Matt Ingersoll writes about all things food and drink, covering new restaurants and following the most delicious foodie trends in the state. Reach him at mingersoll@hippopress.com.
A 3,000-year-old root indigenous to the South Pacific islands, kava is used in tea-like herbal beverages consumed socially at establishments known as kava bars. Around 200 such bars exist across the United States — and a new one has just arrived in New Hampshire.
Root Awakening, now open on Main Street in Nashua, is being touted as “New England’s first kava bar” by owner Greg Gately. Kava, he said, is lauded for its relaxing effects on the body and mind, and it’s also a popular natural remedy for anxiety and muscle and joint pain.
“What I like to say is that it slows down that 9-to-5 tick. It calmly relaxes you,” Gately said. “It’s definitely something that you want to finish off in two or three big gulps, like a shot … [and] instead of saying ‘Cheers,’ in the islands we say ‘Bula.’ It’s the celebration of life.”
Gately, whose mother is from the South Pacific, was born and raised in California’s Bay Area before moving east to New England for college. He said he first became introduced to the Fijian root and its properties through a friend, who owns several kava bars out on the West Coast.
A fresh kava drink with a pineapple chaser. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.
“I really started drinking it heavily when I started going for my MBA program,” he said. “It helped me focus whenever I had a big milestone and had to put my head down and hit the books for four or five hours. … Kava really allows you to kind of focus in a really good, natural way.”
Inspired by his kava bar-owning friend and looking for his next move in life in the wake of the pandemic, Gately began looking for spaces last year to launch his own kava concept.
Root Awakening, he said, was built on the foundation of providing visitors with a “non-alcoholic alternative social experience” to traditional bars, using kava beverages as its vessel.
Three kava root varieties — sourced from the Fijian, Vanuatu and Tongan Islands of the South Pacific — are currently available at Root Awakening. Premium raw kava drinks come in a single-serve 10-ounce “kava shell,” or a plastic cup made to resemble half of a coconut shell. You can also get them in larger serving bowls called tanoas — small and large-sized tanoas are respectively 80 and 120 ounces, serving two to three and four to six kava drinkers.
“We chop down the roots, dry them out and then we grind them into a fine powder,” Gately said. “It’s going to then be brewed up almost like a tea. It gets rinsed in a giant tea bag, and then I squeeze out the active ingredient, which is called the kavalactones.”
The result produces “an earthy and pungent” drink that Gately likes to top off with a customer’s choice of a pineapple or strawberry as a chaser. He also serves single-serve mango-flavored kava shots that can be mixed with any beverage of your choice, as well as a total of five flavors of Leilo, a ready-to-drink canned kava product available in 12-ounce cans.
So far, Gately has reported “literally 95 percent” of his patrons to be first-time kava drinkers.
“I almost have an elevator pitch now about what kava is and what to expect,” he said. “A lot of folks are nervous about their first drink. They’ll look at the person they’re with and they’ll say to each other, ‘Are you ready? On three.’ … Usually my first-timers will drink two to three shells.”
As an alternative to kava, Gately does also offer multiple flavors of East Coast kombucha on tap. He also carries drinks like cold brew coffee, ginger beer, coconut water and orange cream soda, and hopes to soon expand his menu to include small perishable food options. Community events like trivia nights, open mic nights and comedy shows are also being planned for the space.
Root Awakening Kava Bar Where: 300 Main St., Unit 603, Nashua Hours: Monday through Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. More info: Visit rootawakeningkava.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @rootawakeningkava Root Awakening requires customers to be at least 18 years of age or older to consume kava beverages. Drinks should not be taken with alcohol or prescription medications.
Featured photo: Greg Gately of Root Awakening Kava Bar in Nashua prepares ground kava root for two single-serve premium raw kava drinks. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.
• Culture and community: A citywide celebration of cultural diversity through local food and music, the Lowell Folk Festival is returning in person for its 35th year, from Friday, July 29, through Sunday, July 31, across multiple areas of downtown Lowell, Mass. According to a press release, this year’s festival will feature 18 ethnic food stands operated by area nonprofits and community groups — each will offer a different traditional cuisine that showcases their heritage. Booths will be set up near three of the festival’s four stages, featuring everything from Greek, Filipino, Jamaican and Indian foods to Middle Eastern, African, Brazilian, Polish and Armenian options. There will also be two days of cooking demonstrations and discussions, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., at Lucy Larcom Park. According to the release, these will include moderated presentations with home cooks showing various comfort foods from their cultures, like Polish pierogi, Greek potato fries, Lithuanian vegetable and chicken stews, Vietnamese spring rolls and more. A full schedule of live music and dance performances hailing from all around the world are also planned across each of the festival’s four stages, while local art and craft demonstrations will take place in the courtyard between the National Historical Park Visitor Center and the Brush Art Gallery. Admission is free. Visit lowellfolkfestival.org.
• Fresh food fast: The Common Man Roadside just opened its newest restaurant and cafe inside the Tru by Hilton Manchester Downtown hotel building in the city’s Millyard (451 Commercial St.), Bill Boynton, director of public relations and community engagement for Granite State Hospitality, which owns each store, confirmed. Similar to its sister locations in Hooksett, Plymouth and across town on South Willow Street, The Common Man Roadside features various made-to-order and grab-and-go items, with an emphasis on takeout and mobile and online ordering. All feature eclectic menus of appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads, pasta, pastries, ice cream and various hand-crafted coffees and other drinks. Among the already popular new offerings, Boynton said, are crispy cod and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. The interior look of the eatery features an open kitchen with an homage to the past that includes reclaimed wood from New Hampshire barns and brick salvaged from the former Concord rail station. Extensive inside and outside seating is available, as well as a “live edge” wood bar. The Common Man Roadside Market & Deli’s Plymouth location, a restaurant within a convenience store, opened in October 2019, and the South Willow Street location arrived the following summer. Current hours on Commercial Street are Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit thecmanroadside.com or follow the company’s newest spot on Facebook @thecmanroadsidenhmillyard.
• Can it: Flag Hill Distillery & Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee) recently announced the release of Incognito, the company’s first canned wine. According to a press release, Incognito is a “wine disguised as summer,” featuring a blend of Flag Hill’s raspberry and Cayuga white wines that’s lightly carbonated, with one can equalling two-and-a-half glasses of wine. Cans are currently available at Flag Hill’s store and tasting room, and distribution to other stores is also expected. Visit flaghill.com or follow the Incognito pages on Facebook and Instagram @incognitocanwine for updates.
A look at the spicy world of New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces
Growing up in an ethnically diverse community in northern New Jersey, Gabe DiSaverio was introduced to spicy foods at a young age.
“A lot of my friends growing up were Asian and Indian … and I was eating hot food before I was even 10 years old. I remember always going to a fast food place in New York City that was called Curry in a Hurry,” he said. “Even as teenagers in high school, my friend group and I were doing all these eating challenges, like who could eat the hottest, spiciest, most unique foods.”
New England Hot Sauce Festival Where: Smuttynose Brewing Co., 105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton When: Saturday, July 30, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: $10 in advance online and $15 at the door; kids ages 10 and under are free Visit: newenglandhotsaucefest.com
DiSaverio originally started making his own hot sauces “kind of casually” before eventually, with the help of his culinary-minded sister, Adriana, deciding to jumpstart his passion into a business. Today he owns The Spicy Shark, a line of products that includes seven craft hot sauces, a wing sauce, a Sriracha, a hot honey and two hot maple syrups using all natural ingredients. A self-described “Jaws fanatic” since the age of 8, DiSaverio said the “shark” part of the business comes from combining spicy foods with his other lifelong passion, shark conservation.
Photo courtesy of Pogo’s Peppers.
Since selling its first bottle in early 2019, the Portsmouth-based company has gone on to win multiple national awards for its sauces, and DiSaverio and his team have participated in various hot sauce festivals and expos all over the country. But all the while, these experiences led him to a pivotal question: Why wasn’t there such an event anywhere in New England?
“These festivals are awesome, and I kind of said to myself that since I’ve heard nothing of someone putting one on around here anytime soon, then the heck with it. I’ll do it,” he said.
The inaugural New England Hot Sauce Festival, happening on Saturday, July 30, at Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton, has already generated substantial buzz among its participating vendors. Nearly 30 New England and Northeast-area hot sauce companies will be there, and that doesn’t include the more than 20 others that had to be placed on a waiting list. Food challenges, including hot pepper and hot wing eating contests — and a world record attempt by Canadian competitive eater Mike Jack — are planned throughout the day, along with live music, food trucks and more.
DiSaverio is a regular proponent of Save the Sharks and several other nonprofits that focus on shark conservation and education. In keeping with his passion, proceeds from the festival will benefit the Blue Ocean Society in Portsmouth and the Seacoast Science Center in Rye.
For DiSaverio, the festival’s immense anticipation is a testament to a growing culture.
“I think it’s an understatement to say that New England is not exactly known as a ‘spicy’ region, and that’s fair, up until the last five years or so,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten more entrenched in the hot sauce community, the amount of new hot sauce companies that have popped up in New England is unbelievable. … I think a lot of it has to do with the ethnic diversity that continues to grow within our country … and there’s this growth of more people seeking out those cultures.”
With New England’s first hot sauce festival right around the corner, we took a deeper dive into New Hampshire’s growing hot sauce scene. Here’s a look at how some companies turn up the heat and enhance the flavor of their products, as well as what their top suggestions are for how you should use them.
Smokey Tom pineapple pulled pork Courtesy of Dandido Sauce, dandidosauce.com
4 to 5 pounds pork butt ⅕ of a bottle of hot or medium Dandido Smokey Tom hot sauce 1 can pineapple chunks 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced 1 Tablespoon cumin
Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and set on high for 7 hours.
Coming in hot
DiSaverio, who worked for Boston Beer Co. for 17 years prior to founding The Spicy Shark, said the surging interest in craft hot sauces is not unlike that of the local craft beer scene.
“You go into any beer store now and there’s craft beer that’s falling off the shelf onto your head,” he said. “Where we were around 10 to 15 years ago with craft beer [is] where I feel like we are now with craft hot sauces. You’re starting to see this huge explosion.”
Phil Pelletier of Manchester, for instance, got into making his own sauces in 2017 when his wife, Melissa, bought him a ghost pepper plant. Her goal? She wanted to see if her husband, an avid lover of spicy foods, could handle the intense heat of the peppers.
Photo courtesy of Naked Hot Sauces.
“Every time we’d go out to eat … she’d always try to get me to get the spiciest thing to try,” Pelletier said. “So when I got that plant, I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with all those peppers, because each plant will produce up to 200-plus ghost peppers, easily.”
The Pelletiers are now the husband-and-wife team behind Smokin’ Tin Roof, a specialty sauce company also offering items like a hot pepper jelly, a bacon stout mustard and a spiced pumpkin butter. All of their products, Pelletier said, are created using ghost peppers that are dehydrated and pulverized into a powder. He adds them in different amounts to control the heat level.
Smokin’ Tin Roof’s sauces include the Smoky Peppah, made with roasted red bell peppers; Grow a Pear, a sweeter pear-based sauce; and Burnin’ Raspberry, a raspberry-based sauce.
“The way I developed all of them was by creating a flavor first … and then I would add the ghost pepper powder to give it the amount of heat that I wanted to have,” Pelletier said. “We don’t want the flavor to get destroyed with the amount of heat that we add to it, which is key for us.”
Marshall Irving of the aptly named Hots Hoss, a small-batch producer of countless flavors of craft hot sauces, similarly began dabbling in his own unique flavors late last year.
“I’ve always been the spicy guy, even as a kid,” he said. “Last October, my mother came up from Florida and went to the Concord Farmers Market. I work in Concord, and so she visited me and handed me a bag of some ghost peppers she got from the farmers market. … Then literally that night, I went home and I looked up probably 10 or 20 different hot sauce recipes online.”
Photo courtesy of The Spicy Shark.
Since then, Irving has gravitated toward all types of other peppers, experimenting with other ingredients to create his own flavor profiles. He’s done everything from a strawberry carrot habanero hot sauce to a black truffle sauce with Fresno and habanero peppers. New flavors are regularly posted to Hots Hoss’s social media channels and when they’re gone they’re gone.
“I haven’t repeated a batch yet,” Irving said. “I’ve been working on making a bunch of different new recipes and just kind of seeing what sticks and what the crowd favorites are.”
According to DiSaverio, most of the bigger mass-market hot sauce brands — think Tabasco, TexasPete or Frank’s — are considered Louisiana-style and are known for their simplicity.
“They [contain] vinegar, mostly cayenne or tabasco peppers, and salt. That’s it, three ingredients,” he said. “They’re very vinegar-y, [but] that’s what Louisiana-style is.”
Chef Adam Parker, who founded NH Hot Sauce nearly 15 years ago, said he set out to make his own products after growing disenchanted with what was available on the market at the time. For each of his four sauces, he likes to individually roast and concentrate the peppers that are used.
Photo courtesy of Smokin’ Tin Roof.
“What that does … is it really starts to bring out the natural flavors that are in those peppers, as opposed to [the sauce] just being something spicy that you put on your food,” said Parker, who has most recently served as the owner of The Utopian, a cozy scratch-cooked bistro in Amherst.
Kevin Taillon, another chef by trade with his own craft hot sauce company on the side, bottled the first of what would become Naked Hot Sauces in 2015 — a green chile pepper-based sauce called Garden Variety. The sauce received such a positive reaction that it inspired Taillon, who co-owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields with his wife, to make more. Eventually, he began experimenting with other types of sauces and started to sell them at local farmers markets.
Scale of spiciness
In 1912 a pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville created what he called the Scoville Organoleptic Test. Now more commonly referred to as the Scoville Scale, it’s used as a measurement method to determine the pungency of different types of peppers, with each being assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.
“The Scoville Scale goes from zero to 16 million. It’s the scale of the amount of capsaicin, which is the portion of the pepper that causes the heat,” DiSaverio said. “So you’ve got this scale of 16 million, which is pure capsaicin, and even the hottest peppers are in the 1 to 2 million range. … That’s a measure of the pepper itself, and basically what it means is how many drops of water it would take to dilute that drop of capsaicin so that you wouldn’t be able to feel the heat.”
Even bell peppers without a trace of heat in them, Irving said, are technically on the Scoville Scale, but at zero units. As you move your way up the scale, you encounter different types of peppers assigned to different tiers based on their Scoville units — a jalapeno, for instance, sits at a range of about 2,500 to 8,000 units, while a much hotter habanero pepper is about 100,000 to 350,000 units. Ghost peppers are even higher, from 855,000 to just over 1 million units.
The hottest pepper on the Scoville Scale, ranked at about 1.4 million to 2.2 million Scoville units, is known as the Carolina Reaper. In fact, in 2017 Guinness World Records declared it the hottest pepper in the word, citing tests that were conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Ed Currie — a.k.a. “Smokin’ Ed” — of the PuckerButt Pepper Co. in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is the creator of the pepper. He also happens to be a friend of DiSaverio’s and will be supplying Carolina Reaper peppers for the New England Hot Sauce Festival’s pepper eating contest.
“There are so many more different peppers available now in the United States to buy because of the demand … and now you’re seeing people like Ed who are cross-pollinating and cross-breeding to make new peppers … and experimenting, just like with beer,” DiSaverio said.
The Carolina Reaper is used as a base pepper in several of Taillon’s sauces, like the Reaper Madness, and the Red Reaper, which blends them with red Fresno peppers. Dandido Sauce, based in Manchester, also offers its “extremely hot” Dandido Black — its newest product, according to sales consultant Jennifer Renaud. The sauce blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.
Can you take the heat?
Here’s a snapshot of various peppers most commonly used in New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces. Peppers are ranked using a method known as the Scoville Scale; each is assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU), based on the amount of capsaicin, the active ingredient in the pepper. The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.
Nurse Shark, Thresher Shark or smoked maple Sriracha breakfast egg bake Courtesy of The Spicy Shark, thespicyshark.com
12 eggs ½ of a bottle of Nurse Shark (jalapeno hot sauce), Thresher Shark (chipotle hot sauce) or smoked maple Sriracha 5 ounces baby kale 5 ounces baby arugula 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) 2 three-finger pinches each of salt and pepper Extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large skillet)
Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions for a few minutes, or until translucent. Add salt, pepper, kale and arugula to the onions. Mix and cook for a few more minutes, or until the kale and arugula are wilted. Remove from heat. Coat a 9-by-12-inch baking pan with olive oil, nonstick spray, ghee or butter. Evenly spread the mixture from the saute pan into the baking pan. Sprinkle mozzarella over the mixture. Pour the eggs over the mozzarella. Gently move everything in the baking pan slightly with a fork, so the eggs can reach the bottom. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.
Universal flavor
When it comes to hot sauce, local makers say their usage opportunities are consistently endless.
“The interesting thing is … you can have it [with] your breakfast, lunch or dinner and it can still be amazing in every way, shape and form,” Parker said. “I like using it on eggs. … Sometimes I’ll mix some into a sour cream or even some yogurt and use that as a dipping sauce.”
Depending on the flavor, Pelletier said, his sauces are great for everything, from ingredients in tacos and nachos to their use as salad dressings or chicken or pork marinades. A regular client even purchases his raspberry sauce by the half-gallon to use as an ice cream topping.
“We get more ideas as people talk to us and come back to buy more when they see us at a show,” he said. “They’ll go, ‘Oh, yeah, I put this sauce on this and, boy, did that make a difference!’”
Most of Dandido’s sauces are also great when incorporated into your cooking — or even as ingredients in shrimp cocktail sauces, co-owner Ed Baroody said.
“It’s not just something to put on top,” Renaud said. “You can build a chili off of it, [or] you can add it to your baked potato in your sour cream. … I’ve even scrambled it into my eggs.”
Irving’s best friend, Rylan Hill, is the head chef of New Hampshire Pizza Co. in Concord — the eatery has incorporated Hots Hoss into its specials, notably using a blackberry hot sauce Irving made for a Delmonico steak pizza special that was topped with chimichurri, pickled red cabbage, leeks, mozzarella and Gouda.
“I put my hot sauce on everything,” Irving said. “That’s the thing about hot sauce. It’s a topping, it’s a condiment, it’s a dipping sauce. … You can do anything with it.”
Scovie Awards Dubbed the “Oscars of hot sauce” by Gabe DiSaverio of The Spicy Shark in Portsmouth, the annual Scovie Awards recognize the most acclaimed fiery foods and spicy products from around the world. The awards ceremony is held every year at the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, usually the first weekend in March — a panel of judges rates all applicable submissions in various categories like appearance, aroma, texture, originality, flavor and overall impression.
To date, The Spicy Shark has taken home a total of 11 Scovie awards in either first, second or third place categories for its products. DiSaverio said he is most proud of two of those awards in particular: winning first place last year for his Hammah Gatah 7 Pot Primo pepper sauce, and winning Best in Show, the grand prize award, in 2020 for his hot maple syrup. Manchester’s Smokin’ Tin Roof has a Scovie Award of its own — its Smoky Peppah sauce, made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers, was awarded second place in 2021.
New Hampshire-made craft hot sauces
Here’s a list of some of the Granite State’s spiciest hot sauce companies — visit their websites directly or follow them on social media to find out how to order them or where to pick them up.
Dandido Sauce dandidosauce.com, @dandidosauce Try this sauce: The Dandido Black This “extremely hot” sauce, the company’s newest product, blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.
Effin Sauces Co. effinsauces.com, @effinsauces Try this sauce: Sweet Lava This apple cider-based vinegar hot sauce is made with bell and habanero peppers, offering a unique balance of sweetness and heat.
Hots Hoss marshall4@hotshoss.com, @hots.hoss Try this sauce: Strawberry carrot habanero One of the more recent offerings from Marshall Irving of Hots Hoss, a one-man operation of small-batch craft hot sauces in Manchester, this sauce combines habanero peppers with strawberry and carrot flavors.
Naked Hot Sauces nakedhotsauces.net, @nakedhotsauces Try this sauce: Reaper Madness One of several Carolina Reaper-based offerings from chef Kevin Taillon of Naked Hot Sauces, who also owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields, the Reaper Madness is best recommended for use on tacos or cheesesteaks.
NH Hot Sauce nhhotsauce.com, @nhhotsauce Try this sauce: Pull Fire Pull Fire, made with red Fresno peppers and fresh garlic, is one of four products from NH Hot Sauce, brought to you by longtime local chef Adam Parker.
Philbur’s Hot Sauce philburs.com, @philburs Try this sauce: Philbur’s No. 21 Hot The hottest offering from Philbur’s of Portsmouth, this sauce starts with sweet roasted peppers, jalapeno and habanero, along with extra ghost and scorpion peppers and a fresh herb finish.
Pogo’s Peppers pogospeppers.com, @pogospeppers Try this sauce: Jalapeno lime Pogo’s Peppers of Rye creates this sauce using roasted jalapenos and bright lime flavors, making it a versatile addition to just about any dish.
Rubin’s Hot Sauce rubinshotsauce.com, @rubinshotsauce Try this sauce: Inferno This sauce features a unique proprietary blend of twice the normal amount of home-grown Carolina Reaper peppers that’s then infused with a citrus-based blend of tropical fruits.
Smokin’ Tin Roof smokintinroof.com, @smokintinroof Try this sauce: Smoky Peppah A 2021 Scovie Award winner, taking home second place in the national competition, Smokin’ Tin Roof’s Smoky Peppah sauce is made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers.
The Spicy Shark thespicyshark.com, @thespicyshark Try this sauce: Megalodon Named after the largest shark that ever lived, this craft sauce is brought to you by The Spicy Shark of Portsmouth, featuring “a sweet cherry start with the blazing finish of the Carolina Reaper pepper.”
Volcanic Ash Hot Sauce volcanicashhotsauce.com, @volcanicashhotsauce Try this sauce: O.G. Volcanic Ash This small-batch sauce features a blend of fresh habanero peppers with slowly caramelized onions, garlic, premium olive oil and a touch of sea salt.
Waldo Pepper’s Hot Sauce waldopeppershotsauce.com, @waldopeppershotsauce Try this sauce: Chipotle Ghost Featuring a blend of chipotle and ghost peppers with other ingredients like cider vinegar, carrots, onions, ground garlic, ginger and lime juice, this sauce is great for spicing up your eggs, burgers or chicken.
Matt Berry and Dante Marino, along with Dante’s brother Vinny, are co-owners of Deadproof Pizza Co. (deadproofpizza.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @deadproofpizzaco), a mobile pizza pop-up company launched earlier this year that now regularly appears at local breweries, events and private catering gigs. The group made their debut at Taco Tour Manchester on May 5 — since then, they’ve appeared at several events, including 603 Brewery’s 10th anniversary celebration in Londonderry in June, and the annual Keep NH Brewing Festival in Concord earlier this month. Deadproof Pizza Co. features a core menu of eight pies, all served in 10-inch sizes, from a classic cheese to a meat lover’s pizza, a Hawaiian pizza and a prosciutto and fig pizza, along with rotating specials. With his wife, Lauren, Berry also co-owns Dahlia Restaurant, a series of New England-inspired farm-to-table pop-up dinners oftentimes organized in collaboration with area businesses. Marino, meanwhile, is the owner of Ethos & Able Creative, a local marketing and branding business. You can find Deadproof Pizza Co. next at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord), where Berry and Marino will be slinging pizzas on Saturday, July 23, from noon to 8 p.m.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
Matt: We use spoons constantly. … We also stumbled across this mini 12-inch pizza turner when we were testing different peels we wanted to use. It’s the best thing we’ve ever bought.
Dante: When I cook at home, I underestimate how much I use a spatula. I feel like I’m always doing something with it.
What would you have for your last meal?
Dante: My grandmother’s fried eggplant and chicken cutlets.
Matt: A bacon double cheeseburger with French fries and a strawberry milkshake.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
Matt: Earth’s Harvest in Dover. [Chef] George [Bezanson] makes the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. … He’s such a good dude, one of the sweetest, genuine people in my life, and his sandwiches are unreal.
Dante: If I had to go with someone more recently, we met The Traveling Foodie at the Keep NH Brewing Festival, and their stuff was nuts. They do some absolutely amazing food.
What celebrity would you like to see ordering from Deadproof Pizza Co.?
Matt: Pauly Shore. I’ve always wanted to see him. It’s low-key on my bucket list.
Dante: Ryan Reynolds. I just think he fits our vibe. He’s deadpan funny, and also he’s Deadpool, and we’re Deadproof.
What is your favorite pizza on your menu?
Dante: For me, it would definitely be the Trust Fund. It’s a pie with whipped Boursin cheese, truffle hot sauce and prosciutto.
Matt: Our classic OG. It’s such a good pie. I’ll eat it cold and it’s still delicious.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
Matt: Cliche enough, I’m going to say right now that it’s pop-ups. Some people have been starting their own pop-up businesses like myself, just after quarantine. … They’re definitely becoming more and more relevant in New Hampshire, and luckily ours have been very well received.
Dante: People are realizing that starting their own pop-ups are more accessible now than ever, and it’s a nod to how closely knit businesses have become. … They may not even be in the same industry, but they work together.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Dante: I guess my favorite thing would be smash patties or fried chicken, because I like to find ways to be experimental with different flavors.
Matt: At the end of the day, it’s whatever’s quick and simple and what my daughter will eat. She just turned 2 and she has a palate that’s better than most adults I know. We definitely feed her some not very traditional things. She’s absolutely not picky.
“The perfect pie” From the kitchen of Matt Berry and Dante Marino of Deadproof Pizza Co.
For the dough: ¼ cup warm water ¼ Tablespoon sugar ¼ Tablespoon active dry yeast Heavy pinch of kosher salt 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for forming 2 teaspoons garlic oil Heavy pinch of fine cornmeal
Toppings: 2 ounces pizza sauce of choice 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese 1 ounce grated pecorino cheese (grated Parmesan also works) 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves Pinch of Maldon salt (flaky sea salt) 5 whole cloves garlic 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 sprig each of thyme, rosemary and fresh oregano 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
Combine the olive oil with thyme, rosemary, oregano and whole cloves of garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Let it cook for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic has turned golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt; stir to dissolve. Strain and let cool. Dissolve the sugar, yeast and salt into the lukewarm water. Add the strained oil. Add the flour — start with 5-and-a-half cups, adding as needed — and mix by hand or with a stand mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let it sit for about one to two hours. If you have a pizza stone, place it in an oven set to 450 degrees at least 30 to 45 minutes before you intend to bake. Remove dough and form into a circle by hand on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to roughly 10 inches, keeping it as circular as possible. Once rolled out, slide onto a peel (or a flat cookie sheet with no edges) that’s been lightly dusted with cornmeal. Add your sauce and cheese. Carefully slide the pie off the peel onto your preheated pizza stone and let it cook for roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven and immediately dust with pecorino. Sprinkle evenly and let your pie cool for about two minutes. Roll up your basil leaves and slice thinly, throwing some on your pie to taste. Slice up, sprinkle your slices with Maldon salt and enjoy.
Featured photo: Left to right: Vinny Marino, Matt Berry and Dante Marino, co-owners of Deadproof Pizza Co. Courtesy photo.
“A foot-tapping, lip-smacking good time” is promised at the annual Bluegrass BBQ, returning to White Park in Concord for its third year on Saturday, July 23. One of the chief fundraisers for the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, the event will feature several barbecue options to choose from, along with a full lineup of local bluegrass artists performing throughout the day.
“We launched this event during Covid and it’s been very, very well received by the community,” said Greg Lessard, CCEH’s director of housing initiatives. “It’s been growing, too. We served 200 meals the first year and 550 the next year. … This year, we’re planning on 600.”
Scenes from the Bluegrass BBQ. Photos courtesy of Mulberry Creek Imagery.
The menu includes a total of five ordering packages for food. The “pitmaster special” is the most generous portion of barbecue and includes a meal of Texas-style brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, baked beans, coleslaw, pickled red onions and a pecan garlic barbecue sauce, along with a bun and a drink. There’s also a pulled pork sandwich meal with each of the same sides, or you can order the sandwich separately. A grilled hot dog meal with a bag of chips and a drink and a vegetarian meal featuring a hummus and tabouli wrap round out the food offerings.
Bill Wilcox of Wilcox & Barton, a local civil engineering company with a corporate office in Concord, is also a barbecuing enthusiast. He’ll be the chief pitmaster at the event, Lessard said.
“He’s a civil engineer, but he’s a chef as a hobby. … He has a custom-made smoker that was built down in Houston,” Lessard said. “He basically does all of the cooking, and then we’ve partnered with the Concord Food Co-op … [to do] all the prep work for the non-meat products.”
As during previous years, the event is tailgate-style — attendees are encouraged to place their barbecue orders online and then arrive at the park with chairs and picnic blankets to pick up their food and enjoy the music. A total of four bluegrass acts are each expected to play 90-minute sets. Paul Hubert will kick things off at 11 a.m., followed by Concord bluegrass and Americana group Bow Junction at 12:30 p.m., Whiskey Prison and 2 p.m. and soloist Hank Osborne at 3:30 p.m.
The Coalition has already raised more than $51,000 through 70 business sponsorships, and all food sale proceeds will go directly toward its programs. In the event of inclement weather, Lessard said, the barbecue will take place the following day, Sunday, July 24.
Live music schedule • Paul Hubert: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • Bow Junction: 12:30 to 2 p.m. • Whiskey Prison: 2 to 3:30 p.m. • Hank Osborne: 3:30 to 5 p.m.
3rd annual Bluegrass BBQ When: Saturday, July 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (food service runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.); rain date is Sunday, July 24 Where: White Park, 1 White St., Concord Cost: Options include a pitmaster special ($40), a pulled pork sandwich meal ($25), a hot dog meal ($10) and a vegetarian hummus and tabouli wrap meal ($25); place your order in advance online for pickup at the event Visit: concordhomeless.org/bluegrass-bbq
Featured photo: Scenes from the Bluegrass BBQ. Photos courtesy of Mulberry Creek Imagery.
• Fresh from the sea: Join the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford) for a New England lobster bake on Thursday, July 28, at 6 p.m., outside on its Grand Terrace. The evening will kick off with a cocktail hour, followed by assorted hors d’oeuvres, a family-style dinner and a unique tabletop s’mores service for dessert. Dinners will be plated per guest, featuring Maine lobster and a variety of fixings, including Prince Edward Island mussels, New England steamers and little neck clams, as well as chile butter corn on the cob, Three Rivers Farm potatoes, poppy seed coleslaw, a Heron Pond Farm and Brookford Farm salad blend, and house made rolls with whipped Vermont butter. As for the s’mores, those will be served with assorted flavored house-made marshmallows. Tickets are $125 per person (event is 21+ only) and a cash bar will also be available all evening (additional cocktails, beer and wine are not included). In the event of inclement weather, the lobster bake will take place inside the restaurant’s Great Hall. The Bedford Village Inn’s regional summer dinner series, meanwhile, will continue with a four-course South Carolina dinner on Thursday, Aug. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. Visit bedfordvillageinn.com or call 472-2001 to make reservations.
• Cocktails and sangria wines: The next installment in The Winemaker’s Kitchen Cooking with Wine class series at LaBelle Winery’s Amherst location (345 Route 101) is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. and will focus on cocktail party recipes. Owner and winemaker Amy LaBelle will lead this interactive demonstration, preparing a classic daiquiri and a French 75 cocktail, as well as an artisan cheese display and mini crab and corn cakes with mustard and white wine crema. Attendees will have a chance to sample each recipe, as well as wine pairings throughout the session. Take-home recipe cards for each item will also be provided. The cost is $35 per person plus taxes, and registration is required. LaBelle Winery is also set to hold a special sangria release party in Amherst on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. — that event will feature tastings of its Sangria Blanca (white), Verano Sangria (red) and Sangria Rosé, along with a cheese display. Admission is $35 per person. Visit labellewinery.com.
• Pearls Candy to close in August: Longtime Salem candy shop Pearls Candy & Nuts will permanently close its doors by the end of August, citing “health and other reasons,” according to announcements posted on its website and Facebook page addressing its customers. “We truly appreciate you and your patronage,” the message reads in part. “We will continue to have fresh fudge into August, but we will not be ordering any new candy.” The shop is known for its thousands of varieties of nostalgic and hard-to-find novelty candies, as well as fresh hand-roasted cashews and peanuts. According to its website, the first iteration of Pearls opened in Salem in 1976, when Lenny Pearl followed in the footsteps of his father, the owner of Louis Pearl’s in Lawrence, Mass. Online ordering is still available at Pearls, in addition to in-store shopping — the July 8 Facebook post goes on to advise customers to “stock up now while inventory lasts.” The announcement comes just a few months after Manchester’s Candy Kingdom, another longtime family-owned candy shop, also permanently closed in April. Visit pearlscandynh.com.
Erica Ceravolo of Wilton is the kitchen manager and chef of Riley’s Place (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 325-2177, rileysplacellc.com), a comfort food restaurant and music hall that opened in the tavern space adjoining Milford’s historic Colonel Shepard House in April. A native of New Jersey, Ceravolo grew up working in her grandmother’s bakery in Bloomfield, just outside of Newark. She was recruited by Riley’s Place owner Kimberley King to design and oversee a menu of home-cooked comfort foods with Southern nods, all to complement the music hall’s weekly schedule of live blues, rock and country acts. You’ll find everything here from scratch-cooked jambalaya and macaroni and cheese to pulled pork grilled cheese sandwiches, shrimp po’ boys, ribs, Cajun rice and beans, ice cream and more. Prior to joining the staff of Riley’s Place, Ceravolo worked in the kitchen and oversaw cooking programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley for several years.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
Always in my hand or always by my side is a sharp knife, which for me is multi-purpose.
What would you have for your last meal?
It would be my grandmother’s chicken and dumplings. That was my comfort food growing up, that’s what she made when I was sick, and what she made on my birthday every year. … It just reminds me of home.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
I work a lot, so obviously I don’t get out much, but my go-to is Riverhouse Cafe in Milford, right on the Oval. I love that place, so if I had the choice right now to go anywhere, I’d go there. … [I get] either a burger or some kind of breakfast food. They have this thing called the Bird’s Nest that I crave sometimes. It’s got all the breakfast foods in it but it looks like a little bird’s nest.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Riley’s Place?
It would be a toss-up between Stanley Tucci, whose show about Italy I’m obsessed with, and Guy Fieri.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
My personal favorite thing on the menu right now would probably be the pulled pork nachos. I’m a huge nachos fan. … I really wanted to create nachos that were very layered, so that with every bite you’re getting pulled pork, salsa and cheese. It’s simple but it’s so flavorful.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I think it’s two things — one is either gluten-free or non-meat options. Then, I think the other thing is that, especially during Covid, it’s really all about sticking with [buying] local and not always going to the big guys to get stuff from.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
I actually talked to my kids about this one, because a lot of my cooking is based on what they ask for. … One of our favorite things to cook is grilled cheese, and we like to experiment, so we’ll try different breads, different cheeses … [and] we’ll put different meats on it, different spices and sauces and things to dip it in. We’re always elevating our grilled cheeses. … I like a good mild cheddar, like the Hoffman cheddar. That’s probably my go-to for grilled cheese, because it’s not bland but it doesn’t overpower anything else I put in it either, so you can taste all those flavors.
Homemade barbecue sauce From the kitchen of Erica Ceravolo of Riley’s Place in Milford
1½ cups ketchup 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ¼ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 Tablespoons molasses 2 teaspoons mustard
Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the sauce simmers, feel free to add a few tablespoons of water to thin the sauce to desired consistency. Sauce may be served immediately but if you have some extra time, cover and chill for at least one hour for the best flavor.
In late 2020, Manchester couple Madeline Rossi and Olivia Lenox launched New Roots Meals, a plant-based meal prep company and delivery service offering rotating items out of a scratch kitchen. Their success eventually led them to introduce a mobile food trailer last year, from which they expanded into serving coffees, teas and locally sourced vegan pastries.
Now, Rossi and Lenox have an all new business venture, The Green Beautiful, which held its grand opening June 25 on the corner of Wilson and Silver streets in the Queen City’s Somerville neighborhood. Described by the pair as a “gourmet vegan cafe,” the spot further expands their scratch-cooked plant-based offerings while also serving as a community space for events.
The new eatery’s name is a nod to the 1996 French film La Belle Verte — which translates to “The Green Beautiful” in English — about a utopian society on a fictional green planet.
Prior to opening their first brick-and-mortar, Rossi and Lenox would prepare everything on Sundays at Jerome’s Deli in Manchester, which they rented as a commissary space.
“We were only able to do a couple of food options at the truck … and now we’re able to do the entire menu,” Rossi said. “Pretty much every way we could expand, we are able to in this kitchen. … It was also really important when we got this space that we could have a spot where someone could come in, grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich and get out in five minutes. Or, they could come in, hang out and stay here for however long they wanted.”
The 2,250-square-foot space most recently housed Gyro King, but it has been home to several other businesses over the years, most notably Pigeon’s Market. In fact, it remains easily identifiable thanks to the vintage “Pigeon’s Market” sign that is still up — while Rossi and Lenox will have their own sign directing diners to their space, as with previous iterations of the storefront, the Pigeon’s Market sign, they said, will remain as an unofficial landmark of sorts.
The Green Beautiful’s regular food menu is divided into four sections: bagels, hashes, bowls and sandwiches. Bagels come from Bagel Alley in Nashua, with a variety of homemade cream cheese spreads — or “schmears” — and some other add-ons, like tomatoes and seasonal greens.
The truffle hash, among their top sellers, features tempeh “bacon” from BOStempeh of Somersworth, along with russets, black beans, red onions, chives and a cilantro-garlic aioli. Many of The Green Beautiful’s bowls and sandwiches, Rossi said, are also completely new for the space. The Void, for instance, is a fried seitan (pronounced “SAY-tan”) “chicken” patty on a house-made chia bun, topped with sweet pickles, diced sweet onions, seasonal greens and a garlic aioli. You can also get a “cheesesteak” sandwich with shaved seitan, cashew cheddar, caramelized onions and roasted red peppers. That’s served on a hoagie roll.
“We’re calling it ‘wheat meat,’ because it’s made of vital wheat gluten, which is a protein,” Lenox said. “When you mix it with water, it’s almost like a giant wad of gum. That’s where we infuse all the flavor, so then for the ‘chicken,’ we form them into patties and bake them.”
Breakfast sandwiches, meanwhile, use homemade “egg” patties, made out of tofu and chickpea flour. Rossi recently made her own vegan version of a bacon, egg and cheese McGriddle.
The couple’s coffee menu has also expanded in a big way, for the first time including a full line of espresso drinks from A&E Coffee & Tea with oat, soy and coconut milks and house-made syrups. They also continue to partner with Nommunism, a Seacoast-based vegan pastry company, to offer grab-and-go items like scones, muffins, cookies, Rice Krispie treats and more.
Going forward, Lenox said The Green Beautiful will co-exist as a sister company of New Roots, the latter of which the couple hopes to eventually expand into wholesale plant-based meals. A stage has also been built near the front of the cafe where the Pigeon’s Market’s cash register once stood — there, music and poetry open mic nights are held on Wednesdays, and plans are in the works to soon begin holding other events like drag brunches, documentary screenings and more.
The trailer, meanwhile, also continues to operate for events only. Rossi and Lenox will next appear at the Currier Museum of Art’s Summer Block Party, where they’ll serve vegan paninis.
The Green Beautifull Where: 168 Wilson St., Manchester Hours: Wednesday through Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (kitchen closes at 3 p.m. each day); music and poetry open mic nights are held on Wednesdays, 5 to 9 p.m., when coffees, teas, pastries and grab-and-go items are also available. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays. More info: Visit greenbeautifulcafe.com, email greenbeautifulcafe@gmail.com or find them on Instagram @greenbeautifulmht
Featured photo: Carrot lox bagel. Photo courtesy of The Green Beautiful in Manchester.
Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival returns
After the Rock’n Ribfest ended its 16-year run offering ribs, other barbecue favorites, craft beer and live music, new organizers continued the tradition in 2019 under a new name. Pandemic woes then shelved the event for two consecutive years, but the Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival — now a fundraiser for the Merrimack Rotary Club — is back.
The event is scheduled for Friday, July 15, through Sunday, July 17, at Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack, featuring a diverse mix of longtime “ribbers” and new food and beverage vendors.
It was traditionally held over Father’s Day weekend; a collective decision among Ribfest vendors and organizers was made to push this year’s event back a few weeks to the middle of July.
Scenes from the 2019 Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival. Photos by Gary Reynolds.
“When we had to take two years off due to Covid, we did lots and lots of introspection on what worked and what didn’t work … because we had plenty of time to figure those things out,” organizer Jeremy Garrett of the event management company J2L Events said. “The top suggestion was to move the date, and hopefully get out of the wetter spring weather. … Being the same weekend as [Laconia] Bike Week was also thought to impact attendance negatively.”
As in previous years, attendees can expect to find barbecue options from local and nationally renowned eateries. Some of this year’s participating vendors — like Armadillo’s BBQ and Austin’s Texas Lightning BBQ — are coming from as far away as Illinois and Texas, respectively. They’ll be offering half and whole racks of ribs, in addition to pulled pork sandwiches, burgers and an array of house-made sauces and rubs. A few local barbecue favorites — like Up In Your Grill, a food trailer based in Merrimack — also join in on the fun.
But there’s also lots more to discover at Ribfest beyond just barbecue — in fact, Garrett said that was a chief focus for organizers when the event changed hands three years ago.
“We’ve got some of the carnival-type foods, the french fries and the fried doughs … and we’ve also got a whole diverse selection of food trucks that are coming in,” he said. “All in all, it’s around 25 food and dessert vendors … so hopefully everyone can find something that they like.”
Donali Food Truck, for instance, is a newcomer to Ribfest. The Nashua-based food truck features lobster rolls and Italian sausage subs as its cornerstone offerings, cooked with fresh ingredients alongside additional menu items like barbecue chicken sandwiches and smash burgers.
This is also the debut event for Carla’s Coffee, which is in the process of rebranding from Jayrard’s Java Cafe. New owner Carla Reardon recently purchased the trailer from founder Jared Turgeon. Carla’s Coffee will be offering a variety of coffees and espresso-based drinks at Ribfest using Cafe Britt coffee from Costa Rica, in addition to some smoothies and lemonades.
Other trucks will include Friends 4 OBA, brought to you by the owners of OBA Noodle Bar in downtown Exeter — they’re known for their authentic Asian fusion street food options. The Seacoast Pretzel Co. truck will also be there with its fresh Bavarian-style soft pretzels, while Cheese Louise, based in Conway, will offer creative takes on gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.
A full schedule of live music is planned throughout all three days, with a total of 11 acts each performing roughly 90-minute sets. Garrett said music styles will run the gamut from hard rock and blues to indie, pop, country and reggae, and nearly all are songs original to the artist.
Attendees are welcome to bring folding lawn or camp chairs and blankets to the festival to enjoy the music. While there isn’t a children’s area in the traditional sense as in previous Ribfest events, a few participating local organizations are providing family-friendly activities of their own. The Daniel Webster BSA Council’s Mobile Base Camp, for instance, will feature an inflatable archery range, Spikeball, soccer darts and a backyard bass fishing activity. The Rugged Axe, a Manchester-based ax throwing venue, is also expected to bring its mobile trailer.
The 5-mile race that was normally held on Sunday during Ribfest weekend is also returning, and there will be face painting courtesy of Trading Faces and free demonstrations from Bedford Martial Arts Academy. A limited number of VIP tickets, sold on all three event days, grant attendees access inside Anheuser-Busch’s Biergarten with a greater variety of beverage options.
Participating food and beverage vendors • Armadillo’s BBQ (Illinois, find them on Facebook) • Austin’s Texas Lightning BBQ (Texas, austintexaslightning.com) • Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ (New Jersey, smackyourlipsbbq.com) • Canterbury Kettle Corn (Connecticut, find them on Facebook) • Carla’s Coffee (Nashua, carlascoffeenh.com) • Cheese Louise (Conway, eatcheeselouise.com) • Dandido Sauce (Manchester, dandidosauce.com) • Donali Food Truck (Nashua, donalifoodtruck.com) • Friends 4 OBA (Exeter, friends4oba.com) • Holly’s Kona Ice (Pelham, hollyskonaice.com) • Jeannette’s Concessions (Hudson, find them on Facebook) • Phily’s Good Eats (Candia, find them on Facebook) • Saucehound BBQ (Watertown, Mass., saucehoundbbq.com) • Seacoast Pretzel Co. (Rollinsford, seacoastpretzelcompany.com) • Sillie Puffs (Manchester, silliepuffs.com) • Simply Cannoli (Douglas, Mass., simplycannoli.com) • Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream (Nashua, find them on Facebook) • Thee Taco Dude (Sterling, Mass., theetacodude.com) • The Travelling Foodie (Nashua, jrmcateringllc.com) • Trolley Dogs (Framingham, Mass., find them on Facebook) • Up In Your Grill (Merrimack, upinyourgrill.com) • Wild Bill’s Soda (Waterford, N.Y., drinkwildbills.com)
Live music schedule Friday, July 15 • James McCarthy: 4:30 to 6 p.m. • Chris Fits Band and Ken Clark: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 16 • Gadabout: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. • Best Not Broken: noon to 1:30 p.m. • Ben Cote Band: 2 to 3:30 p.m. • Nick Drouin: 4 to 5:30 p.m. • The Gravel Project: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 17 • Supernothing: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • Lexi James: 1 to 2:30 p.m. • Feverslip: 3 to 4:30 p.m. • Southern Yankee: 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival When: Friday, July 15, 4:30 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 16, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 17, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Where: Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack Cost: Online tickets purchased in advance are $12 for adults, $10 for veterans and seniors over 60, and $5 for kids ages 6 to 12. At the gate, tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for veterans and seniors over 60, and $6 for kids ages 6 to 12. Kids ages 5 and under are free. VIP tickets are also available this year, for $27.50 in advance and $35 at the gate (if available) — that grants you access to the air-conditioned Biergarten lounge with an increased beverage variety. Visit: greatamericanribfest.com Event is rain or shine. No pets, weapons or outside food or beverages are allowed, except for one sealed bottle of water. Premier parking is available onsite at $20 per day. Parking is also available across the street at Elbit Systems (220 Daniel Webster Hwy.) for $10 per day. There will be no shuttle services this year.
Featured photo: Scenes from the 2019 Great American Ribfest & Food Truck Festival. Photos by Gary Reynolds.
• World of wines: Five New Hampshire eateries were named among the more than 3,000 establishments worldwide in Wine Spectator’s annual Restaurant Awards, which honor the world’s best restaurants for wine, according to a press release. A total of 3,169 dining destinations from all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries internationally were selected for this year’s list — in New Hampshire, Hanover Street Chophouse in Manchester, Copper Door Restaurant in Bedford, CR’s The Restaurant in Hampton, The Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness, and Granita Enoteca in Keene were all among the honorees. “These awards not only guide our readers to dining establishments with impressive wine lists and outstanding service, but also serve to honor restaurants for their achievements and commitment to maintaining pristine cellars,” Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator, said in a statement. The publication’s Restaurants Awards issue became available to readers on July 12, the release said.
• Cured cravings: Local chef Keith Sarasin of The Farmers Dinner as well as a new Indian-themed pop-up dinner series called Aatma is about to release his fourth cookbook since 2018. Jerky: The Essential Cookbook is due out July 26, according to Amazon — the book features more than 70 recipes and easy-to-follow instructions for making all kinds of flavors of jerky from various types of animal protein. Sarasin also covers jerky’s origins and history as well as its place in the modern artisanal food movement. The new cookbook comes just over a year after Sarasin’s previous release, Meat: The Ultimate Cookbook, in May 2021 — that book is a whopping 800 pages filled with recipes using all kinds of meats, from beef, pork and poultry to lamb, goat and several species of wild game. Pre-order a copy now at keithsarasin.com.
• Whiskey business: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission will award a prize package of some of the world’s most hard-to-find whiskeys in a raffle to raise money for Best Buddies NH. According to a press release, a total of 2,500 tickets are being sold in the “Buddy Up!” raffle, which is running now through Sept. 15. Tickets are $100 each — the package includes more than $40,000 worth of rare spirits, including a collection of Pappy Van Winkle and E.H. Taylor bourbons, as well as the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. According to the release, the winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to experience New Hampshire Distiller’s Week, including two tickets to a Buffalo Trace tasting dinner at the Crown Tavern in Manchester on Nov. 1, and two VIP tickets to the Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits on Nov. 3. Visit liquorandwineoutlets.com.
• Nashua company gets national certification: Nashua artisan food company Mola Foods recently received certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, according to a press release. “I am so excited to now be able to access a vast network of support with new growth opportunities and increased visibility in corporate and government supply chains, education and development programs,” LaFortune Jeannette Djabea, who founded Mola Foods in 2016, said in a statement. According to the release, the WBENC standard of certification is a meticulous process that includes an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. A native of Cameroon, Djabea expanded her brand of globally inspired spice blends and chili relishes in the form of a retail store front, tasting room and commercial kitchen, which opened in Nashua in February 2021. Visit molafoods.com.
