Dale A. Carlisle Decoys June Erla Mrs. Fogg's Kitchen JoJo Beads KRT Woodworking Crafts by Pat Masone Joe Watts’ Burled Bowls Mrs. Fogg's Kitchen By Laura Jean Whitcomb It says on a jar of a national brand salsa that a serving size is 2 tablespoons. It does not say the serving size on a jar of Mrs. Fogg’s peach salsa — which is probably a good thing because my family ate a whole jar in one sitting. The combination of sweet and spicy salsa with salty corn chips was too much for anyone to resist. Lori Fogg, founder of Mrs. Fogg’s Kitchen (www.mrsfoggskitchen.com), has been cooking and creating in the kitchen for as long as she can remember. “By the time I could reach the stove, I worked with my grandmother every year,” she recalls. Lori was born and raised in a small town located in East Central Pennsylvania in Schuylkill County — and still owns a home there — and remembers her grandmother making Chow-Chow, a sweet, pickled relish that uses vegetables left over at the end of the summer’s harvest. Lori and her husband James often hosted holiday get-togethers in their Pennsylvania and Wilmot homes, and Lori made everything from scratch, including the dips. “Everyone asked, ‘Can I have the recipe?’ ” says Lori. “I didn’t want to give it away, so I’d mix up a batch. Then people started to ask if they could buy some, so I made a few packages.” Lori and James were already participating in area farmers’ markets, selling fine writing implements (James handcrafts pens) and fabric crafts (Lori is an accomplished quilter) through their business, Watershed Lane Studio. “I said to James that maybe we should try the dips,” she says. “Let’s see how they go.” They sold out, and the Foggs knew that this was the start of something good. In 2004, Lori packaged four dips — chive and garlic, cheesy chili bacon, parmesan herb and peppercorn. She found a restaurant ice box with lid (the kind you might see holding limes and lemons on the counter of a bar) to provide samples. “We never sell at a farmers market or a show without samples. It makes a world of difference,” Lori says. The next summer, Lori decided to play around with a salsa recipe. The result was a line of fruit salsas — peach, pineapple, cherry and raspberry. “Honey, Yankees aren’t going to like fruit salsa,” James said. But Lori answered, “You know what is going to sell them — when they taste it.” And she was right. One lady from Massachusetts picked up a jar at a 2005 summer farmers’ market, then has bought by the case ever since — three cases in the last nine months. “Her husband and son eat raspberry salsa as a snack,” says Lori. “It’s different. It’s not your every day salsa. People who don’t like salsa find that they love this.” Lori is very particular about the quality of the ingredients. The Foggs rent commercial space to hand mix batches of salsa, making sure that each batch has the proper acidity level for canning and each safety lid is on correctly. “My name is on each jar — Mrs. Fogg’s Kitchen — so it needs to be good,” Lori says. “It’s not made in 100-gallon vats. We focus on quality and present a professional product.” Mrs. Fogg’s also offers dry BBQ rubs, including a best selling coffee/spice blend, and limited edition, home-style BBQ sauces in three flavors. Lori has been considering a mustard — “something sweet with a bit of a tang” — and this new product may debut early 2007. But product development typically has to wait until after the farmers’ market season and holiday season are over. Lori and James are on the go, 80 hours a week, from summer to winter. Two early dips (parmesan herb and peppercorn) have been replaced by two newer flavors, sun dried tomato and herb and a mild curry blend, and two new flavors have been added to the line up: Bacon cheddar horseradish and lemony dill. “Dips are handmade in small batches, several dozen bags at a time. We pack each bag individually,” says Lori. “I don’t like to make them up too far ahead of time; I like them as fresh as possible for the customer.” The dip mixes and rubs have no added preservatives, no added fillers and are gluten free. (Even the bacon cheddar horseradish dip mix is vegetarian friendly; Lori uses soy-style bacon bits in the recipe.) “I use a specific brand of spices for the rubs,” she says. “If I can’t get that one, I won’t substitute — we are temporarily out of it.” Today, Mrs. Fogg’s Kitchen has a loyal following. Just one dip of a pretzel into a sour cream-based dip or one spoonful of salsa on a grilled chicken breast, and you’ll be a lifelong customer, too.