UMAMI Crave the Fifth: a family project

UMAMI Original Dressing, Dip and Finishing Sauce, known previously as the “cider vin”, was actually created by Chef Justin Best, Stephanie’s brother and Joanna’s husband. Joanna & Justin both attended culinary school in Atlantic Canada and proceeded to cook their way across the country. In 2009, they arrived in Kelowna, where Justin first encountered a cider emulsion created with nutritional yeast. He proceeded to create his own version of this style of dressing and has been offering it on his menus to rave reviews ever since. Every so often, Justin and Joanna would casually discuss making and selling the cider vin themselves, but with a growing family and busy working lives it didn’t happen. Until…

Stephanie and her family moved from New Brunswick to Kelowna in 2014 and the three born and raised Maritimers were reunited.  With children of similar ages and spouses who worked long and irregular hours, Joanna and Stephanie spent a lot of time together and shared a lot of meals.  With the “cider vin” now a staple on the menu of a very popular local eatery, it didn’t take long for talks about bottling and selling it to resume.  In April 2018, the cider vin was offered for purchase for the first time as UMAMI Dressing Dip and Finishing Sauce.

UMAMI Crave the Fifth products are widely available throughout the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland with new retail partners being adding every week. We are also slowly expanding availability in Alberta with retailers in Calgary and Canmore. Plans to expand availability throughout BC and beyond are well underway and we are planning to launch our popular gluten free grain blends for wholesale purchase in June 2022.

UMAMI: Japanese for ‘Savoury’

Joanna Best (L) & Stephanie (Best) Gaudette

It’s been just over 4 years since we had to decide what to officially name “the cider vin” so that labels could be created for those first bottles. Joanna, being the chef, kept saying “it doesn’t have a flavor; it’s a taste. It’s umami”. Stephanie, the nurse, asked as many others do: “what the heck is umami?”. Discovered by a Japanese scientist, the word “umami” loosely translates to “a pleasant savory taste” in english and is the fifth basic taste (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter are the more familiar ones).

It’s a challenge to describe the umami taste. Scientifically, it’s glutamate that creates the rich, deep, brothy taste that stimulates our umami taste buds with satisfying flavour. We describe UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original as a delicious, balanced flavor that once tasted, though hard to explain, leaves you wanting more.

UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original is a versatile dressing, dip and finishing sauce that can be used on just about anything: green or grain salads, any protein, roasted vegetables, bowls, stir fry, charcuterie, sushi…

UMAMI Curried Maple and UMAMI Chipotle Caesar evolved from the Original recipe but with flavor profiles that are reflected in their names and every bit as delicious as their predecessor. Prawns or roasted vegetables tossed with UMAMI Curried Maple are a favorite; UMAMI Chipotle Caesar is a creamy restaurant style caesar dressing made without anchovies, cheese or eggs, but you won’t miss those.

Like most moms, we used to (and sometimes still do) put a lot of pressure on ourselves to create meals worthy of a mention in a parenting or cooking magazine. We have learned that our families aren’t necessarily looking for culinary masterpieces; they just want something that tastes good and that makes them feel good. Believe us when we say that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. UMAMI Crave the Fifth can help you create easy, EXTRAordinary meals with ordinary food.

Stephanie & Joanna