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What products respond the best to in-store sampling?

Barbara Collurafici, Gourmet Again, Pikesville, MD
We sample a lot of house-made products that guarantee repeat sales, plus fun, easy-to-use items like salsas, chips, pickles and flatbread. During Passover, we make our own matzoh candy. My picks include:
• House-made Mediterranean bruschetta
• House-made Parmesan flatbread
• Boars Head Pickles
• House-made matzoh brittle

Valerie Rouillard, Wedges and Corks, Virginia Beach, VA
I sample what customers do not see in a regular supermarket. East Coast shoppers are not familiar with some West Coast wines, for example. More challenging cheeses and versatile sauces are also great for customers to taste. My picks include:
• Brillat Savarin Brie
• Colston-Bassett Stilton
• Tobin James Merlot
• Partners All American Crackers
• Vino de Milo sauces

Peter Mahoney, Bacchus Market & Catering, Philadelphia
We display flavorful “everything pretzel crisps with Cheddar. We also sample our own Panko Chicken Fingers with gourmet mustard. My picks include:
• Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, Everything
• Cabot Private Stock Cheddar
• Humboldt Fog cheese
• Panko Chicken Fingers
• Cherchies Champagne Mustard

Karen Keegan, Savor the Flavor, Sierra Madre, CA
We demo Sticky Toffee Sauce with apples, pears or just a spoon. Brownies are always a hit, as well as pretzels with both sweet and savory dips—like chocolate frosting or wasabi horseradish sauce. My picks include:
• The English Pudding Co. Sticky Toffee Sauce
• East Shore Dipping Pretzels
• The King’s Cupboard Triple Chocolate Frosting
• Stonewall Kitchen Wasabi Horseradish Cream Sauce
• Brent’s Micro Brew Fiery Beer Brittle

Ashley Lockwood, Cork & Cracker, Indianapolis, IN
We give out individual house-made mousses in refreshing flavors like lemon or tangerine as customers come in the door. Usually we combine several products, such as a cheese with our roasted tomatoes and peppers, plus bread. To eliminate the hassle of sampling meat, we serve glazes with pretzels or crackers. My picks include:
• Tangerine and lemon mousse
• Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue
• Chinablue glazes
• MouCo ColoRouge Cheese