Buffalo Chicken Schnitzel

Q.  What do you do when you’re watching the games on Sunday?

I eat! 

I guess like most Americans do when they sit down to watch America’s second favorite sports pastime (I’m still a baseball fan).  And since I’m from Buffalo, home of the spicy wing and the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, I usually eat wings.   

Today, maybe because it’s a new day in the history of my beloved Buffalo Bills, maybe because Orchard Park, NY, home of The Ralph, has now become Pegulaville, perhaps because I just wanted to do something different, I did just that -- I took a chicken schnitzel recipe, from Bon Appetit, which I had used on a few occasions and modified it to make what I call Buffalo Chicken Schnitzel. 

It’s an easy recipe, simple to make, and it’s really delicious, if I do say so myself. Here’s the recipe and some pictures so you can see what yours should look like.  These are pictures I took myself so you can see the steps I took.

Buffalo Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients:

• 2 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half (butterfly) and pounded to 1/8 inch thickness
• 1 ounce TJ Gallivan’s Buffalo Wide Right seasoning
• Ground Black Pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ounces of TJ Gallivan’s 1-2-3 Heat Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• 2 cups (or more) panko bread crumbs
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 2 TBSP butter

Method

1. Split the breasts and pound with meat hammer or other implement to get to 1/8 inch thickness.
2. Season chicken breasts with a liberal amount of TJ Gallivan’s Buffalo Wide Right seasoning and black pepper.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for  1 hour 
4. Beat eggs and add the TJ Gallivan’s 1-2-3 heat in a shallow dish.
5. Put flour in a shallow dish to dredge the chicken
6. Put 1 cup of panko and the remaining Buffalo Wide Right in a shallow dish.
7. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in flour, coat completely and shake off excess, then dip the chicken breast in the egg/hot sauce mixture, make sure the breast is completely covered; coat the chicken with the panko bread crumbs, pressing the breast in to completely over. Set aside on a plate. Repeat. Add panko as necessary.
8. Heat 1 TBSP oil and 1 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remember the no-stick hint, “hot pan, cold oil.” Pan should be large enough to hold the 4 pieces of chicken.
9. Add the breasts to the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, which is about 2-3 minutes on each side.
10. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley as garnish, with portions of bleu cheese and hot sauce.

The products used here are available if you’d like to use them to start your own food business, or in your restaurant, as well. If you have your own products and you want to market then, please let us help you with the approval process of going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

The Responders

One of my high school friends, Peter Kaczorowski, had won the Tony Award for lighting design for The Producers, which was THE hottest show on the great white way. My wife and I got tickets for our weekend anniversary in mid-September for another show he had worked on. It was to be my first trip to the city ever. We were really looking forward to it.

Then IT happened. We thought about not going on our vacation in the days that followed. Then one day Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on TV imploring people to please keep visiting the city. So we went - 10 days after.

It wasn't like it was, as I had imagined, nor was it like anything we had encountered in subsequent years. There were no jets flying overhead. There wasn't a lot of tourist traffic and the air had a certain smell and feel to it, not unlike, I would imagine, that of a war zone after the smoke had cleared.

I spent my Friday night, September 21, 2001, standing in line for about 4 hours just to see if I could get tickets to the hottest show in town.  At about 5 minutes before the curtain was to open, I was at the front of the line, losing hope that I’d get those tickets.  A lady came up to the front door and said, “Oh…Nathan Lane’s not performing tonight…”  Then she approached me and sold those 4th row tickets to me at face value.

It was a time of great generosity in The Big Apple.

We were at a diner and there was hardly anyone in the diner except for us and a table of 6 or 8 of the responders in this usually jam packed eatery near Times Square. They looked pretty weary, like they had worked 24/7 which they probably nearly had. We called the waiter over and offered to pay for their meal.

The offer was refused. He simply said, "those guys eat for free here."

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Wing Sauce and Other Buffalo Stuff

Q.  Wicked Wilson’s Wing Sauce?  That sounds interesting and it sounds like there’s a story.  Please tell me about it.

I grew up in Buffalo and enjoyed the traditional wings served by its originators and others in my hometown.  I had always searched for the perfect wing sauce - not too hot, not too bland, not too much vinegar or butter, and with a bit of sweetness and a savory flavor – without much success. 

My friend, Wilson, and I derived this recipe by trading/combining our own recipes and making a batch each Sunday as we sat down to watch our beloved Buffalo Bills play.  We sampled each others’ wares (with the requisite celery and bleu cheese dressing), then cooling our palettes with an ice cold beer.  We then documented our recipe changes and shared those changes.  The next week it was the next guy’s turn.  Finally after much trial and error, we each thought that we had perfected it through our combined efforts.  Our friends and families agreed.

As Professor Higgins would say, “I think you’ve got it.”

In manufacturing though, it’s a much different process.  Not only do you have to make sure that the taste is correct, you have to make sure that the ingredients are fairly inexpensive when you mass produce it. Not only is your formula repeatable, it’s also scalable.  Usually, one would have to start with a reputable, award winning, hot sauce.  That’s exactly what I did, too, by using our very own 1-2-3 Heat Cayenne Pepper Sauce as our base and adding the other ingredients that Wilson and I agreed upon.

We interrupt this blog to bring you the breaking news that Terry and Kim Pegula have been approved to become the next and second owner of the Buffalo Bills!  I think that this is fabulous and my understanding is that Kim (the Western New Yorker) will become the chief decision maker.  With what the heck has been going on with the NFL with its ambivalence to the domestic violence issue and its problem with driving women away from its fan base in droves, perhaps it’s time to have a woman as the next Face of the Buffalo Bills. 

This new product is part of our exciting line of An Assorted Array of Bold Flavors, which is available for your own private labeled brand.  You, too, can become a food entrepreneur today!  Don’t be shy.  Ask me how we can help make this happen for you, by filling out this form.

This is just one of many products that are available if you’d like to use them in your restaurant, as well. If you have your own amazing wing sauce, perhaps you should consider letting us help you with the approval process of going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

By the way, we Buffalonians believe that the term Buffalo Wings is redundant!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Angry Italians

Considering that, along with TJ Gallivan himself, yours truly will be likely writing this blog for the long haul, I figure it's time I introduce myself. I'm Joel Durham Jr, a half-Italian guy with a Jewish first name and an English surname. I mention the nationalities to assure you that, although my name doesn't sound very Mediterranean, my mom's side of the family is full of surnames like Bianchi, Cocuzzi, Corleone, Ferrari, and such. My late grandma Bianchi made the finest pasta sauce on the planet. It was smooth, tangy, and delicious!

I learned from Mr. Gallivan, however, that pasta sauces can be as angry as the famous Italian temper. In fact, TJ Gallivan's Arrabbiata pasta sauce has a startling, and then oh-so-satisfying, kick of spice that you wouldn't normally associate with such sauces. Arrabbiata is the Italian word for angry, but don't fear the TJ Gallivan's sauce - while undeniably spicy, it's as full of well-balanced flavors as the other two pasta sauces under the banner.

But why "Angry?" Of all the words to describe a bold sauce, why that?

Well, Italian folks are sometimes known for their tempers. I can attest to that because I witnessed it sometimes, when the unwieldy large family would get together.

Italian men have this amazing ability to blow off steam with some of what other people might consider a brutal throw-down, complete with fisticuffs and some seriously choice language. It's nothing to the two or so guys involved. They get mad, argue, shout, rough each other up a little, forget what they were angry about, laugh it off, and make up over a pasta meal. The guys are fine. It's the women you want to worry about.

Kidding, Mom!

Regardless of the arguments, everyone's usually happy when dinner's served. Whether it's my grandma's sauce flavoring up the pasta, meatballs, manicotti, ravioli, tortellini, or what have you, or whether it's TJ Gallivan's Arrabbiata pasta sauce, all the riled nerves around the table are sure to be soothed. It's the taste buds that TJ Gallivan's Arrabbiata sauce excites!

(Oh, and full disclosure: I was kidding, I'm not really a Corleone.)

Don’t forget that we can help you do what TJ did and that is to manufacture your very own homemade delicacy, whether it’s a condiment, dressing, marinade, sauce, or salsa, let foodproductlaunch.com help you with the process of going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

Joel

Seasonings and Rubs Recipes Part 3 – Buffalo Wide Right

Q.  How did you come up with the name Buffalo Wide Right?

Well, I’m originally from Buffalo New York and I am a long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan.  We had a very successful run in the 1990s – going to the Super Bowl four consecutive times, but winning none.   The first one (Super Bowl XXV) was the best one and the most painful, because we lost in the last seconds when our kicker, Scott Norwood, missed a field goal to the right.  Now, whenever you mention Wide Right to a Buffalonian they think of that dreadful loss.  Hopefully between our Buffalo Wide Right seasoning and my friend’s classic rock band, Wide Right, we can change that feeling of dread whenever we hear that term.

Buffalo Wide Right is a spicy and delicious blend of hot peppers and butter flavor which make this a great rub for chicken wings. You can sprinkle it on the wings after they’re cooked for a mouthwatering feast on any given Sunday. Ask your tailgating guests  if they want their wings wet or dry! One thing to note – in Buffalo they’re called Wings because calling them Buffalo Wings is considered redundant. The next time you visit the Buffalo area be sure to stop by the Anchor Bar, where this taste treat originated.

Here is another recipe for your collection. 

Yummy Turkey Burgers!
 
Ingredients:
· 1 1/3 lb ground turkey
· 1 tbsp mayonnaise
· 1/2 tbsp mustard,
· 1/2 tbsp TJ Gallivan's Wide Right rub.

Method:
1. Mix well, make into patties.
2. Cook for 7 minutes each side.
3. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
4. Serve with lettuce and pickles and an iced cold Molson’s Golden.

This is just one of many seasonings that are available for your own private label if you’d like to use them in your restaurant, if you have your own food business or store or even if you’d like to start your own food business.  We’re here to help you in any way we can in your food endeavor.

Don’t forget that we’re also available to help you get your food product through the approval process so that you can go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Take the Red Pill

You know the scenario. You reach into the cupboard for some pasta sauce to go on your penne. The options aren't numerous.

Source: Warner

There's the jar of that big-name brand, maybe it begins with a R or a P or something. How did you end up with that syrupy mess? Oh yeah, your mother-in-law gave it to you, because heaven forbid it should go to waste or something. Then there's the one you've never heard of, that office gift. TJ Gallivan's La Matrice pasta sauce. Looks like one of those fancy, expensive ones.

Now it's time to decide. Of course, you remember the scene in the 1999 film The Matrix, the one in which Morpheus offers a bewildered Neo two pills from which to choose. The blue pill is the safe alternative, and had Neo taken it he would have gone home and forgotten all about the cyberpunk shadow world. The red pill, however, shows him the real way: The way out of the dream world the robots built to fool him, the way to the truth of what can be accomplished.

Culinary Heaven

In our scenario, the sugary, goopy sauce from the leading brand is the blue pill. It's safe, you know what it tastes like (sweetener), it's somewhat satisfying, and will aid the pasta in filling your belly. You'll go to bed, wake up in the same world, and nothing will have changed or, most certainly, have altered your perception of one of your senses.

La Matrice pasta sauce from TJ Gallivan's is the red pill. La Matrice is Italian for The Matrix. This spectacular pasta sauce will excite your tastebuds and give you a rush of bold, interesting, and balanced flavors that may even challenge your notion of what a pasta sauce can be. It's traditional, yet, it's not. There's something more, something that elevates it well above the droves of jarred sauces on the supermarket shelves. Exploding with peppers and onions, La Matrice pasta sauce is aeromatic and delightful, with a gentle kick of spice for good measure.

TJ Gallivan's La Matrice pasta sauce is the obvious choice. Unless, that is, you have a better recipe. If you do, we'd like to help you take it to market. Get in touch with FoodProductLaunch.com.

In the mean time, trust us: take the red pill.

Seasonings and Rubs – Recipes Part 2 Seattle Bacon Hickory

Here is another recipe from our Seasonings and Rubs collection. 

It’s a really easy one and it’s one of our favorites – grilled porterhouse steak with bacon!  Yum.

This one is for our Seattle Bacon Hickory seasoning.  I had to show off our new label design and label material.  Thanks to our resident graphics person and to Quick Label Systems for their beautiful print and blank labels, we now have an awesome looking label (compare the one on the right to the one on the left) to go along with our great product line.

Seattle Bacon Hickory – The exquisite combination of bacon and hickory make this rub a favorite on all cuts of pork. Use this rub generously on beef or pork ribs 24 hours before cooking and they will be fallin’ off the bone delicious.

Bacon Wrapped Porterhouse Steak
Ingredients:
- 2.5 pound porterhouse steak
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1 ounce of TJ Gallivan’s Seattle Bacon Hickory Rub
- Toothpicks

Method
1. Wrap the bacon around the steak and secure with toothpicks
2. Slather rub on both sides of the steak, wrap it in plastic wrap and let sit for an hour (you should do this to get the steak to room temperature)
3. Cook to Perfection

Of course this is not the only way to cook a steak to perfection.  I’m sure you know more than I do what you like best! 

Please remember that we enjoy helping you go from your Kitchen to the Marketplace – contact us if you want help in doing so.  Also, we offer these rubs and seasonings as part of our line of private label products.  Contact me for more information. 

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

 

 

Seasonings and Rubs – Recipes Part I – St. Louis Steak

Q.  Thanks for describing the rubs and seasonings that you have to offer.  Would you have any recipes you’d like to share? 

Would I?  Would I?

I sure would. How about if I post one recipe per blog? And if my readers would want to share any that they use with the same rub, that would be awesome.

First up – St. Louis Steak Seasoning, which is a mouth-watering blend of seasonings with a hint of mesquite that enhances each and every steak you grill.  It can also be used on thick juicy pork chops or tuna steaks.

Flank Steak

Try this recipe on any of these cuts of meat - chuck steak, flank steak or London Broil. The key is the marinade. Let it sit for at least 8 hours, preferable overnight. It’s like the German Sauerbraten (German sour roast) that can be prepared with a variety of meat.  The difference being the marinade and the length of time for the marinade.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 pound Flank Steak
• Marinade consisting of:
  • 1 ounce of TJ Gallivan’s St. Louis Steak Seasoning
  • ¾ cup cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl mix together the seasoning, vinegar and water.
2. Add oil and mix well.
3. Put steak in a large (gallon size) ziplock bag. Pour marinade over the steak.
4. Refrigerate and let marinade overnight (or at least 8 hours)
5. Grill on low temperature (between 200 and 250) for at least an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
6. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice with the grain and on a slight angle.
7. For gravy - strain the marinade into a sauce pan, heat and add a smooth blend of corn starch and warm water, stirring constantly.  Heat to desired thickness.

Serve with mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and caramelized onions.  This is the very definition of comfort food.

Not only do we help you go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace, we can enhance your food product line by offering you the best in private label products, including rubs and seasonings, sauces, marinades, condiments, dressings and salsas.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Rubs and Seasonings

Q.  I see from your website that you have some rubs and seasonings.  They look really good.  Would you please let us know more about them? 

They are pretty good if I do say so myself! 

We currently have 12 different rubs and seasonings.  Some were designed for specific foods and others are for general use. 

In general a spice rub is any mixture of spices that is made for the purpose of being rubbed on raw food before the food is cooked. The food can be marinated in the spice rub for some time for the flavors to incorporate into the food or it can be cooked immediately. The spices are usually coarsely ground. In addition to spices, salt and sugar may be added to the rub, the salt for flavor and the sugar for caramelization.

Cooking with rubs is almost always done using a dry heat method of cooking where almost no water based liquid is used in cooking – in other words…grilling.

Here’s a listing of the rubs available and the general use for them.

Austin Lil Butt Mesquite – This Texas style blend of garlic, onion, and mesquite oil makes all of your grilled food taste as big as the great state. Texans like it on ribs or brisket. Vegans like it on zucchini. One of our best sellers.

Blackened Louisiana – A classic rub straight out of the bayous of Louisiana. If you want a different tasting spice that will make you feel like you’re eating in the French Quarter this is for you. Great on fish and shrimp.

Buffalo Wide Right – This spicy and delicious blend of hot peppers and butter flavor make this a great rub for chicken wings. Ask your guests if they want their wings wet or dry!

Cayuga Falls Chicken – A mouthwatering combination of citrus and savory. A blend designed especially for grilling chicken.  Add to olive oil and brush on before putting the chicken on grill.

Florida Orange Habanero – A spicy, citrus blend of deliciousness makes this seasoning a favorite for all fish and veggies. It adds an incredible zest when used on seafood. Watch out for the habanero kick! It’s great on shrimp.

Kingston Jamaica Jerk - Island heat and spices blend with the famous traditional Carribean flavors. Apply liberally to chicken, fish or shellfish. The only blend you need for all your jerking, Mon.

Portland Buttered Apple – Sweet butter and sweet apple reminiscent of a clear and crisp autumn day. This rub is excellent on tenderloin and spectacular on a slice of Vidalia onion on the grill.

Sarasota Seafood Seasoning - A taste of the ocean or the bay.  This savory blend of pungent spices is reminiscent of spending the day on the boat with the wind and spray on your face. This rub is excellent on crabs and lobster or your favorite choice of seafood.

Seattle Bacon Hickory – The exquisite combination of bacon and hickory make this rub a favorite on all cuts of pork. Use this rub generously on beef or pork ribs 24 hours before cooking and they will be fallin’ off the bone delicious.

St. Louis Steak Seasoning – A mouth-watering blend of seasonings with a hint of mesquite enhances the taste of each and every steak you grill. It can also be used on thick juicy pork chops or tuna steaks.

St. Paul Sweet on Fire – A perfect blend of a little bit sweet and a little bit hot. Another excellent blend for fish or chicken. Brush or spray a little olive oil on asparagus, sprinkle the rub on and grill it. You’ll love it.

Wildcat Bourbon – This blend of bourbon, molasses, coffee, and chili peppers, make this one of our most popular blends. It’s great on pork, steaks and especially on chicken wings. Try it on grilled veggies or your morning home fries.

We know that if you try ‘em, you’ll like ‘em.  Please make sure to use your favorite wet sauce as a complement to them and if you need help in going from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace, just contact us.  We do everything in research and development to get you going!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Dare We Say: Just as Good as Grandma's Sauce?

Ask any good, properly raised Italian about his or her favorite pasta sauce, and the answer will almost certainly be either one of two things: Mama’s, or Grandma’s. At least, that’s what the answer should be. If it’s not, let us know and we’ll call Mama or Grandma and tattle.

Then ask about store-bought, jarred sauces. At best, he or she will laugh in your face, and at worst you may be in for an ugly encounter for even daring to suggest a commercial sauce is comparable to a lovingly crafted, homemade sauce. Unless, that is, he or she has experienced TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce.

It’s really that good.

TJ Gallivan's Tradizionale Pasta Sauce

This isn’t food designed by an industrial think tank to maximize profits by selling a gazillion jars of mediocre disappointment. Crafted in a real kitchen, just like yours, TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce (one of TJ Gallivan’s Private Label Products) is a tomato-based delight, built upon a homemade recipe full of bold and exciting flavors that perfectly complement each other. The word “tradizionale” is Italian for “traditional,” and TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce is traditional partly in the sense that any chef, budding or experienced, would be proud to be able to take credit for it.

The sauce itself is thick, tangy and satisfying, not overly sweet like the those cheap sauces that populate the most real estate on the grocery store shelves. Those other sauces cover up their mediocrity with sugar (or, more likely, high fructose corn syrup), but TJ Gallivan’s Tradizionale Pasta Sauce imparts a smooth flavor that belies the delicate balance of herbs and spices, which in turn makes it stand out from the crowd. Mr. Gallivan himself developed the recipe from scratch over years of testing; he sent jars to friends and family, listened closely to honest feedback, tweaked the recipe, and tried again. And again, and again, until he’d finally developed a homemade sauce that pleased all the people, all the time. It can be done!

In fact, maybe you’ve already done it. Maybe you’re well on your way. If you have a recipe you think could be a success, FoodProductLaunch.com is here to help you on your way. Whether you would prefer assistance with every step through Food Product Launch’s Full Service R&D, or just need some of its Ala Carte Services, FoodProductLaunch.com can guide you and your recipe from your kitchen to supermarket shelves. Feel free to contact the experts whenever you're ready to take your cooking to the next level!


© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Wedding Favors–12/13/14

Q.  Are you aware that there’s an interesting date coming up and that there are a lot of couples planning their weddings for that day? 

Yes!

I have heard that the hottest wedding date this year is not in the summer, but it’s December 13th, 2014 or 12/13/14!  According to a recent poll by David’s Bridal, approximately 20,000 couples will marry in the US on 12/13/14.This will be the last of these kinds of dates for a while (until 1/2/34) and many people are booking their special days/celebrations so that it’s easier to remember.  That reminds me of my friend Phil, who is a longtime Washington Redskins seasons ticket holder.  His seats/row/section are sequential and no matter how tipsy he gets at the games, he can remember where his seats are as long as he can still count to twenty. 

As you may know FoodProductLaunch.com offers private label hot sauces for your events and you can order them now so you can receive them in time for your wedding.  We offer gourmet hot sauces for you so that you can offer them as gifts/favors to your wedding attendees and guests. 

How are we different than every other company that offers private labeling for weddings and other events?  We work with you within the confines of our own template to create a custom label specifically for you.  It's not a cookie cutter [Your Name Here] label.

There's a one time fee of $50 for your label creation, using our template.  You provide a picture, your preferred colors, text and information about the event.  We do the rest.

You can choose from our two different hot sauces - cayenne and habanero - and each case (12 bottles) is $36 plus shipping.  That’s a little bit more than three bucks apiece for the most unique of wedding favors. We will mix and match cases so you can offer a hot and a milder alternative to your friends and family.

We've lived and traveled all over the world and our private label products exhibit our varied tastes.  Our products span the globe - from Palermo to Tokyo and Buffalo to Liverpool and all spots in-between - and coast to coast LA to Chicago.  

Here's a way to make your special event even more special.  

For more information go to our website - www.foodproductlaunch.com/events or contact me directly at foodproductlaunch@gmail.com. 

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Commercialization Process Survey

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Submitting your email address is not required to participate in this survey.

If you are interested in using our services, please submit the survey along with your email address and you will receive a 10% discount on our full complement of services to take you from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.

We’re Here To Help You!

Q.  I’ve been reading a lot about start ups in major news outlets.  How can you help me?

This is what we do.

We help with all the steps required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state governments in taking a recipe from the kitchen to a commercial venue. We're one of the few companies who are as excited about helping people with the process of getting a food product off the ground as much as the customer.

Our services include everything that is necessary to take a recipe from The Kitchen to the Marketplace, including FDA approval.  It’s one of the things that we’ve based our whole business approach on. 

We believe that this is the most important thing that’s happening in the food business in a long time.  The foodies, chefs and anyone passionate about their own creations are now ready to take the leap into the great unknown.

In her most recent blog on SmartBlog, Janet Forgrieve wrote:

Today, U.S. specialty food and beverage manufacturers market an average of 41 different products and last year the industry did a record $88.3 billion in retail and foodservice sales, according to the association. Sales dipped in 2009, as the recession hit, but they came back strong in the ensuing years, as foodies who had been used to fine dining started cooking at home more, said spokeswoman Louis Kramer.

At the same time, people who were losing jobs or otherwise downsizing were also reassessing their lives, dusting off old dreams and creating entrepreneurial food businesses, many of which are on display in the new-product hall at the show. Despite their brief histories, many of the newest ventures already have deals that put their products on retail shelves and restaurant tables.

And that, Ladies and Gentleman, is what we’re specializing in…”dusting off old dreams and creating entrepreneurial food businesses.”

We hope you choose us to help you go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.  Our dream is to help you fulfill your dream.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Makin’ Bacon–Part III A Maple Variation

Q.  I really enjoyed your blogs on makin’ bacon.  I like different flavored bacons, such as maple.  Can you tell me how to do this?

Absolutely. 

This recipe is not etched in stone and there are more things that you can do.  So, just for one example (mainly because you asked!), here is a way to make maple infused bacon.

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds of fresh pork belly. 
• Ask your butcher to cut it into two 3 pound slabs
• 1/2 gallon water
• 6 ounces of Kosher or pickling salt
• 4 ounces maple sugar, which consists of:
• (1/2 ounce maple syrup and 4 ounces of sugar)
• 2 ounces liquid smoke (because I’m not really smoking it)

Curing Method:

1. Mix the water, sugar, salt and liquid smoke in a medium sized mixing bowl
2. Place the pork belly in a gallon zip-log bag or a plastic container with a lid.  Pour as much brine over the meat as will fit in the bag/container.  In a container, you may have to weigh the pork belly down in order for the brine to completely cover the meat.
3. Place in the refrigerator for 72-96 hours.
4. If you’ve put it in a zip lock bag as pictured here, be sure to flip it every day to make sure the pork is fully cured.

See Part II for the smoking directions.

There are many other variations, you can do and I plan on making a spicy bacon one day by adding pepper mash to the curing process.  And for this recipe, just for example, I subtracted the amount of salt, because I thought it was too salty the first couple of times around.  You can make it sweeter by adding more sugar, smokier by adding more liquid smoke, saltier by adding more salt, etc. 

Please check out my webpage at FoodProductLaunch.com.  I’ve always wanted to help people in their quest to get going when it comes to launching and developing recipes for sauces, salsas, dressings and condiments and go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace. 

Let us help you!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Makin’ the Bacon–Part II Smokin’

Q.  You mentioned in your last blog about you having an idea to make bacon.  How exactly do you go about doing that?

In Part I we wet-cured the bacon using a brine and now we’re going to smoke the bacon…indoors.  I’m using Wright’s liquid smoke to get the smoky flavor, but you could also put hickory chips and water in the bottom of the  roasting pan to achieve the same effect.  Liquid smoke is an all natural product made from hickory, applewood or mesquite wood that is burned inside a chamber. As the smoke rises it is captured in a condenser and it cools. The cooled smoke forms water droplets (condensation). These droplets are then collected and filtered twice.  I use hickory in this recipe, mainly because I bought a gallon jug of it from Gordon Food Service (GFS).

Here is the step by step process to smoke the bacon.  

1. Put your oven rack on the lowest level and heat your oven to 170 degrees.
2. Take the pork out of the zip-lock bag and pat it dry. 
3. If you prefer, liberally sprinkle the pork belly with pepper.  As pictured below.
4. Mix 2 ounces of liquid smoke with 8 ounces of water and pour it into the bottom of the roasting pan.
5. Place the pork bellies on a rack, with the pork skin up in the roasting pan.
6. Cover with a tent made with aluminum foil; this will give you a smoke effect.
7. Bake at 170 degrees for 8 hours.
8. Remove from the heat and it should look beautiful!  The reasons it’s more brown than pink that what you would see normally in your grocery store are twofold – it’s been cooked AND there are no nitrates.
9. Let the meat cool for a few hours then remove the skin. You can then sell the pigskin to the National Football League!

10.  The result? You have cooked bacon and you can eat it the way that it is.  Or you can slice it and cook it further, either baking or fry it up in a pan.

Please be sure to watch this space for Part III – in which I’ll give you alternatives to this process – in terms of flavor and smoking.

I like to think of FoodProductLaunch.com as the culmination of all my life-long food experiences, starting with working with my grandmother and mother canning fruits and vegetables when I was a youngster.  I want you to experience the same things that I have to go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace. 

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Makin’ Bacon! Part I – The Cure

Q.  You mentioned in your last blog about you having an idea to make bacon.  How exactly do you go about doing that?

As you may know from reading my blogs I’m into making my own homemade things that most people just purchase at the store.  I really enjoy making pickles, canning jalapeños, making jam and putting up vegetables.   I’ve been known to make my own sausage, jerk my own beef and recently I’ve made my own bacon. 

The reason I enjoy creating things in my own kitchen is because whatever I make turns out better than what I can buy in the store.  In the case of bacon, it was fairly simple and because it contained no additives, like sodium nitrate, it’s much healthier. 

Another thing that I don’t really like to do is reinvent the wheel, so I took two recipes and combined them – one for the brine to Cure the pork belly  and the other for the method of smoking the bacon in an oven as opposed to using a smoker.  Even then I couldn’t leave it just at that, so I modified the recipes, combined them and created my own. 

So without much further ado – here’s Part I of my methodology for makin’ bacon! 

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds of fresh pork belly. 
• Ask your butcher to cut it into two 3 pound slabs
• 1/2 gallon water
• 6 ounces of Kosher or pickling salt
• 4 ounces dark brown sugar
• (1/2 ounce molasses and 4 ounces of sugar)
• 2 ounces liquid smoke (because I’m not really smoking it)

Curing Method:

1. Mix the water, sugar, salt and liquid smoke in a medium sized mixing bowl
2. Place the pork belly in a gallon zip-log bag or a plastic container with a lid.  Pour as much brine over the meat as will fit in the bag/container.  In a container, you may have to weigh the pork belly down in order for the brine to completely cover the meat.
3. Place in the refrigerator for 72-96 hours.
4. If you’ve put it in a zip lock bag as pictured here, be sure to flip it every day to make sure the pork is fully cured.

Please be sure to watch this space for Part II – in which I’ll cover all the steps necessary to finish the process.

FoodProductLaunch.com has long been something that I’ve longed to do, which is to help as many of you as possible go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.  We take the scary out of the process!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

On Flexibility

Q.  You seem to have many interests when it comes to the food business – from your product list alone, you’re producing sauces, jams, rubs and other things like chili.  What do you think is the most important thing to success for your clients?

Wow…that one is really a hard one. 

I think that we assume that our clients have a passion for what they’re doing and enough money to support them and their food habit.  If I had to choose one, it would be flexibility and an ability to adapt.

When I first started down this path after being a nerd in the area of systems engineering, I thought that just creating my own signature pasta sauce which is THE.BEST.EVAH was good enough.  I thought that the business would just come because the sauce was so good.  What I didn’t realize then that I do now is that I do not have a passion for retail sales. 

I’ve worked with people in the past who didn’t have that flexible approach to business and were what I would consider one trick ponies.   If I came up with an idea to do something, I’d get answers like, “we’re not going to expand our product line,” or “that’s too labor intensive to make a go of it,” or ‘”we’ve never done that before,” or some other excuse to not even give things a try. 

I always wanted to hear the answer of “Why Not?” 

I’ve found that if I had stuck to my first thought and wasn’t flexible enough to change that I would not have found success.  In changing the fundamental aspect of what I was doing I found a renewed passion.

My newfound plan of attack is to take the facility that I have my eye on for purchase and utilize it in many new ventures.  By using the facility in a flexible manner and taking a “Why Not?” approach, I think I can scratch as many of my personal itches as I want.

I want to make pickles of all kinds.  I want to pickle jalapeños and other hot peppers.  I have an idea to make bacon and sausages.  I want to have a street vendor license and sell take out Italian sausages with peppers and onions and my pasta sauce, and hot dogs Buffalo or Chicago style. 

I want to open up my facility to people who want to start their own food business, whether that’s baking pies and cakes and cupcakes or starting a catering business or creating sauces or selling sandwiches to go from a roach coach. 

I want my community to know that I am a force to be reckoned with when helping startups startup.

FoodProductLaunch.com is my grand idea and my great passion.  I want to help as many of you as possible go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.  We take the scary out of the process!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

The Social Media Dilemma

Q.  I notice that you are on Facebook and Twitter.  Do you believe that engaging my customers through social media is important to my new business?

For those of us who didn’t grow up with an iPhone as a pacifier, this presents a big dilemma.  And that dilemma is whether we spend our precious time focusing on doing what we think is core to our business or generating traffic on sites like Facebook and Twitter. 

The goal of FoodProductLaunch.com is to get to as many foodies, food hobbiests, restauranteurs, executive chefs and restaurant owners as possible in order to gain a major market share of those people who want to take their product from The Kitchen to the Marketplace.  For me Community Management On-Line or Social Media Marketing is extremely important to what I want to do.  Therefore, it was not that much of a question.

If you think about it, in general it’s not that big of a dilemma.  It’s really a no-brainer.  You have to establish your brand and what’s a better way to do that than through an advertising campaign that if you handle it by yourself costs you little to no money?   Back in the day if you were a startup and you wanted to get your product out there (wherever out there was), you relied on word of mouth marketing through your friends and family.  Essentially, that’s what you could use Facebook for. You don’t have to be web-savvy, you just have to know how to use Facebook and twitter and be able to provide status updates.

But…and I like big buts and I cannot lie…There is more work to be done than if you are just blasting away without knowing what you’re doing.  You have to know what makes those sites work for you and what doesn’t.  You have to experiment and determine what kinds of updates, tweets, blog entries are driving traffic to your site and more importantly you have to determine whether this is bringing you business.  And if you don’t know what you’re doing you could be doing it all wrong. 

This graphic drives me nuts, because of the word like in quotes, and it represents the shameless way that people manipulate their friends and family into driving traffic to their Facebook.  I’m not a big fan of these kinds of campaigns.  I believe you have to take a personal approach and somehow telling people to like you is just wrong.  You want to get people to subscribe to your tweets and Facebook status without going all Sally Field on everyone.

My advice?  Strike a balance between what you love to do and what you have to do.  Go to the experts if you have questions and subscribe to blogs such as HootSuite, which has got a wealth of knowledge for newbies and Kommein, which is Deb Ng’s blog – she’s the lady who literally wrote the book on Community Management.

FoodProductLaunch.com is here for you when you’re ready to make the next step to go from Your Kitchen to the Marketplace.  We specialize in helping startups start up with their condiments, dressings, jams, salsas and sauces. 

We take the scary out of the process!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Restaurant Menu Nutritional Analysis Pilot Project

Q.  What does Obamacare have to do with the food industry?

The recently passed Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare has had a huge effect on our country in the short period of its existence.  Not only for healthcare, but also in how restaurants run their day to day operations. 

The naysayers people over at Forbes magazine had this to say about it:

The calorie label clause, buried deep within the ACA’s 10,000 pages, seems harmless enough at first glance. Each restaurant chain with over 20 locations is required to display the calorie content of each food and drink item it serves on signs and printed menus–with vending machine distributors subjected to the same rules.

With the obesity problems that we have in this country and the health care costs associated with it I think that there needs to be some things in place to help us consumers make wise decisions.

Part of our lives is going to the grocery store and buying our food.  In many cases, we study the labels and inspect the products and we make our choices depending on what is good or bad for us.

Well, this type of labeling, at least from a calorie perspective, is what the ACA is calling out for in restaurant chains of over 20 locations.  I’ll pull out my crystal ball and predict that this is going to become mandatory for restaurants of all sizes in the not too distant future.

What’s that got to do with FoodProductLaunch.com and helping people go from The Kitchen to the Marketplace?  Well, nothing really, except that as part of that process, I have the ability to perform nutritional analysis.  What I’d like to do is to offer that service to restaurant owners who would like to provide that information to their customers. 

I’m launching a Pilot Project for Restaurant Menu Nutritional Analysis.  I’m going to work with one or two restaurants (local and distant) who want to have their menu analyzed for nutritional labeling.

This will be a FREE project.  It will cost the chosen restaurant nothing at all.  The only cost would be time! 

Criteria:

1. Willingness to participate – I’m looking for someone who would be committed to this project.
2. Vision – I’m looking for a restaurant owner who sees the value of providing their customers with the nutritional information related to their menu items.
3. Location Location Location – I’d prefer a local restaurant to start (Sarasota area) and would expand it to other locales if necessary.
4. Trust – you will have to trust that I am doing this just for the analysis.  I don’t ever want to run my own restaurant, so stealing your recipes is not on my agenda.
5. Data Analysis – At the end of the program, I would like feedback on whether or not this was a valuable exercise.

Have I mentioned that this would not cost you anything?

The benefit to you as the restaurant owner is that, like Subway, you could offer your customers healthy programs and know EXACTLY what is in the offering.  You could tailor your menu for those healthy items and promote them to your health minded clients.  You could make that part of your advertising campaign to bring in more customers.

If you are interested in participating in this project, please email me at foodproductlaunch@gmail.com with the subject line “Pilot Project.”  Let me know some information about your restaurant and yourself and how you meet the above criteria.

Thanks for your interest in the project. 

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

More on Living Happy

Q. Doing what you love..being happy…and then we had that big apocalyptic moon…all of these things are great and all, but what’s that got to do with launching my product?

Yeah, it seems like I got off track a little and maybe you can indulge me just a bit longer on these personal things as I think of a dear friend who has pancreatic cancer. 

Paul Bowles in The Sheltering Sky wrote, “But because we don’t know, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that’s so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”

We view each day as just another one of our seemingly limitless days and we feel we always have time to do the things we love. We believe that after we’ve started doing the things that we love, then we’ll really be happy. There’s still time to take that skydiving class.  There’s still time to take up ballroom dancing.  There’s still time to get that recipe out to TJ at FoodProductLaunch.com so I can get on with the next phase of my life.  The one I’ve been wanting to live.  The life of making/producing/selling my own creation to Make You Feel My Love. 

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  I’ve been where you are right now.  I’ve waited.  I’ve procrastinated.  I’ve put it off to another one of my limited days.  It took me years to get my a$$ in gear and start. 

What I am telling you is that if you’re thinking of doing something different with your life, if you’re thinking of radically changing the thing you do, if you’re thinking of how much happier you’d be doing that thing, then the time to do that is now. 

If that thing that you want to do is to get your creation to the marketplace and you’re ready right now then let’s go! 

FoodProductLaunch.com specializes in helping people with all the steps required in taking their recipes from the Kitchen to the Marketplace, helping to make you happy by making others happy!

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

Doing What Makes You Happy

Q.    I love to cook, I’ve got some great creations and I’m about ready to start my own food biz.  Do you believe in the adage, “do what you love and the money will follow?”

I’ll have to answer with the words, that depends, and a quote - “I am a writer, but I love sex more than I love writing,” author Penelope Trunk observed a few years ago.  I agree with Penelope about sex, writing and cooking!  There’s not much of a chance that I’d be able to make much of a living in any of those fields except for cooking.  Therefore, I stick with something that I’m skilled at and that I love. 

You’ll be happier starting off doing something that you love than starting off with something that is horrible and you’re only doing it for the money.  So, it depends on if you’re willing to do something you love and work at making sure that whatever it is that you do does not become a drudgery.  Also, you’ll have to check your ego at the door. So, when you first start out with whatever food product (sauces, salsas, dressings or condiments) you’re going to produce, be prepared to have people try it and then call your baby ugly.  If you can take that, then you’ll be great. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not good with criticism, especially when someone calls my baby ugly. 

In the case of starting your own business based on sauces, salsas, dressings and condiments, then make sure that you’re working with someone who shares your passion for cooking and knows the ins and outs of how to help you go from your kitchen to the marketplace.  I’ve been there before and I’ve worked with people who didn’t really care about my creations.  It was a job/drudgery to them.

I love to help people.  I love cooking.  I love perfecting a process.  I love seeing a finished product.  So, for me, this is what I have a passion for and I believe the money will follow.  So far, so good.  And I’m happy. So, clap along if you feel like that’s what you want to do.  

For a counter argument, check out Rob Asghar’s article in Forbes magazine, five reasons to ignore the advice!

FoodProductLaunch.com specializes in helping people with all the steps required in taking their recipes from the Kitchen to the Marketplace.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.

I Lost My Hat!

If you know stuff about me you may know that I am a big fan of hats, especially what are commonly referred to as baseball hats.  Maybe it’s because I don’t have much hair left and need to protect my noggin from the effects of the hot Florida sun or maybe it’s that I like to make statements about my allegiances.   Or maybe it’s because I love my dog, Gunner, so much that I like to give him expensive chew toys that smell a lot like me. 

Anyway…like most who have an affinity for their fashion accessories, I do become attached to certain hats and they for one reason or another become a favorite.  There are a number of factors that play into a hat becoming a top hat in the rotation:

1. Comfort – it must be comfortable.  That’s first and foremost.  To paraphrase OJ’s Dream Team lawyers, “If it don’t fit, it ain’t sh**.”
2. Style – it has to have some sort of style.  To me, that means color, logo or team, embroidery, and size of the cap itself.  None of us want to look like Fred McGriff in that famous informercial of a bunch of years ago.
3. Appropriateness – it has to be appropriate for the occasion.  I like the woolen fitted baseball caps a lot, but it is too hot to wear to a spring training game. 
4. Coordinated – it has to be coordinated with whatever you are wearing.  I like green hats, especially the well-worn cotton ones, but putting a green hat on with a red shirt makes me look like Christmas.  It just doesn’t work.

So, what does all this have to do with FoodProductLaunch.com.  Well, everything and nothing at all. 

The hat in question was a Nike Featherlight, not the most expensive hat I’ve ever had and definitely not the least expensive.  As far as the above criteria go, I would give it a 10 for comfort – they don’t call it featherlight for nothing, a 7 for style – it’s actually kind of fugly, a 9.5 for appropriateness - I was wearing it on a cruise and needed something exactly like this hat, and a 10 for coordinated - because it matched everything that I wore or would be wearing on a tropical vacation.

What made this particular cap so special? 

See those vents in the cap?  One day a few years ago, I decided to take a few knick-nacky pins that I had lying around the house and pin them to the vents on either side of the hat.  There were about 6 or 7 small pins including: a Norge pin that I had gotten in Norway (there’s a joke there having do with plumber’s crack), a Buffalo pin, an insignia pin for the unit my father served in during WWII - the 14th Armored Division (AD) - and last, but certainly not least, a service pin that I had gotten from a three letter acronym agency I had worked at for over 20 years. 

I have not worked there for a long time and I’ve had recurring dreams that I am stuck inside that Agency’s more than four walls and I cannot get out because I no longer have an identification badge.  How I get in, I never know, and in my dream it’s like the Hotel California.

I was on a cruise to Mexico with my wife and my sister and my brother-in-law a little bit of time ago and I took to wearing that hat every day. As luck would have it I had taken the 14th AD insignia pin off the hat and had given it to my sister that morning at breakfast.   The only pin with any other real significance left on the hat was the 20 year service pin, which I was very proud of.

We got off the ship and went into town (town is a loose term meaning a place consisting of only tourist traps) and had a nice time avoiding all the people trying to sell us stuff.  (Where is that sarcasm font?)  On the way back, we hopped into a cab and were left off at the docks where our cruise ship was.  The cab then vanished amidst all the other yellow colored sedans.

On the way to the ship, I realized that in my search for my cruise card to get back on the ship, I had not only lost it, but I had lost my hat.

My hat!  My f***ing hat with all my cool f***ing pins.  Dagnabbit.

I was so mad.  I was spitting fire and smoke was coming out of my ears.  I ranted all the way in to the ship.  I was snapping at my wife and my sister, but not my brother-in-law because he’s still a weightlifter. 

After I calmed down about 3 weeks later, I realized that there was a reason that I lost THAT hat.  It was meant to be lost.  It was supposed to be gone.  It had tangible evidence of my former life.  One that I am no longer even loosely affiliated it with.  I am a foodie.  I’m an entrepreneur.  I like to help people get through the process of going from Kitchen to Market.  I’m not that three letter agency guy anymore and I never will be again. 

Maybe it took me losing that hat to realize that important fact.

TJ Gallivan

© foodproductlaunch.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.  We encourage you to repost this blog in its entirety.  If you choose to use portions of it…give credit where credit is due.