WORDS BY FRANCISCO CORTEZ
Deep River Specialty Foods
photo by Deep River
Although their family hails from North Carolina, Cheri and Jeff White, owners of Deep River, have blended traditional family recipes with culinary discoveries they have made in the last 10 years living in San Antonio. The result is a tasty, handmade mix of products designed to liven up most any dish.
“Starting with a few select barbecue sauces, mustards and jams, we have since expanded to include our ten award-winning barbecue sauces, a watermelon vinaigrette, six rubs and seasonings, five gourmet mustards, six jams, including our apple onion bacon jam, and our newest addition, Speak Easy-branded liqueur cakes in two sizes and ten flavors,” says Cheri.
Deep River also takes to heart feedback from customers who want low sugar, low sodium products with clean ingredients, no MSG or artificial preservatives. Deep River’s products are available at the Pearl Farmers Market, Rancho Diaz, also at Pearl, and Bayside Fresh Market in Marble Falls.
Special Leaf Teas
photo by Special Leaf Tea
Special Leaf founder and chef Chris Cook says his olive leaf-based teas are a healthy, fun way for people to enjoy iced tea, and now comes in cans, lightly sparkling.
According to Cook, the nutritional benefits of Special Leaf olive tea are as numerous as its use is ancient, including all-natural ingredients and antioxidants that are known to help with blood pressure, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, cholesterol and even weight management. Special Leaf’s teas have no added sugar, and Cook says olive leaf tea can also be a natural energizer for those wanting that all-important caffeine boost.
“The olive tree is a truly miraculous tree,” adds Cook.
As the San Antonio-based company increases distribution, Special Leaf aims to help support local charities in different ways. Special Leaf is currently available in four flavors — the original, tangerine, hibiscus and pomegranate — and can be found in six- and 12-packs online and at local retail locations.
Adagio Salumi
photo by Adagio Salumi
Brothers and owners of Adagio Salumi, Gerardo and Anthony Garcia, learned by hand how to cure meat in the old-world style as youngsters. They now employ these traditional ways at their own salumeria and farm near Dripping Springs, where they raise their own animals. This way, they are able to control their animals’ diet.
The company specializes in small-batch artisanal salami and cured meats that are made artfully by hand. The offerings include soppressata, tartufo, felina, sobrasada, calabrese, pancetta tesa, pancetta arrotolata, guanciale and many more. “We use no nitrates, nitrites or any artificial ingredients. We source everything locally. Our pigs are fed a soy-free diet. We use a whole-grain peanut meal for their protein,” says Garcia.
Additionally, Adagio uses only salt and fermentation to preserve their uncooked meats and understands that, as they claim, the difference between “good” and “the best” can be a single degree of humidity. Clearly, they are superior craftsmen. “That’s the way meat has been cured long before refrigeration was invented,” Garcia says. While Adagio’s large diameter salami is used at restaurants in major Texas metropolitan areas, their small diameter salami, such as the smoked chorizo and pistachio salami, is available in stores and for online orders for boxed delivery. Find out for yourself why they say their meats take two years to prepare but are gone in under 10 minutes.
Gourmet Texas Pasta
photo by Gourmet Texas Pasta
A fashion industry veteran who relocated from Los Angeles to Austin, Courtney Heitmann bought Gourmet Texas Pasta following a passion she developed working for the culinary company.
Heitmann says she enjoys creating flavorful, 100 percent natural varieties of pasta, such as artichoke heart and spinach basil and garlic, blending all sorts of herbs and vegetables with non-GMO whole wheat. Round Rock-based Gourmet Texas also produces gluten-free flavors of pasta that are so superb you won’t even miss the gluten. The ingredients are locally-sourced with an eye toward people’s health too, Heitmann adds.
“It’s a labor of love. It’s not easy by any means, but it makes us smile bringing joy to other people,” Heitmann says of her new career. They’ve been a popular stall at the Pearl Farmers Market for years. It’s nearly impossible to walk by without getting lured in by the array of colorful pastas. They also offer recipe recommendations for all of their pastas — although, to be honest, all you really need to add is a little bit of olive oil and parmesan to make anybody quite happy. You can also find Gourmet Texas Pasta online and at farmers markets in Austin and Cedar Park.
About the Contributor
A native San Antonian, Francisco Cortez has been a local journalist for more than 25 years, having worked full time or freelanced for several area news publications, including Edible SA. Francisco studied mass communications at San Antonio College and Texas State University. When he’s not writing or editing, he enjoys hiking, reading, and watching or playing basketball.
