SYRACUSE — Two local food specialty companies have jointly opened a food kiosk at Destiny USA. Syracha’Cuse Gourmet Sauces and the Syracuse Salt Company are sharing space near the elevators on the mall’s first floor. Mike Sharlow, founder of Syracha’Cuse Gourmet Sauces, says the space is like having a company store where area residents can […]
SYRACUSE — Two local food specialty companies have jointly opened a food kiosk at Destiny USA.
Syracha’Cuse Gourmet Sauces and the Syracuse Salt Company are sharing space near the elevators on the mall’s first floor.
Mike Sharlow, founder of Syracha’Cuse Gourmet Sauces, says the space is like having a company store where area residents can buy its line of gourmet hot sauces and mustards. The kiosk sells the full line for both businesses, more than 50 products in all. Before the kiosk, the companies’ products were available at specialty shops and online.
Started by Sharlow and his daughter, Marissa Sharlow, in 2016, Syracha’Cuse makes sauces and mustards with local and regional ingredients that are organic, non-GMO, gluten-free and vegan friendly. Collaborations include a craft beer hot sauce infused with Empire Brewing Company’s Skinny Atlas Light beer; a coffee hot sauce made with coffee from Recess Coffee and Roastery; and a maple garlic hot sauce infused with maple syrup from Dutch Hill Maple, Tully. Mustards include a craft beer mustard made with Empire beer, a Chardonnay mustard made with wine from Owera Vineyards in Cazenovia; and a honey mustard made with honey from Hiwire Honeybees, of LaFayette.
Syracuse Salt Company was started by David Iannicello and his daughter, Libby Croom, in 2015. They import salts from around the world, some of which they flavor with lemon, garlic, or other tastes. They also work with other businesses to create salt-related products such as candles, soap and coffee.
Iannicello says Croom returned from a trip to Maine with some Himalayan sea salt and, combined with his interest in food and Syracuse’s longtime reputation as the Salt City, the business was born.
He says Himalayan sea salt is largely unprocessed and contains some 84 minerals along with sodium chloride. In contrast, regular table salt is processed to be 99.7 percent sodium chloride with a bit of iodine and an anticaking agent to keep the salt from getting lumpy.
The minerals in Himalayan sea salt affect the tastes of foods, according to Iannicello. “It adds a different dimension,” he says, “the flavor is more intensified.”
For Iannicello, the outlet at the mall is a step toward a bigger project. While his company is currently bringing salt from around the world to Syracuse, “our ultimate goal is to get some salt from Syracuse again. We want to get salt back on the market from Syracuse.”
Iannicello and Sharlow say their collaboration on the kiosk came about because they saw each other at food festivals and craft fairs. They got together for coffee. “Now, we’re friends,” says Sharlow.
For both businesses, the spot in the mall is a chance to reach out to new customers. That’s why the kiosk offers tastings. Sharlow says he offers hot sauce tastings on chips from Ithaca and mustard tastings on pretzels from Theresa.
The kiosk at Destiny USA opened Feb. 8 and, for now, operates from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The store is closed on Mondays.
