We are excited to announce the vendors for the next New Taste Marketplace: Saturday, September 17th, Noon-5pm at St. Gregory’s,  500 DeHaro Street in Potrero Hill.

CocoTutti – Elyce Zahn = Chocolates and handmade, hand-dipped caramels (pictured)

Bottom Drawer Provisions – Jasmine Smith = Strong cheese, or fromage fort: a cross between cheese spread and French-style fort

Two Bites – Mariebeth A. Arca = Mini-quiches and mini-desserts

Jablow’s Meats – Dan Jablow = Organic, hormone-free smoked meats, cold cuts and deli meats; BLTs featuring homemade five-spice powder bacon

Nute’s Cupcakes – Nute Chulasuwan = Gourmet mini-cupcakes with a touch of Asian flair;  homestyle Thai green curry over rice or noodles

Snapdragon Baking Co. – Hway-ling Hsu (featured interview) = Various flavors of brittle, including ginger peanut, cashew, pumpkin seed, black sesame, coconut cashew, ginger cashew, and wasabi pea

Sodacraft – Jesse Friedman = extra dry ginger ale, and raspberry nectarine

Old Skool Cafe – Joshua Kemble & students = Organic Nicaraguan coffee,  by the pound and brewed.

Simply Mochi – Linda Lo = Lemon curd, peanut butter chocolate, taro, strawberry cheesecake, seasonal chocolate wrapped strawberry mochi, and bacon-wrapped mochi

Uncommon Pickle – John Herbstritt = Uncommon pickles, including fennel with orange, spicy carrot, baby artichokes & cherries with rosemary

Kevin and Gail’s Chili Palace – Gail and Kevin Kirst = Chili verde and red vegetarian chili, fresh & frozen

Butter Love Bakeshop – Esa Yonn-Brown = Sweet and savory pies

Pachamama Cookery – Maggie Weber-Striplin and Carmen Figueroa = Vegan and vegetarian pierogies

Red Circle Tea – Sina Carroll = Artisan,  traditionally processed tea from China and Taiwan

Dandelion Chocolate – Alice Nystrom = Three varieties of dark chocolate bars from Venezuela, Costa Rica and Madagascar

Sajen – Morsinah Katimin = Jamu, a healthy drink with fresh, unprocessed turmeric, ginger, and other spices

Ooh La La Lumpia – Elisa Garibay = Hand-rolled organic pork or vegetarian lumpia

Frozen Kuhsterd – Jason Angeles = All-natural and organic frozen custard

Hway-ling, what do you sell at New Taste Marketplace?

Mostly candy in the form of nut and seed brittles: for example, ginger cashew brittle, coconut almond brittle, black sesame brittle, pumpkin seed brittle, Dr. Pepper peanut brittle.  Sometimes I bring a salty chocolate cookie too.

Tell me your story: how did you begin making this product?

When my youngest child finished high school last year, it seemed like a good time to start something new.   I thought there was a glaring shortage of pies in the area––a shortage that should be remedied.  While I was practicing baking pies, the owner of a food truck asked me if I knew how to make peanut brittle.  Thanks to YouTube, two days later I DID know how.  I started with peanut, then tried almonds, then cashews, then pumpkin seeds, then lots of other stuff.  Really, I wasn’t very good with the pies.

What’s your cooking background?

Mostly I learned to cook from my grandparents, my mother, and my own experiments.  Once I took an Ethiopian cooking class.  And candy-making I learned from YouTube!

What is your favorite food?

Whatever I’m eating at the moment.

What’s your favorite part of being part of the New Taste Marketplace community?

First, I like eating everyone’s food.  NTM makes it so convenient!  Second, I like to bring experimental products for feedback.  People–meaning visitors and other vendors–are generous with their opinions and advice, which helps me improve my stuff.  Third, I like the music and festive atmosphere. Fourth, I like that it funds the Food Pantry.  Well, I could go on, but you get the idea. I like it!

Read more about Snapdragon and Hway-ling’s products!