EDITOR'S NOTE
Jenni Spinner
Chief Editor
Everyone snacks, it turns out—and that includes the scribes at high-end food publications like Bon Appetit. While such magazines are known for sumptuous recipes, write-ups on the latest fancy eateries to open across the country, and emerging culinary trends, they recently shared a list of notable noshes in the BFY column.
In “The Healthy Snacks BA Editors Are Obsessed With,” a group of top Bon Appetit editors shared insights into the nibbles they nosh on while they’re working hard on their food articles each month. Many of the honorees in the list are snack brands I’ve encountered in my work as Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, but a couple of them are new to me, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them (and, of course, chowing down on them to see if they’re all the BA team thinks they are):
Manitoba Harvest Superseed Clusters: This pick by writer Alaina Chou is made with hemp hearts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, chia, flax, and (depending on the flavor) a scattering of sweet and/or savory inclusions (she’s partial to the Dark Chocolate kind).
Realsy: This date-based snack keeps it simple—all of the nut-butter-stuffed dates contain four or fewer ingredients, yet contain a number of nutrients. Editor Kate Kassin appreciates the fact that the snacks offer BFY benefits yet satisfy her extra-sweet sweet tooth.
Epic Provisions Pork Rinds: Kassin says in addition to sweet stuff, she appreciates high-protein snacks like these pork rinds, which are baked rather than deep fried and, she says, “boast just a handful of real, pronouncable ingredients.”
Solely: This snack brand offers dried fruits, fruit gummies, and fruit jerky, all with a pared-down, straight-forward ingredients list. In addition to the all-natural makeup, the BA team also appreciates the nostalgia factor, thinking of the fruit snacks tucked in their school lunches.
Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips: This BFY snack brand has gained fans in the Bon Appetit office. Kassin confesses she brought these to a barbecue party, but not with the intention to share with guests. Instead, she selected these so she could munch while she worked the grill.
BFY bites breakdown
Writers at food publication Bon Appetit listed some SF&WB subjects in their list of favorite snacks.
Courtesy of Jenni Spinner
Courtesy of Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
In addition to giving generously to this food editor, producers also give to causes when need strikes. Hundreds of thousands of Los Angelenos left homeless and hungry by the recent Los Angeles fire are benefiting from this generosity. Without a pantry to pull dinner makings from, or even a kitchen to cook dinner in, they have all been thrown for a loop and left hungry. Firefighters working long hours to put out the fire also need to eat to keep up their strength.
Early on in the catastrophe, bakery and snack leaders stepped up to pitch in. Denise Woodard, founder and CEO of national cookie purveyor Partake Foods, happened to be based in the LA area. When the fire hit and the need surged, she put out a call to other CPG leaders on LinkedIn, asking them to help.
- Work hard: Nathan showed up every danged day to Highland’s facilities, industry events, and wherever else he was needed and gave 100%
- Make connections: Rather than just sticking to the duties of his job description, he made a point to bond with Highland employees at every level, on a professional and personal level
- Build a network: A fixture at scores of industry events (American Society of Baking, American Bakers Association, and others), he didn’t just show up—he connected with producers, suppliers, execs, and people at every level as friends.
