The New Year is off and running with many exciting new starts here at Penzeys.
     Top of the list, and cover of the catalog, is that our Cajun Seasoning is now both New and Improved. Just in time for Mardi Gras (February 16th) our Cajun is now Bursting with Extra Flavor! To make room for the extra flavor we cut back a little (about half ) on the salt. Not that salt is not a part of the Cajun experience, but as we’ve found across the board, tastes when it comes to salt, are changing. If by cutting back a bit it gives us even more room for flavor — why not? New Cajun is great for traditional Mardi Gras fare, but also at home sprinkled on chicken, fish or even a burger. Good, good stuff.
     New stores too…After spending the last few years working on all the things we have to do behind the scenes to grow, it looks like 2010 is off to a great start for opening new stores. Buffalo at 783 Elmwood Avenue should be opening in February, and we are official in Boulder, on Pearl Street, which should be open in late spring. We also are at the handshake stage both on Park Avenue in the Winter Park area of greater Orlando, and just west of Milwaukee in Delafield on Hwy 83. Plus we have our fingers crossed on locations in both San Francisco and Colorado Springs. With luck, we hope to open a few more stores later this year. We rely so much on word of mouth to get the stores open, it’s ideal when we can be in places where over time we can become part of a community. If you have any ideas drop me a line at bill@penzeys.com
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     The other exciting new thing is we are now making real progress in bringing our magazine, Penzeys One, to online life. I am sure many of you have noticed the improvements to this catalog as we blended in what we learned from our magazine. The changes have been well received, with positive feedback from many of our long-time customers, and requests for the catalog from new customers are way up. I really like what our catalog has become, but I still have that desire to have a little more room, both for recipes and to capture that spirit of caring and kindness that is so at the heart of cooking. With Mardi Gras coming up quickly on Tuesday, February 16th, we figured it would be a great soft start to our new endeavor to feature a new story and recipes from a Cajun-inspired, Gulf Coast cook every Tuesday until then. Visit us at www. penzeys.com to check it out; great recipes, great cooks and a great taste of what cooking is all about. Some great ideas for using the new Cajun Seasoning as well.

Wishing you the best in the New Year,


Bill