Browsing my local farmer’s market this past summer, I happily found out about Red Wall Kitchen. I was quite interested in trying out their food based upon the ingredients. Their foods are nutrient dense, dairy-free, egg free, gluten free, and naturally sweetened. After speaking with Emily and her mother, Nancy, I came home from the market with the chocolate oat and cinnamon donut and the quinoa cacao breakfast block. While I intended for my mom to have the donuts at least, I ended up eating all three myself.
While the market is still some months away, I was intrigued to talk to and learn more about the company from Emily. It was so great to receive a response from her and have the opportunity to email about the treats they produce. How nice of her then to deliver to me a great helping of their products to my home. Especially after being sick, this was such a mood lifter. I of course talked to Emily and her mother and told them that I would be sharing at least some of the treats with my mother and boyfriend. As for what I sampled out of the three types of treats, I had the cinnamon donut, the rest of the ginger molasses that my mom didn’t finish, all of the muffin bites, and two of the three of the quinoa breakfast blocks. So basically I had it all, lol, besides the chocolate donut. My boyfriend claimed that donut after I showed him the picture I took of it on my instagram page. Not the best taste tester he was since I received no response on the test, but I can vouch that it tastes delicious from having it once before.
I have a huge sweet tooth, so these goodies didn’t not last long in my house at all. The cinnamon donut was pretty much perfect; sweet and satisifying. Any cinnamon fan would love this and not even know that it is healthy too. As for the ginger donut, seeing that my mom didn’t finish it herself, I knew it was up for grabs. Not being a ginger fan myself, the spiciness was a little much for me, regardless I finished it up. The muffin bites all looked so tasty, thus were gone in a flash by me. The berry muffin bite simply tasted like a vegan homemade berry muffin; sweet, light, and fruity. As for the pumpkin muffin, it tasted like the vegan pumpkin bread I have made in the past. Lastly of the muffin bites, was the coconut banana muffin, which was by far my favorite of the three. The combination of fresh banana and coconut was quite a treat. As a banana fan, I could have one of these every day for sure. The quinoa breakfast blocks are a hearty, healthy, breakfast option. I carrot cake one tasted mostly of carrot, applesauce, and nutmeg. It was crunchy, rich, and very filling. The cocoa block was sweet, crunchy, and quite moist. The taste of applesauce and cocoa was evident with bites of zucchini and quinoa flakes. Both options are satisfying enough to be a filling breakfast.
In regards of the company itself, Emily informed me via email:
Red Wall Kitchen is family run, including my mother, father, husband and myself. It all started when I began to notice most of our daily foods are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other processed ingredients. It was hard to find “real” food. I started to cook more and more from scratch. I was constantly looking at how to pack in as many nutrients and whole foods to make it as healthy as possible. My own journey to becoming healthier made me want to create an avenue to open up others to the idea of “clean” food.
I had been a graphic designer in the advertising industry for the past 8 yrs. I started to feel unfulfilled. I knew that I wanted to make some sort of change but wasn’t sure what that was. Then I started to noticed I was constantly being side tracked at work by recipes and food blogs. All I wanted to do was be home in the kitchen cooking and trying out new recipes….it kind of became a little bit of an addiction! I decided to take the leap and quit my job and start culinary school. From there I earned the industry experience I was looking for and met great friends that gave me the push I needed to try selling my goods at local farmers markets. My mother, Nancy, had just retired early from being a shop manager at the Girl Scout Council so I immediately snagged her up and her management/accountant skills and we formed our partnership. We tested out products to see what sort of feedback we would get at the markets and it was good! There seemed to be many customers out there that were looking for healthy options and/or allergen friendly products. We decided to then turn it into a full fledge business last year and see where the path takes us.
Personally speaking with Emily was a such a great experience and I can’t wait to see what her and her family will have new for this summer’s farmer’s market. They currently sell at Elmhurst Farmers Market and Schaumburg Farmer Market. As well, they have free pick up at a Elk Grove Location and can deliver to select Chicagoland areas. Those living in areas of which they sell, check out Red Wall Kitchen; you will not be disappointed at all.
http://redwallkitchen.com/ https://www.facebook.com/redwallkitchen