In this episode of You Had Me At Eat, Jules and Erica celebrate June - the month that holds National Candy Month, Pride Month, and also Father's Day. This episode features the best finds for Father's Day gifts, and the best new snacks and sweets from the National Confectioners Association Sweets & Snacks expo!
RESOURCES
gfJules Father's Day gift guide
Jelly Belly boba milk tea jellybeans (to be released)
Trupo Treats new T&Ts (to be released)
Beyond Good
Evolved oatmeal cookie dough chocolate
Lovo swiss made dairy-free chocolate
YumEarth (to be released)
Peeps (Dr. Pepper Peeps) and to be released S'mores Dipped Peeps
Reese's plant-based oat chocolate confection and peanut butter candy bar - is it gluten-free? Is it celiac safe?
Hippeas new tortilla chips and straws
Hardbite spicy dill pickle chips
Jackson's Farmhouse Ranch sweet potato chips
Nutty Gourmet pistachio walnut butter
Unbound Snacks roasted cinnamon walnuts
Like Air pancake puffcorn
Contact/Follow Jules & Erica
Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe!
**some links may be affiliate links; purchasing through these links will not cost you more, but will help to fund the podcast you ❤️
In this episode of You Had Me At Eat, Jules and Erica celebrate June - the month that holds National Candy Month, Pride Month, and also Father's Day. This episode features the best finds for Father's Day gifts, and the best new snacks and sweets from the National Confectioners Association Sweets & Snacks expo!
RESOURCES
gfJules Father's Day gift guide
Jelly Belly boba milk tea jellybeans (to be released)
Trupo Treats new T&Ts (to be released)
Beyond Good
Evolved oatmeal cookie dough chocolate
Lovo swiss made dairy-free chocolate
YumEarth (to be released)
Peeps (Dr. Pepper Peeps) and to be released S'mores Dipped Peeps
Reese's plant-based oat chocolate confection and peanut butter candy bar - is it gluten-free? Is it celiac safe?
Hippeas new tortilla chips and straws
Hardbite spicy dill pickle chips
Jackson's Farmhouse Ranch sweet potato chips
Nutty Gourmet pistachio walnut butter
Unbound Snacks roasted cinnamon walnuts
Like Air pancake puffcorn
Contact/Follow Jules & Erica
Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe!
**some links may be affiliate links; purchasing through these links will not cost you more, but will help to fund the podcast you ❤️
Jules [00:00:13]:
Hey, I'm Erica. And I'm Jules. Most people have at least 1 thing that they can't or won't eat. Yeah, we're definitely like that. We started this podcast to talk about the gluten-free food industry. Like new products and some of the stories behind your favorite brands. And living life with a specialty diet and also some important healthcare topics. Since we're basically both broken inside, you had me at eat. Hey everybody, Welcome to You Had Me at Eat. I'm Jules. And I'm Erica. And this week we're gonna be talking about some fun stuff like sweets and snacks.
Erica [00:00:55]:
And I guess we've got Father's Day coming up and the rest of Erica's craving travels. Oh yeah, the June has got a lot in it. I thought May had a lot in it, but June also has a lot in it. So we have lots to talk about. Thankfully, I am home for most of June. The only thing I'm leaving for is at the end of the month for Teen Summit. That's in Estes Park, Colorado at the end of the month. So I'm very excited for that. Colorado is gonna be a gorgeous at the base of the Rocky Mountains this time of year. So very excited about that. Besides that it is Pride Month. So from the Target Pride collection. Am I? Yes.
Jules [00:01:32]:
Yeah. You cannot mistake that shirt for not being bright. Yeah. So although Matt's like, listeners can't see it, I will describe it to you. It has every color in the rainbow striped striped all over Erica's. Matt
Erica [00:01:46]:
said that I look like I was working in an old-time candy store. And I'm like, well that works because it's also National Candy Month. That's true.
Jules [00:01:56]:
June has every year. You're just tying it all up together in that 1 little t-shirt.
Erica [00:02:00]:
So this is actually all of the colors and each flag that you know represents LGBTQ or LGBT community and there's also additional colors for pansexual and non-binary and bisexual. So there's a lot of exciting things happening on their shirt. So I'm very proud to wear it and very proud to support our LGBT community in the month of June and throughout the entire year and especially proud to wear my target shirt that I got before they took down the pride line. So just want to make my statement. That's going to be a collector's item. It is. I buy a lot of stuff from the pride line as you should to support brands who are doing it right, which, you know, that can be a whole other episode, but we're just gonna say happy Pride Month and leave it at that and say, I support you and I'm here for you and I love you. So happy Pride.
Jules [00:02:53]:
Yeah, and happy Candy Month.
Erica [00:02:55]:
Yes, and also happy Candy Month. And honestly, Sweets and snacks could not have come at a better time because it's National Candy Month. And don't worry, everywhere there are signs saying, did you know it's National Candy Month in June? So everyone's getting ready for it. I guess the big kickoff to National Candy Month is having this at the end of May. So we're all like loaded up and sugar and ready to go for the entire month supporting the National Confectioners Association, candy, Candyland, basically just like real life Candyland.
Jules [00:03:28]:
My favorite video from Sweets and Snacks was the video that they posted, Sweets and Snacks posted of all of the giant characters leaving with their rolling bags that 1 day. So you see like the M&Ms and the marshmallows and the Oreos. It's like the Pringles guy. Yeah, they were all like rolling their suitcases out the door at the same time. It was so funny.
Erica [00:03:49]:
My favorite was the nerd, just cause the outfit was like the cutest and the person was so cute. And then I high fived the Chip Sahoy, Chip guy. He had the most aggressive hands. I even made a remark after so I'm like, that's a very aggressive handshake, sir. I'm like, that's a lot coming from a chocolate chip. I did oversized gloves, but he was grabbing my hand and like, holy lord. So funny. Yeah, there were a lot of mascots and like just so it was so weird, Jules. It was like a, it was like an acid fever dream. It was all very surreal, bright colors, sugar everywhere. It was like, very, Very strange, like Willy Wonka style, but like corporate Willy Wonka.
Jules [00:04:36]:
It's just weird, man. I love that. Corporate Willy Wonka. Yeah. With mascots. Yeah. Yeah. But like everyone in suits, but then like also mascots. So. It's like 1 of those ESPN commercials where they all like the mascots all come in and kick up their giant You know puppy feet up on the chair and grab a beer or something at the end Like I really feel like that was what was probably happening at sweets and snacks as well It was very break room for mascots at Sweets and Snacks? Actually, yeah, there is. It's a mascot room only. It's a mascot changing room. And I was- Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Well, do you wanna start off with the best story of Sweets and Snacks? Yes, I- That's actually- that actually was
Erica [00:05:17]:
around the time that I was looking in the mascot changing room. Because I had to use the restroom. You were desperate. Yes, I heard. So I wanted to use the restroom. And this is like, we're at the McCormick Place, which is a ginormous convention center. 1 of the largest in the country. So I had to go to the bathroom. And so I walk into 1 of the bathrooms, and I'm like, huh? And they're like, Yeah, it seems like nothing's flushing. And I'm like, Oh, yeah, toilets were piled up to where it looked like a hoarders episode. And I'm like, this is disgusting. And I'm not going to the bathroom here. And I'm like, obviously something's wrong. So we're like pressing the buttons, like something's wrong, something's wrong, you know, on the on the bathroom, it's like, leave your feedback. Oh, I've got feedback. Feedback, feedback, feedback, please come help. It's scary down here. So I'm like, I'm not going to the bathroom here. And I'm like, okay, I really need to go to the bathroom. So the whole venue is like behind all these drapes. So the bathrooms are behind all these drapes. So I'm going like behind all these drapes. And then I like go to the mascot changing area and I look around, I'm like, okay, there's no bathroom here. There's just mascots getting undressed. And then I'm like, okay, well, where is there another bathroom? So I go outside to the actual convention center hallway between the 2 main floors. Right. So I go in there and they're like, lady, nothing's flushing in here. And I'm like, oh my God, this is like my worst IBS nightmare. Because I'm not gonna go to the bathroom and have it just be hanging out there. That's gross. And that's not what I want out of life. That's not the experience I want out of life. You don't want that for your fellow humans either. I can't afford, right? I don't want to do that. So I was like, sheer panic. So then I go to the other floor and then their bathrooms are not working. And at this time, all the women are like, this seems very strange. Like this really happens with 1 toilet, but not all the toilets. Yeah. So then-
Jules [00:07:16]:
did you cross the bridge to the different pavilion and try their bathrooms? So
Erica [00:07:20]:
it's such a long walk. So I did the 2 different rooms in the main hallway, and then I went up to the second floor and then I found someone that works there. Like all the water is not working in the entire convention center. The entire convention center had no flushable restrooms.
Jules [00:07:36]:
Oh, my.
Erica [00:07:37]:
And I'm like, dreadful. Oh,
Jules [00:07:41]:
0, my God, I can't even I mean, the 10s of 1000s of people. Hundreds. I can't.
Erica [00:07:51]:
And like, you just see people women like leaving the restroom being like, ooh, that wasn't a pleasant experience. I'm like, yeah, this is like hot girls with IBS, number 1 nightmare. No, well, no restrooms period, but like no flushable restrooms. There are basically no restrooms. Like some woman was shouting out like, don't use toilet paper and just keep holding the handle down. Eventually it'll go down. I'm like, no, it won't. There's no water in there. There's no answer to this. So then you had all these people on radios going like, oh, and so all these people were saying, oh, it's a convention wide thing. And I'm like, I'm out. I'm out. I like literally ran to my hotel, which is adjacent to the convention center, but I'm assuming on different water. So there I was finally able to use the restroom in peace and it was beautiful. And I was so happy. I will never ever forget the monstrosity that I was in. Oh, just going to the bathroom, being like. What is happening?
Jules [00:08:51]:
What on earth could that I mean, what happened to the there's no 1.
Erica [00:08:58]:
And like, it's a hard pass for me at a food trade show. Like it is just the grossest thing on the planet. It was definitely like nightmare status. I was just like, uh-uh. I almost got to the point where I'm like, do I just take the third or fourth floor and find the most obscure bathroom ever and just destroy it. And hope that maybe there's 1 toilet that hasn't been used yet. Nope. Because you got 1 flush out of those toilets, you know. Yeah. And so I'm always just like, I can't risk this
Jules [00:09:28]:
for everyone's sake. Well luckily this time you were like staying at the hotel adjacent. I mean Whenever I've been at those shows, I always stay far away from the convention center. It's cheaper, and then I get to go
Erica [00:09:41]:
walk around in different sections of town and whatever. My first hotel wasn't. My first hotel was in River North, and that was like a 30 minute drive or whatever, or a 30 minute shuttle ride. This was like, uh-uh. Like at that point, I would have gone on the Greyhound bus that the shuttles were on. It's just like, I always want a safe, usable restroom within a 5 minute journey. Yeah.
Erica [00:10:11]:
I can't even imagine that. It was so it was so gross, jewels. And like also water to wash your hands and you're at a food trade show. I was like, I hate all of this. I need to leave my OCD is kicking and I've got to run as fast as I can away from this place. Like a booth is supposed to have a water washing station and all that. I mean, like,
Jules [00:10:33]:
the health department should have just been like, we're here to shut you down
Erica [00:10:38]:
for any number of reasons. You guys are totally shut down. I just want to drink hand sanitizer at that point. It was just like, So I was like, nope, nope, nope, nope. So I left, actually left the show early, because I was like, after I did that run, all the way to find where my hotel was, because it's a far walk. This is not the regular convention center. It's in the West Halls. So it was like, you have to go to this hall and then go to the hotel. It's like a big thing. So I'm like, do I resist again, just in case the restrooms aren't working again to go back and then have to go back? And I'm like, dude, I'm just getting an earlier plane flight. Like, I can't do this anymore. I was like so early to the airport and I could work a little bit. But I was just like, dude, I am over this. Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm just saying so that was like I found enough enough good things at the show to make it worthwhile enough to leave. Totally worth it. I just think that That is just a perfect story of like the convention center woes that we have to deal with when we travel because that is not a regular nightmare that I have. But now I will put that in my nightmare bank for future use because that was not pleasant.
Jules [00:11:46]:
Can you imagine working 1 of those booths? So like with food? No, you're working there and you're like, I'm stuck here and I can't prepare this food safely and I can't leave and I can't go to the bathroom.
Erica [00:11:59]:
Yeah. Yep. It's like camping at that point. It's like no holds barred. Do whatever you need to do, you know. Anyway, um, happy Father's Day also in June. Speaking of June. Speaking of June. Yeah. Not a good way. June is also Father's Day. And so we're not going to talk about recipes now because first of all, we have too much to talk about for sweets and snacks. But Jules did also want to prepare you, knowing that Father's Day is coming soon,
Jules [00:12:36]:
that we will need gifts. So Jules, I believe you have an incredible gift guide that you would like to share with us. Yeah, we'll drop a link to it. I spent an inordinate amount of time while you were at Sweets and Snacks working on this post for just gift ideas for guys, basically. I mean, it doesn't have to be Father's Day gifts. But guys are hard to buy for. I just feel like they're hard to buy for. Maybe it's just me, but I think that they're hard to buy for. I feel like women are so easy to buy for. But there's a lot of stuff in there that we've talked about from when we were at the Inspired Home Show, for example. We found some really great stuff, and I wanted to include it in this gift guide because I think it's going to be really good ideas for guys. That at Peugeot, that booth that I love so much, they have this barbecue mill.
Erica [00:13:30]:
It's just perfect for guys.
Jules [00:13:33]:
When you tilt it 25 degrees, the light comes on automatically. And you know, this is thoughtful stuff like that. And you know, it's got, you know, the thing you can hang up on your belt. And it's just such a guy's tool, you know, for when you're outside grilling. And because it's a Pushev's over mill, you know that the grinding mechanisms are awesome. And so anyway, that's a brand new because nobody has this yet. You're lucky if you get it. So if you're interested in something like that, hop on and grab the link because it's hard to find. And you know that that does not have 1. I don't, although I'm getting a package from them and I think it might be in there for me to try. I'm very excited about it, but it hasn't come yet. So I had to use stock photography for that 1. But I did experiment with it at the booth at International, I mean Inspired Home Show. And it's, I mean, they just, everything that they have is so nice. It's like a heft, you know, it's just made well. It's and it's lovely. And gorgeous. Any guy who likes to grill at all would love that. But I mean, I've got everything from that to like aprons and special water bottles and collapsible backpacks. And then of course, that Heritage Steel offset bread knife that I was so in love with. Anybody who does any gluten-free bread baking or even just enjoys knives would really enjoy this knife. It's just beautiful. It's just got this wonderful feel in your hand and the offset bread knife makes it stand off a little bit from the bread that you're cutting. It doesn't pull. And I had put a picture of it in the gift guide of how it slices through my homemade baguettes. We're going to,
Erica [00:15:11]:
we're going to drop a photo of it because it is 1 of the most gorgeous photos because this bread is perfect. This knife is so cool looking. I just think it's a gorgeous photo and I'm a little jealous that you got the knife. I think it's a great, great product. And it comes in a gift box.
Jules [00:15:28]:
I know, I know, but It also comes in a gift box. And these are reasonably priced. So I have, there's a ton of stuff. I think it's like 29 things in this gift guide. So it runs the gamut of all kinds of different things. And the gifts range in price from like $15 up to $699. So there's something in there for everybody. Depends on what you're looking for. But hopefully some really interesting ideas for people to find for your guy, depending on whether it's a Father's Day gift or not, but this is kind of an ever and you know, ever. Yeah. And it's not just gluten free guys. Like there's sandals in that guy, you know, like there's like legit cool guy stuff in there. Yeah, yeah. So it's, it was a fun post to put together because I I'm always wracking my brain trying to think of, you know, good gifts for my father and for my husband, but also just for guys in my life for their birthdays and, you know, other things. There's a lot of cooking stuff, but it's not all related to that. So anyway, it's fun. So I hope that it's helpful for people who struggle with gifts like I do at least. Yeah, what are the cats going to get Matt for Father's Day? I know, see? We check out the Father's Day gift guide. An offset bread knife? An offset bread knife. May I suggest the offset bread knife, madame,
Erica [00:16:48]:
or the ceramic chicken roaster. So yeah, we already have a staub. Oh, do you?
Jules [00:16:56]:
Chicken roaster that weighs like 50 pounds. That thing is so heavy. Wow. It's amazing that you just set the bird on it. So great. Yeah. Chicken roasters are fantastic. If you don't spatchcock your chicken, you should use 1 of those. That's what I was always told. Yeah. I don't know who told me that, but that's what I was always told. No 1 has ever told me anything about chicken. So I don't know. But this looks like a really nice chicken rooster. Yeah. How dare you talk about chicken? I love a meal on re stuff. So this 1 just looked like it was a really, really high quality choice for people who do like to cook chicken. And, um, I'll tell you 1 of my favorite things in this guide is these etched glasses. There's a couple different brands of things in there. And you know how I love that, that Well Told brand. And I have my favorite wine glass and it's from Chapel Hill because that's my alma mater. And it's got the map of Chapel Hill on my wine glass and I love it. But they also make rocks glasses and they make pint glasses and I think you know you can do that from anywhere. Your hometown, your alma mater, you know where you live now. And who wouldn't want that anyway? Like a guy or girl or whatever. There's all these different choices. And then there's some other wine glasses in there too. There's a lot of wine stuff in there as well. But also another idea that I put in my holiday gift guide that I think a lot of people really enjoyed was the notion of ordering some really cool gluten-free beer for a gift, because there's a lot of them that you can now order to be delivered that you maybe wouldn't be able to find in your local store. We get this questions all the time. We get people like, where do I find that? Well, your stores oftentimes don't carry the best options for naturally gluten-free beer. But a lot of them, depending on where you live, you can access a lot of those and have them delivered to you. And there's some really great seasonal flavors that are out from some of our favorite naturally gluten-free breweries. Exactly.
Erica [00:18:49]:
And the 1 you highlighted, the sour. Oh, my God, the gose. Oh, yeah. We have a ton of that in my fridge right now. We went, I just went to Ghostfish. I just went to Ghostfish a month ago, yeah, at the end of May when I did that event in Seattle. In the tasting room. And I shipped back 50 pounds of beer. Like literally a suitcase weighed 52 pounds. I had to like mitigate some beer, but I got their hazy IPA and their gose and it was so
Jules [00:19:23]:
good and I'm so excited and we've been like rationing out because we don't get it in Phoenix. Now I can hardly get anything here in Maryland And the worst part about it is that I can't technically have any of these things delivered to me in Maryland either. So
Erica [00:19:37]:
we're kind of an outlier state in that regard. But a lot of these other places, a lot of these other breweries, you can actually have them shipped to most places in the United States. So I have some links to them. Yeah. If you can't 1 delivery system, chances are there's another 1 who can and then always check because some like I think goes to a couple different ones that you can order from and some of them have 1 stock like a couple different SKUs of ghost fish. So yeah, no it's awesome and we get holiday here so we're very very lucky but you know Ghostfish make stuff that holiday doesn't make. So I definitely,
Jules [00:20:11]:
that's suitcase style. Yeah. Yeah. Well, so I highlighted that, that Ghostfish, but also Aurochs Brewery. Have you ever had their beers? I love them. They're out of Pittsburgh and um they also do some shipping as well but they have a new Hefe. Oh like a Hefeisen? Okay. Yep um so it's a you know and it's a quinoa based beer and just again remember when you're looking at these things to make sure that you're choosing a naturally gluten-free beer, because like 1 of the places you can order to have these delivered, they had 3 beers, 3 gluten-free beers. They were called gluten-free beers that you could have delivered. 1 was Holidaily. 1 was Groundbreaker, also out of Portland. And then they had 1 called Duckfoot, which I've highlighted in my gluten-free beer tasting notes before. Duckfoot is a gluten-reduced beer. It is not a gluten-free beer. And but they make it very tricky the way that they describe their beer. And the reason I highlighted them in my gluten-free beer tasting notes article is because if you were just to read what they wrote about it, it absolutely sounds like it's totally safe for people with celiac disease. They go above and beyond, in my view, where they are permitted to go in their description of their beers being safe for people who have the celiac disease, because it's not it's not been proven to be safe for people with celiac disease. So make sure you're buying the naturally gluten free beers when you're when you're doing that. But all that information is in the post. And I hope people find it useful and we'll drop a link to it here in our notes and you know happy gifting!
Erica [00:21:52]:
Happy gifting! So up next let's talk about some sweets and some snacks. And we have divided this next go around into categories of sweets or categories of snacks. And I will tell you, each category is very liberal in the way it is described, because there were some people there. And then I'm like, is this a sweet or a snack? And I'm like, well, technically, what is a snack? You know, everything's a snack if you put your mind to it. That's true. Yeah, I don't know, man. It was weird. And this place, like I said, was wild. I'll show you pictures. There's like, the the Oreo picture booth itself probably could have funded my whole way through, you know, dietitian school or something. It's insane how much you know, these brands spend to be a part of this, but it's where all the candy buyers are, you know, like every grocery store, every gas station, every whatever you know, stores, probably like every other person you rub shoulders with, there's represented from a C store. Yeah, because that's where they stock them. And like, again, these are more traditional shows that like, maybe 10% of the items or 20% of the items are things that I would feel safe eating. And when it comes to dairy-free too, that knocks it down a bit as well because there's a lot of chocolate manufacturers there. So I tended to stay away from the larger booths, unless it was like Mondelēz who owns Enjoy Life now, RIP, but like, sad day. But unless it was something like that, you know, I didn't really visit it. But I will give you an example later of 1 that I did and had a long conversation with them. But first, a couple things that I did try that I loved. So Jelly Belly, which is jelly beans, What they have is all gluten free. They're very good about lean lean and making sure they're also peanut free as well. So they have new boba tea jelly beans, which like everyone wants to do boba now. Right. It's been a cool, hot new thing. But they have all different flavors of boba milk tea.
Jules [00:24:06]:
So are these vegan though?
Erica [00:24:09]:
No, because they all contain gelatin. Yeah. But they're dairy free. Yeah. So like not vegan, but dairy free. Right. So these are all mango milk tea, strawberry milk tea, matcha milk tea, taro milk tea, which is like the purple, which is like a potato-ish thing, a root vegetable, and a Thai milk tea. And our favorite, because I made Matt try them all before we went on, is the green, which is the matcha. Hmm. Yeah, you're not a big matcha fan. So that's no, I love matcha. What are you talking about? Okay.
Jules [00:24:44]:
I love matcha. Okay. I thought we had this conversation before about matcha and you were like,
Erica [00:24:50]:
maybe it was a different time of my life when my taste buds weren't as sophisticated. Yeah, I do know why you like matcha. And I like Thai iced tea. Let us remember this does not taste like Thai iced tea. This is not what Heather wanted from her Thai iced tea growers. I know. Listen to that episode if you want to know about real Thai iced tea. But I just love Jelly Belly because they're just so dang cute, all the Harry Potter stuff, but they have these mini boba key chains where you can put like 5 jelly bellies in them and it looks like a boba tea thing and it's a little key chain. I'm like, oh my God, it was just so adorable. I just love that they're always, always innovating And they're always fun and whatever. So that was cool. Another good 1 that we love is Trupo Treats. Yeah, the brothers, the KitKats. Yes. So they're, They are a completely vegan company, all gluten free. There are 2 brothers that started this company and we have talked about them before at Expo West. They do versions of Kit Kats with milk, M-Y-L-K chocolate. They had a milk chocolate candy bar. They are reformulating it. Because they're so early, they can reformulate it if they don't really like whatever's going on. They also are testing mini vegan T&Ts instead of M&Ms, T for Trupo. So cute. That is cute. So they're smaller than the Yum Earth cocoa yums that we had showed, I guess, 2 episodes ago now. And they are less aggressively, like, I feel like the Cocoa Yums, like the flavor rubs off on your hands. It's like everywhere. These, I feel like they're more stabilized in their color. They still use natural food coloring, but this 1 is definitely less like, oh my God, it's all over my hands. And they're smaller, And he said that it would probably be easier to bake with for like chocolate chip M&M cookies than the traditional ones. So good. I'm really excited. And we actually talked about packaging. Like that's how far away this is from being an actual product. But they have them, they're making them, they're just trying to figure out how to package them. So I feel like those will be on the website soon. Now stores who knows when it'll be in, but I hope that they get in soon because they're such a good brand, like just such a good product and they're certified gluten free as well.
Erica [00:27:19]:
Beyond Good, and they make like Madagascar's single origin vanilla and Madagascar's single origin chocolate. And they're all about like making sure the producers are taken care of and single origin and they treat the planet well and the animals well and everyone well. They have a new plantain in sea salt and they have a vanilla powder and this is all very expensive and it is all very good. Yeah. But yeah, these are high-end chocolate bars like 9 dollars, 8 dollars a bar. Yeah, But you're paying for what it does for the planet and you're paying for, you know, making sure the producers and the growers are taking care of as well. Yep.
Erica [00:28:02]:
So good. The aspect of it. Another candy or chocolate maker I should say that I saw is Evolved. And I have this in a Ziploc bag, so pardon why I show this to you. This is 1 of their new innovations. It's oatmeal cookie dough. So it's a chocolate bar that is filled with quote unquote cookie dough made with organic gluten free oats, maple sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean cashews, and then it's cacao, cacao butter, coconut sugar. So we're talking plant based dairy free, fine sugar free. This is beyond celiac certified. So this whole brand is beyond celiac certified, which is like their certification mark, it's still under 10 ppm. But it's really interesting because it's a cookie inside of a chocolate bar. Did I eat that much? Oh my god. I ate a lot more than I thought I did. Or Matt's even. It's like dark chocolate on the outside, but like a cookie dough on the inside. I don't know. It's really good. So I really like that innovation. Now I will tell you, I went there for another reason. I went, and now I have chocolate all over me. It's okay. God, it's going to get all over. I went there to try out their pink chocolate.
Jules [00:29:16]:
Because it is a rose chocolate.
Erica [00:29:18]:
Ruby chocolate. So more floral, more fruit flavored, like more berry forward on the taste. So I asked, and I'm like, is this paleo? Is this all these things? And like, yes, we have gone back and forth with what sugar to make this with between coconut sugar and To make a keto and then back to coconut sugar and now it's back being keto and I'm like, oh This is already gonna be gross But they're like, would you like a bar? And it's like, brand new. They have not finished the formula. And I tasted it. I'm like, it's so good. Get rid of that monk fruit because it is disgusting. Like the first 4 notes are like, imagine a white chocolate mixed with berries and kind of floral and then the whole back end is just monk fruit. And I'm like, this is gross. You're missing everyone. Why can't it just be paleo and made with cane sugar like the rest of your products? And they're like, oh, you think? And I'm like, did you taste this? Sometimes I wonder if anybody eats their own products because some of the stuff that's out there is so bad. And I gave it to other people and they're like, why would they make this keto? And I'm like, you are missing the 1 opportunity for there to be a Ruby chocolate that is on the market that is gluten-free and dairy-free. You're the only 1 making this. That's why I was so excited to taste it. And then you had to make it keto. What the hell are you doing? I was so mad. Cause there's no 1 else who makes a ruby chocolate. Nobody else is making a ruby chocolate that is dairy free and gluten free. Yeah, no, I think you're right. I've seen the ruby chocolates. I'm trying to think who makes it, but I don't think it's dairy free. I mean, and it's all over like the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Like people are using ruby chocolates in the newest cool thing. But I'm like, why would you make this keto? Because I'm sorry, if you have to eat keto, that's fine. That's great that they have excellent products for you. But my God, make 2 SKUs then because you have now ruined this with the lingering taste of monk fruit that I can't get out of my mouth. So it was a bummer that I was really looking forward to having this version and I was like pumped. Do you hate monk fruit more or stevia more? I honestly, I think they're both equally bad. I think Stevia has more of an upfront taste and then monkfruit just has that lasting long taste and just like it's forever and you can't get it out of your mouth. Yeah. I just don't like them. I don't like any of them. Sorry, I'm against them all. . But I'm just like, I can't. I just can't. So anyway, I was mad about that. But I'm like, if you reformulate this, please let me know. I gave them my card. I'm like, please let me know if you reformulate this because it'll be great. And then my favorite chocolate that I found is actually a brand called Lovo Swiss. This is the same people that make Pasha chocolate. Do you know that they have another brand? Yeah. So Simon and Courtney, I love them to death. They're just such good people on the planet. They started during the pandemic. So Expo West was the first time I actually saw them. And Pasha is a small market. Obviously, it's allergen, incredibly allergen friendly, right? So they know all the secrets of chocolate. So they have teamed with like made in Switzerland, I was gonna say made in Swiss made in Switzerland. Chocolate that is all vegan and gluten free. And it is made with hazelnut milk chocolate, coconut milk, chocolate, oat milk, chocolate or something else. But the hazelnut milk chocolate, so good. So creamy, delicious. Oh my God. It's amazing. So that 1 is a definite yes. Making me have an urge to call Courtney right now. I know. And so good. And I was so happy to see Simon and just talk chocolate for a while. So yeah, absolutely love the product. Saw them at Expo West and for some reason did not try it probably because I'm just like, I don't want to eat any more things. But yeah, so it's delicious. Yeah, so that is definitely my number 1 thing. Couple of other things I saw that I just want you to be cognizant of. Yum Earth is launching a new, you know, like their Starburst knockoffs, the little square things. I typically love everything that Yum Earth puts out. Yeah, They have made a ginger lemon chew, and it is... I threw it out. I put it in my mouth and I said, nope. And I'm so sad because they're really excited about it, and I'm like, this is not my jam whatsoever. And I love ginger and I love lemon. Yeah. Not a thing. So um, missed the mark for me, you know, that I love and support Yummers for whatever they're doing. Oh, love them. But this is a no for me. And they're launching some other pops too, that are coming out soon. Then they also have some like echinacea pops. So like more, not herbal, but like wellness pops that they're doing like in a lollipop form. So kids will enjoy them. But yeah, I was kind of bummed out about that. I really wanted that to taste good and it was not good. And then also Peeps was not sampling. Why? I was so mad.
Jules [00:34:27]:
Because they have- They have stuff, like. They have Dr.- They have the opportunity to sample peeps. Why would they not be giving peeps like, you get a peep, you get a peep. Come on, like just throw them at people. That's that show. Did you know they have
Erica [00:34:42]:
Dr. Pepper peeps? Yes, I did. I did know they had Dr. Pepper Peeps, which doesn't sound at all good to me, by the way. But like, I want to try 1. I want to try 1 so bad. Okay. If anyone has tried it, please let us know because I want to try if I see them all 100% buy them, but I have not seen them. So I was very excited to see them. But it's got like a little like a pop rocky kind of thing. And it makes it, do you feel like you're drinking something carbonated? So weird. They have a s'mores peep coming out just so you know. That's interesting. Is it going to be gluten free though? That I don't know because they didn't have anything there that would help me discern what's going on. So lots of peeps coming out. They just had like a wall of all the different varieties. I'm like I'm surprised that they haven't come out with a s'mores peep before now. I mean that's like yeah that was like this is like at their dip line that has chocolate on them. Um But I don't know. So that was kind of my sweets. There were so many things that were sweet and so many like sour things like the toxic wasteland candy that a giant booth where it's like take your picture. Hey! Did you? You should! I can only see half the bread. And I didn't see any half where there was a cat on top of it. My cat was eating the bread right behind me. To be fair, I see this much of the bread. I don't see any part. I don't even see the cat. I only knew it when she screamed and then looked around.
Jules [00:36:07]:
I'm like, what's that noise? My cat is eating my gluten-free bread loaf that's cooling behind me. You should be aware of this. You are looking right at it. It's my back is turned.
Erica [00:36:20]:
This is on you. The way that my camera, I don't know if I can find another camera angle here. Oh, if I scratch my screen out, so I have half my screen out because I'm reading the rest of it. So now if I can stretch it, I probably could have seen your cat eat, sorry. That's just not cool, Amidala. Is that the cat that eats everything?
Jules [00:36:48]:
No, it's not. It's weird, man. What is that crunching noise? I turned around, she's like.
Erica [00:36:59]:
Is that funny? I have no idea. She's like, bite out of my loaf. I have no idea if that's gonna be on the video because I didn't see it. So I wonder if it's gonna squish it up. I don't know. If it's not, I'm gonna look at this and rewind and see the point in which your cat and like maybe zoom in and take a little video of that. That's ridiculous.
Jules [00:37:17]:
Oh my gosh. She's so naughty. You're a very naughty cat. She's not even looking at me now. She knows she did something wrong. Yeah. I brought it in here so that they wouldn't eat it in the kitchen and it could cool.
Erica [00:37:32]:
Sorry. Now I have it on full screen so I can see it in case any cats come out. I'm sorry. My bad. I was unaware that there was going to be a possibility of someone coming in to snatch your loaf of bread. Right next to me. Last thing I want to talk about is this, which is I'm holding up the new plant-based Reese's. So this is a whole situation. So all the ingredients, it just contains peanuts and soy. And I had always wondered about this thing because it doesn't have the gluten-free little black box on it that most of Hershey's candies do if they're considered gluten-free. But a lot of the seasonal ones don't have it. Correct, because they're made in a different facility and they just, I don't know if they're just like, oh, we don't want to deal with the, talking about 20 parts per million, or we don't even want to risk it with the chance of cross-contact. So I'm reading this and it's sugar, peanuts, cocoa butter, chocolate, oat flour, rice flour, dextrose. Okay. So it only contains peanuts and soy. So the big thing is oat flour, right? So that's what's going to be, what's going to happen if it's going to be cross contact. And I'm like, are they using gluten-free oat flour?
Jules [00:38:50]:
So I was like, this is probably- Why would they? You know, that's just so much more expensive. So I assume
Erica [00:38:57]:
this is not safe. Although there's no gluten-containing ingredients, I would say this isn't safe for celiac because they're not labeling it gluten free. And Hershey's does a very good job of labeling what is gluten free or not. So I went to the help desk on the Reese's site. And everyone's like, yes, they're gluten free. They have no gluten containing ingredients. I'm like, well, that's not really true. If we're talking about oat flour, unless very risky, we know how you're you know, testing it like that's a that's a red flag ingredient that's on here. So I'm like, OK, if your customer service is saying yes, but then it's not mentioned anywhere else Like can I get the real answer? So I talked to somebody who was just there and he's like, yeah, these are gluten-free and I'm like, okay So then I actually went back the next day after I sleuthed on the web and couldn't find anything because nobody talks about this at all because everyone's wanting to know but nobody has a right answer. I talked to a person and they said, well, normally all of our things that are gluten-free would have that gluten-free blocks. And like, yes, but your customer service, people are saying that there's no gluten containing ingredients. Is this just made in a shared facility situation and your oat flour is safe? Or is this your oat flour is just traditional oat flour and is contaminated. Like I want to know why, why it's not gluten-free. And so far, no 1 has told me an answer. Now she claimed she, at the time, she was there. She texted her R&D person. I physically saw the text. Texted her R&D person, texted the brand manager, texted the media comms person, and no 1 was around. The media person was in another interview. She took my card. She goes, I will get back to you with the answer. I will get back to you. And I'm like, OK, I trust you because you have now texted 3 people about this. So meanwhile, I have no answers. I went back home with my samples, because I got extra samples just to test them. I tested 1 within an ELISA EZ gluten test. I tested 4 times with the NIMA sensor because NIMA sensor totally unreliable. But I'm like, I'll test it 4 times just to see. So easy gluten came up with that it's under 20 ppm. Okay. Now NIMA found 1 gluten found and 3 safe or whatever smiley faces they say faces. Yeah. So there's no good answer because I still you still don't know. Right. Is it just because it's traditional oats and there's going to be a hot spot? Is it there's gluten free oats and it's just made in a different facility. So nobody at this time has given me a clear answer on this and the only clear answer is to not eat them because that's risky because there is a high-risk ingredient in there and it is not claiming to be gluten-free. Now if someone gave me a Reese's and like, I didn't know the difference between that and a free to be, and someone gave me 1, I wouldn't expect to be glutened. I'd say maybe, like there's a chance. I don't think I would die afterwards. But I'm just saying like, there are now several plant based peanut butter cups in the market. Yeah, they all have differing ingredients on what's safe and what's not. And so far, this is the 1 that's made with oat milk that is not labeled gluten free. There are still questions that remain unanswered as of yet from Reese's. Yeah.
Jules [00:42:19]:
Yeah. Well, and by way of example, you talked about mandalas earlier. They use oat flour in their Oreos. And So, you know, compare the difference in the messaging around the gluten free Oreos using oat flour with the Reese's using oats
Erica [00:42:40]:
that has no gluten free messaging. Yeah. And I mean, the whole thing was that they are certified. They went through the process to get certified through GFCO. And they're like, yes, gluten-free everywhere. I'm going to package it everywhere. It's going to be everywhere on the package. It's even on the freaking cookie itself. Right, they imprint it, right?
Jules [00:42:58]:
But they had the gluten-free consumer in mind when they did that. And I don't think that Reese's did. The Reese's had a vegan consumer in mind.
Erica [00:43:08]:
And, you know, just just that's what it's such a bummer. They are making so many things that are gluten free. They have the gluten free puffs that they were doing. It was an actual like big Reese's cup and it had Reese's puffs inside. And that was labeled gluten-free. They had the 1 that had the potato chips and the pretzels inside. And that's gluten-free. Yeah.
Jules [00:43:29]:
How did they do it? I mean, They're choosing to make a Reese's with pretzels inside gluten-free. But I don't know. It's interesting. Hershey's does a really good job with their labeling. I remember Halloween this past year, because I always update my Halloween candy list, my gluten-free Halloween candy list every year. And it's a lot of work, like doing all that research because things change from year to year. And I remember that there was, you know, once again, there's this big stink of people falling in 1 camp or another about the Reese's because the seasonal Reese's that don't have the gluten-free on the package and the ones that did. And my point was, look at this huge list of Reese's that is labeled gluten-free. And then there's a few seasonal ones that are not labeled gluten-free. Why are you so hell-bent on having to have the ones that are not labeled gluten-free when you have all these other choices that they've actually said are gluten-free and they're made in a facility where there's not going to be any chance of cross contact. But you just have to have this 1 shape.
Erica [00:44:35]:
And I'm a person that would be a complete person. That's true. I don't understand that. I'm the person that would have eaten the seasonal shapes. Cause that's the amount of risks that I'm willing to take. Cause I know that it's just in a different facility. And that's my risk level. But with these, because they have oat flour and because there's no messaging behind any of the oat flour, where did it come from? What kind of oats that they're using? Chances are traditional. That's not a risk that I'm willing to take.
Jules [00:45:02]:
That's where I draw the line. You're definitely interjecting a very risky ingredient at that point. And now you know that whatever the facility it is that's making the other seasonal shapes is now also using oat flour in that facility as well. Yeah. Well also, who knows? It seems like they have 1 million facilities because they make 1 million different Reese's snacks. I don't know. It's just wild how many things. Yeah, but you don't know which ones are made, you know, which seasonal ones are made in that same facility. Who knows? But they're definitely making other things.
Erica [00:45:31]:
Anyway, it's- So that's a risk. That's a risk. Candy's just not, obviously it's not something that's
Jules [00:45:37]:
very, very important to me. Yes. But I'm so impressed with how many things in the Reese's line are actually labeled gluten-free. And this 1 isn't, and that's what makes me
Erica [00:45:49]:
an unhappy Bappy. Oh, I'm sorry. That's fine. I wish you were happy. There are harder things in life that I have to deal with than this, but there you go. That's my Reese's story.
Jules [00:46:00]:
Well, since we're like, you know, talking about unhappiness, why don't we segue into salty stuff?
Erica [00:46:05]:
Yeah, let's go right into being salty and unhappy. Bobos, as we mentioned in our Expo West coverage, have these amazing PB&J quote unquote sandwiches. Did you get to finally taste them? I did finally taste them. And what's your rush? They're so good. You're right. They're amazing. So definitely.
Jules [00:46:32]:
Trust me. Yes.
Erica [00:46:34]:
Trust Jules. So great products. Very excited for those to come out again. They contain oats So if you don't do oats do not buy them or anything from Bobo's because they're all oats everything Everything has oats. Let's see another Oh hippies hippies H-I-P-P-E-A-S They have the puffs that we've known and love the plant-based puffs. They have like a vegan ranch and a vegan white cheddar. So they now have veggie straws that they're launching and corn chips like tortilla chips that this guy swears he went to a veg fest and debuted them there and he said that they taste like Cool Ranch Doritos. So this guy's also in marketing. I don't know. I mean, enough said. Yeah. So I'm getting a package, I believe, from him that will probably have these. I can't wait to try them. HardBite was there, which is another line of gluten free potato chips, like fried potato chips. And they have a spicy pickle potato chip. And dill was a big flavor this year, which still goes in and out of flavor trends. But dill again was a big 1 this year and that was delicious. Jackson's Honest, Another potato chip that we love is actually sweet potato chips. At Expo West, they launched a farmhouse ranch that is completely dairy-free and vegan. And it won Best New Product at the Sweets and Snacks show. So it was getting some love from Sweets and Snacks. Really? Oh, Jackson's. It was cool. They had a tiny booth and they had this trophy. It was really rad. So that was very rad of them that they got some recognition that they needed. That's such a cool family business. I love this. Yeah, for sure. Another 1 is Nutty Gourmet. They do walnut butters and they have a walnut pistachio butter that's very good, but they work with the California Walnut Growers Association. Like they're a family farm and another family farm that we've talked about before is Unbound, who also makes walnut snacks, but these are like chili lime and I finally got to try the cinnamon. The cinnamon is mind blowing. It's so good. You mean like the picture on the front of the bag? Oh yeah, yes. Yes, actually, that is like the picture on the front of the bag. They started making small bags of them, which I would be so good for like, again, C-stores, convenience stores, or even like a hotel lobby. Like, oh, they're just so good. So I love supporting these small family nut growers that have great brands. So like I said, Nutty Gourmet has that walnut butter. They also have a kids-friendly walnut butter that's kind of cocoa and vegan, and then Unbound, which is that snacks that we talked about before. And then finally, I want to say I hung out with Like Air. You didn't.
Jules [00:49:25]:
And I'm like, did you get a case of like air to take home with you? I went and I'm like,
Erica [00:49:31]:
I ran to the booth and I'm like, I'm so glad that you're here. And they're like, whoa. I'm like, I am. A stalker lady for the popcorn. And they're like, you know us? And I'm like, I saw you at Expo. So I told them the whole story about how I thought it was BS because it's just another puff company. I'm like, blah, blah, blah. And then I wish that I had taken 3 bags. And they're like, well, here's your 3 bags. And I'm like, thank you. And they're like, we're so happy that you like us. And I'm like, yes, please sample this to everyone. How did you make this puff corn pancake flavor so magical? And they're like, it's just so good, isn't it? And I'm like, yes. And I said, Where can I buy this? Because they're like, Amazon is really hard. We're trying we're restocking. Yeah, they're in Sam's club. But then they also were talking to another large wholesale, like, club store about doing some other mixes as well. So I think that they're getting trajectory. But I'm like, I told people about you and I think that it was just a fever dream because I didn't ever I can't find you ever. And then I get to see him. So I promise. So they're a Sam's Club now. Hopefully we'll be on Amazon again soon, but oh, my God. And I already ate through my bags. I've been home for 3 days. We made through all 3 bags. I had 2 bags of the pancake 1 because the other ones do 1 contains dairy. So I can't have that but I ate the pancake ones because there's once you open it it's a giant bag but it feels like 1 serving.
Jules [00:51:02]:
Oh it's 1 of those. It feels emotionally,
Erica [00:51:05]:
it feels like 1 serving. Okay, sure. I'm with you on that. I can't tell you how happy I was to see them. And I'm like, here's a card to the podcast you have to talk about. And I thought that maybe I just made you up and it was just like I'll never see you again but it was so good. See? So besides that, besides that and besides the bathroom spectacle, Those were my 2, my 3 big stories. Reese's, Like Air Popcorn, and The Bathroom. And you high-fived every mascot you could find. Oh my God, yeah, because it was so much fun. Yeah. Yeah, so it was fun, man. I mean, look at all these brands that we've seen before, and I finally got a chance to try some more stuff, and I got some weird samples, and you know, it was just rad, man. I just, I really, it was super fun. And I wish you could have been there, and I know you couldn't, but it would have been fun to have some fun videos of us. I know. Under mascot or eating Oreos. I don't know. We could have made an Oreo sandwich out of our love hug. We could have fun. Next time. You could have had an aggressive high 5 from the chips cookie. I could have. Yeah. Yeah,
Jules [00:52:18]:
we don't get that many mascots at Expo. I've had like hugs from the Pillsbury Doughboy before. I did find a human churro this last time at Expo.
Erica [00:52:29]:
Weird. That was very odd. I didn't really think about all the candy mascots that are out there, you know, selling to children, candy and sugar. But it was delightful. It was delightful. From an adult perspective. It was delightful. From an adult perspective. It was so delightful. And also children weren't allowed on the show before things got shot because that would have been a mess. Oh God. The amount of free candy that I turned down was like, there's a popsicle that you could like, like a lollipop, I guess, like that you can record things in and when you bite down on it you can hear it through your like your jaw.
Erica [00:53:09]:
don't want to know any more about that being released into the market. I just I gotta get that stuff out of my brain because I just saw so many weird candy things that I will not and should not and cannot eat. So it was interesting. But, you know,
Jules [00:53:21]:
see it once and not into that at all. Not so. Thank you. I do not want to eat something that can record me for so many, So many taffies
Erica [00:53:31]:
and so many things that will just rip out your,
Jules [00:53:34]:
all your expensive dental work that you get as an adult, just rip it right out. I think that's part of the reason why I don't like candy is I had braces when I was younger and anything that gets stuck in my teeth, I cannot tolerate it. Like I just can't stand that at all. So I'm just not a candy person. We don't have candy at our house because we have a lot of expensive dental work. And
Erica [00:53:55]:
then Digestive Disease Week sent me a thing that had like a couple of Jolly Ranchers in it, out of nowhere, digestive disease week. And I gave 1 to Matt and it ripped out his crown. And I'm like, this is what happens when this house has candy. We're not allowed to have candy, bad things happen to it. So that's why all My snacks are just snacks and chocolate. There's no sticky things, nothing that will break our teeth because we have been there and we have done that and it's dangerous. Candy is dangerous, everyone. When you're over a certain age, you have very expensive dental work. That's right. Don't do it. Don't do it. So this is not a PSA for children. This is a PSA for adults with dental work. Candy is dangerous. It's dangerous, man. It's too much. Even these jelly bellies are pushing the edge of danger, you know? Yeah, they get pretty sticky. Anyways, this has been another episode of You Had Me at Eat. I hope you've enjoyed all the amazing stories that we've told today about snacks and sweets and malfunctioning bathrooms.