De-Aussiefy Your Pantry (August 2008)
Screaming Seeds shakes up spice racks

Piquant Palate founder Stacy Luks so fell in love with Australia whilst living abroad, she’s now working to bring some of Down Under’s most unique flavors stateside. Her Screaming Seeds spice collection does just that, producing outspoken herb medleys ideal for cooking, marinating or sprinkling on just about anything that could use a savory punch. Read more

Sweet Heat for Your Meat (June/July 2008)
BBQ Brothers’ Sauces Sizzle

Barbecue mixologist Bill Siewert says he typically plans his vacations around fire pit-centric dining destinations: That way, he can work while he plays. So far, Siewert’s roving research has resulted in a quartet of homemade sauces, including his original Sweet Hog (award-winning, tomato-based blend), the Creole-inspired Golden Hog (Siewert’s personal favorite), Burning Hog (a fire-starter fueled by nearly a dozen peppers) and Garlic Hoganero (habanero hot sauce tempered by full garlic flavor). Read more

Dress to Ingest (May 2008)
Clever Tees Make Food Fashionable

Never mind wearing your heart on your sleeve. Make 2008 about proudly displaying your epicurean ideals. The Diet Detective’s latest crop of deliciously wry T-shirts highlights nutritional sensibility (a donut-emblazoned covering warns, “think before you eat”) and gourmet pride (a plucky tomato declares itself “locally grown”) without becoming overly preachy. Read more

Sour Power (April 2008)
Varietal Vinegars Redefine Wine

Vinegar visionaries Claudia Nami and Susan Lewis don’t just love turning good wine, they’ve just about perfected the process. They ferment and age their homegrown grapes and black currants (an antioxidant- and vitamin-rich partner) for roughly two years before bottling, a loving process that yields robust, gourmet vinegars (the black merlot delivers bright fruit and some serious acid). Read more

Forget-Me-Knots (March 2008)
Gourmet Pretzels That Leave You Stuffed

Regardless of whether your tastes skew savory or sweet, Kimberly and Scott Holstein have probably got something in their growing line of homemade twists to satisfy any craving. Read more

Sweet Emotion (February 2008)
Mary’s Has Confections Galore for Your Adored

“I love to buy unique presents—something that nobody else can get,” said Mary Deatherage, the owner of an eponymous candy shop where virtually anything that can be dipped in chocolate usually is. Read more

Clean Livin’ (January 2008)
Mom Made babies kids from within

Good nutrition begins at birth. Take it from momtrepreneur Heather Stouffer.

She launched her organic baby food business to promote sound eating right from the start. Her basic process—all-natural ingredients + filtered water + freezing (nature’s preservative)—yields purees that are all about freshness... Read more

High on the Hog (December 2007)
Tom Calhoun has the cure for any bland holiday dinner

The country ham connoisseur has been curing hams—typically hung to dry between three to four months and often held longer—for nearly half a century, producing roughly 4,000 salty specimens per year. Read more

Sweets with Heart (November 2007)
Gourmet Cookies Aim to Cure More than the Blues

Cookie queen Debra Rogers has a sweet deal for anyone interested in her baked-to-order treats: Buy some cookies, help trounce breast cancer. Read more

Seriously Citrusy (October 2007)
Plunging into Pasolivo’s fruit-spiked oils

Now that Rachael Ray’s got everyone worshipping at the altar of “EVOO”—her shorthand for extra-virgin olive oil—one might wonder where to turn for the next olive oil breakthrough.

Gourmet dippers and adventurous chefs alike can now scratch that itch with Pasolivo’s line of citrus-infused oils (family-grown Tuscan olives are simultaneously pressed with select citrus peels), including lime... Read more

Culinary school chums Amy Hakola and Susannah Callaway have made cheesecake “hot” with their Savory Secret creations.

Hakola said her father-in-law used to bake an herby treat each Christmas which evolved into their Five Herb (garden-fresh flavor) cheesecake. Read more

Barbecue fans can now temper their favorite grilled fare with Budweiser’s gourmet seasonings, developed at the Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg.

Executive chef Brent Wertz helped nurture the four debut sauces—basting (sharp honey-mustard tang), wing (fiery butter-vinegar blend), beechwood smoked (smoky mass of garlic and molasses) and traditional barbecue... Read more

Aloha, Artificial Chillers (June/July 2007)
Hawaiian Scoop Doles Out Fruity, Frozen Fare

Believe it or not, Luis Alvarado is not that into “sugary, candy-like” sweets.
Which is why this ex-Marine fell for the lighter tasting Lappert’s ice cream and Dole Whip soft-serve (non-dairy fruit treat) while stationed in Hawaii. Back home in Virginia, his frozen favorites were nowhere to be found. Read more

Have Oven, Will Dazzle (May 2007)
Small-time baker hits it big with exotic sweets

Graphic designer cum amateur baker Krishna Brown says she draws inspiration from music, books and her travel wish-list.

“From Brazil to Bordeaux is what I bake,” she says of the global catalog offered by her Shoe Box Oven bakery. Read more

Salutory Snacking (April 2007)
Lesser Evil Bedevils High-Fat Cravings

Now’s that dieting resolution holding up? If the mind is still willing but the flesh remains weak—or worse, noticeably jiggly—avoid temptation by giving in to Lesser Evil’s tasty, low-calorie snacks.

The health-conscious snackmaker specializes in all-natural products touted as “low-fat” yet “high in moral fiber,” a boast accompanied by items that are typically under 150 calories a serving. Read more

Nibble Away Naturally (March 2007)
Chocolate Snack Aims to Bring Healthy Back

Self-proclaimed “chocoholic” Laura Graves is hoping her new Cacao Nibbles will help bring the benefits of dark chocolate to light.

Graves says she started out selling homemade sweets at local farmer’s markets, but was quickly swamped with requests for more guilt-free snacks. “You can’t eat truffles every day without gaining weight,” she maintains. Read more

Pop that Rocks (February 2007)
DRY Soda Delivers Mouthwatering Refreshment

Tired of feeling “left out” during dinner outings while pregnant (wine was a no-no, sparkling water lacked pizzazz), epicurean entrepreneur Sharelle Klaus came up with DRY Soda—a gourmet cooler for those bored with high fructose corn syrup-bearing fare. Read more