WORDS BY OLIVIER J. BOURGOIN (AKA. OLIVIER THE WINE GUY)
A Different Type of Tap Room
Photo by Caswell
Looking to try a new place, or a different type of beverage? How about both?
Fermenteria Tap Room at 2243 East Commerce Street is the brainchild of the University of Texas at Austin graduate, Jade C. Sheppard. Even though it’s a bonafide tap room, the brew that’s flowing from those taps is not beer. Instead, get ready to experience hard water kefir, a beverage brimming with beneficial probiotics. Sheppard says, “Our hard water kefir has a low five-percent alcohol content. It contains only a hundred calories per can, zero sugar or artificial sweeteners and is full of live probiotics! It is unadulterated and naturally fermented in small batches right here in San Antonio.”
Kefir is a cultured milk by-product with origins in central and eastern Europe. It’s made by inoculating milk with kefir grains, which are live probiotics shaped like clusters of tiny, soft white marshmallows. Water kefir is light, fizzy and healthy. It can be made with or without alcoholic fermentation. At Fermenteria, both versions are served.
Available flavors include orange elderflower, Thai lime coconut, strawberry rose, paloma, hibiscus sangria, pineapple lemongrass and brut as in dry sparkling wine. The non-alcoholic versions are pine- apple coconut, butterfly blossom and strawberry lime tulsi. Growlers to-go can be purchased there, or you can bring your own. And if you get caffeine cravings, both espresso and nitro cold brew coffee are on the menu.
Dips Born from Generations of Family Recipes
Photo by DipIt by Pilar
Pilar Gonzalez-Garza grew up learning her great aunt and grandmother’s recipes. The care of their memories is the foundation of her now-thriving, Mission, Texas-based gourmet dip business, DipIt by Pilar. Hard work, creativity and determination are its pillars. “Every tub of my product is infused with the spirit and the love of family,” she explains.
DipIt by Pilar gourmet dips are crafted from the highest quality, all- natural, fresh and nutritious ingredients, without preservatives or flavor additives. The dips have won taste and quality awards all along the way, including a top spot in H-E-B’s 2014 Quest for Texas Best contest. They are now available in more than 100 H-E-B stores across Texas.
This versatile product, which comes in a cream cheese or yogurt base, is more than a dip, it can be used to make homemade salad dressings, or to spruce up your own family recipes or dishes from chicken to seafood or pasta to burgers. A variety of flavors are available, including bacon, chipotle, cilantro, jalapeño, olives, red chili pepper, spinach, zesty avocado and more.
More info (as well as recipes) can be gleaned at dipitbypilar.com
Yummy Yogurt With High Standards
Photo by Mother Culture
Michelle Allen is the brain and the brawn behind Mother Culture. When her daughter Emma was a young child, she was diagnosed with over 30 food allergies along with a slew of other ailments, which presented daily challenges for her and Allen. After researching allergies and implementing some diet adjustments, Emma’s condition improved dramatically. Allen was sold on the lifestyle changes but was unable to readily find the products she wanted for her daughter on grocery store shelves. So, she started making her own homemade, old-world-style yogurt. Her company spawned from there. “Oftentimes, folks don’t realize that a product made in an ethical fashion just tastes better. My baby showed me the way to a sustainable biotic, nourishing diet,” Allen says. “I do not compromise on quality. We use only the highest quality milk that comes from grass-fed, cream-top, raw 100-percent organic, pesticide and GMO free milk.”
When they started 10 years ago, they were producing about 30 gallons per week. Today, they’re up to 800 gallons and producing two styles of yogurt: signature (or plain) and cheesecloth-strained Greek- style. Some of the signature flavors available include plain, blueberry lemon, honey vanilla, maple ginger, lime + mint, and cherry berry and in the Greek-style: plain, luscious lemon, honey vanilla, maple pecan, triple berry and… (my favorite), dark chocolate. Mother Culture can be found at Whole Foods, Central Market and at area farmers markets, including the Pearl.
Gourmet Nuts Made With Love
Photo by Al’s Gourmet Nuts
Before Albert ‘Al’ Anaglia and his wife, Margaret Wilson-Anaglia bought their gourmet nuts business, Al’s Gourmet Nuts, from a retired chef, Wilson-Anaglia was a stay-at-home mom and wife of almost 25 years. Even with limited marketing experience and none in the food business, the couple has harnessed her passion and love for fresh and local food, made the old-fashioned way, to create a successful venture that’s been thriving for almost 25 years.
“Passion, dedication and love of what we do are what drives me,” says Wilson-Anaglia. Al’s Gourmet Nuts are grown by local growers, made only in small batches and include peanuts, pecans, almonds and, now, kettle corn. The nuts are vegetarian as well as gluten, soy and dairy-free. “We infuse them with lavender and Texas honey, and all the love that we pour into it the old-fashioned way,” she quips.
About the Contributor
Olivier J. Bourgoin has been a wine broker and consultant, as well as a freelance writer, who has been involved in these industries in and around the greater San Antonio area for more than 25 years. A native of France with family roots deep in the wine producting region of Burgundy, he is known as “Olivier the Wine Guy” and featured as such on a local weekly radio segment for 20 years.
