Bain: Ninjas set forth on a snack-finding mission

 

Snack ninjas Jing Loh and Nancy Huynh show off snacks purveyed on a mission for their Omakase Box business. Keith Beaty/Toronto Star

 

 Published On Wed May 18, 2011

By Jennifer Bain Food Editor

 

Snack ninjas Nancy Huynh and Jing Loh are in their element during a covert mission to J-Town.

There are Baby Ball Cookies, Choco Waffles, mango-shaped chewies, grow-your-own miso soups and more to gawk at in the Japanese mini-mall’s snack section.

We giggle over the snappy display that explains how freeze-dried, all-in-one, instant miso soup is “Easy to make! Always fresh! Wherever you go!” Just place the cube in a cup, add hot water and stir.

Loh grabs another package of instant miso soup for comparison.

“That’s just the usual kind,” sniffs Huynh. “This is a cube that grows into a soup.”

The vegetarian MSG-free version of this quirky cube has a chance of making it into

http://www.omakasebox.com/ 

one of Huynh and Loh’s next Omakase Boxes. The fledgling food business is named for the Japanese term for asking the chef to choose your meal. (Neither is Japanese — his background is Malaysian Chinese, hers is Vietnamese Chinese and both grew up in Toronto eating Asian snacks.)

In omakase spirit, each month Huynh and Loh mail a surprise box of carefully curated “cool and unique” treats to subscribers.

Eighteen trailblazers got Omakase Box Volume One in late April. It was filled with Rosewood Estates Nutty Honey (Ontario honey with walnuts), Algonquin Tea Company’s “organic and ethically wildcrafted” Awakening Tea, lavender currant shortbreads from Toronto’s Tea Aura, chocolate-chip cookies from Frostines Edibles in Bowmanville and a matcha-flavoured Kit Kat or green tea Aero.

“I feel like we’re just out there trying to pick up new things and share them with other people,” explains Loh. “Really, it’s just about sharing our tasting experiences.”

He’s 27 and lives in Toronto. She’s 25 and lives in Hamilton. They became friends at Queen’s University while studying commerce. Their first foray into entrepreneurship, selling custom polo shirts, flopped.

“Food makes a lot more sense,” says Huynh.

“Yeah, because it’s our one passion,” chimes in Loh.

The Omakase Box evolved from a friend’s attempt to enlist their help with his online marketplace idea. They didn’t think people would be keen to try new foods that way, so came up with a tasting box.

Naturally, they’re using social media to spread the word, with a Facebook page, two Twitter accounts (@omakase_ninja and @soda_ninja), and a website, omakasebox.com.

They dubbed themselves ninjas because ninjas are always out on a search.

Huynh, who has “a pretty big soda addiction,” has a business card that shows her ninja avatar with a bottle of Italian lemon soda. Her title: Imagineer and Ninja by night.

Loh’s ninja avatar has a peach lollipop. His title is Sensei + Daily Trick-o-treater.

I invite myself along on a snack-finding mission. Right now the only thing they’ve green-lighted for an upcoming box is a jar of Goan khaldin coconut curry sauce from Eudora’s Fine Foods in Brampton.

We rendezvous at Union Station and head in Loh’s grey Toyota Corolla to Samosa King/Embassy Restaurant at Finch Ave. E. and Middlefield Rd. for samosas and Indian sweets. We take turns hogging a bag of spicy cassava chips mixed with curry leaves.

Next up is New Spiceland, a Sri Lankan supermarket at Steeles Ave. E. and Markham Rd. The ninjas pause over gaudy pink, white and green marshmallows.

“We try to stay away from MSG and very obtuse food colouring,” says Huynh. “But we don’t have any formal mandate.”

At J-Town, at Steeles Ave. E. at Victoria Park Ave., they reminisce about eating Baby Ball Cookies as kids. Says Huynh: “These are basically potato starch balls. You put them on your tongue and they pretty much melt.”

They scour labels and remind each other that they should be buying wholesale instead of retail. They figure the Omakase Box needs 100 members to work. It’s $74 for three months, and $1 from each box goes to Food Banks Canada.

“Even if this doesn’t work out for us financially, we’re going to love doing it,” vows Loh.

“I can’t wait to go home and grow my soup,” says Huynh as they drive away with their snack haul.

Later they email sad news that the miso soup cube was neat to watch growing for a few seconds, but the MSG-free broth wasn’t that flavourful.

Nostalgia and a short ingredient list have helped Baby Ball Cookies pass the preliminary tasting. Crisp Japanese cookies with creamy chocolate centres have earned a tentative nod because they “highlight a culture that favours delicate and bite-sized portions with complementary textures.”

Cassava chips, however, are the snack mission’s unequivocal hit.

“The experience of eating these introduces a root vegetable not too common in North America, and a new ‘herb’ — the curry leaf,” the ninjas write. “The spice factor was exciting. Each bite was utterly satisfying.”

jbain@thestar.ca

www.twitter.com/thesaucylady

Promotional Gifts and Advertising

 

 

 

Promotional Gifts & Advertising

Planning a big corporate promotion or advertising campaign? We can put your brand and message on any one of our fabulous cookie Packages.  Need to have a stash of memorable “freebies” to hand out for trade shows? Talk to us!  We also create co-marketing and branding solutions.

We can customized a large or small cookie orders. We can add a creative twist to each promotional cookie package that will help to increase
awareness about your company.

Want to introduce a new service to your clients? We have the Marketing Ideas to assist you.

Contact us at: 905-987-4520
frostinesedibles@live.com

Frostines Edibles Original Gourmet Cookies

 

 

Fresh homemade cookies always reminds us of Grandma or Mom baking cookies while we were kids – thus most of us are cookie experts. Gift Towers are Frostines Edibles version of a traditional gourmet gift basket – We believe that we bake some of the most delicious and delectable cookies, anywhere and you will certainly taste the difference.  They make great gifts for groups, teams, and office parties. It’s a delicious office gift offering a little something for everyone. They are the perfect way for your business to express its thanks and appreciation.
Frostines Edible offers our gift selection of gourmet treats for home closings and fulfillment programs and for large volume Corporate sales for Corporate events.
Retain valuable employees by rewarding your staff with our
selection gourmet bake cookie treats. Employees will feel special and our products can be shared unlike other gift items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting to Know Frostines Edibles

Reposted from Savouries’s Blog November, 2010

 

 

 

1. Can you tell us a little bit more about your company? How’d you get started and where’d the idea and motivation come from?

   The name of my company is Frostines Edibles (www.frostinesedibles.com) a peanut and nut free Gourmet Treat Company that I created in 2006. Interestingly, I always baked as a child growing up in the Caribbean with my Grandmother who was a great inspiration to me. Originally, when I started my company, we offered products that contained peanuts and nuts, but customers would come into the store and say, “I love your pastries but I have someone in my family, not necessarily themselves that had allergies to nuts and peanuts. So, in March of 2007, I decided to revamp my line of products to offer just peanut and nut free products. It was a huge change but one that I took seriously, because I care about my customers and I do take peanut and nut allergies seriously. It was a huge decision but one of the best decisions for my company.

2. I hear you have 2 kids, it must be hard to balance running a company and taking care of your kids at the same time. Any advice for other aspiring mom-trepreneurs out there?

   Yes, I have two wonderful Children Melissa 11yrs old and Richard 5 yrs old. It’s very challenging, but it’s all about balance. As a mom, I know I can’t achieve every conceivable thing in my waking life so; prioritizing and organization are the keys to managing a business and a family. My advice to other Mompreneurs is to focus on what needs attention most then work their way down from their list, it makes it easier and whatever is left behind it can be tackled the next day. However, be prepared to work very long hours, it’s not a 9-5 job. Be prepared to fail at some things and be willing to keep trying even when it looks like everything is falling apart, just keep working at your business, and be patient. Operating your own business is not for the faint of heart, you have to have a lot of passion and a burning desire for what you want to accomplish and you have to carry that burning desire to please your consumers.

3. Is there a reason why your cookies are not made flat like traditional store bought cookies?

   

   The Cookie that is featured on my company’s website is Frostines Edibles Original Gourmet Cookie it is made from a recipe I had for over ten years. I designed the cookie not only so I could scoop and bake but also designed the cookie to have a long shelf of one year. Most cookies are made to last just a few days or a week the most, but our Original mounded cookies do have a long shelf life, that’s what makes them unique. However, Frostines Edibles does offer traditional flat cookies in our gift tubes as well as, those for the Grocery market in Canada.

4. What unique combinations of ingredients did you put in your cookies and what inspired you to use these ingredients?

   Frostines Edibles offers unique flavours like our Boston Brownie Cookie made with white chocolate chunks, our Butterscotch Ripple cookie is also unique, we also offer a Cherry Coconut cookie, made from cherries and coconut, this flavoured was originally created based on my Caribbean background. When I create cookie flavours I usually based it on the consumer food trends, and what my customer’s desires are, then I put the two together and create something that consumers will fall in love with, and they usually do.

5. What do you think people will enjoy most about your cookies?

   Our cookies are trans fat free, preservative free, low in sodium or in some cookies no sodium at all, rich in vitamin K and completely peanut and nut free, additive free and 100% all natural. Customers will really love our unique flavours as well as, our fresh homemade quality style of baking which reminds you of grandma’s baking.

6. What are your personal favourites and which ones are your best sellers?

   Our top seller is our Chocolate chip cookie, followed by our Chewy Oatmeal Raisin and our Boston Brownie cookie. “What is my personal favourite?” Wow! I don’t want to admit this but I don’t eat a lot of cookies, I am not a huge cookie fan, but my kids are, I do love brownies though, gotta love chocolate! If I really do feel for a cookie it would be the Chewy Oatmeal Raisin though.

7. Any upcoming concoctions we should look out for?

   Frostines Edibles is not currently working on a new flavour. Why? Well, we carry twenty flavours of cookies already like say our Orange Ginger cookie that we don’t currently offer to consumers, we only try to offer our most popular flavours geared to what consumers really do like.

To learn more about Frostine’s Edibles, visit http://frostinesedibles.wordpress.com/

• savouries’s blog

Frostines Edibles offers various coloured gift boxes for Gourmet Gift Companies, general consumers and Specialty Gift Companies. If a request for a particular coloured box is not available, our company reserves the right to substitute the package requested with another colour that we have in stock. If you have any questions or comments please call us @ 905-987-4520.

Burgundy Gift Box

Silent Night Gift Box

Green Gift Box

Precious Metal Gift Box

Soiree Gift Box

Frostines Edibles Gourmet Gift Tubes 2010

 Frostines Edibles Peanut and Nut Free Gourmet Gift Tubes on there way out to a Department store.

Frostines Edibles Gourmet Cookie Collection

These are just a small selection of some the cookies that Frostines Edibles offers:

Chocolate Chip
Chewy Oatmeal
Boston Brownie
Red Velvet Cookie

Frostines Edibles Gourmet Gift Treats

Another Collection of our Gourmet Cookie Treats.

Frostinesedibles’s Weblog

Frostines Edibles 2010 Gourmet Cookie Collection

Over the past year Frostines Edibles have created new packaging and labels for our growing line of gourmet cookies products. We are very please with our new look and hope you do too. All our new Gourmet Gift Tubes are only sold at Department stores, or at Retail Gourmet Stores Within Canada. If you require our products for your store please give us a call @ 905-987-4520 and will be happy to assist you.

In our flavour line of Cookies we have:

Chocolate Chunk

Red Velvet

Boston Brownie

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin

Cranberry Chocolate

Frostines Edibles Grocery Store Treats

Frostines Edibles is also available to Grocery Stores in Ontario.
Featured below is our line of “Petite Brownie Bites” and “Yum Yum Bars”
Our Yum Yum Bars are made with Cherries and Shredded Coconut.
YUM!

Frostinesedibles’s Weblog

Frostines Edibles Peanut & Nut Free Treats

Yum Yum Bars

Petite Brownie Bites & Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 

 

 

 

 

Frostines Edibles Peanut & Nut Free Gourmet Treats

 

Mogul Mom Features Frostines Inc. Peanut & Nut Free Company

President/CEO Frostines Inc.

The Mogul Mom Features Alice Choo-Shee-Nam of Frostines Edibles by Heather Allard on June 5, 2009.  To read the entire article please visit: http://www.themogulmom.com/2009/06/05/the-mogul-mom-featuresalice-choo-shee-nam-of-frostines-edibles/comment-page-1/#comment-1754

Frostines Edibles Become a Independent Reseller Today

Gourmet Holiday Gift Special Save Big

Silent Snowfall

 We know how busy it can get for everyone during the holidays that is why Frostines  Edibles offers you our Fresh Baked Gourmet Treats and Gifts  online 24/7. If shopping for yourself, family, friends, staff or clients, then save big this holiday season when you order our 3 Gift Pack Special at $32.85!!or our 5    Gift Pack Special at $54.75!!

We ship to the United States, Canada and the United kingdom Via UPS and Canada Post. Please see our website: http://frostinesedbles.com for further shipping details.

Natalie Bahadur-Favourite Things

Style At Home Blog-Natalie Bahadur

Natalie Bahadur

wrote a beautiful article about our cookies on November 4th,2008
we say thank you, and invite everyone to read the article at the links below:

http://styleathome.com/blogs/favouritethings/

http://nataliebahadur.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

Frostines Edibles Photo Stream Flickr

Cherry Coconut

To get a complete layout of our cookie products please visit Flickr and click on our link http://www.flickr.com/photos/frostinesedibles/ you can make a comment or pass on our link to your friends. In the meantime, keep coming back for more updates.

The inside Scoop-What makes our cookies unique?

It is no secret that there are many companies selling gourmet cookies online all offering different flavours, prices, packages and method of delivery. So, “What makes us different from everyone else?”

Our Cookies are one of kind. For one, they are not flat like all the cookies out there second they are moist and soft and have a long shelf life. Many of companies today that offers cookies both here and the U.S.A. have to ship there cookies overnight express—and yes they do warn you before you buy that this method of shipping is must or the cookie is no longer viable. Frostines Edible cookies are not like that. They can remain shelf stable for over 3 months and fresh baked freshness for up to 1 month, frozen up to 3 months, and sealed in tight proof container 8 months. No! We are not kidding we guarantee you 100% fresh cookies or your money back.

 

 

 

“Planning on buying some and taking it your family who are 2 days or even a 1 week away from you?” Then freeze our cookies and thaw and serve them. “Going to the Cottage for the weekend?” Then put our delicious cookies in a tight proof container freeze them and take them with you to the cottage.

Ordering from the U.S.A.  We guarantee your cookies will arrive to you oven fresh. Whether it takes 2-3 days or even up to a 1 week no need to worry about our cookies reaching your gift recipient stale or dry. If you are ordering our cookies from England, Dubai, France, New Zealand, or Japan, Frostines Edibles cookies will reach you or your recipient oven fresh and tasty. Don’t see the packaging that suits your needs, call us we carry other packaging for the cookies, and will be happy to offer you other great options.

 

If  you live in the United States, England, Dubai, Japan, New Zealand, France, or any other country around the world or have relatives living in those countries or in Canada  then our cookie company offers the best choices for ordering.

 

 

 

Allergy Information For You or Your Love Ones

Allergy Living

Allergy Living Magazine is a Canadian Magazine
that covers information that engages and informs readers coping with food and environmental allergies and asthma.  In a lively and visually appealing format, the magazine offers insightful articles about these conditions as well as useful tips and expert advice. Allergy Living Magazine: http://www.allergicliving.ca

Anaphylaxis (anna – fill -axis) is a serious allergic reaction. It can be life-threatening. http://www.anaphylaxis.org

 

 

Allergy Asthma Information

 

 

The AAIA’s mission is to create safer environments and improve quality of life for Canadians affected by allergy, asthma, and anaphylaxis by empowering individuals and providing education, leadership, and a national voice.

Allergy Card

Allergy Translation Inc. was founded by Kyle Dine after experiencing the need for the product while traveling in Europe. Travellers with food allergies or other dietary restrictions, who don’t want their diets to get in the way of enjoying international culture and cuisine, are now catered to by Canadian Allergy Translation Cards. The company’s credit card-sized printouts can be customized to suit a person’s dietary needs and travel destination—with information available on more than 175 food allergies and 11 special diets, which can be translated into 22 languages.

 

 

Press Release Delicious Cookies,Great Prices! U.S.A Canada

 “Do you want to enjoy your time this Christmas season? Be able to enjoy the great Christmas shows around town with your family and friends? Well, let us bake all your cookie treats!” 

“Do you want to enjoy your time this Christmas season? Be able to enjoy the great Christmas shows around town with your family and friends? Do you want relax and not worry that your cookie gifts are been sent out nicely packaged and freshly baked not store bought?  Well, let us bake all the cookies for you.”

Cookies are meant to be moist and soft not hard, dry and brittle. (http://frostinesedibles.com. With the holiday season upon us shortly, Frostines Edibles offers you an online gourmet cookie experience that allows you to order gourmet cookies that are peanut, nut and tree nut free.  Moist, deliciously soft and Free of Additives, preservatives, with all natural ingredients our cookies are unique due to their long shelf life.

Our cookies can maintain its fresh baked texture for up to 1 month, frozen up to 3 months, and sealed in tight proof container 8 months. No! We are not kidding we guarantee you 100% fresh cookies or your money back.

Order our Chocolate Chunk, Butterscotch ripple, Boston Brownie, Cherry Coconut or Keylime white Chocolate or Cranberry Cookies as a single flavour or mixed. Our cookies are a great gift for you, your friends and family. Here are some great gift ideas where you can send out gifts for Christmas, corporate, I love you, business event, grand opening promotion, housewarming, new baby, thank you, hostess gift get well, congratulations, and wedding gifts/favors.

Our cookie prices are reasonable given the quality of our cookies. 12/Cookies $12.95, 24/ Cookies $24.95. We offer 2 oz size cookies. Want to personalize your cookies with a message like: I Love You, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Miss You, Happy Valentines, Happy Easter, Happy Mothers Day, Great Job, Top Sales Rep, Get Well Soon. You decide what message you want to convey. 

Whether you live in the United States, Canada, England, Dubai, Japan, New Zealand, France or any other country around the world we can ship our cookies to you or your gift recipient 24/7.
We offer other packaging needs not seen online; we can pack your cookies in hat boxes, hand bags, or gift baskets. Just visit us online at http://frostinesedibles.com or visit us on our blog http://frostinesedibles.wordpress.com for additional information.  In addition you can send us a quick email at: customerserv@frostinesedibles.com

 

 

 

 

Cookies Online-Ship U.SA and Canada

Frostines Edibles Gourmet Cookies

Frostines Edibles offers 6 delicious flavours of cookies http://frostinesedibles.com all Peanut and Nut Free. Shop online and have your cookies delivered to you with just the click of a button.

Delicious Cookies-Great Prices!

Take a look at all the options and selections in packaging Frostines Edibles offers! Personalize your Cookie Pail and give it your clients, friends, family and customers for any occasion. Please see our website: http://www.frostinesedibles.com for more information on our Cookie Pails.