One of the perks, no, make that, joys of this job is the almost constant flow of new foods and products that come to my door. Enthusiastic cottage and artisanal producers, hungry to get the word out about their candy, cereal, or proscuitto and even large, and well-established companies, hoping for some press for their new-fanged coffee pot, fruit infused vodka, or latest cookbook, call, email, courier, and sometimes even drop by with products. I like it best when I get to meet them in person. That’s when you really get a taste, not just for the product, but for the their passion as well.

It’s a privilege to get a sneak preview of new products, and I’d like to share some of them with you.

A while ago, Mario Di Giovanni, of Just a Pinch gourmet salts came by with a box full of the most wonderful salts I’ve ever tasted. From a sweet and pungent roasted garlic to earthy espresso, and even a strikingly beautiful Merlot. The man is crazy about salt, addicted to creating out-there flavours, and absolutely committed to quality. Look for his bulk displays, where you can try a pinch of this and a pinch of that.

Julie Arora is a poster girl for healthy living and the modern woman. She’s fit, beautiful, poised, and smart. She’s got business savvy, and does a mean downward dog, too. She was raised on her mother’s natural, nutritious foods. A while back, I arrived home to a shopping bag hanging on my doorknob. It had three boxes of Julie’s cereal, Mom’s Healthy Secrets. Keep an eye out for the stuff. Oh, and she’s working on a gluten-free recipe as I write this.

I’m sure most of you have seen the new Nativa Organics line in Shopper’s Drug Mart–is it in every Shopper’s across the country yet?–well, here’s one of my favourite snacks with a cup of tea. Organic almonds in dark chocolate. Nuts are good for you. Dark chocolate is good for you. Just don’t eat the whole bag in one sitting.

And while we’re on the topic on not eating the whole bag in one sitting, Lay’s asked me to taste test their new reduced salt chips. They’re not making a big fuss about it, nor are they marketing the chips as part of a reduced sodium line. This is just how certain flavours are going to be made from now on. I tried the salt and vinegar, ketchup, sour cream and onion, and dill pickle, and found them all to be as salty as they need to be. In truth, think they could even go lower. So if you’re watching your salt consumption but want a little treat, these might be an option for you. But like I said, just don’t eat the whole bag!

Some folks try to grab your attention with an extra dose of creativity to go along with the product. When a big cardboard box arrived, I was expecting cheese. I cut through the packing tape, shoved aside a mound of crumpled, clean, newsprint revealing a styrofoam box with very serious looking red “evidence” tape holding it shut.

OK, I’m very gullible, excitable, and prone to bouts of drama. I consider all of this to be part of my charm. So when I saw this, I actually, truly believed for an embarrassing amount of time, that perhaps, somehow, a box that was intended for the Mounties ended up with me, and they….THEY have my cheese! I paused before cutting the intimidating red tape to consider what I might find inside–a gun, used in a double homicide? Would they send a body part, perhaps one of those feet in a running shoe that keep washing up on the BC coast? I decided I was being dramatic again. I cut the tape, opened the box, and found, you guessed it, cheese. And a CSI-esque dossier, asking me if I “Want to crack the case on good health?”

Cute.Silani is now enhancing some of their cheeses with omega 3’s and selenium. But more on that later when I write about functional foods.Hey, the magnifying glass, specimen tubes, and flashlight were a nice touch. Did someone tell you my eyes are growing dim as I edge toward 50?

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