http://m.feaststl.com/feast/article/ll1KXeG3
Sarah Nodine slaps Goose Poop on club crackers with cream cheese just fast enough to keep ahead of hungry tasters at the Soulard Farmers Market. She dishes the scoop quick as she hands out the sweet and spicy “poop” for tastes. “Join the flock!” she sings out as customers drift to the stand.
“Hon, I’m getting a little backed up here,” she calls over her shoulder. “Hon” is partner, illustrator and creative director of international sales, Will Wulff. He steps smoothly into place at her side and begins hauling Frito chips through “gringo” Goose Poop, a “sweet and only slightly spicy” relish that kisses the tongue with the barest hint of heat.
In between sales, she tells the story of the banana and jalapeno relish that practically sells itself. “We make Goose Poop using my dad’s recipe. His nickname’s the Grey Goose and mine’s Olive – like a dirty martini? So, the way I can best describe the taste of ‘sweet and spicy’ is it’s like pepper jelly spread on cream cheese, but it’s a lot thicker, with a great texture,” she says.
“I’m in medical sales. I started making this for some of my docs, and we were getting orders, and Mike – he’s a graphic designer and illustrator – Mike came up with the logo, labels and the shirts, and we started having fun with it.
“We found a commercial kitchen because we could only make like 22 jars at a time at home, and we needed a commercial facility to sell it. They make it while we are on premises, tasting and supervising. It’s this amazing process with a food processor that’s 60 times bigger than your food processor at home, and a giant kettle, a pressure boiler. It’s canned, then boxed, and we’re selling it every Saturday at Soulard.”
The pair made a splash at the Best of Missouri Market earlier this month, blowing through 85 cases over the weekend. They delivered their first order to a retail store recently as well. “We’re at the Green Goose on Hampton Avenue, which really isn’t even a food store, but an upscale re-sale shop. By Saturday afternoon, they had sold all but four jars. We took over another two cases,” Nodine says.
What’s so great about Goose Poop, besides the unlikely name for such a tasty relish? Goose Poop amps up flavors of all kinds of foods. Mix it in ground beef patties and grill. Spread it on sandwiches. Brush it on chicken and fish as you grill and watch it caramelize toasty brown. Add it to chicken and tuna salads. Bake it on your favorite meatloaf. Cover a block of cream cheese in poop and eat it up.
“Our flock – that’s what we call our customers – they find ways to use it we hadn’t thought of,” Nodine says. “We take their feed-quack and post recipe suggestions on our website.”
So what’s next for Nodine and Wulff? The pair are working on a super-spicy Goose Poop recipe with habaneros, banana peppers and a honeyed duck butter. Look for them most Saturdays on the Southwest outdoor wing of Soulard Farmers Market.