Product Spotlight - MitchMallows

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of marshmallows.  To me, they are overly sugary, powdery dense blobs of fluff with little flavor.  That's why it was such a revelation to come across MitchMallows by Mitch Greenberg one Sunday at the Foodshed Market at the Brooklyn Commons.  One taste of his Maple Syrup Pancake creation with its lighter-than-air texture and rich, sweet, buttery flavor and I was hooked.

When I sat down to talk to Mitch about his company, you could feel his passion for these treats.  He's only been selling them for about three months now, after taking about a year and a half to work on the concept and to figure out how to instill different flavors into the mallow.  It is part science, part creative genius that goes into every pack that he sells.  In a past life, he was a Production Designer and Event Producer, so he has a keen knack for what can bring a smile to someone's face.  He said he really likes interacting with folks at the market and seeing their surprised reaction as they experience their first bite.  

Some of these confections, like the ones below for Easter, are part mallow and part candy.  Others have an exterior layer that contributes to their deliciousness, like the pretzel coating on the Pretzels and Beer version.  I had the chance to taste a Churrosmallow, which captures the aroma and flavor of the churros sold on the streets and in subway cars.  These had a delightful cinnamon-sugar crunch on the outside and captured that fried/toasted flavor that comes with those treats.

Other flavors bring out the kid in all of us, like the Fluffernutter, which has a peanut butter stripe and a marshmallow stripe.  The PB flavor wasn't overwhelming at all and was balanced out by the sweetness and contrast of the marshmallow part.  I'd like to melt these on an open-faced peanut butter sandwich for my lunchtime meal.  The Banana Split tasted a little bit like the banana pudding that we used to get at summer camp.  I would have rolled these in 'Nilla Wafers to get the full-on effect.

Just in time for the upcoming holidays, he has some terrific new mallows for everyone.  He said that these were a huge hit at the market last Sunday, so they will be making a return.  Take a look at his Hard Boiled MitchMallows, Confetti Coconut (the remains of the last batch), and ChickMallows.  How about putting these in someone's Easter Basket instead of the usual packaged items from the store?

In order to give equal time to other religious observances, Mitch also created special selections for Passover, too.  Have you ever had a HorseradishMallow?  Colored with beet juice for that extra effect, it has a rather tasty, clear-your-sinus aspect, which isn't unpleasant at all.  It reminded me of his Ginger Wasabi flavor.  Or how about one made with Manischewitz Wine?  That one was grape-y with a wine backnote to it.  Again, I actually enjoyed it.  I don't know that I could go through a whole Seder eating mallows instead of drinking wine (and that is probably completely against all tenets of the faith anyway), but I thoroughly enjoyed trying them and talking to Mitch about the concept behind creating these products.

For the moment, Mitch sells his mallows via his website and at the Foodshed Market on Sundays.  He is also looking into participating in other local markets and special venues.  If you like marshmallows, I encourage you to grab a pack of these, maybe the Chocolate Chipotle flavor which would spice up any hot cocoa recipe, for your next campfire.  Keep your eyes peeled as well for National S'mores Day on August 10th, for other concoctions that come from Mitch's creative laboratory.

Buon appetito!