Specialty Foods Find A Home
When Michael Cain and Dawn Lindley owned OH’Brine’s, a Spokane purveyor of pickled vegetables, they learned just how hard it was to get their product into people’s hands - and mouths.
So after they sold the business last August, they started thinking about ways they could help other specialty food companies tell their stories.
“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could get the products directly to the consumer?”’ Lindley says.
The result: In House Gourmet, a “gourmet food home party business” that Lindley believes is the first of its kind in the country.
She and Cain have assembled a catalog of more than 200 food items from coast to coast, most of which aren’t available anyplace else in Spokane.
They arrange gatherings in people’s homes where guests can sample and buy gourmet goodies, from appetizers to main dishes to desserts - sort of an edible Tupperware party. Hosts earn credits toward free products, depending on overall sales.
As for the owners, “all we do is party,” Lindley says with a laugh.
Customers can also order directly from the catalog. For more information, call 325-9198.
Net profits
Do you have a seafood recipe that really hooks everyone who eats it?
If so, it could earn you a few fins in the annual Seafood Cook-Off at the annual Washington State Seafood Festival in Shelton.
The contest is open to original main dish, soup/stew and appetizer recipes. Finalists will be selected to prepare their dishes at the festival Oct. 4-5, with prizes in each category and the overall amateur and professional winners each receiving $400.
Recipes must be legibly printed on standard-sized paper, along with name, address, telephone number and amateur/professional status. Send by Aug. 15 to Bob Rogers, SE 200 Mermaid Lane, Shelton, WA 98584; for more information, call (360) 426-1754.
Pepper corn
Hot, buttered popcorn is tough to beat, but Jake & Luke’s has skipped the butter and turned up the heat.
The fledgling Ashland, Ore., food company’s first product is a Hot! Hot! Hot! Popcorn flavored with powdered habaneros, which are among the hottest chilies around. While not overpowering, it definitely makes a statement.
Spokane is one of the test markets for the fiery snack, starting at Spokane Indians baseball games.
The company is also targeting taverns and convenience stores. “We want to be positioned next to cold beverages,” says Jake & Luke’s Peter Staley.
And if you try the stuff, so will you.
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MEMO: We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.