Azar’s hummus to help out museum
Victor Azar is hoping to whip up some support for the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and Café MAC with a new product.
Azar is packaging and selling two flavors of hummus on the menu at the café – recipes he’s been making for catering clients and donating to local fundraisers for many years.
“My hummus flavors became pretty famous that way,” Azar says. “People just kept saying, ‘Why don’t you package it?’”
He decided to try selling the hummus to draw people to the MAC and his own café inside. The museum has been struggling with state budget cuts and lagging visitor numbers. Ten percent of profits from the hummus sales will be donated to the MAC.
Victor’s Hummus is made with organic chickpeas. Two flavors – toasted sesame and jalapeno – are sold in 12-ounce packages for $3.99. Azar has plans to make lemon zest, basil, chipotle, sundried tomato and other flavors.
Azar’s smiling mug and the logo for the MAC are on the hummus label. It is sold at Café MAC, 2316 W. First Ave.; Rosauers, 1808 W. Third Ave.; Huckleberry’s Natural Market, 926 S. Monroe St.; Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd Ave.; Main Market, 44 W. Main Ave.; and Fresh Abundance, 2015 N. Division St.
For more information, go to www.victorshummus.com. Or stop by Café MAC to taste the hummus, which is on the menu. No museum admission is required to visit the café.
Café MAC is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
CakeLove,
all over again
A new cookbook that landed on my desk has me itching for an excuse to bake – and the Fourth of July will do nicely.
“United Cakes of America: Recipes Celebrating Every State” is the follow-up book by lawyer-turned-baker Warren Brown. In his first effort, “CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch,” Brown shared the cakes he serves up at his original Washington, D.C. bakery CakeLove.
This time, Brown has created swoon-worthy creations for each state, including Huckleberry Cake for Idaho and Apple Cake for Washington. (But I’m certain that it wouldn’t be unpatriotic to bake the Tennessee Mountain Stack Cake or Black Walnut Torte from Arkansas.)
Look inside today’s Food section for the recipe for Brown’s take on Strawberry Shortcake – perfect timing, since growers at Green Bluff opened for U-pick strawberries this week.
The strawberry celebration at Green Bluff is Saturday and Sunday, continuing July 3 and 4. Look for more details and find a grower at www.greenbluff growers.com or on the Green Bluff Direct Marketing Association page on Facebook.