. One of our trips we did a coffee farm tour. And just got to learn about coffee. And this is back in 2004. One of the things that dawned on me is how coffee in Costa Rica was so much better than coffee in the United States. I just didn’t understand why a 3rd world country had better coffee. The quality of coffee in the United States has really come down over several decades. So that’s when I thought that there was an opportunity to bring better tasting coffee or specialty coffee as it’s known today to the United States. That was really how it got started. It really was more about the flavor and just enjoying the richness of a Costa Rican coffee.

 

Is there a simple reason why first world coffee just isn’t as good?

 

Yeah, the general sense was because it became more of a highly produced, big production, big coffee house; and I’ll tell you a quick story. A lot of people don’t know this, the word Maxwell House, it actually is a chain of hotels. Some of them are still in existence. And so Maxwell House started from the Maxwell House Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. They served breakfast and they had really good coffee and it became really popular. It became very famous, and then eventually it became its own brand Maxwell House, and then it ended up getting acquired by corporate conglomerates. And that really good tasting coffee just turned into [not-great] coffee.

 

So that’s really what happened to coffee in the United States. At one time, back in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, people would really appreciate good coffee and then just kind of lost sight of what good coffee was.

 

 

From a coffee lover’s point of view, what would you say to convince them to give your coffee a try?

 

That coffee really is an enjoyable drink to be appreciated and enjoyed for the flavor of what it is. It’s not just something to wake you up. But really coffee and all the different varieties, there’s a lot of flavor notes, a lot of different flavors to be enjoyed. A lot of it depends upon the different regions. My recommendation is try it out and get some good coffee with some flavor notes that you enjoy. Like, for example, Ethiopian coffees, they have a lot of berry notes, a lot of fruit tones, even red wine notes. Some of those things can really open up people’s perspective on coffee.

 

 

Before we jump more into coffee, I wanted to ask you about your background as far as the work you did before Volcanica Coffee

 

My career was in marketing specifically I was in the wireless telephone industry. It really was just about creating a brand. I was part of the startup team at TracFone Wireless which is now a part of Verizon. I was the National Director, I created the brand. In fact, there’s still a lot of things in the brand that I created. I had a passion for marketing.

 

It was kinda like, “Hey, gee whiz, what if I created my own brand and just created a business?”

 

And so I actually was on a hunt for a couple of years thinking what would be a good business? And then I just kind of stumbled on coffee because it was staring me in the face.

 

There’s such a message in there. The success you’re currently riding is because you took industry knowledge of marketing, a personal passion for coffee, and took the risk of putting them together in a business start-up.

 

Yep, that’s true. It was a risk because I was making a good living, I had a young family, I didn’t wanna affect any of that. It was something part-time, working nights and weekends, that’s how it all started out. I

 

How did your family feel about that?  Was there anxiety?

 

It was definitely a struggle and I loved spending time with them and being with them. But part of how I resolved that was I would just wake up early in the morning and spend 1-2 hours before I had to go to work doing this. I didn’t want to neglect my family and I didn’t.

 

There’s so many people out there who aspire to take those steps and they always find reasons not to, but you found a way.  When people are drinking your coffee, they’re not just drinking delicious coffee, they’re supporting someone who took a huge chance, who followed his passions.

 

So segueing to the actual coffee part now.

Your website mentions coffee regions and how the region’s soil contributes to the taste.  A lot of our audience who’s into food and wine will realize the terroir aspect is very familiar to that.

 

 

Can you pick two or three regions and explain their soil and how it contributes to the taste?

 

I’ll start with African coffees. Their soil is very unique. Coffees from Africa tend to have a lot of berry notes, a lot more flavor of fruit which is very unique and very different compared to coffees from Indonesia.

 

Indonesian coffees tend to be lower in acidity. Acidity provides flavor but they’re still very good tasting coffees, even though they’re lower in acidity.  

 

Also the coffee in Indonesia, Sumatra, for example, Papua New Guinea, and even Hawaiian Kona coffees, those tend to have a lot of boldness. When you taste the cup, your mouth just tends to [recognize] that bold flavor, which you don’t get in African coffees. So those are a couple examples.

 

So really it is like old world wine versus new world wine. A noticeable difference in mouth feel depending on what region you’re going after.

 

When people ask, Hey, what kind of coffee should I buy? I always ask, what kind of flavors do you like? Start there. Then for people that are experimenting, try different coffees from different regions.

 

 

 

 

You mentioned that you’re from Costa Rica.  So tell us more about the Costa Rican volcanic regions.

 

It’s the most popular coffee growing region in Costa Rica, the Tarrazu area, which is very mountainous, goes up to 5,000 feet above sea level south of San Jose. Very steep. 

 

The coffee beans, because of the volcanic soil, have a lot of flavor. It’s a very mild flavor, but very flavorful as well. And because of the elevations, the beans are also very dense. They’re a harder bean. In fact, there’s a designation strictly hard bean that is used in the industry because of that. 

 

Being from Costa Rica I came here [to the U.S.] when I was a baby.  My mom would tell stories about how she would assist with her father, which is my grandfather, in the harvest. Because my grandfather was a teacher, he would work out in the rural areas of Costa Rica where the coffee bean farmers worked. They would assist during harvest time with picking coffee beans off the tree. There was the connection going back a couple generations in our family.

 

There has been a coffee influence throughout generations of your family.

 

Yes. For decades, maybe even a century, coffee was the number one product for Costa Rica. Today it’s tourism.

 

I’m glad you brought up tourism. We cover a lot of travel. If somebody wanted to visit Costa Rica, maybe even a specific coffee lover, is there a place you can recommend to come visit?

 

One of the farms that we work with actually has an Airbnb right on their plantation. We’ve had several customers that have made trips there and have gone and stayed at the house. It’s gorgeous.

 

 

More people are working from home and making coffee at home. A lot of us making coffee wrong. Can you just walk us through step by step the best way to grind and brew your coffee?

 

The single largest improvement in the freshness of your coffee is by grinding your beans at home.  A lot of people don’t know this: buying ground coffee, because it’s in smaller particles, tends to deteriorate very quickly. So you’re not enjoying the best of what coffee can be. 

So first of all, grind at home and it’s the type of grinder.

We recommend a burr grinder. The other type of grinder is a blade grinder, which is a cheap type grinder, which does not do as well as a burr grinder. 

Second thing is you wanna match your grind type to how you’re brewing. So there’s different levels, how fine or how course you want the coffee.  If you’re doing a French press, you want to have a coarse grind.  The opposite spectrum is an espresso grind. It’s almost like very fine sand. So if you had coarse coffee and an espresso maker, you’d have a bad cup of coffee. And the opposite too.  If you had a French press where you’re using espresso ground coffee, you would not have a good tasting coffee. A lot of it has to do with the extraction and this is the chemistry behind coffee.

Then in the middle of that would be like a traditional drip grind, which most people have which is a medium coarseness of a grind type. That works best to pour over or a drip grind.

 

Once you buy the equipment, you’re saving quite a bit of money by doing this all at home. More value and quality out of doing it at home?

 

Oh yeah. A cup of coffee outside can cost $3-6. At home, 50 cents per cup. Plus you’re controlling the flavor, how hot it is and how fresh it is.

 

How many cups do you think the average coffee person drinks per day?

 

The average is between one to two cups per day. Wall Street Journal says 66% of Americans have had coffee within the last day.

 

 

So with volcanic, you’ve mentioned low acid. Tell us more.

 

Low acid coffee is actually a natural occurrence. There’s no additives that need to be added, at least we don’t add anything to our coffee. It’s just how it’s sourced. How it’s brewed also affects acidity. 

 

So for example, the cold brew method tends to lower the acidity of coffee. Even more than if you brewed it traditionally in a drip grinder. It benefits people who suffer from acid reflux; and different types of indigestion abnormalities can benefit from low acidic coffee just because the pH is a higher number. 

 

We have a lot of customers thanking us because they could not drink coffee before they heard about our low acid coffee, so now they can drink coffee again. 

 

We have a blend of different coffees called the low acid coffee, plus 12 or 15 other coffees that are also rated as low acid. We rated them, we’ve done the pH levels on all of them, and all of them fall into that category of being lower in acidity.

 

 

Volcanica has built up a really strong community on your social media avenues.  What have the results been like?

 

We’re on all the major socials: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok. It’s very easy to find us.  We take customer feedback really seriously. We’re always looking for input and ideas. 

We’ll get a request [to] carry a type of coffee or coffee from a region and we’ll always look into it. 

We offer 100% customer satisfaction. We take returns, even when the customer just didn’t like a coffee, which is no fault of ours.

 

When someone does suggest a new bean, a new region, is that an easy outreach to investigate, or is that a whole process?

 

It is a whole process.

 

 

 

What’s a great online shopping strategy for finding the right coffee beans?

 

Align yourself with a brand that has a quality product. Look at customer reviews, their roasting technique.   Then it’s a matter of what type of coffee do you like? What flavor notes? Something mild? Berry notes? Lower in acidity?

 

So I go onto your website to buy some beans.  What’s a safe way to pick a bean that I’ll probably enjoy?

 

We carry over 150 different coffees, which is a lot. Visiting our website you have to know your preferences. Having some [filtering/search ] tools out there would be beneficial to people helping the selection process, that’s actually on our roadmap for the future.

 

Part of the reason why we have 150 coffees is because we’ve been listening to our customers over the years.

 

Tell us something about Volcanico Coffee that not everyone knows.

 

We love to give back. We’ve been blessed, we’ve been very successful, so we donate 1% of our website sales to an organization called Charity Water. They build water projects in impoverished communities around the world. This year we’re actually sponsoring a well in Ethiopia for a particular town. We know that we buy a lot of coffee from Ethiopia and we’d love to give back to them.

 

 

What is the future of coffee?

 

The future of coffee is specially curated lots. We call them our “Private Collection”. Farmers that are actually fermenting their coffee with mango, peach, different types of fruits. We have a few of them right now. We’re hoping to be carrying more in the near future.

 

Our audience is listening right now. What would you like them to do?

 

If you’re interested in finding out more about coffee and experiencing coffee, start exploring. We offer a great cup of coffee. Great different flavors and varieties. We even offer decafs, flavored coffees, something for everybody.

 

Website: https://volcanicacoffee.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gourmet.coffee.beans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VolcanicaCoffee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volcanicacoffee 

 

Philly Foodies curious about Plant-Based Honey Taste? Mellody's Darko Mandich reveals the Surprise
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Philly Foodies curious about Plant-Based Honey Taste? Mellody’s Darko Mandich reveals the Surprise

By Joe Winger — 2 years ago

Philly Foodies curious about Plant-Based Honey Taste? Mellody’s Darko Mandich reveals the Surprise

Philadelphia knows food.  Adventurous foodies, curious eaters.  Plenty of people have heard about plant-based honey, but what does it actually taste like?

People might worry there’s a “laboratory” flavor?  Has it lost its texture? Vibrancy? Is there a “diet” feel to it?

Exclusive Interview with Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich.

Darko Mandich is a food entrepreneur in San Francisco. After spending almost a decade in the European honey industry as a business executive, Darko committed to reimagining the honey industry to become sustainable. Darko immigrated from Europe to California to launch Mellody, the world’s first plant-based honey brand. Darko is an advocate of saving the bees and wild pollinators.

Mellody Food's Darko Mandich

Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich

 

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Darko for nearly an hour.

 

Let’s talk about the honey. What’s the taste profile?

 

There are three aspects of products that people care about. Number one by far is taste. Number two is price, and number three is nutrition.

In terms of the taste, what we’re really after is the best tasting honeys that are made by bees. 

The taste has to match rare honeys that you would find in parts of Europe; France, Italy. Very high quality Acacia honey, specifically.

If we talk about New Zealand, Australia, that’s Manuka honey; and we’re matching that.

So no compromise there.

Moving to the price, I grew up in poverty and I really want to make sure that everybody has access to this product at some point. But it’ll take us some time. So right now it’s premium quality, but it’s also premium price.

In terms of nutrition, we wanna do better than honey coming from bees. How? First and foremost, honey made by the bees contains a certain bacteria that’s called Clostridium. With our product, without the bees [there’s no Clostridium] bacteria.

I’m really proud to say that our product is allergen free; and that for people with allergies to honey and pollen, this is gonna be neutral.

Finally in terms of super ingredients or superfoods, our honey has more than what’s usually found in some of the honey types made by the bees.

The sugar profile is the same, the calorie content is the same, but the twist is there’s a little bit more of certain powerful active compounds that come from the plants.

 

That’s absolutely incredible. It’s enhanced honey. Is there a better word?

 

I like to call it a plant-based honey. And that category of plant-based honey is already elevated to the level of being enhanced compared to bee-made honey.

 

I’m really happy that Melody is starting this category. We are the world’s first plant-based honey.

There’s exactly one same sentence that we get to hear across 5,000 people that were involved in tasting this before it hit the market.

That sentence is: It’s honey.

People taste it, they’re amazed with it, and they say, “Oh my God, it’s honey.”

There are certain plant-based products that have their heart in best place in terms of mission and impact, but are just not delivering on [flavor] expectations. We just want to make sure that people across different categories of nutrition say that this is honey and that they love it.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Is the honey currently available at Eleven Madison Home?

 

Yeah, the honey is currently available. The Specialty Tea and Honey Box launched for the Mother’s Day collection and Earth Month.

It’s a specially curated box of artisanal teas coming from different parts of the world with honey and also amazing, shortbread cookies. All plant-based, also made with our honey. That’s available right now

Sometime very soon a standalone jar [of honey] will also be available to Eleven Madison Home.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Tell us again what’s available, how to find it; and how to follow you and support you.

 

Yeah, follow us on Instagram and TikTok at MellodyFoods

In terms of purchasing, head to ElevenMadisonHome.com and you can purchase it there.

Saving the bees is learning more about them. Learning more about pollinators and you can do that on our social media.

And finally, if you’re equally passionate about bees and plants as we are, ask your favorite restaurant to reach out to us to offer Mellody in your favorite restaurant. It can be a vegan restaurant on non-vegan.

We are gonna work with all the restaurants that reach out to us where people ask to see our product offered, either on the menu, either within a meal, or just if you order a cup of tea and you want a side of Mellody.

 

Philly wants BIG Flavor and Jordan delivers! Yum!  Jordan’s Skinny Mixes Reveals Tasty New Flavors in Exclusive ExpoWest 2023
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Philly wants BIG Flavor and Jordan delivers! Yum!  Jordan’s Skinny Mixes Reveals Tasty New Flavors in Exclusive ExpoWest 2023

By Joe Winger — 2 years ago

Yum!  Jordan’s Skinny Mixes Reveals Tasty New Flavors in Exclusive Interview for ExpoWest 2023

 

Say yes if you love coffee.  Say yes again if you love cocktails.  Say yes a third time if you love ‘em, but wanna be healthier and save some money.  

 

If you said yes to *any* of the above, you’re going to want to listen, because we just had twenty minutes with the woman who makes all those things happen for you.

 

This week at ExpoWest 2023 Jordan’s Skinny Mixes has a lot to share!

Jordan’s Skinny Mixes Margaritas

Jordan’s Skinny Mixes Margaritas

 

Their Naturally Sweetened line of margarita mixes is made with real lime juice and sweetened with agave and contains 75 % less sugar and calories than other leading brands. The four margarita mixes flavors are Classic, Peach, Spicy, and Strawberry Key Lime, and they do not contain any artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors. 

Jordan’s Skinny Mixes natural line of skinny syrups is available in 4 guilt-free flavors, including Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Dolce, and Chocolate Mocha

Jordan’s Skinny Mixes natural line of skinny syrups is available in 4 guilt-free flavors, including Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Dolce, and Chocolate Mocha

 

Their natural line of skinny syrups is available in 4 guilt-free flavors, including Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Dolce, and Chocolate Mocha, for your coffee, tea, protein shakes, baking, or just about anything. 

 

Jordan’s Skinny Mixes was founded in 2009 by female entrepreneur Jordan Engelhardt. The beverage brand was created with the simple desire to enjoy a margarita that wasn’t loaded with sugar and empty calories. Now with over 100 products, this female-led team is on a mission to craft beverages that cut the sugar and keep the fun from coffee ‘til cocktails. 

 

Skinny Mixes can now be found in over 13,000 specialty retail locations across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe, including Target stores, Skinnymixes.com, and Amazon.

 

 

Jordan Engelhardt is an impressive person, so when I had the chance to meet up and have a conversation, it was an easy yes.

 

 

Just to give us some background, what were you up to before launching back in 2009?

 

Back in 2009 I was a recent college graduate working in real estate as an appraiser. I launched this product [Jordan’s Skinny Mixes] right when the recession was basically at its peak. It had just started and the market crashed pretty heavily in Florida where I was living at the time.

 

So I found myself without work, and this idea that I felt pretty strongly about. 

 

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve navigated in the industry over those 10 years?

 

Oh, there’s been a lot.  The world has evolved much more to natural products, which is why we’re here at Expo West as we just have launched our new natural line so this is pretty big for us. 

 

Also,  the customization of flavors over the years have just gotten more and more prevalent. 

 

Millennials, and the population in general, really like the variety of flavors, and being able to customize everything. And then Covid really drove at-home consumption of coffee. So I think all of those trends over the last 10 years have really helped drive this company’s growth.

 

 

When Covid forced everyone to stay home, did that become a “lucky opportunity” for the business and boost at-home coffee drinking?

 

It was certainly fortunate in some ways, but in many other ways  [not as much].  We were selling to many grocery accounts. We’re selling to a lot of specialty stores which had no choice but to close their doors. So we lost quite a bit of distribution during that time, but were able to make up for it online [with website e-commerce].  So [with market] penetration and trying to drive consumer growth, in that capacity, yes, it was fortunate.   But it was also a little bit scary [for us], like many other businesses at the same time.

 

What is the biggest misconception in general about skinny mixes?

 

People don’t necessarily understand the versatility of our syrup and how you can not only use it for coffee, but you can use it for baking and protein shakes, and just anything. 

Flavored syrups are great for iced teas.  You can simply just add a dash to water and transform your water.  

 

Once we got the samples this week, the amount of random things we’ve tried [the skinny mixes] with just to see how it’d go.

 

I love it!  It’s part of the fun and part of the great relationship we have with our consumers.  They

have so much fun experimenting and making these recipes, and then including us on that.

 

So [experimenting with the syrups on different foods]  just became a benefit over the years. It’s certainly something we think about now.

 

We have this really amazing closed Facebook group that has really active members. It’s called “Skinny mixes. Share your recipe”.  You can see the amount of creativity that our users come up with and then they share their recipes.

 

One person put it with sweet potatoes, they used it on egg sandwiches. Interesting wild things that you would never think about.

 

 

Can you share a little bit about the inspiration behind the line and how you develop the flavors?

 

Yes, of course. We have a great relationship with our consumers, and they asked for it.   When they ask, we listen.  We do a lot of innovation. We launch a lot of flavors.

 

So that’s where it came from and it’s really done. We’ve gotten into Target with this line.  We take a lot of pride in listening to what our customers want, and this is what they wanted

 

What’s the development process like for these flavors?

 

We have several partnerships with different food labs and beverage labs.   We start by verbally explaining to them what we’re looking for. We have a big panel at our company and we just do a lot of tasting. It often takes quite a bit of time because we take a lot of pride in making sure it tastes exactly what we were visualizing. 

 

We can come up with anything from “Mermaid” to “Unicorn”.   The different food labs across the country are amazing and they make it happen. 

 

It’s a slow, methodical approach.  Then we have a larger tasting panel and we keep going until we find just the right mix.

 

That’s incredible.  What’s the timeline from concept to finished product? 

 

It varies widely.  It could take a couple of months or it could take over a year. Probably on average, about 4 to 6 months.

 

Do you ever try to create flavors and they don’t end up working out?

 

Oh, it happens all the time, especially in the beginning.  We’re innovating constantly.  Trends change fairly quickly.   We’ve been fortunate with a robust website where we can test things quite easily and pivot. 

 

Are there any teases as to what flavors might be next? 

 

Well at the show we’re launching our naturally sweetened flavors. French vanilla, caramel, peppermint, mocha and pumpkin spice. Maybe some new seasonal offerings after that. We’re constantly innovating, constantly looking at new categories. 

 

Switching over to coffee, what inspired you to launch coffee syrups?

 

12 years ago the company started with cocktail mixes.  With the popularity of Starbucks and people going through the drive through and having what they thought was guilt-free drinks but was not necessarily guilt free. 

 

They didn’t realize how many calories they are consuming with their Frappuccino or their latte.

 

It immediately seemed like another way to really help people not have such a sugar laden beverage every single day.

 

That’s why the coffee syrup was developed.  Since cocktail mixes are so seasonal, coffee syrup is something that consumers consume daily. So it was a natural extension for the product line with the coffee syrup

 

You have some new coffee flavors launching as well 

 

Listening to the trends and looking at the popularity of the most popular flavors just through our [tasting] panel. and you know, just having a great team that’s out and about, and looking at menus, and using some common sense, if you will, and reading up on trends, it’s then a 3 prong process.

 

You’re getting a lot of positive attention at ExpoWest. What in your opinion, makes for a successful trade show?

 

Taking the step to take the risk to be there and have your branding there; and be open to meeting consumers and buyers in the trade. We try to make it fun. So we serve cocktails, and we’re going to be serving espresso Martinis today. Yesterday we served Margaritas, and we had a speakeasy happy hour.  It helps people really understand the brand, and come by and see us.  I think that’s most important, really put your brand out there and your brand’s personality and just have fun with it.

 

 

Can you talk a little bit about the mission behind Jordan’s Skinny Mixes?

 

Our mission summarized is crafting beverages that cut the sugar and keep the fun for a healthier, more flavorful lifestyle and to make everyday moments simply sweeter.

 

What is your biggest call to action for the audience? 

 

I’d love the consumers to experiment at home. I’d love for them to make their latte at home.  Make that morning coffee at home. So many people will say it’s going to be a better experience.

 

Try our products.  You’re going to save calories. You’re going to save time. You’re going to save money.

 

Shop Jordan’s Skinny Mixes products online and view recipes at https://www.skinnymixes.com/ 

 

Check out Jordan’s Skinny Mixes latest and greatest recipes by following on Instagram – @skinnymixes, Facebook- @skinnymixes, TikTok – TikTok , and Pinterest – @skinnymixes 

 

Philly is Falling in Love! New Restaurant Indigo 52 offers Flavor with a Twist
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Philly is Falling in Love! New Restaurant Indigo 52 offers Flavor with a Twist

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Philly is Falling in Love! New Restaurant Indigo 52 offers flavor with a twist

Indigo 52 is a Nazareth restaurant gaining big buzz both in the Lehigh Valley and throughout the East Coast. 

It’s not your average restaurant.  There’s a twist.

The menu, the owner, the ingredients.  Everything is special and there’s a reason why. 

Lehigh Valley is falling in love with the flavors of Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

Lehigh Valley is falling in love with the flavors of Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

 

It’s special enough to inspire families to drive hours just to enjoy a meal there.  More about that in a minute, let’s get to the food.

Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52 Menu

Restaurant Owner Felicia Rocchino has a “Food Vision” for the items they serve and if you’re a foodie, you’re gonna love this:

All their dishes are:

  1. Unique –  things you can’t find everywhere
  2. Better than what someone can cook at home
  3. Plated amazingly – be instagrammable!

Here’s what I sampled on my visit:

Lehigh Valley is falling in love with the flavors of Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

Indigo 52’s Cauliflower wings

Cauliflower wings

Grain-free battered cauliflower with maple garlic (you could also choose hot buffalo or mild sauce).

These were delicious and better than what I expected. The flavor, the breading; and each piece held together well, even after dipping.

Indigo 52’s Vegan “Crab” Cake Bites

Vegan “Crab” Cake Bites

Mini heart of palm bites, seasoned, and served with a house made cocktail dipping sauce 

Great flavor, very moist.  The same tender and moist notes (like most vegan “crab” cakes) also made them fall apart easily.  Delicious, but delicate.

Indigo 52’s Hand-cut Sweet Potato Fries

Hand-cut Sweet Potato Fries

Served with house-made maple garlic dipping sauce

I wanted these to be great and they were.  Big flavor, excellent snacky side dish and the maple garlic is a winner.  

Lehigh Valley is falling in love with the flavors of Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

Indigo 52’s Chicken Marsala Rotini

Chicken Marsala Rotini

Anti-biotic free chicken breast, over pasta with julienne onions, mushrooms, organic spinach, fresh herbs, with marsala sauce. 

This was the highlight.  A very well-balanced dish.  On different bites, the onion stood out, then the mushroom, then the marsala.  There’s a lot of nuance here and the sauce pulls it together.   Also, it’s a big portion.  Take the remainder home and give yourself a present for lunch tomorrow.

Indigo 52’s Apple Pie stuffed French Toast

Apple Pie stuffed French Toast

3 slices topped with a house-made fresh apple cinnamon “filling”, house-made cashew cream, and 100% pure grade A maple syrup. 

The brunch favorite brings a big bold flavor. And, again,  a lot of food. Each bite makes you smile.  If you’re into boozy brunches, this plate deserves a glass of bubbly.

Felicia’s Passion for Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

 

Felicia is a triple-threat.  She has a creative eye, a global expertise in restaurants and retail and she has a personal passion creating this concept to help others.

Creative in the way the restaurant looks and feels.  It’s funky.  It’s whimsical.  It’s playful.  As you walk in, the decor gives your eyes flavors to enjoy, while the menu handles your taste buds. 

Indigo 52’s Felicia Rocchino and Chef Kadel Woody

Expertise from years at her previous corporate work helping successful restaurants launch and grow into hugely popular brands.

And personal passion.  Yes, it’s very personal.

Recently, Felicia was living the life of a big city retail and hospitality professional based out of Philadelphia, helping restaurants grow and fulfill their professional dreams.

Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

Indigo 52’s funky, whimsical, playful decor gives your eyes flavors to enjoy

Problem is, she was always feeling sick; and in and out of dozens of doctors offices trying to understand why. Year after year, test after test, with no answers. 

One day, she met the right doctor who decided to give her a different test and there she learned the truth – Felicia has Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease is sensitivity to gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, which is in… a lot of food. 

Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

Indigo 52 is gluten free and dairy free

Truthfully, many of us suffer from different nutrition allergies, with different levels of sensitivity in reaction.  The statistic is 1-10 people. 

A strong majority of people are un-diagnosed.  Some people react with a stomach ache, others are rushed to the hospital for a few days of care.

Those who end up with stronger reactions (like needing a hospital visit) tend to never eat out or get take-out, because the risk isn’t worth it. 

Even “gluten-friendly” food tends to not be so friendly.  The restaurant and its kitchen needs to enforce incredibly disciplined action and even then, it’s still a risk.

But Felicia Rocchino’s Indigo 52 practices incredibly disciplined kitchen practices to make it safe for immune-compromised people. 

And around the country, people are taking notice.

 

“That’s Just The Way Life Is.”  Nah, it doesn’t have to be.

 

A local family always stops by the Nazareth eatery when they’re picking up their college-aged daughter because their family is immune sensitive and Indigo 52  is one of the only restaurants on the East Coast that truly offers safe food.  So they’re willing to drive hours for a meal there.

Nazareth restaurant Indigo 52

Indigo 52’s seating and decor

Same thing for a Lehigh Valley couple who became used to not eating out because of the risk.  Then they tried Indigo 52 and to their relief, it was perfect.  As a result, they even had their anniversary dinner there and Chef Kadel catered the menu toward romance.

Because of the growing unique demand, Indigo 52 has become reservation-only with diners driving from hours away to have a very specific and risk-free meal.

This Lehigh Valley restaurant has become one of the very few healthy (and delicious) stops on the East Coast to offer a consistently safe (risk-free) experience to immune-compromised diner.  And word is spreading quickly.

 

Chef Kadel’s work is Art, Magic and Flavor

 

Chef Kadel Woody has been working in Lehigh Valley restaurants since he was in high school.  Learning his kitchen secrets from time at Widow’s Tavern and Grille, Two Rivers Brewing, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza.

Felicia and Kadel connected when she knew she needed someone magical to create these unique and challenging dishes and her first several chefs couldn’t give her the results she envisioned.

Chef Kadel’s plating is art.

Chef Kadel’s ingredients are magic.

And the flavor is in every bite.

The kitchen is open so that diners can watch him create magic from their seat or even step over and get a closer glimpse. 

Local Food Brings Big Flavor

Most of Indigo 52’s ingredients are local.  Some come from Nazareth farms literally down the street from the restaurant and their delivery is walked over.  That’s very local.  That’s fresh.  

Felicia and Kadel are big supporters of the local community handing out snacks at nearby businesses and contributing delicious bites at neighborhood events.

Indigo 52 Review

Cuisine: Very strong. From their locally sourced ingredients and an inventive menu, to Chef Kadel who’s able to create custom experiences for even the most sensitive diners.

Ambience: Fun, playful.  Small town quaint with ambitious creativity

Service: Now that they’ve switched to reservation only, once you’ve been seated you get plenty of friendly and knowledgeable support.  The kitchen proudly goes out of their way to service your specific needs.

Hospitality: Because Indigo 52 is such a unique experience, if you visit knowing how special your experience can be, the kitchen and staff go out of their way to surprise and delight you

Indigo 52 is located at:

52 S Main St
Nazareth, PA 18064

Indigo 52 is open Thursday – Saturday, 10a- 8pm, reservation only

Make a reservation here.

To browse their menu.

CaliWater's Vanessa Hudgens and Oliver Treveno
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Your Summertime Adventures Deserve a Refreshing Taste, Here’s the drink for you

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Your summertime adventures deserve a refreshing taste, with healthy results and supporting a good case, taste CaliWater.

This summer many families are going on adventures – from a fun night out, to local road trips to traditional vacations and everything in between.  Families are looking for flavor, looking for healthy options, when possible choosing to support social good.

Recently we tasted a solution that solves all of this and more.

CaliWater is the latest celebrity-driven brand on an already crowded grocery shelf to promote flavor, fun and health.

Before you judge it, have you tried cactus water?  If not, honestly it’s worth a taste. 

Open your mind (and your mouth) to the world of cactus water. Try the taste of CaliWater.

The Flavor

CaliWater comes in two subtle, but very different flavors:

Ginger + Lime

It’s a drink that adds a pop to your tongue.  

Tasting-wise, on the nose is heavy lime that for me became a palette cleanser.  Got a funky taste in your mouth?  This can will save you.  The lime notes carry over on your palette and the ginger adds a refreshing zing.   The linger lasts, leaving a pleasant and refreshing taste.

Wild Prickly Pear

Tasting-wise, on your nose its a bit sweet and even floral.  As you taste, it’s giving your mouth a sweet, refreshing bath similar to a bite of watermelon.  

But How Healthy is CaliWater?

The simple answer is: very healthy.  

Caliwater contains 5 naturally occurring electrolytes to boost hydration and is packed with skin fortifying antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and 200mg of Prickly Pear Extract which is a proven hangover relief. 

Prickly Pear Cactus has shown to lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar levels, and provides natural anti-viral properties. Known as a “superfruit”, the Prickly Pear Cactus has been the health solution go-to for many all over the world.

Proven Hangover Relief

Let’s repeat an important part.  The drinks include 200mg of Prickly Pear Extract which is a proven hangover relief. 

Cali water also serves as a fantastic mixer for your favorite cocktail.

Created with passion, love, and a clear mission in mind

Earth-friendly activists Vanessa Hudgens and Oliver Trevena bonded while enjoying a prickly pear margarita.

They launched CaliWater, California cactus water that goes beyond just hydration. 

Created with passion, love and a clear mission in mind CaliWater hopes to promote healthy eco-friendly lifestyles and to make the world a better place. 

With up to 75% of Americans being considered chronically dehydrated CaliWater offer the tasty yet healthy alternative to water that also presents benefits for health and well-being. 

Giving Social Good

CaliWater’s goal is not only to provide health benefits to their customers, but also to raise awareness about the fight against childhood hunger. 

Partnering with No Kid Hungry a charity working to stop hungry children, Cali Wter pledges to donate $0.05 for every can purchased with the goal of donating $1,000,000 by April 2022.

Read for a Taste?

You can shop CaliWater here: https://drinkcaliwater.com/

You can also browse your local Erewhon, Alfred, Bevmo,  Blueys Market & Cafe, Sunlight Organics, The Pie Hotel, Vintage Grocers.

 

 

Oryx Desert salt brings Taste, Health and Social Good to Your Gourmet Experience
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Oryx Desert salt brings Taste, Health and Social Good to Your Gourmet Experience

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Oryx Desert salt brings Taste, Health and Social Good to Your Gourmet Experience

Oryx Desert Salt Taste

In the crowded world of salts and condiments,  Oryx Desert Salt is working hard to separate itself from the crowd and more and more people are noticing.

Come have a taste and a closer look….

Oryx Desert Salt has a heightened taste, even when compared to other gourmet options.  Subtle, yet bold.  It adds a zest to the bite while being gentle on your palate.  A finishing salt who’s magic is pulling out an extra bit of dimension from most dishes.

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I tried it on poultry, rib eye and salmon.  Bringing out the juice and flavor.  Each time the taste was noticeably enhanced.  

With its distinctive flavor profile using less salt will achieve that enhanced flavor and Oryx is still going, creating more exclusive flavored salts for exciting new taste experiences

Oryx Desert salt brings Taste, Health and Social Good to Your Gourmet Experience

So far I’ve only sampled their white salt, but judging by that experience, I’d LOOOVE to try their variety.

“Salt is the smallest ingredient in any meal yet it has the biggest impact”

Oryx Desert Salt’s Flavors

SMOKED SALT –  cold smoked over French Oak shavings

WINE SALT – soaked in Shiraz red wine and sundried

BRAAI/ BBQ SALT – free from additives, flavourants, preservatives, wheat or gluten fillers.

Oryx Desert Salt’s Health Benefits

Oryx Desert Salt has all the essential minerals and trace elements that exist naturally in salt, including magnesium, zinc and potassium.  

 

It’s 100% pure, crystal-white, natural desert salt.   Sun-dried, unrefined, no additives, no anti-clumping agents, no preservatives. Dried by the hot African desert sun. 

Oryx Desert salt brings Taste, Health and Social Good to Your Gourmet Experience

Why is this important? To really understand, let’s put on our science lab coats and get into the specifics.

There are two elements of salt – sodium and chloride – and they each play vital roles to your healthy body.

Sodium helps your nervous system, controls your taste, smell and touch, helps your muscles (and heart) work and helps your brain talk with the rest of your body.

Chloride is key for digestion and helps keep your blood moving.

 

Okay, science class is over.  

 

But, yeah, that’s how important salt is to us.  And how important Oryx Desert Salt recognises their role. 

 

Some of us, honestly, haven’t put that much thought into what kind of salt we’re using.  And now we know we should.

 

The Oryx Desert Salt Story

 

Back in the Summer of 2020 inspiration struck CEO / Founder Samantha Skyring when she took a 7 day walk through South Africa’s Namib Desert.

 

During the journey, she had several up-close encounters with Oryx Gazella (large antelopes) and learned the Oryx go a lifetime without drinking water.  

 

How do they survive it?  

 

The salt plays a big part.  The animals get the necessary minerals and trace elements vial by licking native salt. 

 

If you look on Oryx Desert Salt’s packaging, you’ll notice the Oryx, with its striking coloring and presence, because became the symbolic icon for Oryx Desert Salt.

 

Oryx Desert Salt Cares About Our World

 

They support small, local businesses, build partnerships and advocate for eco-awareness.

 

Oryx Desert Salt believes in impact sourcing which is choosing to source locally where  possible and supporting small, often women-owned businesses.

They also work to build collaborative relationships (from their chefs, cooking schools and beyond) seeing them as valued ambassadors.

Their cotton bags, aprons and shopper bags are manufactured by a women’s home industry community group.

 

They partner with organizations like the Ukama Foundation, Macassar Pottery,    Khomani San and Mier communities who own !Xaus Lodge in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari Desert.  

Where To Buy

Available at Whole Foods throughout the county, on Amazon and on their website here.

Erin Michele Soto
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Erin Michele Soto Rises Through Her Trauma to Return to Her Hit TV Series

By Joe Wehinger — 2 years ago

Erin Michele Soto Rises Through Her Trauma to Return to Her Hit TV Series

Audiences know Erin Michele Soto from her work in the miniseries Shirley and Shelly and the TV series Studio City, the smash hit and Emmy – winning drama.

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Around the world audiences see stars on red carpets, TV and movie screens; and often never consider the challenges these performers face to live their dreams.  

So many people recognize a star’s good looks, their talent, the laughs and tears from the characters they portray. But the audience doesn’t really get to know the person behind that work.  Today Erin is sharing a deeper look into her journey. 

Erin Michele Soto Reveals Her Bright and Her Dark

Recently we had a chance to sit down with Erin Michele Soto and she revealed the brightest and the darkest moments of her story and the excitement yet to come.

Erin Michele Soto Pushes Through Her Trauma to Return to Her Hit TV Series

Erin Michele Soto

Like so many, Erin moved to Southern California with big Hollywood dreams. But she did not become the struggling cliche.  She had the talent and good fortune to quickly find work as an actress and as a dancer.  

Tragedy on a Celeb-Filled Dance Floor

Erin Michele Soto’s grace on the dance floor quickly brought her attention.  She found A-list work immediately in Modern, Ballet, Jazz dance genres. Stars of the stage, small screen and silver screen all demanded her time, attention and help.

Erin Michele Soto Rises Above Her Trauma to Return to Her Hit TV Series

Then as her star was rising, suddenly it all crashed down.  Literally.  One day in the middle of dancing, Erin fell, hit her eye and the trauma from the fall punctured her brain.

The next moments created a chronic ailment that took Erin over a year for her to recover.  The glitz and glamour lifestyle was replaced with being bed-ridden and living a small, dark, lonely  life.

Hearing Soto reflect back today, there’s still a pain in her eyes and her voice.  But a growing strength and courage in her soul.

Was her journey hard?  Yes.  Painful?  Yes.  Encouraging?  No. 

But, Erin wasn’t done yet.

Ironically, her body really thought she was finished.  She rarely left the house.  She couldn’t socialize with friends.  She forgot how to do the smallest tasks constantly, things like closing her house door; she would routinely black out as she walked through her neighborhood.

The things most people find common, this talented star was suddenly struggling to complete.

“No One Can See My Pain”

Even worse, her mind was playing tricks on her.  

This normally proud, healthy, optimistic person was suddenly having thoughts of self-harm.  It was a dark time.  The good news is, she knew better.  Luckily, she never acted on those dark, harmful thoughts.

Your Village Supports Your Recovery Journey

To meet Erin is to fall in love with her.  Her energy, her spirit, her intelligence, her motivation.  Luckily, even in her darkest moments after her trauma, Erin’s community rallied to cheer her on and find ways to help her while she struggled to live daily life.  She bravely chose to get professional mental help which also supported her and returned her closer to light and happiness.

She learned to over-power her own thoughts and regain positivity.  She now meditates daily and credits that mental strength with her return to courage and creativity.

“I used my imagination

to get back into the world”

Back on Set

Just over a year after her life-changing trauma, Erin was itching to get back to performing.  The injury focused her true passions in using her voice in acting.  Performing, acting, dancing.  But she was dealing with a very foreign feeling: insecurity.  Could she remember her dialogue?  Could her body move as gracefully as it used to?  Would she feel as comfortable acting as she did before?

As a performer, Erin had to “learn to walk” again.

Erin was eager to return and try.  She chose a small, local theater in SoCal’s modest San Fernando Valley.  

“To her surprise, relief and excitement,

all of her worries went away.”  

To her surprise, relief and excitement, all of her worries went away.  Her mind and body cooperated and she had a blast performing again in front of huge crowds.

“If something brings you joy,

push through your fears”

Today, Erin is busier than ever.  She’s currently working on projects for both stage and screen, taking meetings as an actress for both tv and film.

She credits her friends, family, health professionals and community with helping her overcome her dark moments.  Her continued meditation keeps her mind clear and strong.

As a performer, she’s excited to be in front of an audience – whether you’re watching her in-person on stage, on your television or on the big screen.

With confidence, motivation, discipline and support from your community, everyone can rebound from their challenges and return to what they love.  Erin Michele Soto is a brilliant and inspiring example of this.

Follow Erin Michele Soto on her social media at:

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialErinMicheleSoto

https://www.instagram.com/erinmichelesoto

https://twitter.com/erinmichelesoto

 

Olivia Culpo for The Bellabeat Ivy
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Olivia Culpo Shows Off Her Favorite Women’s Health and Wellness Wearable – The Bellabeat Ivy

By Phil Moreno — 3 years ago

Olivia Culpo Shows Off Her Favorite Women’s Health and Wellness Wearable – The Bellabeat Ivy.

Olivia Culpo released today a video on her Instagram Story where she shares a few of the reasons Ivy tracker by Bellabeat is her favorite go-to wearable.

The Bellabeat Ivy is specifically made for women and has been seen in recent coverage as an outstanding health tracker to monitor and track a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, postpartum depression symptoms, menopause symptoms, and more.

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The Ivy monitors the body’s reactions and daily habits continuously during both the day and night through advanced sensors.

In turn, providing women with a complete insight into the pace of life.

Elegantly designed, The Ivy is a smart bracelet and truly one gem of a find retailing at $249 on bellabeat.com and is available in four gorgeous colors.

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Olivia-Culpo-The-Bellabeat-Ivy

Olivia Culpo’s The Bellabeat Ivy

“I’m Obsessed with my Ivy tracker, and I know you guys will be too.

It tracks everything from my cycle which is amazing, my activity rate, respiratory rate, heart rate, stress levels, mindfulness, and hydration.

It really does it all.

Plus, the fact that it tracks your cycle is something that I’ve really never seen before.” States Olivia Culpo in a video found on the Bellabeat Wellness Youtube channel. “It is made for women by women.

It will give you a readiness score based on your body bio-response, and it will give you a wellness score based on your efforts throughout the day. If my readiness score is really low, then I know I won’t be able to take that important meeting, and maybe I need to take a break, and if it’s really high, then I know that I can do everything and pretty much conquer the word!

You can also gift it to your friends, and you can have a friendly little competition.”

Related:  Love Styling your Furbaby? Cosmo and Ethical Products Team Up

A leader in creating wellness technology, Co-Founders Urska Sršen and Sandro Mur are the team behind the Bellabeat brand.

Bellabeat is aimed exclusively at women and recently announced that they have started the process of submitting an official application to the FDA for their product, the Bellabeat Ivy.

Obtaining a license from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would allow doctors and clinicians to officially use the Ivy wearable technology to monitor the menstrual cycle in the treatment of women.

“The Ivy tracker is designed as a statement piece; It’s such an elegant bracelet. Strong on the inside, processing all of your wellness information throughout the day, and beautiful on the outside.” States Urška Sršen, Co-founder of Bellabeat. “We are thrilled to have Olivia Culpo, a true celebrity style maven, standing behind us and bringing awareness to our brand as we do some amazing things in the Women’s health landscape.”

Related:

Wine-Lovers, Make this Boutique Winery part of Your Oregon Trip!

“We decided to create a brand that develops tech-driven products focusing on the female user. We now have a whole ecosystem of connected products and digital experiences designed to help women track and improve their physical and mental health.” States Bellabeat Co-Founder Sandro Mur.

Related:  Celebrate Your Departed Pets in a New Heartwarming, Personalized Pet Memorial with EverAfter

About Bellabeat


Bellabeat Inc. is a Silicon Valley company building tech-powered wellness products for women. The Bellabeat team previously released the disruptive Leaf health tracking jewelry for women and the first smart water bottle powered by AI. Bellabeat is now revolutionizing the FemTech space by taking natural cycles into account when creating its guided programs and Ivy Smart Bracelet, helping women reach their health goals more effectively and enjoyably. Visit https://bellabeat.com/ for additional information.

 

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