After attending the LA Epicurean Fest last week I was invited by one of the vendors to attend a Secret Fork event. All I knew from her message, the e-vite and the Secret Fork website was that a small select group of artisanal chefs met at an undisclosed location and presented a sort of Farmer’s Market…gone completely wild.
I’ve been to Farmer’s Markets, and don’t get me wrong, I think that they’re great, but never in my hunt for new treats been as fruitful as it was at the Secret Fork’s event.
Held in the home and garden of…I can’t tell you that…guests paid a small $5 membership fee to sample, and purchase, some very unique finds. Here are some of mine:
www.UHUbaking.com presented a shiny array of Bavarian pretzels named Maple-Bacon, Jalapeño-Cheddar, Gruyère-Parmesan and Original. They make other similarly tasty items which are all on their website. Go take a look.
www.smohk.com or https://www.facebook.com/SmohkLA is based right here in Santa Clarita! Besides the smoked bread – which in itself has the most incredibly outrageous taste, they make two marmalades I had to try and then I hade to buy: Limoncello – with the obvious but oh-so-unique liqueur flavoring and Orange – with bitters, whiskey and maraschino cherries! 
www.graceandI.com had already made a big impression on me with their dried “Fruit and Nut Press” on custom-sized cutting boards. Check out their website for preserves, granola and the most decadent gourmet gifts they’ve dreamed dream up for us!
www.whimkitchen.com was wowing guests with their Squid Ink Ceviche and Cuban Pork Sandwiches. My daughter and I sampled the sandwich and it was over-the-top tasty.
www.pickled.bigcartel.com had some weird names that sure got our attention: Bloody Buddies were spicy pickled cocktail veggies, Hattie’s Hotties were spicy dills, BB’s were spicy bread and butters…but our favorite, and the one I’m looking at right now because we bought the whole 32 ounce jar, had to be the Vampire Slayers garlic dills. I can’t wait to eat the pickles to get to the garlic toes at the bottom…
www.moderndough.tumblr.com is “reinventing the doughnut hole” to taste like a buttery-flavorful pastry. We tried the Mini Apple Fritters and the Graham Cracker Crunch, which is just a sample of their full menu.
www.zconfections.com stole my daughter’s heart with their salted caramel sauce. She threatened to go home, stick a spoon in it and call it lunch. Who doesn’t love salted caramels? So here you have the topping ready to add to ice cream…or not. We also loved samples of their cookies and salted caramel corn.
www.snoconamor.com is not your average snow cone at all. They’ve successfully matched fresh fruit flavors with herbs. I loved the Blackberry Lavender and the Watermelon Basil. And, it I could have gotten away with daring to sample more I would have gone for the Hibiscus, Tamarind with chile, Mojito, Guava, Mexican Chocolate… They can come to you and INFUSE THEIR SNOWCONES WITH ALCOHOL.
I want to see them at a party near me – and soon!
www.thericecreamery.com put a whole new meaning to the words rice and pudding. The dairy free one I loved was Kaffir Lime Coconut that was made by simmering “a blend of coconut cream and coconut milk with fragrant kaffir lime leaves, creating a flavor so robust and creamy that you’d never guess it was dairy-free.” My daughter fell in love with their Coconut Mango Crispy Rice Cereal and told them who would go back to regular after trying theirs?
