First Bites: March 2021 - Condiments

KETCHUP GLOW-UP

Chef David Schaub is on a mission to have people re-think ketchup. “I’ve been a chef for almost 20 years now,” says Schaub, “and in most of the restaurants I’ve worked in, ketchup didn’t get its due. We made our aioli and hot sauce from scratch, but we’d bring in Heinz ketchup. It didn’t make sense to me.” That all began to change in 2017, when Schaub launched The Ketchup Project after months of intensive product testing. Selling at the Carp Farmers’ Market allowed Schaub to flex his creative muscles thanks to the inspiration he got from all the local produce. “We did some pretty funky stuff,” Schaub recalls, “an all-cauliflower ketchup for instance. I had my tomato ketchups pretty locked down at that point, so it was easy to trade ingredients with farmers and showcase their produce. I had a new flavour every week.” Fast-forward to 2020. With many farmers’ markets shut down or operating at limited capacity, Schaub took the opportunity to focus on his “core four” tomato ketchups. “I narrowed my focus so I could bring these flavours to wholesale,” he says. Schaub’s Classic Ketchup is much more tomato-forward than most. Apple adds sweetness and hints of clove, cinnamon and allspice round out the blend. Another fan favourite, Bring It On, adds spice and heat from ginger and habanero. “It’s got heat, but fundamentally it’s still a ketchup, not a hot sauce,” Schaub says. “You can still drag a grilled cheese through it.”

The Ketchup Project
theketchupproject.ca | 613.850.9370 | @theketchupproject

Find it: Around the Block Butcher Shop, Burrow Shop, Muckleston & Brockwell, The Piggy Market, Seed to Sausage General Store

FROM COOL BOOCH TO HOT SAUCE

When you think of Eva Vanderberg and Ryan Wiles, you might also be thinking about kombucha. Understandable as they’re the heart and soul of Vox Kombucha, a mere 30-minute drive from Ottawa, in Wakefield, Que. But as Vanderberg — former head of Juniper Farm’s fermentation program — tells it, the link between kombucha and hot sauce isn’t hard to find. “They’re both products of fermentation,” she says, “and they complement each other. Kombucha is cooling, while hot sauce is warming.” Hot sauce is also a labour of love, says Vanderberg. “Ryan loves heat and hot sauces. It’s a chance to incorporate his love of spice into our business.” From August to October, the pair sources piles of hot peppers from local farms, such as Acorn Creek Garden Farm, to ferment as the base of the company’s three hot sauces. Hot Wax Poetic owes its name to the yellow Hungarian hot wax peppers that give the sauce its mild, sunshiny heat. Hints of winter squash, turmeric and yellow mustard seed round out the flavour. Blazing Apple Ginger is a green, jalapeño-based sauce, whose quick, medium heat is complexified with the sweetness of apple and the zing of ginger. Lastly, for those who like it really hot, there’s Cinder & Smoke. A blend of several peppers, this fiery red sauce gets its heat from cayenne, habanero and ghost pepper, while charred-thensmoked red bell peppers offer sweetness and smokiness.

Vox Kombucha
voxkombucha.com | 819.993.2540 | @voxkombucha

Find it: Boucanerie Chelsea Smokehouse, Wakefield General Store, Ottawa Farmers’ Market, Marché Wakefield and online

A TALE OF TRANS-ATLANTIC JERK SAUCE

For Matthew Stevens-Dacosta, Jamaica and Belgium have always been closer than the 7,884 kilometres between them. “My father is Jamaican and my mother is from Belgium,” he says, “so it’s never been an odd pairing for me.” Stevens-Dacosta coined the name Jambel to denote not only the fusion between the two cuisines, but also in his own family. “I mean, you think about some of the best chicken in world, that’s Jamaican jerk chicken. And when it comes to the best waffles in the world, of course you think Belgium. Chicken and waffles? I don’t think it’s a stretch.” The business has been a family affair for Steven-Dacosta since 2015, when he began selling his wares alongside his father at the Alexandria and Maxville farmers’ markets. “We quickly realized there was a market for our particular blend of flavours.” This led to the creation of a Signature Jerk Sauce. Coming in three heat levels, the jerk marinade is heady with aromas of warming spices and fragrant herbs. The hotter ones feature peppers such as the Scotch bonnet, sourced locally, while remaining balanced and flavour-forward. “It’s an all-around jerk sauce, so you’ll taste different notes depending if you pair it with chicken, red meat or fish,” says Stevens-Dacosta. The unique flavour profile of the Jerk Sauce is also available in the form of a Jerk Aioli, Jerk Dressing and even a Jerk Hummus, all of which showcase Jambel’s unique flavours in their own way.

Jambel Cuisine
jambelcuisine.com | 1.888.370.7770 | @jambelcuisine

Find it: Burrow Shop, Glebe Meat Market, The Red Apron, Wellington Butchery, Ottawa Farmers’ Market and online