Sharon Myers, based in Southern Vermont,
has been seducing her catering clients with her culinary
excellence for over 20 years. Now Sharon is branching out with
a new venture - Purple Chef LLC, Vermont's Finest Homemade
Marmalades and Chutneys, so that you can seduce your guests
too, knowing that everything has been simmered to perfection.
Purple Chef™ artisanal marmalades and chutneys are available
at these retail outlets as
well as through our online
catalog.
• Visit Sharon's Website
In
1985, Sharon Myers opened a catering business in Brattleboro,
Vermont. Twenty-one years later, Sharon Myers Fine Catering
serves a three-state region, including Vermont, Massachusetts,
and N.H. . Myers and her staff handle the spectrum
of special events--from formal weddings, anniversaries, and
bar mitzvahs to birthdays, business functions, and casual gatherings.
Myers, known as the Purple Chef-she has a passion for
all things purple, including clothing, furniture and even her
house--wows her clients with superior food and close attention
to every party detail. Now she has expanded her business to
include a line of handmade condiments, Purple Chef LLC Artisan
Marmalades & Chutneys, and to this new venture she brings
artistry and culinary excellence, skills that have been years
in the making.
Myers' desire to prepare fresh, wonderful food and present
it beautifully began in 1979 when she started cooking professionally,
at a cafe on Nantucket Island. In 1983 she opened
her first catering business, the Elegant Caper, also in
Massachusetts. Throughout the years, Myers has continued
to study cooking techniques and baking-in this country and
abroad. Her artistic background is similarly
strong. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts, Sculpture, from Conn.
College, an MA in aesthetic education from the University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has continued to develop
her artistic eye. A number of her weavings and one-of-a-kind
quilts have appeared in publications and exhibits, where
they've received much praise.
Now Myers' love for color and texture finds
expression in elegant orange and tomato marmalades and zesty
chutneys, condiments which have delighted the human
palate for centuries. Food historians trace the history
of marmalade back to ancient times when the earliest recipes
were developed to preserve the quince, a yellowish apple-shaped
fruit. Originally marmalade was dried in the shape
of a brick, and long before it was a breakfast spread on
toast or scones, it was a dessert.
Chutney, with its sassy combination of sweet, vinegary,
and spicy flavors, made its way out of its homeland, India,
to other parts of the world, in the 1600s during early British
colonialism.
Myers has been presenting her marmalades and chutneys as
gifts to friends and clients for years, and some recipes
have evolved over considerable time. For example, Tomato
Marmalade came from an old family recipe that Myers worked
on for fifteen years, revisiting and refining it. "I
played with it over the years," says Myers, "always
doing it in August and September when the tomatoes are most
flavorful."
Occasionally serendipity plays a part, as was the case in
the creation of Purple Chef Jalapeño Tomato Marmalade. Explains
Myers, "Loving the spiciness of jalapeños, and
having a neighbor who is a hot pepper addict and grew too
many plants, I put tomatoes together with his peppers." Ever
curious, Myers speculates that she'll discover more spicy
delights in her neighbor's pepper patch. "Jalapenos
are the calmest of the ten pepper varieties he grows, so
there's a lot of experimenting to look forward to!" In
fact, notes Myers, a soon-to-be-added item is Hot and Sweet
Fire Roasted Tomato Habonero Marmalade.
The list of Purple Chef chutneys is also tantalizing and
includes Mango Chutney, Apple Chutney, and Orange
Fennel Olives. Myers notes that the intriguing Orange
Fennel Olives best accompanies ". . . a glass of wine,
a perfect cheese, and a crusty French bread." Practical
as well as creative, Myers adds, "And the best part
is, when you have eaten all of the olives, you can add olive
oil to the remaining liquid and rinds, puree it all, and
voila-vinaigrette!
One highly versatile relish is Purple Chef's Apple Chutney--a
combination of Vermont-grown apples and pears, cider and
white vinegar, sugar, red peppers, raisins, ginger, and
spices. Myers notes, "Of course Apple Chutney
compliments smoked or plain poultry, and it's great
for those after-Thanksgiving sandwiches. Surprisingly,
it's also wonderful with grilled salmon or baked beans." Generous
about sharing tips for best enjoying the marmalades and
chutneys, Myers is even willing to discuss her special ingredients,
whether it's a unique brown sugar or fine raspberry vinegar. "You
want my secrets, do you?" she says with a laugh when
asked about chutney spices. "Well . . . green cardamom
pods, whole allspice, both fresh and candied ginger. Each
product has its own list of spices, and that's all I'll
say for now!"
Myers, who grew up on a New England family farm, has a strong
commitment to buying local and organic products and does
so whenever feasible. This philosophy continues for the
marmalade and chutney line. Says Myers, "I now
use organic tomatoes and mangoes, the apples are local,
and all the herbs are organic." Looking ahead, she
says, "My goal in the future is to make it [the product
line] organic and kosher."
Myers is proud of the handcrafted marmalades and chutneys,
products of fine taste and much experience. "They
represent my taste buds and the advice and suggestions of
a crew of skilled people," says Myers.
