The next time you're planning a little dinner party & you want something new & different to talk about, ask you guests to remove the skewer sticks from their seafood kabobs & take a 2nd look (or smell as it may be). This is not your Father's grilling / skewer stick. Read on. Below is an excerpt from Money Magazine on innovative food ideas from this summer's Fancy Food Show.

Callison's

The idea: When you make skewers out of birch wood rather than the usual bamboo, Seattle-based Callison's discovered, flavors added to the wood can seep into the skewered food during cooking. Callison's flavors include garlic herb and Indian mango curry. The skewers don't add sodium or fat, so the 103-year-old company is exploring a partnership with the American Diabetes Association.

"People say, 'Why didn't I think of that?'" says Damon Smith, president of Callison's food division. Up next: sweet skewers for fruit and seasoned planks for barbecues.

The debut: The skewers were launched in May; the company estimates 2006 sales of about $2 million.

Steinke's verdict: "It's innovative, but it sounds like a summer-only product. You'd only use it for barbecue or kabobs, so the market isn't as big as it would be for a marinade. The projections for this year are modest but right on."

I sampled them at the Fancy Food Show in NYC this summer. They really do work and are quite delish .. an easy way to season. Problem is the distribution seems limited and the product is hard to find. I live in Atlanta and I grill all year; so the product would not be just for summer. Guess the editor must live in the "north!"

Posted by: Toby at Sep 15, 2006 4:03:07 PM

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