Browse restaurants in nearly any locale, and you may notice the tagline “Farm to Table.” The farm-to-table concept emphasizes the use of locally-sourced, fresh ingredients, ideally obtained directly from the farm where they are grown or raised. It's a movement that prioritizes freshness, sustainability, and supporting local food systems, often involving restaurants building relationships with nearby farms. The trend extends to the home cook who opts to shop at farmer’s markets when given the opportunity.
I visited some great markets this year and while browsing was reminded how expansive the term can be. Market fare is not just fresh fruits and vegetables. Vendors selling honey, candles, cheese, and fresh baked goods occupy many booths. Shoppers can ask questions to gain better insight into the vendor product and process, but limitations to gain a thorough understanding still exist.
This summer, I was fortunate to get a behind-the-scenes view of a local product from my teaching colleague, Johanna Thompson, the founder and owner of Keep It Savory, a flavored salt company.
Keep It Savory started in 2013, when Johanna discovered that curing fresh and local-as-possible ingredients was delicious, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible, all things she values. More than a dozen years and ten flavors later, Johanna continues to be passionate about empowering the home cook to be creative with a simple, everyday ingredient that our bodies need anyway.
Johanna believes that food tastes better when everyone has a seat at the table and Keep It Savory Salt Co. has been crafted to operationalize those values. By sourcing fresh ingredients from local growers in Chicago like the Windy City Youth Farm and small neighborhood markets like Forty Acres Fresh Market and The Farm on Ogden, the business invests in fellow businesses on the front lines of the healthy food movement. It also donates 10% of the annual revenue to organizations working to unravel the legacy of racism and economic disinvestment on the West Side of Chicago.
I worked with Johanna and her all-woman crew for two days this summer weighing ingredients, curing and inspecting batches, and packing and labeling hundreds of jars of the salts. We worked in the Shared Kitchen at The Hatchery in Chicago’s Garfield Park. The Hatchery is a non-profit food and beverage incubator that helps local entrepreneurs build and grow successful businesses. In addition to the shared commercial kitchen, the 67,000 square foot facility also includes 54 private commercial kitchen spaces, and walk-in dry, cold, and freezer storage.
Fun fact: Johanna was a member of the Hatchery since before the building was up! She was one of the first “community members” in the Shared Kitchen. The Shared Kitchen provides Johanna an economical option in lieu of owning her own kitchen or having a brick-and-mortar store.
Prior to the jarring stage, hours of hands-on labor (and weeks of cure time) go into flavoring the salt. Johanna’s proprietary technique uses a slow cold-cure process that ensures the salt holds onto all the goodness of the fresh ingredients until the consumer is ready to cook, (or bake, or cocktail!) with them.
As I helped with salt prep, I realized, yet again, just how impressive and widespread the food scene is in Chicago. It extends far beyond the incredible restaurants we all know - culinary creativity is in kitchens across this phenomenal city. I was personally captivated by observing other food entrepreneurs - including catering chefs, an infused honey business and a hummus company – all busily working on producing high-quality, delicious food products.
While Lemon Thyme was Keep It Savory’s first flavor, my palate for sweets favors their award-winning Vanilla Bean Salt. Named a "Product of the Year" by Food & Beverage Magazine, I took home a jar after a day of work and enjoyed putting it to use for cookies and some spiced almonds. It’s also a game changer in (and sprinkled on top of) cookies and brownies, in pie crusts and scones, and last week I roasted some sweet potatoes with it… wow!
Vanilla Bean Salted Oatmeal Cookies
Yields: 3 dozen
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes
Inactive time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
3/4 cup unsalted butter (cold)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Keep It Savory Vanilla Bean Sea Salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or chopped walnuts (optional)
1. Slice "cold" unsalted butter into small pieces and whip in your mixer for a minute. As needed, scrape it from the sides of the bowl and keep mixing.
2. Add both sugars, baking powder, baking soda and the cinnamon. Combine at medium speed until the mixture has a crumbly texture.
4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour. Switch to a wooden spoon, if the batter gets too tough for the mixer. Don’t overmix.
5. Gently fold in the oats, and optional add-ins.
6. Chill the dough for at least an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (set rack on the 2nd position from top).
8. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheet.
9. Lightly sprinkle each cookie with a few grains of Vanilla Bean Salt.
10. Raise oven to 375°F for 12-15 minutes. (Cookies should still be soft to the touch).
11. Carefully transfer them to a cooling rack and enjoy!
Vanilla Bean Candied Almonds
Yields: 1 - 2 qt.
Prep time: 10 mins
Total time: 50 mins
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon Keep It Savory Vanilla Bean Sea Salt, divided
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb. almonds (about 4 cups)
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugars, cinnamon and 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Sea Salt.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white, vanilla extract, and the remaining Vanilla Bean Sea Salt until very foamy, about 1 minute.
5. Add the almonds and stir until well coated.
6. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the almonds and toss until fully coated.
7. Spread the almonds into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir and spread out the nuts evenly again.
9. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the nuts are very fragrant and are starting to darken in color.
10. Let the almonds fully cool in the pan on a wire rack (the sugar will harden as it cools).
Flavored salts offer one way to elevate food. At The Chopping Block, you can learn about other techniques for adding sophistication to your dishes and about new ingredients. With the holiday season nearly around the corner it is time to get cooking or giving the gift of cooking. You can find Keep It Savory Salts online and a various gourmet food and gift shops around Chicago.
