Julian Crews: Bean Quest: July 2010 Archives

It's a nice look (and listen) of the beautiful Elizabethtown Baptist Church Choir (the oldest Baptist church in continuous service in the Land of Lincoln).   Enjoy!          

(Chicago)  The scene was "mui loco" (even for this crazy Cuban).  The Jacob Javits Center in New York was buzzing like a beehive.  There I was, on the floor of the famous Fancy Food Show, handing out samples of my famous frijoles negros (Cuban black beans & rice).  Buyers from all over the world were looking for NEW flavors and products.  And we seemed to get strong feedback from folks trying our Old Havana Foods products.  People especially loved our "secret sauce."  That's the thing that gives our authentic Cuban classics a unique flavor. 

On the island, it's known as "sofrito."  I like to think of it as the melting-pot of saute' seasonings.  The roots of this centuries-old seasoning date back to Spain, with Native Caribbean and Afro-Cuban influence.  We prefer to call it "all purpose Sauteed Seasoning" because nobody outside Miami knows what the word "sofrito" means.  The "foodies" really seemed to respond to it. 
Got a ton of leads and now it's a matter of sending samples and talking to store owners. 
Many of you have asked if we've made it to any store shelves yet.  I'm happy to report that we're on the retail shelf at Forager's Market in Brooklyn, New York.  This energetic and stylish specialty food store sits between two famous bridges - the Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan bridge.  The people that work there are great.  And it was a thrill to see our products on the shelf.  

Muchas gracias to everyone in Chicago for following my food adventures on wgntv.com.  I'll keep you posted on NEW developments with my fledgling family enterprise.