By VANESSA McCRAY
TRAVERSE CITY -- Biscotti, beer brittle and granola are among the crunchy snacks offered by Way North Foods, a Traverse City-based gourmet line.
Chef and Owner Perry Harmon started the venture in 2006 after offering samples at the Epicurean Classic food event. His biscotti, available in seasonal varieties and six regular flavors including a dried cherry, double dark chocolate and lemon dried blueberry, is crunchy on the outside but softer than normal biscotti on the inside, Harmon said.
It's a twist on the traditional Italian twice-baked cookie -- which can be quite firm unless dipped in coffee or tea.
"It is twice-baked. I just don't allow it to become hard as a rock," he said.
Harmon launched production in a church kitchen he rented but quickly outgrew. He moved into a warehouse-like space off Cass Road and had it converted into a kitchen. In addition to his Way North line, other food makers and bakers use the space to produce products that range from hot sauce to cakes and baking mixes.
The chef worked in sales until his wife encouraged him to go to culinary school at age 30. He worked in a variety of chef positions, including at a hotel and conference center and as a corporate and personal chef. In 2004, Harmon and his family moved to the area from Ohio. Up here, he worked as a chef at Chateau Grand Traverse and also did cooking show segments called "Peninsula Kitchen" on local TV.
As a chef, he regularly accompanied meals he prepared with biscotti, and Harmon wanted to make something unusual that featured local and natural ingredients. There were enough sauces, salsas, jams and jellies in the local marketplace, and every orchard bakes pies. He was looking for something "new and exciting" and found it in biscotti.
People eat it straight out of the bag or serve it with coffee, tea or dessert wines, he said. He recommended matching the walnut biscotti with a local brandy or the chocolate biscotti with a beer.
Jill Marlin, a team leader at Cherry Stop in downtown Traverse City, likes the Way North biscotti because she doesn't have to soak it before biting into it.
Cherry Stop carries individual-sized biscotti packages in multiple flavors but was out-of-stock of the treats last week.
"They're nice. I've been known to buy one just for my break, and you don't have to have a coffee with it," Marlin said.
Way North's chunky granola, introduced less than a year ago, has the heft of a trail mix and is crammed with nuts.
"I personally take it and use it as a breakfast cereal," Harmon said.
The idea for beer brittle came from scouring food magazines and noting the interest in brittles.
He combined that concept with the region's growing microbrew culture.
His brittle uses Short's Brewing Co. and Jolly Pumpkin brews.
Harmon is always thinking about new food ideas and will soon add a line of nuts developed with a family recipe.
Way North also offers baking mixes made from finely ground biscotti crumbs.
Harmon said the mix creates a great pie crust or brownie batter.
Way North Foods are available locally in select grocery and speciality stores, in states including Ohio and Maryland and on the Web at www.waynorthfoods.com.
