Amplify, was a food event put on by Branchfood to showcase innovative food businesses in Boston. This post has been a long time coming, since it took place back in early May. Time flies!
At Amplify, I met Helen Rennie, founder of Helen’s Kitchen Cooking School and later learned about New Grounds Food co-founder Johnny Fayad. For some fun reading, take a look at the You Pick Six interviews with both of them when you get a chance.
Other ideas (recipe creations) I had for a post never came together the way that I intended. But I really like several of the companies and want to make sure that I share some of my favorites. They are all local companies, so supporting them is a great way to buy local! I’ll go in order that they are displayed in the picture above.
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Veggie Fries are the result of a family trying to find a healthy, but similarly tasty and crispy alternative to frozen French fries. Along with potatoes, they mix in vegetables with herbs, spices and sea salt. Veggie Fries are “vegan, Non-GMO certified and free of the top 8 allergens including gluten, soy, dairy, and wheat.” I think they succeeded and very much enjoyed eating them.
Curio Spice Co. was founded by Claire Cheney. She travels the world sourcing directly “from farmers and producers, using the highest standards in organic and fair trade agriculture.” She has several unique blends, including one made with flowers. All the blends are made of freshly ground whole spices that are packaged in beautiful vintage style tins.
Minus the Moo makes lactose-free ice cream. It’s delicious! Even though it’s made with dairy, it’s safe for those who are lactose intolerant. It’s made with the lactase enzyme. Co-founder Katy Flannery is lactose intolerant herself and missed sharing ice cream with family and friends. She’s also a pediatric intensive care nurse, so she used her health science background to experiment with different recipes and formulations. The rest is ice cream history!
EHChocolatier makes handcrafted artisan chocolates. Elaine Hsieh and Catherine Sweeney met in 1999 when a mutual friend brought them together to make her wedding cake. They remained friends and opened their business in 2010. Their small batch chocolates are pretty little works of art that you can eat. A very special chocolate that you could put on your own pillow as a treat before you drift off to sleep.
Gutsey bars were created by Carrie Forbes with the traveler and commuter in mind who is looking for a nutritious snack. The bars “contain only good fats and organic ingredients. No GMO’s, no grains, no gluten and no added sugars.” The packaging is fun with state themed names — Maine The Way Bahs Should Be, New Hampshire Eat Clean Live Free and Boston Wicked Strong Bah. What New Englander can resist?
Fancy Pants Baking Co. make peanut and tree nut free cookies that are also Non-GMO Project Verified, 100% natural and certified kosher. They build their own cookie cutters by hand and their Instagram Feed will have you drooling over the many varieties of cookies with colorful frostings and shapes.
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Picture Credits: Collage created with images found on websites and/or social media accounts of companies mentioned.
Disclosure: As an event attendee, I tasted samples and was given free products to take home.
