- Spicy Southwestern Cheddar: Initially, we called this Nacho Cheddar - but that didn't quite capture the essence of the flavour. I'd also added quite a bit of heat to it for my friend Ted Farmer, then owner of Heads Up Brewing, who was looking for a tasty kick to go along with his phenomenal brews. We played around with a few names and Spicy Southwestern Cheddar emerged as the victor. Thanks, Ted!
- Caramel and Golden Cheddar Mix: This one is easy. A Chicago-based popcorn shop offered this delicious combo. Not only did it inspire me to start Popcorn Chef (see How Popcorn Chef Got Started), but this flavour was one of our first offerings.
- Cheddar BBQ: Can't have a Spicy Southwestern Cheddar without a BBQ, now can you? No brainer here.
- Buttermilk Ranch: This also seemed obvious, and was a first step towards a future salt and sour version.
- Wasabi: If you love wasabi, you'll understand. This remains a challenging flavour because it's delicious if eaten within the first two days of being made. Thereafter, it's still tasty...but the wasabi is much less present and it comes off as a slightly herbed popcorn. We'll keep at it.
- Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Coconut: Everyone and their mom makes it with milk chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate, and wanted something more robust than drizzled corn. Ours is a homemade, slow-baked version with a crunchy-yet-chewy consistency that can't be beat. Customers complain that we forced them to eat it all in one sitting. Toss in some coconut and you have a Mounds candy bar thing going. What's not to like?
- Butterscotch Caramel: A friend of mine from Wet Apple Media loves the Baked Caramel, but occasionally mentioned his love for butterscotch. We finally got around to it. Actually quite delicious.
- Dark Chocolate with Chipotle, Cayenne & White Truffle Oil: We were already doing dark chocolate. Spiced up chocolates were already making the rounds in the food arena. Popping with truffle oil and drizzling it on the corn was also nothing new. But one day, Amy Igloi-Matsuno of Amy's on the Bay spoke of tasting a mixture of all three on a trip to Chicago. We talked about how to make it over martinis, and this was the result. A must with red wine or nice single malt scotch.
- Butterscotch Heaven: This was an offshoot of efforts to produce Butterscotch Caramel. To say this has taken off would be an understatement. It's like crack to some of our customers and is reminiscent of a Pay Day candy bar. Some are so passionate about it they still debate me regarding how I should name it.
- White Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds: I am not a white chocolate fan, but this seemed like a festive holiday treat for those who are. I hear it's "killer" and tastes like ice cream. Works for us.
- Chocolate Peanut Truffles: And of course, with dark chocolate. The idea behind this was small takeaways one could nibble over coffee, tea, or red wine and forget that it's really popcorn. We'll have to get back to you on customer sentiments: all they can muster when eating are moans.
- UPDATED White Cheddar with Cracked Pepper: How could I forget this? Several customers wrote as much last night after the blog went live.Well...we were vending at Peninsula Future Festival a couple of years ago. As a customer and his wife purchased bags of white cheddar, they thanked us and began to walk away. He quickly turned back and asked, "Got any fresh black pepper?" Everyone went ''Aaahhh! in unison. From that day forward, it's been the current recipe.
The other day, I was asked how some of our regularly offered flavours landed on the menu. Here goes.....
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