TIE
POLKA DOT BAKE SHOP Sweet Potato Crackers–Cracked Black Pepper
PLENTY OF PRODUCTS IN TODAY'S SPECIALTY FOOD MARKET claim to be sweet potato–flavored, but how many use real sweet potatoes? Polka Dot Bake Shop's Sweet Potato Crackers raise the bar for healthy, tasty snacks. The cracker is truly vegetable-based, with over half of its volume from whole sweet potatoes, not flour or flakes.
Polka Dot Bake Shop started five years ago as a neighborhood bakery in Charlotte, N.C. Founders Jennifer Chapman and Michelle Miller always had the intention of creating a packaged product as well. "In 2008, we went to the Summer Fancy Food Show," Chapman recounts. "It was there that we realized we needed something unique." Soon after, Chapman and Miller were sitting in a meeting on North Carolina agriculture, where they learned that the state produces over 40 percent of the nation's sweet potato crop. Miller wrote "Sweet Potato Cracker?" in the margin of her paper, and the rest is history.
"We went through about a hundred or so iterations and finally launched at the Fancy Food Show in 2009," Chapman
says. Sweet Potato Crackers complement an array of dips, salsas, wines and cheeses. The Cracked Black Pepper flavor pairs well with hummus and goat cheese. The product is also available in a gluten-free version. Other flavors in the line include Rosemary & Olive Oil and Chipotle with Smoked Paprika. Suggested retail price: $5.99/5 ounces. Contact: Jennifer Chapman, Polka Dot Bake Shop; 704.877.8150; jchapman@polkadotbakeshop.com; polkadotbakeshop.com.—A.M.
➊ BETSY'S CHEESE STRAWS Betsy's Blue Cheese Straws
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