May 13, 2025 • 34 mins
Episode Description:
“I would say stick to your values because once we start to slip on that, everybody knows it and we’re not authentic anymore— and what people want is the transparency of who’s making their food.” —Sam Paone
We've all been there—watching those beautiful farmers market finds slowly wilt in the fridge, feeling guilty with every sad, soggy leaf. What if there was a delicious way to rescue those forgotten vegetables and turn them into something not just healthy and edible, but absolutely crave-worthy?
Sam Paone is a culinary alchemist who traded restaurant kitchens for a mission to reinvent pickling. As the founder of Golden State Pickle Works, she transforms organic, seasonal produce into probiotic-rich delicacies that challenge everything people thought about fermented foods.
Tune in for a flavor-packed journey that transforms kitchen waste into probiotic gold as Justine and Sam talk about how fermentation can boost gut health, support local farmers, and preserve seasonal produce as well as the surprising health benefits, cultural significance, and gourmet potential of transforming humble vegetable scraps into delicious, sustainable treats.
Meet Sam:
Sam Paone is the founder of Golden State Pickle Works, a California-based artisan fermentation company. With a background in restaurant cooking, she transitioned to entrepreneurship, creating organic, hyper-seasonal pickled vegetables, condiments, and salad dressings. Sam is passionate about preserving local produce, supporting organic farmers, and introducing innovative fermented food products. She has developed a unique line of pickles and fermented goods that celebrate seasonal ingredients, and is currently working on a preservation-focused television series. Her culinary approach emphasizes flavor, sustainability, and community connection.
Connect with NextGen Purpose:
Episode Highlights:
01:45 Golden State Pickle Works: Exploring the Concept of Pickling
10:05 Marketing and Business Challenges
14:56 Community and Customer Feedback
22:44 What’s Next for Sam?
28:54 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Resources:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Justine Reichman: (00:00):
Hi folks, so excited to welcome you back
today. I'm Justine, your host.And here at Essential
Ingredients, we have anothergreat episode for you. I'm
excited specifically becausethis topic is so big, and
there's so many opportunitiesfor it, and it's something that
I'm passionate about, so I hopeyou are too. What we're going to
talk about is fermentation.We're going to talk about
(00:22):
pickles. We're going to talkabout pickles. We're going to
talk about pickling, and we'regoing to talk about community,
giving back to your communityand building within your
community. So you're not goingto want to miss this episode.
Stay tuned for Sam. She is thefounder of Golden State Pickle
Works, and it's going to be agreat conversation. There's so
much to take away from this. Sostay tuned. So Sam, thank you so
(00:51):
much for joining me today hereon the Essential Ingredients
(02:37):
Podcast. It's great to have you.Welcome.
Sam Paone: (02:39):
Thank you so much.
Justine Reichman: (02:41):
So for those of you that are tuning in for
the first time today, thank youso much. Thank you for joining
our community. Thank you forbeing curious. Thank you for
participating so we can continueto grow our community here, both
to learn more, to make moreinformed choices, and to connect
and talk about the impact ofhealth on our life, our
(03:02):
wellness, the planet, etcetera.So today, we're focusing on
Golden State Pickle Works. SoSam, if you would, for those
folks whether they've been hereor not, are not familiar with
what that is, would you justgive us a little snapshot?
Sam Paone: (03:18):
Yes. Well, thank you again for having me. This is
really exciting. Golden StatePickle Works and Collective
Cultures are two brands that Imake. We have fermented
vegetables, condiments and saladdressing. So basically, I make
pickles, pickle things, andthings made out of pickles. We
really focus on the naturalfermentation side of everything.
(03:41):
So you get probiotic benefitswith everything that we make. Of
course, because we are inAmerica and American style
pickles do use vinegar and alittle sweetener. We do some of
those too, but we really focuson all the things you can do
with what such a small sliver ofwhat people think is, and then
kind of just expand on that.
Justine Reichman: (04:02):
I love that. Okay, so many questions. Where
to start? Let's start with thatlittle sliver. What's the little
sliver we're focusing on?
Sam Paone: (04:13):
I learned that people understood pickles as
long, green, skinny things.Cucumbers, really, cucumbers
only. Coming from a chefbackground in in Bay area
restaurants, I couldn't evenimagine only having a pickled
cucumber. And I kind of wonderedwhy the mass majority of people
(04:38):
didn't realize that you canpickle anything in the world,
and so I started to try anddevelop on all of those flavors.
I do cucumbers while they're inseason. But in California,
because I'm a very hyperseasonal company and only use
(04:59):
organic produce, becausecucumbers and pickling cucumbers
are only around for about twomonths out of the year. And
although we will ferment andpickle as many as we can, and
we'll sell those out, there areso many other vegetables to
celebrate throughout theseasons.
Justine Reichman: (05:14):
What's your favorite vegetable to pickle
throughout the seasons?
Sam Paone: (05:17):
The answer is always the newest thing that comes into
season, because I've alreadybeen pickling all these other
things. But one of my newestfavorite things that we're doing
from a local farm here in Sonomaare these beautiful watermelon
radishes. And I love them. It'skind of a sweet pickle, and it's
(05:38):
super vibrant and pink. Ithought that the kosher dill
radishes were really great forthat. I feel like with all the
produce that we have around andat the perfection peak, it's a
pity not to preserve it andshare it all year round.
Justine Reichman: (06:03):
So many people are not familiar with all
these different things, andwe're seeing so many variations.
And I do think the market isexpanding. People are starting
to ferment more things. And oneof the conversations that I
think is really interesting isthe connection between the
fermentation and the gut health.
Sam Paone: (06:24):
Yes. So through fermentation, basically, the
only thing that's making a rawvegetable into a pickle is the
bacteria that grows while we'reaging it. So we make a salt
brine and make a really niceenvironment for the good
bacterias to thrive in. All thebotulism, all the bad bacterias,
(06:49):
they don't want anything to dowith that, so we wait for those
bacterias to grow. That kind ofproduces a lactic acid, and that
acid is what changes thevegetable into a pickle, all the
while producing lactobacillusbacterias, which is what makes
our gut so healthy.
Justine Reichman: (07:06):
And so what role did the health, the impact
of what you were doing play inyour inspiration and you
creating these different pickledvegetables?
Sam Paone: (07:19):
To be honest, none at all. None at all. I come from
a chef's background, and Ihonestly care about the flavor.
That's why I started thisbusiness, because everything I
was tasting was not delicious. Iwas upset that it wasn't so I
was like, fine, I'll just makeit myself, and I hope that other
(07:40):
people will taste this too andrealize that this is really what
good sauerkraut is, or this iswhat really great kimchi is. So
over the first few years oflearning what a business was,
because I'd only been a chef orproducing really tasty things. I
started to read up on all thebenefits that all of this had,
and I fall in love more andmore, and get more inspired
(08:04):
every time I learn somethingnew. I'm still learning all
about it. I think it's such anamazing thing that happens in
science that I stumbled upon andthat I randomly chose as my
career that is so healthful andvery delicious.
Justine Reichman: (08:29):
What an amazing thing to be able to
think locally, use yourbackground as a chef to make
something that's super tasty,and then find out that what
you're making is actually reallyhealthy. It was so cool. I would
call that a triple win. I'mcurious. So as it's evolved and
as you learn more stuff, haveyou changed anything as a result
(08:53):
of the learning or educationthat you've gotten of the impact
that you're having both onpeople's gut health, as well as
what people want? So
Sam Paone: (09:03):
It's about the marketing at this point. Your
latest episode was mentioningthis. I definitely have come
from a small little sliver ofcooks. I didn't know the first
thing about business or anythingbefore I started this. So having
to learn it while doing it iskind of frustrating. But the
(09:26):
only way to really learn, so Ihad recently gone through a
Marketing Boot Camp where I amdifferentiating myself from all
the other people, because what'sgood for you is not my main
concern. My main concern is I'mliving this business the way I
(09:50):
want to, by sourcingorganically, locally and hyper
seasonally, and justhighlighting natural flavors and
all of that. And I want peopleto feel confident that they can
make something delicious athome, and it just so happens to
be really, really good for you.
Justine Reichman: (10:08):
Okay. I have to ask, you choose organic, you
choose local, all these thingsthat people talk about as being
the healthier choice. Why arethey your choice? That's
paramount. that's fair. Let's behonest, taste is king. If it is
the healthiest thing in theworld and tastes disgusting, no
(10:29):
one's going to eat. Who's goingto eat it? It's going to be
hard. You're going to have avery small portion of the
population.
Sam Paone: (10:36):
When was the last time you ate anything because it
was good for you?
Justine Reichman: (10:41):
I ate eat because I like the taste, but I
choose it because of theingredients in it, or the lack
of ingredients that I don't likein it.
Sam Paone: (10:54):
It's important to me because I live it. I work at the
Farmers Market's. I'm friendswith the farmers. I've chosen a
life surrounded by food before Ibecame an adult, and preparing
food and restaurants with theutmost respect has translated
(11:15):
into getting the bestingredients possible to give you
the best experience ofsauerkraut possible. And organic
ingredients taste better to me.They taste like what they're
supposed to taste. The politicsand all the things around how
(11:36):
the Earth is treated and themoney that goes behind all the
things that are against theorganic farmers, I want nothing
to do with it. I kind of want tobe against that, and all I
completely understand whenpeople can't buy organic
produce. And I always kind ofrecommend a few ingredients that
(11:58):
are fine, just rinse them rightoff. I understand that it's
expensive or out of range for alot of people, and so I want to
try and help intensify thosenutrients as much as possible.
And starting with the best isalways my game.
Justine Reichman: (12:22):
I'm understanding you correctly. It
tastes better, it has all thenutrients. And it's not about
the health, it's about thetaste.
Sam Paone: (12:33):
It's not a way to spray and get the biggest yield
while killing something else. Ornot focusing on rotational
crops, or not supporting themonocultures and all of that.
Justine Reichman: (12:50):
More of your ethos. And so yeah, is it fair
to say to understand you is tounderstand that you want to do
by the agriculture, by thefarmers, by everyone. And as a
result, your product is a reallygood product, and it is better
for you, and it is organic. Allthose things, even if it's for
(13:11):
different reasons, your ethos iswhat people can get behind. So
it's not about what's reading onthe bottle. It's about what's
understanding who you are as afounder.
Sam Paone: (13:24):
That's the hardest part to come up. Get the word
across off of a jar label, whichis why trying to be out there,
more being verbal, doing moreevents and just being out there
publicly and speaking more aboutthings teaches people about our
brand and really what we'reabout.
Justine Reichman: (13:47):
I want to go back to when you were talking
about, you started as a chef,and then you transitioned and
started this pickling company,and you became an entrepreneur.
And there is a concept, is itin your DNA? Did you become an
entrepreneur? Were you anentrepreneur? You know what I
mean? Some of us have that driveto be scrappy to create a
(14:12):
business. And I think thedifference that entrepreneurs
have is the will, the passionand the desire. And it's all
great until it fails. They getthey keep going.
Sam Paone: (14:26):
Keep going back up. We've gone a few times over the
last 10 years.
Justine Reichman: (14:33):
What was that like for you making that
transition from working forsomebody being a chef in a
restaurant, in variousrestaurants, and then pivoting
to now building a business, abrand, understanding how to
create multiple products, shelflife, or how long can it be
refrigerated? And not that youdidn't know that as a chef. But
(14:55):
when you're creating a product,it's a whole different ball of
wax, from co pack, and where areyou going to do all these
different things? So what wasthat transition like for you?
Sam Paone: (15:09):
By the time I started the business, I was
still working in a restaurant,and I knew that I was going to
be the last restaurant. I hadrecently moved from San
Francisco in the Bay Arearestaurant scene up to Sonoma.
And it was a culture shock, forsure, on how restaurants were
(15:30):
run. I needed to get used tothat, because it was just
slower. It's the slownoma,that's the nickname here.
Justine Reichman: (15:41):
I did not know that.
Sam Paone: (15:42):
That so cute. It's darling. I love it. It's great.
It's wonderful for the holidayor whatever. But for a grinding
person, it was shocking. And soI realized that, okay, I think
I'm done with restaurants, and Ibecame a private chef for a
(16:02):
local wine family here. I was aconsulting chef at a cafe, and I
started to sell my products atFarmers Market's, and had about
three jobs for the first yearuntil I basically said, if I
tried really hard at a FarmersMarket, I think I can pay my
(16:24):
bills. And so that started thisbeing my job. I definitely
learned so many things along theway. Especially coming from a
chef background in a kitchen, Ihad to learn how to speak to
people outside. I never reallyhad to speak with people before.
(16:49):
One of the mostcharming/embarrassing situations
that happened very early on, Iwas speaking and one of my
customers say, hey, I don't havea problem with this or anything,
but do you swear this witheverybody? I was like, alright,
noted. I guess I don't say that,but it also who I am. I
(17:16):
naturally swear a lot. So it'svery genuine too. It's not angry
or anything, but learning howmuch of my personality to share
it with people. And honestly,because I come from a
restaurant, back on thehospitality is really my main
thing. I want you not just tobuy something from me. I
(17:41):
honestly don't mind if you don'tbuy anything from me at all.
What I do want is for you tocome and check it out, and learn
a little bit before you say, no,thank you. Experience a new
vegetable, or a new type ofpickle, or rutabaga for the
first time. if you're tastingthe Golden Beet Slaw, I always
put out a sample or two just soanybody passing by can just say
(18:06):
like, I've heard about fermentedfood. What is this stuff about?
And I really try to just be niceand warm, and teach people that
this is why we're hearing aboutfermented food so much, and it's
time that America got on thatwheel. And I feel that in 2020,
(18:30):
people did start to turn aroundthat label and take a look at
what was inside the jar. And itwas a pity that it took so long,
and what an event to make thathappen. But I was very impressed
with a lot of people suddenlylearning so much about what they
were putting in their body, andthat's kind of sparked a whole
new, I don't know, I feel like amovement, if you will, on people
(18:55):
wanting to be healthier andtaking their control back as far
as grocery shelves and what theywant to see in a grocery store.
Justine Reichman: (19:05):
So you've been at this now, and so you're
getting your on the job. MBA, soto speak. So as you've learned
that people are more interestedin what they're putting in their
bodies. And you fell into aplace where you created
something that's healthy andorganic because of your ethos
and because of what you liked asa chef. How do you see the
(19:28):
future? And what does that looklike now that you're hearing
that people are interested inhealthy and in what they put in
their bodies?
Sam Paone: (19:38):
I've learned that we can always expand more. Just
like that cucumber conversation,once you've done all the kinds
of pickled cucumbers, now we cango to cauliflower. Now, we can
go to peppers. Now, we can go tofennel. Now, we can go to every
single other vegetable. And Ifeel that people are becoming
(20:03):
more open. People are becomingmore open to what they're
trying. Of course, when we go toa new restaurant, we probably
pick out the typical thing thatthey're known for. And then if
that's good, then we expand alittle bit, then we'll trust
them a little bit more. I have acouple of products that are
(20:25):
crowd pleasing, kind of wellknown pickles, if you will. And
once I kind of get their trustthat it's going to be good no
matter what, then they starttasting the weirder, kind of
funner seasonal products that wehave. I do think that people are
(20:47):
becoming more trusting as theyexperience more. And because
they are more well informedabout what they're putting in
their body, they are much moreenthusiastic about eating that
as well.
Justine Reichman: (21:00):
So to the listeners and the viewers that
are tuning in that are founders,that maybe are working on a
product or having conjuring uptheir first idea, what
(21:23):
recommendation would you make tothem based on your experience,
or maybe that you wish you hadknown so that you could have
made a better choice in thebeginning?
Sam Paone: (21:34):
One thing that I am glad about is we never went back
on our values. Throughout 10years, we have gone through very
scary times and have reallydebated, can we afford glass?
(21:58):
Can we do that? No, was a lot ofthe time. We're not certified
organic. We're just living it.We don't pay for that seal
because I don't have the moneyto pay for that seal. However,
we live it, and it is all 100%organic. We just don't have that
extra amount of money.
Justine Reichman: (22:18):
Talk to that point of forgetting what's in
the label and understanding whothe founder is, if we look at
the label, we're not going toknow if it's organic certified.
Sam Paone: (22:28):
Only just looking for that little seal, just turn
around the jar and you'll see ithas an asterisk on there. You
know that it is all organic.That's what I urge people. I
feel like if you, okay, as faras the glass thing goes, I kept
going back and forth because Ithought we were going to go out
of business because of ourpackaging being insanely
(22:49):
expensive. But I don't want todo that. If I'm going to ruin
the earth while I do this, Idon't want to do this. So it was
super hard, for sure, but itneeded to get figured out. And I
hate raising prices, but that'swhat it had to be. As soon as we
could, we started buying inbigger bulks and bigger pallets.
(23:12):
But I still only have a smallamount of space to order, so I
can only accept maybe one and ahalf pallets at a time. And
because of that, I only get thisamount per jar, and so people
really do understand. Peoplewant us to be in business. And
if we're going down, I wouldjust say, stick to your values.
(23:38):
Because once we start to slip onthat, everybody knows it. And
now, we're not authentic andgenuine anymore. And that's what
people want,that transparency ofwho's making their food. It's
because for so long, these bigcorporations have been making
what we put in our bodies, andit's making us sick. Know the
(24:02):
farmer, the butcher, and knowthe people who are making your
food.
Justine Reichman: (24:07):
So from what I can hear from you, you're
really drawn by the community.What you want to give the
community something that'sreally meaningful, that's good,
that's healthy, that's organic?You want to work with the local
farmers. You want to get to knowyour community. So as it relates
to building your business, whatrole does community play in it
for you?
Sam Paone: (24:28):
If the community doesn't buy my things, I'm out
of business. Over the last eightor so years, I feel like I've
just been keeping up with thejarring and trying to sell that
way. But recently, I've made apoint of saying yes more and
(24:50):
hosting workshops, which Ihonestly thought would take away
from my business sales. But ofcourse, it doesn't because
people are not going to be goinghome and making sauerkraut. They
just want to learn how to makesauerkraut, and that was a fun
adventure. And they got theirhands dirty and smooshed up
sauerkraut for a cabbage forabout 10 minutes. But the
(25:11):
community really helped me shapeour line. Just because I liked
the tartar sauce, doesn't meanthat everybody else is going to
like the tartar sauce. They'rethe ones keeping it in their
refrigerator for a month as itexplodes out of the bottle. The
(25:33):
salad dressings, the sproutedcashew thing, we learn a lot by
people's feedback and learningby that. So I'm really happy
that the Farmers Market patrons,whenever they give feedback, it
really is because that I shouldknow. I should know that that
(25:53):
thing got bored. I should knowthat it didn't last the way it
did. Or I should know that sheaccidentally left that in her
cupboard and not in therefrigerator for two years. And
this is going to be a reallycool experiment. And that was
really cool to see. One time,somebody came back two years
later that a jar in theircupboard that was supposed to be
(26:15):
left in the refrigerator, and weboth opened it up. I tasted a
bite, and I was like, that'sreally cool. That's still
sauerkraut. It's two yearsoutside in a cupboard, and it
was still totally wow. That wasnothing you planned. No. She
brought it back because she madea big mistake, and she was very
scared. But the naturalfermentation, when you start off
(26:39):
the right way, the good alwayswins. The good bacteria always
win. And that's kind of thebiggest thing to have confidence
in, is knowing how to preparethat environment for success. So
other than the workshops, I alsohave a series coming out called
(27:04):
Jarring Everything Up In a Jar.It's preservation. A hyper
seasonal preservation show.
Justine Reichman: (27:12):
So where are we going to be seeing this?
Sam Paone: (27:15):
On Eat This TV Network. I don't even know what
television is anymore, honestly.I think that because I've been
in the restaurant business forso long, I do get a couple of
calls here and there for TopChef for Guy's Grocery Games or
(27:37):
random things locally to film,and everything has been a
competition/elimination show.And of course, I'm not going to
do that. I don't have the timeto go and do something and then
get eliminated. So I might aswell just say, I'll leave that
to everybody else who feels thatthey would win. This opportunity
came about because they didn'tsay anything about any
(28:00):
competition or elimination. Allthey wanted me to do was film
anything I wanted, as far aspreservation show goes. And so I
went to New York, filmed theshow Pilot. They ran it with
their ratings, and everythingcame back to where they wanted
to offer a 12 episode series.
Justine Reichman: (28:19):
Congratulations.
Sam Paone: (28:21):
Oh, thank you. I am responsible for half of the
production costs, so until Iraise another 10 grand, it's not
happening.
Justine Reichman: (28:31):
That's amazing, though. What an
accomplishment in of itself.
Sam Paone: (28:35):
Just exposing a bit. I will teach you how to make all
the stuff on, maybe a dish ortwo using it, and then we'll
garnish with something.
Justine Reichman: (28:44):
So preservation. What that means to
you?
Sam Paone: (28:51):
Our entire culture is a preservation of everything.
Up until today, when we gotravel or experience the
preservation of what makes thatcountry and those people, I grew
up in such a diverse communityin Hawaii, like plenty kinds of
(29:18):
cultures all mishmashed. Andthen moved to Denver, Colorado
where it was a culture shock ofhow many people did not look
like me.
Justine Reichman: (29:32):
Can I just tell you, I grew up in New York
City, very diverse. I now livein Marin County.
Sam Paone: (29:39):
That was a culture shock.
Justine Reichman: (29:45):
I love Marin County, don't get me wrong. But
in Hawaii where you lived, or inNew York where I live, it's
really beautiful. It's beautifulbecause you can embrace so many
cultures and get an education ina way that you can't from people
that are different than you growup differently.
Sam Paone: (30:05):
The most common way we get to travel is through
food. Whenever we decide whatwe're going to eat or anything
special that's happening, myquestion to whoever I'm cooking
for is, where do you want to go?Where should we go with this
food? What country do you want?And then we can start narrowing
down what to eat. But it is anexperience. And as far as
(30:29):
preservation goes in ourbusiness, I'm preserving the
best ingredients at the time thebest way I know. I do a lot of
this. This business started,founded upon two different
items. One was an up cycledcauliflower, cauliflower leaf
(30:54):
kimchi. Because in Sonoma, wehave the most pristine produce,
and I couldn't bear compostingthe leaves of the cauliflower. I
had already used the florets forthe soup, but we don't need the
green leafs for the soup. Sothey were just too beautiful,
and I made a kimchi out of it,and that was the start of
(31:17):
kimchi-ing, and all thosescraps. And as anybody knows
about ramps, they are just soprecious that you even eat the
frilly, tiny little roots. Andso I would take the tips and
roots, I would ferment thatbecause it still tasted like a
(31:38):
beautiful ramp. It just wasn't aperfect little leek looking
onion. And I would dehydratethat and then powdered it up,
and that would be a sour salt, afermented ramp powder seasoning.
Working in restaurants too,you're not throwing anything
(32:01):
away you need. You need everysingle ingredient, every piece
of the ingredient because youpaid for it to help you in that
way. It's like the eyebrows ofthe dish. It's all the extra
things that you can do todifferentiate, like that's the
personality. That's ourpersonality. Our condiment line
(32:23):
was came about because at therestaurant, we were doing a
special dinner for a Frenchcookbook Arthur Georgeanne
Brennan, and I had read that herfavorite dish in Paris or France
is Le Grand Aioli, and all it issome vegetables with aioli, and
it's delicious. I happen to havesome fermented onions, leeks and
(32:48):
fennel, and so I pre rate thatup, and maybe tried to make an
aioli out of just using thoseingredients because I don't need
the acid anymore. I've got thefermented veggies, and that's
where our fermented Allium Aiolicame around. Whether you think
you like fermented kimchis,sauerkraut or pickles, I bet you
(33:12):
like a flavorful sauce.
Justine Reichman: (33:13):
I think it's so creative and inspiring. I
think about it as a home chef,right? Somebody that likes to
cook at home, to be inspired tofigure out what else I can make.
If you're making pork, maybethere's a kimchi, like a pickled
something or other that would bereally nice on that.
(33:35):
Traditionally, I think of applesor pears, but it doesn't have to
be. It could be like a pickledcranberry, watermelon, pickle of
watermelon radish thing.
Sam Paone: (33:44):
Very true, very true. So last night, I just had
pork and served our Kimchi Mayowith it, which is not just
chopped up kimchi intomayonnaise. It's fermented
ginger, onion and garlic with alittle green chili flavor, and
Moroccan sauerkraut that hasgreen apples, celery and fennel
in it. So it was a great.
Justine Reichman: (34:07):
Sam, thank you so much. And for those
founders that are listening,those chefs that are listening
that maybe have ideas oncreating their own product, are
there maybe three tips you mightwant to give them from your
experience going from a chef toa product?
Sam Paone: (34:29):
Don't be afraid to try to bring down the premium
cost of your product. I comefrom a type of restaurant that
didn't care how much we neededto charge, and it's a completely
(34:51):
different game when you'reputting something into a jar and
competing with everybody else onthe shelf. I know I will never
be able to compete on price.It's just never going to happen.
I need to make everything elseshine even more to where people
choose that. And for chefs, havea particular idea on what they
(35:16):
want, and then they execute it.And it's taken just a couple
years to realize that there aredifferent ways to do it. And
just because I don't want to doit yet, the life of business,
ebbs and flows in the economymakes you. It's still super
(35:43):
delicious, and I'm still veryproud of what we're doing. I'm
still not backing down from ourvalues. And I get to employ a
couple people along the way, andI do love pushing this folder up
the hill.
Justine Reichman: (35:57):
What are the three things that you've learned
(37:27):
in your process?
Sam Paone: (37:32):
One, that your relationships with farmers are
very important. And there aremany resources out there to help
you. That's two. Three for thewin, everybody already knows
(37:54):
this as chefs. But if you justkeep going, it's always going to
work out.
Justine Reichman: (37:59):
Awesome. Sam, that was great. Oh, my God, well
done. So Sam, for those friendshere on the EI Podcast, the
community that's tuning in,that's loyal, that have become
(38:24):
our friends because they listento the whole podcast, is there a
discount code you can offerthem?
Sam Paone: (38:39):
Yes. Just type "ESENTIALINGREDIENTS" on your
checkout atgoldenstatepickleworks.com.
Justine Reichman: (38:50):
So just before we wrap things up, what
are we going to see? Are thereany new coming out that we can
(39:12):
look forward to? New things thatyou're going to be producing in
the next couple years that weshould stay up to date?
Sam Paone: (39:19):
Yes. So we always rotate our products seasonally.
So as our Moroccan sauerkrautand kosher dill radishes are
going out of season.Of course,we're going to see our half sour
cucumbers, pickled peppers,italian green beans. We're
expanding on our soda line.We're doing a lot of uses with
(39:40):
our ferments in condiments.
Justine Reichman: (39:43):
Awesome. Sam, that was so great to get to know
you, to have you on thispodcast. I hope everyone had as
much fun as I did tuning intoday. I'm so inspired. I'm
inspired as an entrepreneur, andI'm inspired as somebody just
interested in how to upcycle,and what to do with food that I
end up throwing away, and eatingbetter for my gut biome, because
(40:05):
we learned that this is healthy.I mean, I kind of knew that
before. My point is that, I walkaway from this episode feeling
inspired, not just eating shouldbe fun. I want to come and take
a class. We'll all take it onthe same day. So let us know if
(40:26):
you want to do it too, and we'llmake a class for the community.
Sam Paone: (40:29):
It would be so fun.
Justine Reichman: (40:31):
Okay, Sam, thanks so much for tuning in.
For those folks that just tunedin for the first time, thanks so
much for joining the community.For those folks that are loyal
and weekly listeners, wecouldn't do it without you. And
to our amazing founder, Sam, toshare the inspiration, the
story, the drive to build, to bepart of a better for you world
(40:52):
is what keeps her building thisgreat, organic, healthy product.
So learn about the founders,because it's not only what you
find on the bottle, right? And Ihave to give credit where credit
is due. To be honest, I had aconversation last week with the
founders of EO, and they werethe ones that really highlighted
(41:13):
that for me. Because I askedabout what was on their jar, and
what was behind it, and it wasreally about what's in front of
it, and so that inspired me toask you that, and to really dig
in deeper with that. For them,I'm grateful that I had that
opportunity, that conversation,because it allowed me to speak
with you in a new way, and Ireally appreciated hearing about
(41:35):
you. I think I got a lot ofgreat insight from you that I
might not have otherwise had. Sothank you to Susan and Brad.
Thank you, Sam.
Sam Paone: (41:45):
Thank you so much.
Justine Reichman: (41:46):
Okay, so for those folks that want to get in
touch with you, Sam, what's thebest way to connect?
Sam Paone: (41:51):
Instagram at Golden State Pickle Works, and our
website atwww.goldenstatepickleworks.com.
Justine Reichman: (41:59):
Awesome. Thanks so much all. And don't
forget to follow us onessential.ingredients on
Instagram, or justine.reichman.If you want to watch the video
cast, maybe this time you don'twant to watch, you don't want to
listen, don't forget we're onYouTube. We have a channel
there. You can look at theNextGen Purpose, and we'll have
(42:19):
our Essential IngredientsPodcast there for the viewing.
They're all uploaded. There'sshorts, and there's longer form
videos, and it's a great placeto catch this. So we'll see you
here again next week for anothergreat episode. But in the
meantime, Sam, this was awesome.
Sam Paone: (42:35):
Thank you so much.
Hi folks, so excited to welcome you back
today. I'm Justine, your host.And here at Essential
Ingredients, we have anothergreat episode for you. I'm
excited specifically becausethis topic is so big, and
there's so many opportunitiesfor it, and it's something that
I'm passionate about, so I hopeyou are too. What we're going to
talk about is fermentation.We're going to talk about
(00:22):
pickles. We're going to talkabout pickles. We're going to
talk about pickling, and we'regoing to talk about community,
giving back to your communityand building within your
community. So you're not goingto want to miss this episode.
Stay tuned for Sam. She is thefounder of Golden State Pickle
Works, and it's going to be agreat conversation. There's so
much to take away from this. Sostay tuned. So Sam, thank you so
(00:51):
much for joining me today hereon the Essential Ingredients
(02:37):
Podcast. It's great to have you.Welcome.
Sam Paone: (02:39):
Thank you so much.
Justine Reichman: (02:41):
So for those of you that are tuning in for
the first time today, thank youso much. Thank you for joining
our community. Thank you forbeing curious. Thank you for
participating so we can continueto grow our community here, both
to learn more, to make moreinformed choices, and to connect
and talk about the impact ofhealth on our life, our
(03:02):
wellness, the planet, etcetera.So today, we're focusing on
Golden State Pickle Works. SoSam, if you would, for those
folks whether they've been hereor not, are not familiar with
what that is, would you justgive us a little snapshot?
Sam Paone: (03:18):
Yes. Well, thank you again for having me. This is
really exciting. Golden StatePickle Works and Collective
Cultures are two brands that Imake. We have fermented
vegetables, condiments and saladdressing. So basically, I make
pickles, pickle things, andthings made out of pickles. We
really focus on the naturalfermentation side of everything.
(03:41):
So you get probiotic benefitswith everything that we make. Of
course, because we are inAmerica and American style
pickles do use vinegar and alittle sweetener. We do some of
those too, but we really focuson all the things you can do
with what such a small sliver ofwhat people think is, and then
kind of just expand on that.
Justine Reichman: (04:02):
I love that. Okay, so many questions. Where
to start? Let's start with thatlittle sliver. What's the little
sliver we're focusing on?
Sam Paone: (04:13):
I learned that people understood pickles as
long, green, skinny things.Cucumbers, really, cucumbers
only. Coming from a chefbackground in in Bay area
restaurants, I couldn't evenimagine only having a pickled
cucumber. And I kind of wonderedwhy the mass majority of people
(04:38):
didn't realize that you canpickle anything in the world,
and so I started to try anddevelop on all of those flavors.
I do cucumbers while they're inseason. But in California,
because I'm a very hyperseasonal company and only use
(04:59):
organic produce, becausecucumbers and pickling cucumbers
are only around for about twomonths out of the year. And
although we will ferment andpickle as many as we can, and
we'll sell those out, there areso many other vegetables to
celebrate throughout theseasons.
Justine Reichman: (05:14):
What's your favorite vegetable to pickle
throughout the seasons?
Sam Paone: (05:17):
The answer is always the newest thing that comes into
season, because I've alreadybeen pickling all these other
things. But one of my newestfavorite things that we're doing
from a local farm here in Sonomaare these beautiful watermelon
radishes. And I love them. It'skind of a sweet pickle, and it's
(05:38):
super vibrant and pink. Ithought that the kosher dill
radishes were really great forthat. I feel like with all the
produce that we have around andat the perfection peak, it's a
pity not to preserve it andshare it all year round.
Justine Reichman: (06:03):
So many people are not familiar with all
these different things, andwe're seeing so many variations.
And I do think the market isexpanding. People are starting
to ferment more things. And oneof the conversations that I
think is really interesting isthe connection between the
fermentation and the gut health.
Sam Paone: (06:24):
Yes. So through fermentation, basically, the
only thing that's making a rawvegetable into a pickle is the
bacteria that grows while we'reaging it. So we make a salt
brine and make a really niceenvironment for the good
bacterias to thrive in. All thebotulism, all the bad bacterias,
(06:49):
they don't want anything to dowith that, so we wait for those
bacterias to grow. That kind ofproduces a lactic acid, and that
acid is what changes thevegetable into a pickle, all the
while producing lactobacillusbacterias, which is what makes
our gut so healthy.
Justine Reichman: (07:06):
And so what role did the health, the impact
of what you were doing play inyour inspiration and you
creating these different pickledvegetables?
Sam Paone: (07:19):
To be honest, none at all. None at all. I come from
a chef's background, and Ihonestly care about the flavor.
That's why I started thisbusiness, because everything I
was tasting was not delicious. Iwas upset that it wasn't so I
was like, fine, I'll just makeit myself, and I hope that other
(07:40):
people will taste this too andrealize that this is really what
good sauerkraut is, or this iswhat really great kimchi is. So
over the first few years oflearning what a business was,
because I'd only been a chef orproducing really tasty things. I
started to read up on all thebenefits that all of this had,
and I fall in love more andmore, and get more inspired
(08:04):
every time I learn somethingnew. I'm still learning all
about it. I think it's such anamazing thing that happens in
science that I stumbled upon andthat I randomly chose as my
career that is so healthful andvery delicious.
Justine Reichman: (08:29):
What an amazing thing to be able to
think locally, use yourbackground as a chef to make
something that's super tasty,and then find out that what
you're making is actually reallyhealthy. It was so cool. I would
call that a triple win. I'mcurious. So as it's evolved and
as you learn more stuff, haveyou changed anything as a result
(08:53):
of the learning or educationthat you've gotten of the impact
that you're having both onpeople's gut health, as well as
what people want? So
Sam Paone: (09:03):
It's about the marketing at this point. Your
latest episode was mentioningthis. I definitely have come
from a small little sliver ofcooks. I didn't know the first
thing about business or anythingbefore I started this. So having
to learn it while doing it iskind of frustrating. But the
(09:26):
only way to really learn, so Ihad recently gone through a
Marketing Boot Camp where I amdifferentiating myself from all
the other people, because what'sgood for you is not my main
concern. My main concern is I'mliving this business the way I
(09:50):
want to, by sourcingorganically, locally and hyper
seasonally, and justhighlighting natural flavors and
all of that. And I want peopleto feel confident that they can
make something delicious athome, and it just so happens to
be really, really good for you.
Justine Reichman: (10:08):
Okay. I have to ask, you choose organic, you
choose local, all these thingsthat people talk about as being
the healthier choice. Why arethey your choice? That's
paramount. that's fair. Let's behonest, taste is king. If it is
the healthiest thing in theworld and tastes disgusting, no
(10:29):
one's going to eat. Who's goingto eat it? It's going to be
hard. You're going to have avery small portion of the
population.
Sam Paone: (10:36):
When was the last time you ate anything because it
was good for you?
Justine Reichman: (10:41):
I ate eat because I like the taste, but I
choose it because of theingredients in it, or the lack
of ingredients that I don't likein it.
Sam Paone: (10:54):
It's important to me because I live it. I work at the
Farmers Market's. I'm friendswith the farmers. I've chosen a
life surrounded by food before Ibecame an adult, and preparing
food and restaurants with theutmost respect has translated
(11:15):
into getting the bestingredients possible to give you
the best experience ofsauerkraut possible. And organic
ingredients taste better to me.They taste like what they're
supposed to taste. The politicsand all the things around how
(11:36):
the Earth is treated and themoney that goes behind all the
things that are against theorganic farmers, I want nothing
to do with it. I kind of want tobe against that, and all I
completely understand whenpeople can't buy organic
produce. And I always kind ofrecommend a few ingredients that
(11:58):
are fine, just rinse them rightoff. I understand that it's
expensive or out of range for alot of people, and so I want to
try and help intensify thosenutrients as much as possible.
And starting with the best isalways my game.
Justine Reichman: (12:22):
I'm understanding you correctly. It
tastes better, it has all thenutrients. And it's not about
the health, it's about thetaste.
Sam Paone: (12:33):
It's not a way to spray and get the biggest yield
while killing something else. Ornot focusing on rotational
crops, or not supporting themonocultures and all of that.
Justine Reichman: (12:50):
More of your ethos. And so yeah, is it fair
to say to understand you is tounderstand that you want to do
by the agriculture, by thefarmers, by everyone. And as a
result, your product is a reallygood product, and it is better
for you, and it is organic. Allthose things, even if it's for
(13:11):
different reasons, your ethos iswhat people can get behind. So
it's not about what's reading onthe bottle. It's about what's
understanding who you are as afounder.
Sam Paone: (13:24):
That's the hardest part to come up. Get the word
across off of a jar label, whichis why trying to be out there,
more being verbal, doing moreevents and just being out there
publicly and speaking more aboutthings teaches people about our
brand and really what we'reabout.
Justine Reichman: (13:47):
I want to go back to when you were talking
about, you started as a chef,and then you transitioned and
started this pickling company,and you became an entrepreneur.
And there is a concept, is itin your DNA? Did you become an
entrepreneur? Were you anentrepreneur? You know what I
mean? Some of us have that driveto be scrappy to create a
(14:12):
business. And I think thedifference that entrepreneurs
have is the will, the passionand the desire. And it's all
great until it fails. They getthey keep going.
Sam Paone: (14:26):
Keep going back up. We've gone a few times over the
last 10 years.
Justine Reichman: (14:33):
What was that like for you making that
transition from working forsomebody being a chef in a
restaurant, in variousrestaurants, and then pivoting
to now building a business, abrand, understanding how to
create multiple products, shelflife, or how long can it be
refrigerated? And not that youdidn't know that as a chef. But
(14:55):
when you're creating a product,it's a whole different ball of
wax, from co pack, and where areyou going to do all these
different things? So what wasthat transition like for you?
Sam Paone: (15:09):
By the time I started the business, I was
still working in a restaurant,and I knew that I was going to
be the last restaurant. I hadrecently moved from San
Francisco in the Bay Arearestaurant scene up to Sonoma.
And it was a culture shock, forsure, on how restaurants were
(15:30):
run. I needed to get used tothat, because it was just
slower. It's the slownoma,that's the nickname here.
Justine Reichman: (15:41):
I did not know that.
Sam Paone: (15:42):
That so cute. It's darling. I love it. It's great.
It's wonderful for the holidayor whatever. But for a grinding
person, it was shocking. And soI realized that, okay, I think
I'm done with restaurants, and Ibecame a private chef for a
(16:02):
local wine family here. I was aconsulting chef at a cafe, and I
started to sell my products atFarmers Market's, and had about
three jobs for the first yearuntil I basically said, if I
tried really hard at a FarmersMarket, I think I can pay my
(16:24):
bills. And so that started thisbeing my job. I definitely
learned so many things along theway. Especially coming from a
chef background in a kitchen, Ihad to learn how to speak to
people outside. I never reallyhad to speak with people before.
(16:49):
One of the mostcharming/embarrassing situations
that happened very early on, Iwas speaking and one of my
customers say, hey, I don't havea problem with this or anything,
but do you swear this witheverybody? I was like, alright,
noted. I guess I don't say that,but it also who I am. I
(17:16):
naturally swear a lot. So it'svery genuine too. It's not angry
or anything, but learning howmuch of my personality to share
it with people. And honestly,because I come from a
restaurant, back on thehospitality is really my main
thing. I want you not just tobuy something from me. I
(17:41):
honestly don't mind if you don'tbuy anything from me at all.
What I do want is for you tocome and check it out, and learn
a little bit before you say, no,thank you. Experience a new
vegetable, or a new type ofpickle, or rutabaga for the
first time. if you're tastingthe Golden Beet Slaw, I always
put out a sample or two just soanybody passing by can just say
(18:06):
like, I've heard about fermentedfood. What is this stuff about?
And I really try to just be niceand warm, and teach people that
this is why we're hearing aboutfermented food so much, and it's
time that America got on thatwheel. And I feel that in 2020,
(18:30):
people did start to turn aroundthat label and take a look at
what was inside the jar. And itwas a pity that it took so long,
and what an event to make thathappen. But I was very impressed
with a lot of people suddenlylearning so much about what they
were putting in their body, andthat's kind of sparked a whole
new, I don't know, I feel like amovement, if you will, on people
(18:55):
wanting to be healthier andtaking their control back as far
as grocery shelves and what theywant to see in a grocery store.
Justine Reichman: (19:05):
So you've been at this now, and so you're
getting your on the job. MBA, soto speak. So as you've learned
that people are more interestedin what they're putting in their
bodies. And you fell into aplace where you created
something that's healthy andorganic because of your ethos
and because of what you liked asa chef. How do you see the
(19:28):
future? And what does that looklike now that you're hearing
that people are interested inhealthy and in what they put in
their bodies?
Sam Paone: (19:38):
I've learned that we can always expand more. Just
like that cucumber conversation,once you've done all the kinds
of pickled cucumbers, now we cango to cauliflower. Now, we can
go to peppers. Now, we can go tofennel. Now, we can go to every
single other vegetable. And Ifeel that people are becoming
(20:03):
more open. People are becomingmore open to what they're
trying. Of course, when we go toa new restaurant, we probably
pick out the typical thing thatthey're known for. And then if
that's good, then we expand alittle bit, then we'll trust
them a little bit more. I have acouple of products that are
(20:25):
crowd pleasing, kind of wellknown pickles, if you will. And
once I kind of get their trustthat it's going to be good no
matter what, then they starttasting the weirder, kind of
funner seasonal products that wehave. I do think that people are
(20:47):
becoming more trusting as theyexperience more. And because
they are more well informedabout what they're putting in
their body, they are much moreenthusiastic about eating that
as well.
Justine Reichman: (21:00):
So to the listeners and the viewers that
are tuning in that are founders,that maybe are working on a
product or having conjuring uptheir first idea, what
(21:23):
recommendation would you make tothem based on your experience,
or maybe that you wish you hadknown so that you could have
made a better choice in thebeginning?
Sam Paone: (21:34):
One thing that I am glad about is we never went back
on our values. Throughout 10years, we have gone through very
scary times and have reallydebated, can we afford glass?
(21:58):
Can we do that? No, was a lot ofthe time. We're not certified
organic. We're just living it.We don't pay for that seal
because I don't have the moneyto pay for that seal. However,
we live it, and it is all 100%organic. We just don't have that
extra amount of money.
Justine Reichman: (22:18):
Talk to that point of forgetting what's in
the label and understanding whothe founder is, if we look at
the label, we're not going toknow if it's organic certified.
Sam Paone: (22:28):
Only just looking for that little seal, just turn
around the jar and you'll see ithas an asterisk on there. You
know that it is all organic.That's what I urge people. I
feel like if you, okay, as faras the glass thing goes, I kept
going back and forth because Ithought we were going to go out
of business because of ourpackaging being insanely
(22:49):
expensive. But I don't want todo that. If I'm going to ruin
the earth while I do this, Idon't want to do this. So it was
super hard, for sure, but itneeded to get figured out. And I
hate raising prices, but that'swhat it had to be. As soon as we
could, we started buying inbigger bulks and bigger pallets.
(23:12):
But I still only have a smallamount of space to order, so I
can only accept maybe one and ahalf pallets at a time. And
because of that, I only get thisamount per jar, and so people
really do understand. Peoplewant us to be in business. And
if we're going down, I wouldjust say, stick to your values.
(23:38):
Because once we start to slip onthat, everybody knows it. And
now, we're not authentic andgenuine anymore. And that's what
people want,that transparency ofwho's making their food. It's
because for so long, these bigcorporations have been making
what we put in our bodies, andit's making us sick. Know the
(24:02):
farmer, the butcher, and knowthe people who are making your
food.
Justine Reichman: (24:07):
So from what I can hear from you, you're
really drawn by the community.What you want to give the
community something that'sreally meaningful, that's good,
that's healthy, that's organic?You want to work with the local
farmers. You want to get to knowyour community. So as it relates
to building your business, whatrole does community play in it
for you?
Sam Paone: (24:28):
If the community doesn't buy my things, I'm out
of business. Over the last eightor so years, I feel like I've
just been keeping up with thejarring and trying to sell that
way. But recently, I've made apoint of saying yes more and
(24:50):
hosting workshops, which Ihonestly thought would take away
from my business sales. But ofcourse, it doesn't because
people are not going to be goinghome and making sauerkraut. They
just want to learn how to makesauerkraut, and that was a fun
adventure. And they got theirhands dirty and smooshed up
sauerkraut for a cabbage forabout 10 minutes. But the
(25:11):
community really helped me shapeour line. Just because I liked
the tartar sauce, doesn't meanthat everybody else is going to
like the tartar sauce. They'rethe ones keeping it in their
refrigerator for a month as itexplodes out of the bottle. The
(25:33):
salad dressings, the sproutedcashew thing, we learn a lot by
people's feedback and learningby that. So I'm really happy
that the Farmers Market patrons,whenever they give feedback, it
really is because that I shouldknow. I should know that that
(25:53):
thing got bored. I should knowthat it didn't last the way it
did. Or I should know that sheaccidentally left that in her
cupboard and not in therefrigerator for two years. And
this is going to be a reallycool experiment. And that was
really cool to see. One time,somebody came back two years
later that a jar in theircupboard that was supposed to be
(26:15):
left in the refrigerator, and weboth opened it up. I tasted a
bite, and I was like, that'sreally cool. That's still
sauerkraut. It's two yearsoutside in a cupboard, and it
was still totally wow. That wasnothing you planned. No. She
brought it back because she madea big mistake, and she was very
scared. But the naturalfermentation, when you start off
(26:39):
the right way, the good alwayswins. The good bacteria always
win. And that's kind of thebiggest thing to have confidence
in, is knowing how to preparethat environment for success. So
other than the workshops, I alsohave a series coming out called
(27:04):
Jarring Everything Up In a Jar.It's preservation. A hyper
seasonal preservation show.
Justine Reichman: (27:12):
So where are we going to be seeing this?
Sam Paone: (27:15):
On Eat This TV Network. I don't even know what
television is anymore, honestly.I think that because I've been
in the restaurant business forso long, I do get a couple of
calls here and there for TopChef for Guy's Grocery Games or
(27:37):
random things locally to film,and everything has been a
competition/elimination show.And of course, I'm not going to
do that. I don't have the timeto go and do something and then
get eliminated. So I might aswell just say, I'll leave that
to everybody else who feels thatthey would win. This opportunity
came about because they didn'tsay anything about any
(28:00):
competition or elimination. Allthey wanted me to do was film
anything I wanted, as far aspreservation show goes. And so I
went to New York, filmed theshow Pilot. They ran it with
their ratings, and everythingcame back to where they wanted
to offer a 12 episode series.
Justine Reichman: (28:19):
Congratulations.
Sam Paone: (28:21):
Oh, thank you. I am responsible for half of the
production costs, so until Iraise another 10 grand, it's not
happening.
Justine Reichman: (28:31):
That's amazing, though. What an
accomplishment in of itself.
Sam Paone: (28:35):
Just exposing a bit. I will teach you how to make all
the stuff on, maybe a dish ortwo using it, and then we'll
garnish with something.
Justine Reichman: (28:44):
So preservation. What that means to
you?
Sam Paone: (28:51):
Our entire culture is a preservation of everything.
Up until today, when we gotravel or experience the
preservation of what makes thatcountry and those people, I grew
up in such a diverse communityin Hawaii, like plenty kinds of
(29:18):
cultures all mishmashed. Andthen moved to Denver, Colorado
where it was a culture shock ofhow many people did not look
like me.
Justine Reichman: (29:32):
Can I just tell you, I grew up in New York
City, very diverse. I now livein Marin County.
Sam Paone: (29:39):
That was a culture shock.
Justine Reichman: (29:45):
I love Marin County, don't get me wrong. But
in Hawaii where you lived, or inNew York where I live, it's
really beautiful. It's beautifulbecause you can embrace so many
cultures and get an education ina way that you can't from people
that are different than you growup differently.
Sam Paone: (30:05):
The most common way we get to travel is through
food. Whenever we decide whatwe're going to eat or anything
special that's happening, myquestion to whoever I'm cooking
for is, where do you want to go?Where should we go with this
food? What country do you want?And then we can start narrowing
down what to eat. But it is anexperience. And as far as
(30:29):
preservation goes in ourbusiness, I'm preserving the
best ingredients at the time thebest way I know. I do a lot of
this. This business started,founded upon two different
items. One was an up cycledcauliflower, cauliflower leaf
(30:54):
kimchi. Because in Sonoma, wehave the most pristine produce,
and I couldn't bear compostingthe leaves of the cauliflower. I
had already used the florets forthe soup, but we don't need the
green leafs for the soup. Sothey were just too beautiful,
and I made a kimchi out of it,and that was the start of
(31:17):
kimchi-ing, and all thosescraps. And as anybody knows
about ramps, they are just soprecious that you even eat the
frilly, tiny little roots. Andso I would take the tips and
roots, I would ferment thatbecause it still tasted like a
(31:38):
beautiful ramp. It just wasn't aperfect little leek looking
onion. And I would dehydratethat and then powdered it up,
and that would be a sour salt, afermented ramp powder seasoning.
Working in restaurants too,you're not throwing anything
(32:01):
away you need. You need everysingle ingredient, every piece
of the ingredient because youpaid for it to help you in that
way. It's like the eyebrows ofthe dish. It's all the extra
things that you can do todifferentiate, like that's the
personality. That's ourpersonality. Our condiment line
(32:23):
was came about because at therestaurant, we were doing a
special dinner for a Frenchcookbook Arthur Georgeanne
Brennan, and I had read that herfavorite dish in Paris or France
is Le Grand Aioli, and all it issome vegetables with aioli, and
it's delicious. I happen to havesome fermented onions, leeks and
(32:48):
fennel, and so I pre rate thatup, and maybe tried to make an
aioli out of just using thoseingredients because I don't need
the acid anymore. I've got thefermented veggies, and that's
where our fermented Allium Aiolicame around. Whether you think
you like fermented kimchis,sauerkraut or pickles, I bet you
(33:12):
like a flavorful sauce.
Justine Reichman: (33:13):
I think it's so creative and inspiring. I
think about it as a home chef,right? Somebody that likes to
cook at home, to be inspired tofigure out what else I can make.
If you're making pork, maybethere's a kimchi, like a pickled
something or other that would bereally nice on that.
(33:35):
Traditionally, I think of applesor pears, but it doesn't have to
be. It could be like a pickledcranberry, watermelon, pickle of
watermelon radish thing.
Sam Paone: (33:44):
Very true, very true. So last night, I just had
pork and served our Kimchi Mayowith it, which is not just
chopped up kimchi intomayonnaise. It's fermented
ginger, onion and garlic with alittle green chili flavor, and
Moroccan sauerkraut that hasgreen apples, celery and fennel
in it. So it was a great.
Justine Reichman: (34:07):
Sam, thank you so much. And for those
founders that are listening,those chefs that are listening
that maybe have ideas oncreating their own product, are
there maybe three tips you mightwant to give them from your
experience going from a chef toa product?
Sam Paone: (34:29):
Don't be afraid to try to bring down the premium
cost of your product. I comefrom a type of restaurant that
didn't care how much we neededto charge, and it's a completely
(34:51):
different game when you'reputting something into a jar and
competing with everybody else onthe shelf. I know I will never
be able to compete on price.It's just never going to happen.
I need to make everything elseshine even more to where people
choose that. And for chefs, havea particular idea on what they
(35:16):
want, and then they execute it.And it's taken just a couple
years to realize that there aredifferent ways to do it. And
just because I don't want to doit yet, the life of business,
ebbs and flows in the economymakes you. It's still super
(35:43):
delicious, and I'm still veryproud of what we're doing. I'm
still not backing down from ourvalues. And I get to employ a
couple people along the way, andI do love pushing this folder up
the hill.
Justine Reichman: (35:57):
What are the three things that you've learned
(37:27):
in your process?
Sam Paone: (37:32):
One, that your relationships with farmers are
very important. And there aremany resources out there to help
you. That's two. Three for thewin, everybody already knows
(37:54):
this as chefs. But if you justkeep going, it's always going to
work out.
Justine Reichman: (37:59):
Awesome. Sam, that was great. Oh, my God, well
done. So Sam, for those friendshere on the EI Podcast, the
community that's tuning in,that's loyal, that have become
(38:24):
our friends because they listento the whole podcast, is there a
discount code you can offerthem?
Sam Paone: (38:39):
Yes. Just type "ESENTIALINGREDIENTS" on your
checkout atgoldenstatepickleworks.com.
Justine Reichman: (38:50):
So just before we wrap things up, what
are we going to see? Are thereany new coming out that we can
(39:12):
look forward to? New things thatyou're going to be producing in
the next couple years that weshould stay up to date?
Sam Paone: (39:19):
Yes. So we always rotate our products seasonally.
So as our Moroccan sauerkrautand kosher dill radishes are
going out of season.Of course,we're going to see our half sour
cucumbers, pickled peppers,italian green beans. We're
expanding on our soda line.We're doing a lot of uses with
(39:40):
our ferments in condiments.
Justine Reichman: (39:43):
Awesome. Sam, that was so great to get to know
you, to have you on thispodcast. I hope everyone had as
much fun as I did tuning intoday. I'm so inspired. I'm
inspired as an entrepreneur, andI'm inspired as somebody just
interested in how to upcycle,and what to do with food that I
end up throwing away, and eatingbetter for my gut biome, because
(40:05):
we learned that this is healthy.I mean, I kind of knew that
before. My point is that, I walkaway from this episode feeling
inspired, not just eating shouldbe fun. I want to come and take
a class. We'll all take it onthe same day. So let us know if
(40:26):
you want to do it too, and we'llmake a class for the community.
Sam Paone: (40:29):
It would be so fun.
Justine Reichman: (40:31):
Okay, Sam, thanks so much for tuning in.
For those folks that just tunedin for the first time, thanks so
much for joining the community.For those folks that are loyal
and weekly listeners, wecouldn't do it without you. And
to our amazing founder, Sam, toshare the inspiration, the
story, the drive to build, to bepart of a better for you world
(40:52):
is what keeps her building thisgreat, organic, healthy product.
So learn about the founders,because it's not only what you
find on the bottle, right? And Ihave to give credit where credit
is due. To be honest, I had aconversation last week with the
founders of EO, and they werethe ones that really highlighted
(41:13):
that for me. Because I askedabout what was on their jar, and
what was behind it, and it wasreally about what's in front of
it, and so that inspired me toask you that, and to really dig
in deeper with that. For them,I'm grateful that I had that
opportunity, that conversation,because it allowed me to speak
with you in a new way, and Ireally appreciated hearing about
(41:35):
you. I think I got a lot ofgreat insight from you that I
might not have otherwise had. Sothank you to Susan and Brad.
Thank you, Sam.
Sam Paone: (41:45):
Thank you so much.
Justine Reichman: (41:46):
Okay, so for those folks that want to get in
touch with you, Sam, what's thebest way to connect?
Sam Paone: (41:51):
Instagram at Golden State Pickle Works, and our
website atwww.goldenstatepickleworks.com.
Justine Reichman: (41:59):
Awesome. Thanks so much all. And don't
forget to follow us onessential.ingredients on
Instagram, or justine.reichman.If you want to watch the video
cast, maybe this time you don'twant to watch, you don't want to
listen, don't forget we're onYouTube. We have a channel
there. You can look at theNextGen Purpose, and we'll have
(42:19):
our Essential IngredientsPodcast there for the viewing.
They're all uploaded. There'sshorts, and there's longer form
videos, and it's a great placeto catch this. So we'll see you
here again next week for anothergreat episode. But in the
meantime, Sam, this was awesome.
Sam Paone: (42:35):
Thank you so much.
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