Artisanal collaborations make for unique treats
Artisanal collaborations to try now
Better together: Mix-andmatch local foods to create wining flavor combinations for your table.
“Share the spirits!” So goes the saying at Five Saints Distilling in Norristown, where fans also can share the caramels thanks to a collaboration with chocolatier Gail Warner.
“It’s almost like cross-marketing,” said the owner of Bridge Street Chocolates in Phoenixville. “It’s a way for us to keep the dollar local, which changes lives within our own communities.”
Her blood orange-sea salt caramels feature Five Saints’ blood orange liqueur.
“It showcases the quality of local artisans,” Warner described. “If we don’t support each other, how do we expect other people to support us?”
“It’s like ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ It takes a village to support the small businesses,” agreed Olga Sorzano of Baba’s Brew in Phoenixville.
Like her kombucha? Try Baba’s Got a Brand New Brew, a beerkombucha blend with Royersford’s Stickman Brews.
Last year’s release “was extremely successful,” she said. This April, look for solera-style beer and strawberry shortcake kombucha, which “is going to be a little bit lighter, a little bit sweeter.”
Another sweet success story: Bathed in Victory cheeses from The Farm at Doe Run in Coatesville. That’s “Victory” as in Downingtown’s Victory Brewing Company.
“We’re using about one beer for every 12 pounds of cheese,” explained Matthew Hettlinger, a Doe Run cheesemaker. “We’re really happy with how the beer notes came out in the cheese.”
Also in the works: projects with Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey and Bluecoat American Dry Gin.