Michael Darbouze
Delight-Full Custards
Michael Darbouze, Delight-Full Custards
Michael Darbouze doesn’t care for cooking, yet when his wife, Jomar, developed lactose intolerance, he spent hours in the kitchen making from-scratch dairy-free milk, creamer, and ice cream for her to enjoy.
Founder Michael Darbouze invented “oat kream” custard as a dairy-free ice cream alternative.
“It was a problem to solve. I love to tinker, love to approach challenges,” says Darbouze. “I had no clue what I was thinking or talking about, but I like to give it a shot.”
Through years of experimentation and refining, that shot arrived at Delight-Full Custards, the Darbouzes’ dairy-free “oat kream” ice cream alternative.
Through a patent-pending, proprietary process, Darbouze starts with oats and water, then cooks, ages, mixes, and freezes — a multiday endeavor — to produce his small-batch oat kream, which he sells at the Holly Springs Farmers Market every other week.
“I make all the product in small batches. I stir every gallon,” he says.
The custard is free of preservatives and additives and is allergy friendly — free from dairy, gluten, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.
Traditional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry are frequently available. Newer, inventive flavors — some customers call them bougie, Darbouze says with a laugh — have become instant favorites: strawberry basil, lavender Earl Grey, and basil with olive oil drizzle among them.
The Darbouze family often works their booth at the Holly Springs Farmers Market together.
Michael, Jomar, and their children often work together on Saturday mornings at the market, serving up free samples and connecting with residents and familiar faces.
Darbouze family, clockwise from back: Daniel, Michael, Jomar, Michaella, and
David (not pictured)
“It happens every week: Customers are skeptical. I can see their eyes open up wide with genuine shock when they try the sample,” Darbouze says.
“We really enjoy being able to rub shoulders with other people who have a passion and appreciate the work and effort (of small businesses). When you are talking to another vendor in the grind, these individuals are so passionate, it sort of keeps the wind in your sail,” Darbouze says of the Holly Springs Farmers Market.
Delight-Full Custards recently earned fourth place in the people’s choice category at the Dessert Wars competition, which took place in Raleigh in April, showcasing 48 super-sweet vendors to 1,600 attendees.
“We are so pleased with that finish, as this was not an allergy-friendly event,” Darbouze says, noting they also earned 10th place in the judges’ choice category.
Delight-Full Custards recently joined the National Ice Cream Association as a supplier vendor, which will enable the company to offer their oat kream base wholesale to ice cream parlors in search of a dairy-free option.
Amy Fox
Fox Farm & Forage
Amy Fox, Fox Farm & Forage
Amy Fox entered the wonderful world of mushrooms as a hobby, seeking relief from her high-stress job as a hospital nurse. She’s not one to tread lightly, so as her hobby took root, Fox dove deep into identifying exotic mushrooms, foraging in nature, and growing her own.
Through the North Carolina Mushroom Group on Facebook, Fox networked with other mushroom enthusiasts and farmers — one in particular with connections to a Raleigh-based chef. Soon after, Fox’s mushrooms found their way into the kitchen at Standard Beer + Food in downtown Raleigh as the establishment was just preparing to open.
Amy Fox’s mushroom display and custom pickup truck are customer favorites at the Holly Springs Farmers Market. Fox grows specialty mushrooms for local customers, restaurants, and wholesale distributors.
“I didn’t even have a business,” Fox remembers of that time. But the business quickly came as Fox then approached Irregardless and Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern, offering her specialty mushrooms.
“And then pretty much 99 percent of the rest of my business came to me. It just happened organically. It was really cool, you know, just word of mouth,” says Fox. “It’s been wonderful. It’s been nine years.”
Now Fox produces between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of mushrooms a week, delivering to restaurants throughout the Triangle, selling to distributors that supply Whole Foods and restaurant kitchens statewide, and recently partnering with The Produce Box for online ordering.
“I am delivering the bulk of my mushrooms myself to restaurants all over the Triangle, including Nightingale, which is in Holly Springs,” she says.
Every other week, Fox Farm & Forage maintains a booth at the Holly Springs Farmers Market — an amazing venue for customers to explore flavor nuances and cooking techniques with Fox herself.
You’ll frequently find oyster, king oyster, lion’s mane, maitake, and beech mushrooms at Fox’s stall, among others. Each type is unique in appearance, texture, and flavor.
“When I talk with customers, it’s hard to translate the flavor to them. Everyone’s taste buds hit differently. I say it’s a flavor intensity scale from 1 to 10,” Fox explains. “I’m going to tell you the flavor scale for intensity (for each mushroom), but I’m also going to tell you the amount of umami. The flavor is a combination of those two elements.”
Mushrooms can be excellent substitutes for meat and seafood.
“Any recipe that has crab meat, you can substitute it with lion’s mane. It is wonderful for people who have shellfish allergies, and especially people who remembered having crab and loving it,” she says. “My family is from Maryland, so we don’t mess around when it comes to crab.”
Lion’s mane has become one of Fox’s highest-demand ’shrooms, as consumers are learning of its reported benefits to brain and cardiovascular health, as well as immune-boosting and anti-aging properties.
“There is a vegan social media movement that I believe has had a strong uptick in the popularity of that, as well as the medicinal (benefits). I have two degrees in nursing, but I also study herbalism. I believe in both worlds. They both have a lot to bring to the table, and mushrooms fall into that.”
Ariana and Rob Nester
Remedy Cocktail Company
Ariana and Rob Nester, Remedy Cocktail Company
“Bitters at their core are flavor extractions — think like vanilla extract,” says Ariana Nester. “They are like seasoning for your drinks.”
“Bitters help balance flavor. They can dry up the finish on a cocktail. … They kind of cleanse your palate as you are drinking, which makes each sip as good as the last,” she says. “They also help blend or juxtapose flavors. You can pick a bitter based on complementing the flavors in a drink, or to contrast or add spice.”
Ariana is one half of the duo behind Remedy Cocktail Company, the Holly Springs-based business producing small-batch artisan bitters. It’s a true mom-and-pop shop, with Ariana’s husband, Rob, joining her at the helm.
Ariana and Rob Nester, founders of Remedy Cocktail Company. Their scratch-made bitters add flavor and nuance to craft cocktails and mocktails.
“Between the two of us, we have a lot of things that we know how to do. Everything for the business gets done in house,” says Rob.
Recipe creation, taste testing, product photography, label design, maintaining the ecommerce site, and selling to bars and restaurants around the country — all among the tasks handled by the pair.
After experimenting with cocktail mixing at home during covid, Rob and Ariana launched Remedy in early 2022 with six flavors, rapidly increasing their lineup to about 24 flavors, including seasonal and special limited releases.
Lime & Sea Salt, Pink Peppercorn, Lemon Thyme, and Mexican Chocolate are among their bestselling flavors. More than 100 bars and restaurants nationwide stock Remedy Cocktail Company bitters to use in craft cocktails, including the well-known bitters tasting room Amor y Amargo in New York City.
“It’s the bitters bar,” says Rob.
“To a bartender, they have plenty of ideas to incorporate bitters, but to a home consumer, they want to know, ‘what do I put Pink Peppercorn in?’” says Rob.
The Nesters answered that question with an archive of more than 100 cocktail recipes incorporating Remedy bitters available free on their website.
Learn how to make a Blackberry Whiskey Sour (with Noir Bitters), or a Chili Coldbrew Martini (with Chocolate Chili Bitters).
“Bitters are a great way to add flavor without changing the base cocktail,” says Ariana. “Oh, you like Old Fashioneds? Here are nine different ways you can make an Old Fashioned, and you don’t have to learn anything new.
Customers love Remedy Bitters samplers, which group three popular bitters flavors according to complementary liquors.
“It gives you something completely different than what you are used to in a great way.”
Remedy bitters elevate mocktails as well, adding layers of flavor with or without spirits.
The small business recently won a pitch competition and grant through the Wake Tech Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center, which they plan to dedicate to crafting new products and designing a production facility.
Blackberry Whiskey Sour is one of a hundred cocktail recipes available on Remedy’s website.
“We want to develop a lineup of syrups that you would pair with bitters to make all kinds of fun cocktails and mocktails,” says Ariana. “Our primary goal is to bring (syrups) that are not in the market, as well as flavors that are hard to find not in liqueur — for example, an elderflower syrup so people can get that flavor without having to go buy the spirit.”
When you’re ready to shake up a signature cocktail at home, consider one of four Remedy Cocktail Company sampler boxes, which group three popular bitters flavors that complement classic liquor varieties. For example, the Bourbon-Rye-Whiskey Sampler includes Black Cherry, Julep, and Noir bitters.
“It’s a no-brainer for people who are getting started using bitters, and great for gift giving,” says Ariana. “We’ve included a QR code on the side of the box that links to a filtered list of the recipes that you can make with those flavors.”
