![\"1024px-Andy_Ricker_chef\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/1024px-Andy_Ricker_chef-1024x781.jpg\")
Chef Andy Ricker<\/p>\nChef Andy Ricker<\/p>\n
The delicate balance of sweet and sour is as synonymous with Asian cuisine as the stir fry, and a technique all but mastered by ever cook on the continent. The rest of the world doesn\u2019t exactly have the skill down pat, save for a few brilliant outliers like James Beard Winner Chef Andy Ricker.<\/p>\n
Ricker became the undisputed champion of Thai cuisine stateside, including the celebrated Pok Pok, whose New York branch took home a Michelin Star in 2015. And while the original Pok Pok in Portland opened a little more than a decade ago, a stroll in a South East Asian Supermarket inspired Ricker to develop a line of drinking vinegars, called Pok Pok Som. Ricker took some time from running his Thai food and beverage empire to talk about his drinking vinegars and the future of the Pok Pok Som<\/a> Brand.<\/p>\n What inspired you to come up with a line of drinking vinegars?<\/strong><\/p>\n It was around \u201905, 04 and I was doing a lot of shopping in south east Asian supermarkets for the opening of Pok Pok. And I saw all these products on the shelves called \u201chealth vinegars\u201d and \u201cdrinking vinegars.\u201d I was curious, so I bought a few bottles, took them home and after trying a few bottles found out they were really delicious.<\/p>\n I thought they would be a perfect accompaniment to the kind of food I was making, so I put them on the menu when we opened the full restaurant. At that point, they were offered as an alternative, non alcoholic beverage. We started working them into cocktails as well.<\/p>\n Pok Pok Som is 9 flavors strong. Was the initial product line difficult to develop? Were some flavors trickier than others?<\/strong><\/p>\n We were at it for over eight of nine years and over time we\u2019ve had various successes and failures. Now we\u2019re pretty good at producing flavors because we understand how it all works. We\u2019ve gotten better at balancing pH and flavor so we get great results almost every time.<\/p>\n Initially, we tried to make vinegar from scratch. And that was pretty hit or miss. So say we made a pineapple vinegar. It would be fantastic one time and the next time it would be all wrong. We\u2019re macerating fruit and vinegars, cooking it up with sugar and making it concentrated. What we\u2019re making now, essentially are shrubs.<\/p>\n Are there any plans to expand the line?<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve expanded to the carbonated drink market. We have four flavors of carbonated beverages in a 12 oz. bottle at places like Whole Foods, and we\u2019re gradually getting more distribution along the west coast and all across the country.<\/p>\n We\u2019re constantly working on different flavors, we\u2019re currently thinking of replacing one of our SKUs and moving to a strawberry because we have so many great strawberries here in Oregon. We\u2019re going through different trials, trying out \u201cstrawberry black pepper,\u201d \u201cstrawberry balsamic,\u201d and \u201cstrawberry pepper balsamic.\u201d We also work with other companies and establishments to make custom flavors. We\u2019re working with House Spirits on a bunch of different flavors for them to play with.<\/p>\n What are some of the most inventive ways people are using Pok Pok Som?<\/strong><\/p>\n We have a great combination of sweet, tart and flavor in one thing so they\u2019re really versatile for cocktails. Chris Cosentino is using out Chinese Celery as a finishing vinegar over at Cocksomb. It\u2019s used as an ingredient in a milkshake at Salt and Straw Ice Cream. It\u2019s a pretty versatile product, and I\u2019m trying to push the idea of using it as a culinary ingredient.<\/p>\n Other than tasting great, does it have any secondary benefits?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think there\u2019s a health element to it. We don\u2019t really push that much, but it\u2019s been used as a health tonic for a very long time. For digestion, for weight loss. But at the end of the day we\u2019re just trying to make a delicious beverage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jaime Carrillo dreams of pizza the way Jiro dreams of sushi. Despite his pretensions about food, his pantry stocked with home made jams and pickles and mad scientist ingredients like xantham gum, he\u2019s not above a weekly dose of drive-thru chili dogs. He\u2019s always thinking of different kinds of food to sous vide, or trying his hands at home charcuterie. Also, he\u2019s very excitable and quick to anger when it comes to food and foodie culture.<\/p>\n Previous ArticleSexy Chef’s concept hard to swallow<\/a>Next Article FreezTHAT! makes ice in only 10 minutes<\/a> <\/p>\n You must be logged in<\/a> to post a comment.<\/p>\n![\"PokPokSomAll\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/PokPokSomAll-1024x323.jpg\")
Nine sweet and sour flavors strong.<\/p>\n
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