Culinary Adventures: Nutty Steph's granola empire born in Barrington
I recently learned of the culinary adventure taken by a friend, Jaquelyn Rieke. Her taste buds, and business mind, led her to open Nutty Steph's, where she hand-crafts maple granola and delicious chocolates, an effort that earned the company a place as a 2014 finalist in Martha Stewart's American Made competition.
Jaquelyn (Jaq) grew up in Barrington and has always been an entrepreneur. At the age of 8 she sold homemade jewelry and grapevine wreaths at the annual community sidewalk sale, in her teens baby-sat and ran kids' camps at her parents' home, and as a college student she was known as “The Bread Broad,” baking and selling homemade bread. She wore roller skates and carried her freshly baked loaves in a pillowcase when delivering to fellow students in their college dorm rooms.
After relocating to Vermont Jaq began receiving freshly harvested maple syrup from her friend's uncle on a regular basis. Thanks to another friend sharing his granola recipe, she began using the maple syrup to make homemade granola and began working on perfecting her current recipe. Then one day while shopping in a local gas station/homespun store, she and her mom tried a granola sample and instantly thought “Mine is better, I should try to sell it” and she did.
Before even naming her company, customers were lined up, and Nutty Steph's was born. Why Nutty Steph's, and who is Steph anyway? Jaq's granola contains lots of whole organic nuts, thus the nutty part of the name, and Steph is actually her first name, although she prefers to be called Jaq.
Thick rolled oats (not instant), maple syrup, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, vanilla and a touch of sea salt turned out to be the perfect blend. Thick cut oats give a hearty crunch, and maple syrup instead of the more traditional honey, add a perfect amount of flavor without being overly sweet allowing the flavor of other ingredients to shine through.
For those of us who want to try our hand at making our own granola, Jaq shared some of her recipe secrets.
Blend two parts maple syrup and one part oil together until frothy. Add vanilla and spices to this mixture before pouring over dry ingredients and stirring well to coat evenly. This technique allows the oats to “Toast up just right.”
She also admits to burning more than one tray of granola while perfecting her recipe, so be sure to stir your granola frequently while it is in the oven.
Lastly, store freshly baked granola in a paper bag in order to maintain it's crunchy texture.
Of course granola is good in a bowl with milk, but granola can also add crunchy sweetness to just about anything. Try it in a salad, sprinkled on top of ice cream or apple crisp, or combine it with chocolate and make your own Magic Chunk.
Jaq always loved chocolate and started making different varieties of high quality to sell along with her granola, but it was a good friend who decided to combine the two and create the first Magic Chunk. They soon got creative and came up with such flavors as peanut butter, crunchy mint and black forest to complement the original dark chocolate.
How would you like to try your hand at creating your very own Magic Chunk? By chance, Nutty Steph's is looking for another flavor to add to their collection and is running a contest to seek new ideas.
I decided to try myself and came up with my own version, a Salted Caramel Magic Chunk.
I followed their instructions and melted chocolate before adding my own twist; caramel bits, a little Fleur de Sel and some original Nutty Steph's granola, stirring until everything was coated with chocolate.
Next, I pressed the mixture into a pan and sprinkled the top with a little more salt before placing in the freezer to set.
I drizzled the frozen mixture with a little more caramel and cut my creation into 1- to 2-inch chunks — sweet, and slightly salty, crunchy perfection. I was surprised at how easy the process was.
You too can try your hand at making your very own Magic Chunk, so please consider entering Nutty Steph's contest. Complete details can be found on their Facebook page, and if they choose your flavor, you will be the credited inventor on the new Magic Chunk packaging, plus enjoy a free bag from the first run batch. Entries are due by Nov. 18, so start experimenting. Nutty Steph's products can be purchased at Ambrosia Patisserie in Barrington, or via the company website at NuttyStephs.com, just in case you need a bag of granola for your recipe.
My lesson, after learning more about Jaq's “culinary adventure” was to not be afraid of combining ingredients I love in nontraditional ways and to be open to new ideas. Most of all, keep your mind open to possibilities, because opportunities pop up in places where you might least expect them. Good luck with your Magic Chunk adventure!
• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge.