In the future, if, for some unfortunate reason, Forging Flame crashes and explodes against the rocks in a ball of fiery glory, an individual motivated enough to look back through our ancient podcast archives and determine where was the starting point of our demise, is likely to point to this episode. Oh well. It happened.
I’d apologize if I felt bad about it, but I don’t, because it was awesome. We had TOO MUCH FUN, and we deviated pretty hard from our standard format. Sometimes, that’s just the type of thing that happens when you find yourself around Magical People. And Zach Rohn, Grand Sauceror of the Midwest, is an absolute angelic delight. Instead of trying to sift through the heaps of terrible jokes, conspiracy theory talk, and other lovely bits of esoteria to pinpoint any super relevant or useful gems we hit upon in this episode, I’m just going to take this time to pump up Batch No. 2.
I…am a mustard addict. I put it on anything at all that would require condiments, and I don’t discriminate. All mustard is good mustard, as far as I’m concerned. Generic grocery store yellow, the fanciest of fancy whole grains and browns, and definitely those crazy-spicy Düsseldorfs. Yes, I very much adore that tangy, lively sauce.
I met Zach at a time when I had just barely launched a snack food business, and was doing everything I could to learn about the local culture of food business owners in my city, who was involved, and what they did. When I reached out to him, he was incredibly warm and friendly, and willing to do an awful lot to help me out. Not only that, but he legitimately made the best ballpark-style classic yellow mustard I’d ever had in my life.
Zach’s products are absolutely exceptional. He’s got several different types of mustards in his lineup, at least 2 different “catsups” (not ketchup), and a handful of other items that may appear seasonally, only be available locally at a farmer’s market, or are otherwise rare or rotating goodies.
He’s my buddy, he objectively makes great products, and he’s one of the sweetest human beings you’d ever meet. You’re probably going to love this weird-ass episode, and I KNOW you’d love his condiments. Give the episode a listen, and head straight to Batch No. 2 and find yourself some sauce. I’m staking my reputation on recommending it!
