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Local cottage businesses offer unique products

Fire, Fusion, Flavor

A flavorful adventure discovering the incredible versatility of habanero peppers. 

Owners Edgar Gonzales and Christie Going have enjoyed traveling together, cooking, and great conversations side-by-side for a decade.  As a couple, they started Fire, Fusion, Flavor in May 2023 after receiving several pounds of ground habanero peppers. Christie, normally more hesitant when it comes to the heat of peppers, fell in love with the flavor profile of habaneros and out of curiosity started exploring new and different flavor combinations.  For Christie, growing up, salt and pepper were the main seasonings. Edgar grew up in Guatemala with his grandmother–who owned a restaurant– where his love for cooking was cultivated at a young age.

Fire, Fusion, Flavor, unlike other spice companies, has habanero in every blend; even selling plain habanero for customers who enjoy an elevated level of heat.  Also, none of their blends have salt and only a few contain sugar.  Edgar and Christie love exploring the wide variety of flavor profiles habanero peppers have to offer.  “It’s not just spicy heat,” Christie says, “it adds an amazing flavor to everything from your morning coffee and baked goods to fruit, veggies and steak or fish on the grill.”

Currently Fire, Fusion, Flavor offers ground habanero as a single spice option. Their blends include flavor combinations such as Garlic & Habanero, Brown Sugar Habanero, Mango Habanero, and Spicy Sweet Pumpkin Spice to name a few. Coffee and hot chocolate flavorings are a more recent addition to their selection, including, Habanero Cinnamon and Unsweet Chocolate.  From marinades and rubs to sauces and seasonings, Fire, Fusion, Flavor's unique spice blends are crafted to enhance your own favorite recipes and inspire your culinary creativity.

Facebook.com/FireFusionFlavors

 

Canning Shenanigans

Jam so good, it'll make your toast jelly!

Canning Shenanigans owner Melody Longhofer keeps it real with a fun and whimsical approach to canning. Melody combines her love of food, and a knack for creating delicious artisan goods, taking simple meals to the next level; from grilling to baking and everything in between. 

What started as a cathartic process to grieve the loss of her father, the exploration of canning grew into a source of joy during a difficult time. When Melody shared her canned creations with her friends and family they unanimously and adamantly encouraged her to start selling what she made. Melody was first introduced to canning from her dad and from her grandmothers.  “It's very personal,” Melody says, “and because of this, a lot of love, detail and intention go into all the products we offer.”  

Offering Traditional jams; Grandma’s Strawberry Jam and Heavenly Blueberry Jam as well as Artisan jams; Redneck Bar Fight (Spicy Berry Jam), Drunken Hillbilly Peach Jam. Jellies; Mango Jalapeno, Strawberry Chocolate Habanero Jelly and Pineapple Habanero. Sauces; don’t miss her Bananas Foster Sauce

Continually experimenting and expanding with delectable new creations, like roasted garlic jelly and stovetop potpourri; Melody puts a whole lot of family love and expertise into every jar as she continues to honor her father's legacy. 

CanningShenanigans.com

Worth the Calories

Craft Custom Sugar Cookies

The creative force behind custom sugar cookie company, Worth the Calories, is Cypress resident Randi Cappel.  By day, she’s knee-deep in the world of Graphic Design, but she trades her design hat for an apron by night. Randi’s artistic journey started as early as she could hold a pencil, later garnering awards for drawings in high school and eventually earning a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design.

Staring at a computer all day left her craving a different kind of creativity. When COVID hit and the world slowed down, Randi found herself captivated as she watched cooking, baking and decorating videos. These videos are what inspired her to try her hand at cookie decorating.

“The videos made it look easier than it was in reality,”  Randi says, “My initial attempts resembled more of a cookie decorating waterfall. There was icing cascading off in all directions!” But Randi persisted and by Easter of that year, she hosted her first pre-sale, where her friends and family became her first customers. Their support meant the world to Randi and the growth and success of her business was set in motion

From there, her customer base expanded from familiar faces to new friends. She finds sheer joy seeing the smiles on her customers' faces. From what started as a little hobby and turned into a full-fledged family business. 

Facebook.com/Worth.the.Calories.Bakery