We’re Looking for a Test Kitchen Chef

We’re looking for a new chef to join our team in our test kitchen for 1-2 days a month. You’ll bring a fresh perspective, expertise and creativity to help us find new ways to make our diverse catalog of proteins really shine.

Some test kitchen shoots are primarily focused on recipes where anywhere from 8-15 recipes are tested and plated dishes are photographed. Other test kitchens get much more technical. We dig in and get to know all the details of a single or select few cuts and explore the different ways they can be prepared and plated.

Here’s how it works:

• We pick the protein & send you a list of cuts.
• You send us your ideas. We don’t need formalized or final recipes up front, just enough to know what you’re thinking so we can put together a shopping list.
• We’ll go shopping and prep anything the day before, if needed.
• On shoot day, all you have to do is show up & cook!

Working in the test kitchen is well-orchestrated chaos. Typically 9-5, it’s an energetic and fun day. You’ll be interacting a lot with the photographer, helping to style dishes to make sure the proteins shine.

We’ve got cooks on staff and a test kitchen manager who will help with the flow, prep and clean up. Our shoot team includes a photographer, videographer, writer and project manager, so you don’t have to worry about recording or keeping track of anything. All you need to do is bring your ideas & be ready to cook.

If this sounds like something you’d love, let’s talk. Email me at: justin [at] marxfoods.com [dot] com. Tell me why you’re interested and what your availability is like.

We look forward to cooking with you soon!

New Ovation 100% Grass-Fed Lamb!

We’re really excited about our new Ovation lamb from New Zealand. Like our other New Zealand meats, it checks all the important environmental & husbandry boxes:

✔ 100% Grass-Fed & Finished
✔ Pasture Raised Free Range
✔ No Hormone or Antibiotic Growth Promotants
✔ GMOs are Illegal in New Zealand

However, there are several unique aspects that make Ovation lamb much better than other New Zealand lamb programs:

The Ovation Difference: Chef Ready

Most of the cuts in the program are “Chef Ready” – immaculately cleaned further than their equivalents from other producers. That means you’re able to use them right out of the packaging without trimming.

Taking Extra Time for Extra Quality

All the Chef Ready cuts are all graded for top notch quality, and all cuts are carefully aged for a full 96-hours – longer than most other programs. This extra aging time brings the meat to the pinnacle of flavor & tenderness.

Chef Ready Cuts are Individually Weighed By Hand

This may be something chefs are more likely to notice than home cooks, but a lot of programs don’t weight grade their non-rack cuts…and the racks they often weigh by the 2-rack pack. That means your pack could have one big rack and one small rack – as long as they average to the right weight.

Ovation Chef Ready cuts are held to a much tighter standard – and they weight-range cuts that many other people don’t (shanks, bone-in legs & striploins).

For chefs this is very important to ensuring that every customer in their dining room gets an equal share (and one they can track the cost of effectively). For home cooks, the biggest benefit may be that Chef Ready cuts should cook at very similar times, making it easier to dial in that perfect Medium Rare.

The results of all this extra care are truly delicious. Check out the Ovation cuts now available on the Marx Foods store:




Frenched 8-Rib Racks Frenched 4-Rib Half Racks Tenderloins



Boneless Striploins Hindshanks Foreshanks



Bone-In Legs Boneless Legs Boneless Shoulders


Burgers Trim

First New Products of 2017

We’ve got some really tasty additions to the stores for you today – check them out!

New to Marx Foods:

Live Singing Pink Scallops

Live Singing Pink Scallops are a Pacific Northwest delicacy that’ve been off the commercial market for 20 years, now we’re excited to bring them to you! Their meat is tender, less sweet, and more complex than conventional scallops, and their shells are absolutely gorgeous!


Live Singing Pink Scallops

Grass-Fed Beef:



Canoe Cut Marrow Bones
Love roasted bone marrow in restaurants? These canoe-cut bones make it exceptionally easy to prepare & serve at home!
Bolar Blades
A slow roasting or braising cut packed with great flavor at a more affordable price.

Kurobuta Pork:

Make a bold statement on the plate with these luxurious, striking bone-in cuts. Tomahawk racks have extra-long Frenched bones, while the double-cut rib chops are tall on the plate & a truly generous serving.



Kurobuta Pork Tomahawk Racks Kurobuta Pork Double-Cut Rib Chops

Iberico Pork:

Incredibly moist, rich, and flavorful, Iberico pork collars are highly prized in Japan for slicing ultra-thin & searing.


Iberico Pork Collars

Rabbit:

The top quality Grupo Hermi Spanish rabbit program is expanding into three new options! Rabbit striploins are tender portions of rabbit saddle meat, ready to use right out of the bag. Rabbit rib chops are small morsels of bone-in meat, perfect for appetizers or hors d’oeuvres. We also now offer ground rabbit which can be used in a huge variety of applications.




Rabbit Striploins Rabbit Rib Chops Ground Rabbit

Bison:

Bison Ribeyes can be roasted whole before slicing or cut into bison ribeye steaks. Either way you’re assured bold flavor.

Whole Bison Ribeyes

Specialty Produce:

Tiny Peppers Pea-Wee Greens Petite Watercress Pink Ice
Rootbeer Leaf Green Nature Straws
& Red Nature Straws
Petite Watercress Red
New to Marx Pantry:

Salmon Bites:

Thicker cut and more moist/tender than salmon jerky, these bites are a luxurious alternative with really interesting flavors.

Spruce Tip Salmon Bites Sea Kelp & Sesame Salmon Bites

New Grass-Fed Beef Jerkies:

We’re hooked on top quality grass-fed beef here at Marx Foods, and have been searching for half-a-year for a grass-fed jerky that’s similarly delicious. We’ve finally found two!

New Zealand beef jerky is actually smoked (instead of marinated with liquid smoke, which is common) over native Manuka wood for a smoke flavor that’s more elegant & balanced. It’s not overly sweet, with a peppery bite.

Biltong is South African-style beef jerky, which has a tangy from traditionally being flavored with vinegar and coriander. This version is also flavored with chile for a bit of kick.

In addition to the different seasonings, what makes biltong different from conventional American-style jerky is the drying process – biltong is dried as blocks, rather than strips, and then cut against the grain. This gives it a very different, softer texture.

Smoked Grass-fed Beef Jerky Spicy Grass-Fed Beef Biltong

New Insects:

Male Rhino Beetles
These beetles’ shells are really too thick to be eaten whole. They’re typically finely ground for use as an ingredient or protein supplement. However if you leave them whole, they make a truly striking garnish.
Forest Shield Bugs
AKA stink bugs (yes, stink bugs), these insects have a unique, pungent flavor that’s traditionally combined with spicy ingredients in Thailand.

Organic Cooked Chestnuts:

All the flavor & creamy texture of European chestnuts, with none of the work! These chestnuts are peeled & cooked, ready to open & use in desserts, stuffing, and other recipes.

Organic Cooked Chestnuts

New to Marx Foods & Marx Pantry in July

Now on MarxPantry.com

Many New Edible Insects!

We’ve dramatically expanded our edible insect collection with the following varieties:

organic crickets mealworms field crickets

Organic Small Crickets

Mealworms

Large Field Crickets

black scorpion weaver ants june beetle

Black Forest Scorpions

Weaver Ants

June Beetles

orthoptera mix mixed insects locusts

Orthoptera Mix
(Large & Small Crickets, Grasshoppers, Mole Crickets)

Mixed Edible Insects (Grasshoppers, Mole Crickets, Silkworm Pupae, Crickets & Sago Worms)

Locusts

small crickets    

Small Thai Crickets

 

 

New Snacks

Cheesy Puffs Thai Ginger Pickles duck pate

Asiago Black Pepper
Cheesy Puffs
Yes.  Our high end food store now sells cheese puffs.  Ask yourself how delicious these must be to get us to do such a thing.

Thai Ginger Pickles

Duck, Pork & Orange Pate

duck rillettes    

Rougie Duck Rillettes

 

 

New Cocktail Mixers

Extra Bitter Tonic
 

Jack Rudy Extra Bitter Tonic

 

New Grains, Rice, Seeds & Flours

Einkorn Flour barley flour rye berries

Organic Einkorn Flour

Organic Black Nile
Barley Flour

Rye Berries

Wheat berries dried hemp seeds dried purple corn

Soft White Wheat Berries

Toasted Hemp Seeds

Dried Purple Corn

dried red corn Kermes Rice Brown Arborio Rice

Dried Red Corn

Kermes Rice

Brown Arborio Rice

And More!

Castillo Olive Oil

Spanish Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cardamom Rose Hips Sassafras Leaf

Red Cardamom

Dried Rose Hips

Ground Sassafras Leaf (Gumbo File)

Black Garlic Powder couscous Butterfly Pea Flower Powder

Black Garlic Powder

Whole Wheat Middle Eastern Couscous

Butterfly Pea Flower Powder

New on MarxFoods.com
lavender blossoms no photo no photo

Lavender Blossoms

Fresh Mission Figs

Smoked Alligator Sausage

New to Marx Foods & Marx Pantry in June

Expanded Wagyu Beef Collection
Our Australian Wagyu beef has been expanded with three top shelf cuts which make excellent roasts or can be easily cut into steaks:

Carolina Reaper Chilies are Here!
Scared?  You should be.  Carolina Reapers are one of the hottest chiles on the block, with scoville numbers at insanity levels.

carolina reaper powder carolina reaper flakes

Carolina Reaper Powder

Carolina Reaper Flakes

Other New Items

Argan Oil

Culinary Argan Oil
Argan oil is a Moroccan delicacy pressed from roasted argan nuts that must be hand harvested in a very labor-intensive process.  It has a tasty toasty, nutty flavor, but is particularly prized for its very high antioxidant content.

Sour cherry Preserves duck fat

Sour Cherry Preserves
Packed with Michigan Montmorency sour cherries, these preserves bring cherry-pie-like flavor to toast, yogurt, ice cream, sauces & more.

Duck Fat
Many chefs consider duck fat the most delicious cooking fat known to man.  Melt a spoonful in the pan and cook with it as you would bacon grease to impart incredible flavor.  Especially nice with potatoes!

Pineapple Tumeric Shrub Incendiary Vinegar

Pineapple Turmeric Shrub
Fruity, tart, sweet & warming, this vinegar syrup is ready to bring the flavor of pineapple, turmeric, citrus & curry to sparkling water or cocktails.  Just in time to bring a taste of the tropics to your summer.

Incendiary Vinegar
Don’t let the name fool you, this vinegar isn’t spicy – it’s an intensely savory, umami-packed, tangy apple cider vinegar inspired by Fire Cider recipes.  Try it in vinaigrettes!

Worcestershire Sauce

Malt Lager Worcestershire Sauce
This Worcestershire sauce puts most others to shame – it’s very complex with layers of varying umami, tanginess & sweetness seasoned with an intriguing blend of spices.

Cuttlefish Ink  

Cuttlefish Ink
A classic natural food coloring used in paella, pasta, risotto & more to turn it an inky black while imparting some brininess.

 

New Delicious Goodies!

Now on MarxPantry.com

Smoked Honey!

Smoked Honey

Sweet, rich, and elegantly smoky – this honey blends the floral characteristics of wildflower honey with cold white oak smoke – a fascinating addition to cocktails, dressings, sauces, desserts, fruit salads & more!

Other Pantry Items

Organic Kaniwa Granulated Lemon Peel

Organic Kaniwa

Granulated Lemon Peel

Green Serrano Powder No Photo  

Green Serrano Chile Powder

Dried Lupini Beans

 

New on MarxFoods.com

Maple Buds

maple buds

Sweet, floral maple buds are the young growths of big leaf maple trees.  They’re prized by foragers for use in fritters, teas & syrups.

We’ve missed the season this year, but keep an eye out for them next spring!

New Link Lab Sausages & Marx Pantry Goodies!

New to Marx Foods:
Link Lab Sausages!
Link Lab Sausages

We love Link Lab Sausages at Marx Foods.  They’re handmade, chef-quality sausages produced by a Seattle company in small batches from local, responsibly-raised meats.  The level of quality is top notch, and you can tell due to their more tender texture, the pronounced “snap” of natural casings, and superior flavor.

Watch our behind-the-scenes producer spotlight video (below) to learn more about them, and check out the varieties to pick out your new favorite!


New to Marx Pantry:

Shiro Plum & Mint Jam

The label says it all, but it doesn’t do the flavor of this plum & mint jam justice.  The balance between the tangy, fruity, sweet plum & herby, fresh spearmint is spot on, and that makes all the difference.  Jam of this quality isn’t just for toast.  Try it with fine cheeses, in sauces, on desserts or stirred into yogurt, or shake/stir some into your next vinaigrette.

Pasteli Sesame Bar

Sesame Bar

Snack like ancient Greek warriors (seriously, this stuff was mentioned in The Illiad) with Greek pasteli bars.  These delightful treats have only two ingredients: sesame seeds & Greek honey.  They’re super-duper tasty and were used as energy bars by Greek athletes & soldiers.

Then the Savory…

Red Boat Chef’s Cuvee Fish Sauce

Cuvee Fish Sauce

Red Boat is the chef’s favorite fish sauce brand, offering superb flavor for the price.  Their chef’s cuvee fish sauce is even more special.  After the sauce comes out of Red Boat’s traditional cask-fermenting process, it gets aged again in bourbon barrels, making its flavor incredibly smooth.  It’s amazing stuff.

Lots of Tasty New Products!

New to Marx Pantry:

St Jude Tuna
St Jude Tuna St Jude Tuna

We love St Jude tuna here at Marx Foods.  This local, family owned & operated tuna fishing boat brings in excellent catch & cans it with care.  The level of quality is far superior to the mass market stuff.

We now offer two varieties: Solid White Albacore (in its own juices) & Solid White Albacore in Olive Oil.

Italian Honey

Italian Honey Sampler
Honey Gift Tube Sampler

Mieli Thun is a small Italian honey company selling the wares of Andrea Paternoster, a nomadic beekeeper.  Andrea moves his bees around Italy in tune with the flowering seasons of various plans, collecting superb monofloral honey varieties with unique characteristics.

Dried Butterfly Pea Flowers
Dried Pea FLowers

These unique flowers make a mild herbal tea when steeped in hot water.  Much more exciting however is how they color the water, turning it a gorgeous blue.  Stir in an acidic ingredient like lemon juice, and it shifts before your eyes into a deep royal purple.

Use butterfly pea flowers to make tea, simple syrup for cocktails, colored ice cubes, rice & more.

Wiri Wiri Chile Powder
Wiriwiri powder

Ground from fiery chilies commonly found in the cuisines of Central America, the Caribbean & the Yucatan.

Poblano Chile Powder
poblano Chilie Powder

Grassy & a touch spicy, green poblano chile powder brings different flavors to your dishes than mulato chilies & ancho chilies (both made from poblanos).

New to Marx Foods:
Iberico Back Fat

We added a full line of succulent Iberico pork cuts to the store last month, but we have one more to add to the collection: back fat (aka fat back).  Iberico pork fat is sweet, creamy, and highly prized by chefs in-the-know.

Paw Paws

Paw Paws aren’t in season yet, they typically show up in September…but we’re ready for when they do!  Check out the new product page for more information about this unique native American fruit!

Announcing New Wild Squab!

We’re super excited to announce that our new wild squab program is ready to launch!  As you probably all know, we’ve offered squab meat for years, but it’s always been farmed.

For a while now we’ve been lining up a network of independently contracted trappers across the US to be able to bring you a consistent, reliable supply of truly wild squab meat in a range of cuts: whole, semi-boneless & frenched legs.

All wild squab are captured using a humane net-gun & chloroform method that avoids stressing the animals.  Because exposure is so brief, no anesthetic residue is present in the meat.

Even more exciting, we’ve found that the flavor of wild squab can vary widely based on its habitat and diet.  Thanks to the breadth of our trapping network, we’re able to launch with a variety of origins you can select at checkout, enabling you to experience the true terroir of the major production regions.

Currently available options include:

Manhattan

Perhaps the most well-rounded of our squab varieties, manhattan squab forages across a wide variety of ethnic cuisines ranging from thin crust pizza to chow mein & the occasional cigarette butt (giving the meat a subtle smokiness).

Santa Monica Pier

SMP squab is essentially the pigeon equivalent of wagyu beef, extra well-marbled with a pronounced “butteriness” due to a diet primarily consisting of coconut oil-infused popcorn and cotton candy.  SMP squabs are hotdog-finished after capture.

Seattle

Lining up staff to bring in the Seattle catch was difficult, but the results are worth it. Seattle squab are higher in omega-3 fatty acids thanks to the salmon eyes & tail meat that make up a large portion of their forage feed. Competing for food sources with the local seagull population keeps them lean & scrappy!

If you are interested in being one of our first orders, or contracting with us as a trapper, APRIL FOOLS!

New Iberico Pork, Snails & More!

Some really exciting new products just hit the Marx Foods & Marx Pantry stores.  Check them out!

 

New to Marx Foods:

Iberico Pork from Spain

Iberico Pork is considered amongst the world’s finest pork.  You’ve probably heard of Iberico ham, but it turns out the rest of the hog is also incredibly delicious.  “Chefs are telling us it’s the best pork they’ve ever worked with” kinda’ delicious.

If you want to party like Spaniards do, go for the secreto or pluma (end loin), season simply with salt & pepper, then sear or grill it to an internal temperature of 125°F (more rare than Americans normally would).*

You’ll be amazed by how succulent and tasty it is.

 

New to Marx Pantry:

Portuguese & Spanish Tinned Fish

We’re not talking about run of the mill canned tuna here.  Portugal and Spain both produce some of the world’s finest tinned fish in a tradition referred to as conservas.  We’ve tried a bunch over the years, and the ones we finally decided to carry are by far the best.

They’re so good that you can simply serve them with crusty bread, maybe some leafy greens or a lentil salad, and you’ve got instant high-class tapas.  Yum!

Check them out!

 

Coffee Flour

You’ve probably never heard of coffee flour before, but that’s about to change.  This exciting new food represents the cutting edge of sustainable super foods & is already starting to garner a lot of press & praise.

Coffee Flour is made from the fruit that grows around coffee beans.  It has a fruity flavor, a little caffeine, and is naturally very nutritious & also gluten free.  It can be used in baked goods or as a seasoning.

 

Paella Kit

Our new Paella Kit contains everything you need to make the delicious Spanish one-pot classic, besides a pan and some fresh meats (we recommend chicken, rabbit), seafood, or vegetables.

We’ve picked out just the right rice, the right base broths, and the right pimenton (also new).  All of which were made in Spain for real Spaniards, then imported for you. (we know a guy)

What are you waiting for?  It’s paella time!

 

Dried Saffron Milk Cap Mushrooms

The latest addition in our epic quest to bring you all the mushrooms worth eating, saffron milk cap mushrooms are earthy & smoky with a slightly crunchy texture after you rehydrate them.

 

That’s all the stuff that’s new now, but we’re constantly adding more.  Stay tuned!

 

* We’re obligated to mention that the USDA says you should always cook pork to an internal temperature of 145°F with a 3 minute rest for safety.

New Spanish & Peruvian Products!

We’ve just added a whole slew of artisan Spanish pantry goods, along with a few Peruvian ingredients to MarxPantry.com.

From Spain

Spanish Sweets:
blanxart hazlenut almond chocolate

Blanxart Dark Chocolate with Marcona Almonds

organic 82% congo chocolate organic spanish cookies

Organic 82% Congo Dark Chocolate

Organic Spanish Cookies in 4 Flavors

More Spanish Ingredients:

paella sofrito orange blossom honey

Paella Sofrito

Organic Orange Blossom Honey

native forest honey olivar de la luna evoo

Organic Native Forest Honey

Olivar de la Luna Organic EVOO

spanish paella broth gran reserva sherry vinegar

Spanish Paella Broths
All the base flavors of paella (stock, meat, seafood, vegetables & saffron) in convenient, natural broths.

Gran Reserva Sherry Vinegar

New to Marx Foods: More Wild Produce!

We’ve been very busy adding new products to the stores for you to enjoy! Here’s a bunch of new Spring produce (most of it wild foraged!) that we’ll be offering as soon as it comes into season.

white yacon root spruce tips

White Yacon Root

Crisp & juicy like jicama, but quite sweet, this unusual root stores its starches as inulin, which our bodies can’t break down, so it’s lower calorie than you’d think.  Everyone in the office really liked it.

Wild Spruce Tips

Piney, herby, and citrusy, spruce tips are becoming all-the-rage in fine dining restaurants and high end cocktails. They’re typically in season from mid April to mid May.

wood sorrel wild onion


Wild Wood Sorrel

Wild sorrel has a very tart flavor (with mild lemon notes) that really gets the saliva going. It’s typically in season from March to May.


Wild Onions

Not to be confused with delicious, delicious ramps. Wild onions have a much more mild onion/leek flavor and a crisper texture. They’re mild enough to be enjoyed raw, if you’re in the mood. Typically in season from March to Mid-May