November 2025 - Chef's Companion
This month’s Chef’s Companion Box is all about giving home cooks a little extra magic: bold pantry staples, smart shortcuts, and flavor-boosters that make weeknight dinners feel restaurant-ready.
From smoky salsa and wild-foraged ramps to truffled risotto and herb-fused olive oil, every item is designed to help you plate something that looks (and tastes) like you spent hours in the kitchen—even if you didn’t.
🍲 Fun Fact
The Oldest Cookbook Dates Back to 1700 BC
The first recorded “cookbook” was written in cuneiform on clay tablets in ancient Babylon around 1700 BC. It included recipes for meat stews, poultry, and vegetarian dishes—proof that humans have been obsessed with perfecting dinner for thousands of years.
Inside the November 2025 Chef’s Companion Box
🥑 MNMLST – Creamy Spicy Salsa
Smooth, smoky, and quietly bold. MNMLST’s Creamy Spicy Salsa blends chipotle, lime, and garlic with clean, minimal ingredients and 100% avocado oil. It’s Non-GMO, gluten-free, and packed in a reusable glass jar—no fillers, no artificial anything.
Try it:
- As a dip with tortilla chips or veggie sticks
- Drizzled over tacos, burrito bowls, and grilled shrimp
- As a creamy topper for nachos, quesadillas, or breakfast eggs
🌿 Burlap & Barrel – Wild Ramps Spice
These wild ramps were hand-picked in a sugar maple forest in the Adirondacks, then dried at low temperatures and ground into savory flakes. Ramps are a beloved spring crop in the Northeast, but their super-short season makes them hard to find—until now.
With a famously savory, earthy allium flavor, this ramp leaf seasoning brings a gentle garlic-onion note anywhere you sprinkle it.
Use it to:
- Finish roasted potatoes, grilled veggies, or buttered noodles
- Sprinkle over eggs, avocado toast, or soups
- Add depth to salad dressings, compound butters, and marinades
Fun bonus: ramps can take up to seven years to reach maturity and regrow leaves year after year, so harvesting the leaves (not the bulbs) helps keep the plant thriving.
🍒 Redlaw Sauce – Whiskey & Sweet Cherry BBQ Sauce
A true crowd-pleaser. Redlaw’s Whiskey & Sweet Cherry BBQ Sauce balances smooth, sweet, and savory flavors with just a hint of mellow heat.
Made with local honey, sweet cherries, whiskey, and a carefully blended mix of spices, it has a rich, velvety flavor that feels familiar yet elevated—mild enough for the whole family, layered enough to keep the BBQ lovers happy.
Delicious with:
- Burgers, grilled chicken, or pork chops
- Smoked turkey, meatballs, or sausages
- Roasted veggies, potatoes, or as a dipping sauce for nuggets and fries
If you like your BBQ sauce more “mmm” than “whoa,” this one’s for you.
🌶 Sugar Bob's – Habanero Maple Sriracha
Made with fresh habanero and sweet baby bell peppers, this sauce brings extra kick for those who like their hot sauce a bit spicier—about a 7.5 out of 10 on the heat scale.
Sugar Bob isn’t just a character; he’s a real maple fanatic who’s spent over 35 years crafting exceptional smoked maple syrup in Vermont. What started as a hobby turned into a mission to share that rich, smoky connection behind every drop—and it shows in the balance of heat and subtle sweetness in this sauce.
Try it on:
- Eggs, breakfast sandwiches, and hashes
- Tacos, grain bowls, and roasted veggies
- Pizza, fried chicken, and anything that needs a sweet-heat upgrade
🍚 Sabatino – Truffled Risotto
This authentic black truffle risotto takes you straight to Italy in about 20 minutes. Packed in an all-in-one pouch, it cooks into a creamy, luxurious rice dish infused with delicate yet intense truffle flavor.
Serve it as a cozy main course for one, or as an elegant side dish for two.
Perfect for:
- Date nights at home with a simple green salad and a glass of wine
- A side for grilled steak, roasted chicken, or seared scallops
- A special holiday or celebration meal without all the fuss
Perché Ci Credo – Black Olive Spread
Rich, briny, and deeply savory, this spread bursts with the flavor of black Cellina olives, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and oregano.
Use it to dress up pizza or sandwiches, or serve simply with crusty bread and crackers. Its bold olive character pairs especially well with meaty fish—think grilled or seared tuna.
Perché Ci Credo means “Because I believe in it”, a nod to founder Enrico De Lorenzo’s commitment to fresh, simple ingredients. Their sauces and condiments capture the bright, intense flavors of Salento, Puglia—with no artificial preservatives, additives, colorings, or added sugar. All products are gluten-free and most are vegan-friendly.
Try it:
- Spread on crostini with goat cheese or ricotta
- Swirled into pasta or grain bowls
- Spooned over grilled tuna, swordfish, or roasted veggies
🌱 Galantino – Aromatic Herbs Bel Tocco Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This aromatic herb-fused extra virgin olive oil is part of Galantino’s celebrated line of flavored oils. Using an ancient technique they revived in the 1990s, they crush olives together with fresh herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, dill, and tarragon—no added essences, just real ingredients.
The result is an intense, bright, herbaceous oil that instantly upgrades even the simplest dish.
Drizzle it over:
- Salads, grilled vegetables, and roasted potatoes
- Fish, chicken, or steak right before serving
- Warm focaccia, flatbreads, or tomato-based pastas
The Galantino family has been mastering extra virgin olive oil since 1926, selecting the best olives from their groves near Bari, in Puglia—one of the most prolific olive-growing regions in the world. Through cold extraction and strict quality standards, they ensure consistently exceptional oil.
A Kitchen-Ready Companion Box
The November 2025 Chef’s Companion Box is perfect for:
- Curious home cooks who love to experiment
- Weeknight chefs looking for easy gourmet upgrades
- Food lovers who want a little Italy, a little smoke, and a lot of flavor in their pantry
One box, countless combinations—and plenty of reasons to stay in and cook.