Tessemae’s All Natural – Baltimore Magazine

Our Ode to the Side of Ranch

Lauren Cohen — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 08:30:00 +0000

Though upscale salad toppings such as ginger-miso dressing and Dijon vinaigrette are popular at area eateries, the enduring ranch dressing—a rich blend of buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, herbs, and spices—somehow remains both classic and trendy.

Lovers of the creamy dressing owe it all to a cowboy named Steve Henson. While working as a contract plumber in Alaska in the early ’50s, Henson started serving ranch dressing to his crew. In 1954, he and his wife, Gayle, opened the Hidden Valley dude ranch near Santa Barbara, where they began selling the sauce. By the end of the ’60s, orders were being shipped to all 50 states—and around the world.

On a local level, Essex-based dressing company Tessemae’s continues Henson’s legacy with a healthy twist. Tessemae’s ranch dressings are organic and dairy-free and come in a variety of one-of-a-kind flavor profiles, from spicy habañero to the citrusy cilantro lime—and even everything bagel.

“We typically develop flavors based on what’s inspiring us, what we want to eat, and what we want to feed our families at home,” says Kristen Dittami, Tessemae’s executive chef and executive vice president of research and development. And while their fastest- growing flavor is avocado ranch, their most popular flavor, by far, is their classic, creamy version.

“Everyone grew up with some kind of ranch dressing,” Dittami says. “With our ranch dressing, we’re able to provide that same a flavor profile people love, but with organic, better-for-you ingredients.”

Head to these local hotspots to sample the delectable dressing on wings and other things:

BRD: Located inside R. House and in Federal Hill, this snack shop serves all things chicken, including tasty Alabama White and Sweet Thai Chili wings. 301 W. 29th St.

Ale Mary’s: Ale Mary’s offers a pound of grilled wings with your choice of ranch or blue cheese on the side. For something smaller, try the cheesy tots, which are also served with ranch dressing. 1939 Fleet St.

Joe Squared: This popular Station North eatery offers everything from sweet pineapple jerk wings to “extremely hot” 18 pepper wings. 33 W. North St.

Kislings Tavern: For a dizzying selection of wing flavors, including mango habañero, buffalo Thai peanut, and chipotle BBQ, stop into this Canton favorite. 2100 Fleet St.

The Local Fry: This Hampden restaurant serves international eats and a variety of flavors of wings, like Kansas City BBQ and Carribbean Citrus, as well as ranch-topped chicken bacon fries. 711 W. 40th St.

In other ranch news: Last March, about 8,000 bottles of ranch dressing spilled from a truck after it crashed near Hagerstown. The product fell into the Little Conococheague Creek, where it floated downstream. At one point, workers cleaned up about 3,000 bottles of the creamy sauce that were pooled in a single area along the creek.

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Tessemae’s to Deliver Free Produce at Pop-Up Farmers’ Market This Weekend

Lauren Cohen — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 14:30:00 +0000

A recent food map created by The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future estimates that one in four Baltimore City residents currently live in food deserts—neighborhoods where access to healthy produce and quality grocery stores is extremely limited.

In an effort to combat this ongoing crisis, Baltimore-based condiment purveyor Tessemae’s is bringing its national pop-up farmers’ market initiative to its hometown this weekend.

On Saturday, November 21, Tessemae’s will host Crop Circles, a free produce drive complete with kid-friendly activities, cooking demonstrations, and live DJ entertainment, at New Hope Academy from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“I have three kids with a fourth on the way, and when you have kids you really understand the direct effect of nutrition on everything that they do,” says Tessemae’s CEO Greg Vetter. “Initially our idea was to put salad bars in schools, but then we realized that we would have to ask permission from school districts to do that. With Crop Circles, we wanted to find a way to really get out there and do something.”

In keeping with Vetter’s proactive philosophy, the Tessemae’s team plans to distribute more than 40,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to an estimated 8,000 locals living in food deserts throughout the city. The produce has been donated by California-based company Renaissance Food Group.

“It’s definitely more significant coming home to Baltimore because this is where we’re from,” Vetter says. “I don’t want to say we care more, but we have more knowledge of the severity of the situation here.”

The family-run company first rolled out the Crop Circles campaign last spring, with pop-ups in Compton, CA and Englewood, IL. Vetter says that these events saw huge success, (Grammy award-winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar even stopped by to show his support in Compton), bringing an unprecedented amount of free healthy food to thousands of families in need.

“When we were in Chicago, a little boy eating an apple walked up to my brother Brian and told him, ‘This apple tastes crunchy, like chips, usually the apples we get taste horrible and mushy.’” he says. “We were just like, ‘Holy shit, this kid is 5 years old and has never had a good apple.’”

Local sustainability champions expected to attend Saturday’s event include Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, restaurateur Spike Gjerde, Ravens all-star Ed Reed, and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, whose administration has made food justice a top priority through the years.

To further educate the community about Crop Circles’ mission, Gjerde and his Woodberry Kitchen team will be holding live cooking workshops throughout the afternoon, demonstrating recipes that can be made with local produce.

Looking ahead, Vetter hopes to host three to four yearly pop-ups nationwide. Additionally, in hopes of making a long-lasting impact, a portion of the proceeds from Tesseamae’s online sales will go toward establishing gardens and produce stands in each city that Crop Circles visits.

“Food dictates life,” he says, “It sounds really simple but it’s so true. If you have a great meal, you are going to feel better. Every amazing memory that you have is tied to good food, and it’s impossible for these people have a good life without it.”

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Three sons market Tessemae’s All Natural products, inspired by mom

Jess Mayhugh — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:00:00 +0000

When one Annapolis mother couldn’t get her three boys to eat their vegetables, she got creative, making her own dressings to flavor the greens. As the kids got older, they realized how delicious mom’s sauces were and formed a company in 2009 to market the blends.

Named after Teresa Vetter, Tessemae’s All Natural products—dressings and marinades manufactured in Essex—can be found in area Whole Foods stores (look for them in the refrigerated section) or ordered online at tessemaes.com.

A family-run business has its perks, says son and CEO Greg Vetter, who likes “having a team that I completely trust and I know has my back.” The soy-ginger dressing is the best seller, he says. But we also like the tangy cracked-pepper dressing ($5.49), which added zip to our steamed asparagus one evening.

TESSIPES: Sautéed Chicken

Marinate 1 1/2 pounds chicken-breast cutlets in 1/4 cup Tessemae’s red-wine vinaigrette at least 15 minutes or overnight, refrigerated. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high. Add chicken in batches; cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with sliced red onion, capers, and arugula tossed in the red-wine vinaigrette to taste. Adapted from tessemaes.com.

TRY THIS!

Our own Lauren Giordano tosses Tessemae’s lemon Chesapeake dressing with a little melted butter and chicken wings and then bakes until crispy.

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