Vermont Entrepreneur Offers "Really Crazy" Non-Mexican Salsas at Fancy Food Show

Grocery store buyers heading to the east coast's premier specialty food trade show generally expect to taste a lot of salsas, and assume they'll all be typical Mexican flavors.

But not this year, not in the Vermont pavilion.

"I do make Mexican salsas too," says Lisa Johnson, owner and founder of Yummy Yammy, a Vermont salsa company. "But our really different ones are the Moroccan and Tuscan salsas."

Johnson shared information about her salsas as one of a dozen Vermont-based food companies that displayed and sampled their products at the Fancy Food Show in New York City this past week. Hosts of the three-day trade show welcomed 25,000 buyers to sample more than 180,000 products from 2,500 exhibitors. Veteran exhibitors know to expect only a fraction of the full attendee list will sample from any one booth, so their job is to get as many buyers as possible to try their wares, because it can be that one buyer that makes or breaks the show for them. And offering food that stands out is the path to getting noticed by buyers, distributors, thought leaders, and press.

"Salsa just means 'sauce', of course," explains Johnson. "Worldwide there are many kinds of salsas. I've made some new and different ones."

They certainly are different -- doubly so.

First, instead of being tomato-based, Yummy Yammy's salsas are made from flame-roasted sweet potato. Then, "to get really crazy", the company states, her two newer flavors aren't even Mexican.

Johnson claims, "Yummy Yammy first made Mexican-inspired sweet potato salsa and sold to local stores in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, and more recently we added these two new flavors. People love them. They're the first American-made Moroccan and Tuscan salsas."

"Moroccan is gaining ground, and will probably soon be our best seller," hints Johnson. The Moroccan salsa, like all Johnson's products, is made mostly from flame-roasted sweet potato, but then, it's curry, lentil and kale.  There are no other curried "salsas" available in the specialty food market, although there are many Indian-inspired ready-to-eat frozen and refrigerated meals and meal replacements featuring curry. However, sweet potato is virtually never featured prominently in Mexican, Tuscan, or Moroccan cooking, so why did this Vermont entrepreneur think to make salsas from sweet potato?

"I didn't set out to make salsa, actually," Johnson replies. "I set out to make it easier to eat sweet potato, because it's got great flavor, and it's packed with secret nutrition," explains Johnson. "It gives the salsas a lot of rich mouthfeel without us adding any fat at all.  I wish we could call it 'vegan superfood meal in a jar', but that's too long for the label, so 'salsa' it is."

The Tuscan flavor also starts with sweet potato as the main ingredient, plus roasted red peppers, white bean, basil, and balsamic vinegar.  "Customers tell me it makes you think you're on vacation in the Italian countryside." offers Johnson.

Yummy Yammy, along with the other Vermont producers, offered samples at their booth. But for such a small state, there was a surprising additional feature: a well-known Vermont chef prepared hot, fresh food during the show with most of the ingredients coming from neighboring producers. 

"This show is great for specialty buyers," comments Johnson, "and in Vermont we really go out of our way to make it fun and memorable."

The Fancy Food Show is held annually at the Javits Convention Center at 655 W 34th St, NYC. Event details at https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/summer-fancy-food-show/ 

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Yummy Yammy produces the world's only sweet potato salsa. All their superfood salsas are made with 100% pure flame-roasted sweet potato as the base instead of tomato. They are a Vermont company 'helping busy people eat better by delightfully bringing sweet potatoes to the nation'.

Contact: Media@YummyYammy.com

Website: http://YummyYammy.com

Yummy Yammy, Norwich VT 05055

802-291-1718