Buyers' Picks: September 2003

Jill Brandt, The Napa General Store, Napa, CA
We sell a lot of Dave’s Gourmet snacks that go well with beer, margaritas or wine. We carry Running Rabbit gourmet licorice from Liberty in Petaluma in fun flavors like Raspberry or Citrus Lemon with Honey. Anette’s Chocolates makes Brent’s Microbrew Beer Brittle, which is wonderful. We also see some back-to-college business with snack sizes of condiments, jams or hot sauces. My picks include:
• Dave’s Gourmet Painful Pretzels
• Running Rabbit gourmet licorices
• Dave’s Gourmet Burning Nuts
• Scharffen Berger’s 3-ounce chocolate bars
• Brent’s Microbrew Beer Brittle

Paul Saltzman, A Southern Season, Chapel Hill, NC
Chips, peanuts and cheese straws all do well as snacks for football games. Plocky’s makes a Jalapeño Cheddar Popcorn Tortilla Chip that we can’t keep in stock; it’s the best-selling chip in the store. Goldwater’s Mango Salsa is also a big seller and has incredible flavor. And Pick Hungarian Salami is a classic. My picks include:
• Plocky’s Jalapeño Cheddar PopcornTortillaChips
• Goldwater’s Mango Salsa
• Carolina Cupboard Roasted in the Shell Peanuts
• Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar
• Carolina Popcorn Shoppe Caramel Corn
• Salem Baking Sweet Polenta Jalapeño Cheese Straws

Aubrea Kennedy, The Party Source, Bellevue, KY
For football games and parties, we do our best snack sales with specialty chips. We’re bringing in a line of specialty nuts, but have not yet seen how that will sell. We also do phenomenal sales with Desert Pepper salsa. In sweet snacks, Walkers cookies and Bahlsen’s holiday and regular lines all sell well. My picks include:
• On the Border Chips
• Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Desert Pepper Trading Company Corn, Black Bean, Roasted Red Pepper Salsa
• Kettle Chips
• Walkers Shortbread

Dave Wanke, Oakville Grocery, Healdsburg, CA
Depending on the weather, people here can enjoy picnicking through November. Savory foods seem to be more popular fall snacks than sweet. Cheeses, such as St. George Portuguese Cheddar and Old Amsterdam Extra Aged Gouda, are really popular. We also sell a ton of breadsticks from Judy’s and Semifreddi’s. My picks include:
• Molinari salame
• Williamsburg Wasabi Peanuts
• Sonoma Foie Gras pˆaté terrines
• Terrapin Ridge squeezable mustards (shown)
• Sonoma Select Muffaletta
• Buffalo mozzarella with Divina marinated red and yellow roasted tomatoes

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