Potomac Chocolate
The Washington, DC metropolitan area is a powerhouse of intrigue with politicians, lobbyists, judges, lawyers, and government offices but today the spotlight is on a chocolate maker in our nation’s capital. Ben Rasmussen owns and operates Potomac Chocolate: a real bean-to-bar chocolate maker who handcrafts truly incredible dark chocolate bars in a suburb (Woodbridge, Virginia) of Washington, D.C. Read more 
NuttyPirateGranola Bars
The western coastal waters off central Florida are known for treasure hunting opportunities with long ago sunken ships waiting to be discovered but this area (Ellenton, Florida) is also the home of Nutty Pirate Snacks – the makers of NuttyPirateGranola Bars: all natural, gluten and lactose-free granola bars that come in a variety of flavors.
Made of wholesome ingredients including oats, tapioca flour, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, dark chocolate chips, and nuts blended with agave nectar and homemade brown sugar (organic sugar and molasses), NuttyPirateGranola Bars are flavorful, chewy, slightly crunchy, and delicious. Read more
Josh’s Firehouse Dog Treats
Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them’s making a poop, the other one’s carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge? ~Jerry Seinfeld
As much as we like to think we’re in charge, most dog owners are totally gaga over their pups and go to great lengths to keep them happy and healthy. If Queen Elizabeth had an i-phone, bets on the cover photo would be on her corgis (the Queen is purported to prefer her dogs over her blood relatives). But, I digress. Read more
Bonbon Barnier
The words “Bonbon Barnier” seem to just flow out of my mouth when the discussion turns to lollipops (or what the French call sucettes). Maison Barnier is a 130 year old family company (established 1885) located in St. Etienne du Rouvray in the Normandy region of France, dedicated to creating quality confections using traditional ingredients and methods. Almond-shaped (large) with a short stick, the BonBon Barnier sucette was invented in 1922 and became very popular with children and remains so generations later.
Veeps, Veeps, and More Veeps
All you need to do is take one bite and you’ll realize you’re in Veep nirvana.
Meet Skipper and Sunny, the most delicious soft and chewy vegan peeps (hence, the reference to “Veeps“) available this Easter season. Forget those incandescent yellow peeps sold in every CVS and supermarket in America. Sweet & Sara’s version is different and irresistible because of one reason: the ingredients. Read more
Real Black Licorice
Black licorice tends to elicit strong opinions with most people falling into either the “love it” or “leave it” categories. For those who love it and for the few who are still on the fence, consider trying licorice made by Lakritsfabriken (“the licorice maker”) – a Swedish company committed to redefining what real licorice candy should taste like. Read more
Bespoke® Crackers
…..sturdy, crunchy and über tasty (just the way a rockin’ good cracker ought to be)
Great tasting food is made from great tasting ingredients which is exactly what Bespoke® Provisions of Boulder, Colorado set out to do for crackers – a food that is often an afterthought or purchased as a vehicle to eat with other foods.
The word “bespoke” refers to a product made to a particular specification and in the case of Bespoke® Provisions, that meant using all natural and whole-grain rolled oats to make a super tasty and sturdy cracker that could both stand on its own and complement toppings including cheese, nut butters, spreads, dips, and even bruschetta. Read more
Salad Essentials
Creating a great tasting salad is all about combining fresh food while thinking about color, taste, and texture. Most salads are colorful – light green lettuce leaves, dark green spinach, red or yellow tomato chunks, orange carrots, green avocado, light green cucumber, pink radishes, red pepper, black olives, burgundy cranberries – tasty, and have some texture differences, but lack a super crunchy and delicious addition that takes a salad from good to great. Read more
Tessemae’s Salad Dressings
The story of how Tessemae’s Salad Dresssings came to be started with a mom of three boys who wouldn’t eat their vegetables – nothing unusual here except that the mom (Tessemae) convinced her sons to eat their veggies by flavoring them up with homemade salad dressings made with simple all natural ingredients: olive oil, lemon, garlic, mustard, sea salt, distilled vinegar, red peppers, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, date puree, red wine vinegar, worchestershire sauce, organic honey, and spices. The rest is history. The boys grew up, realized their mom made some pretty incredible salad dressings, and decided to start a company selling her fresh, delicious dressings and sauces. Read more
Vivi Chocolate
What Love Tastes Like…Simply Chocolate
Back in 2006, Barbara Yeager was in an herbal apothecary store in Seattle, Washington when she noticed a jar of cacao nibs (cacao beans that have been roasted at a low temperature, separated from their husks, and broken into tiny pieces). After she tasted the nibs, she understood why people are really into chocolate: because cacao nibs taste like chocolate without the sweetness. It was love at first bite. Read more
Paddock Post 