Local Mustard Maker Announces New Products
Local Mustard Maker Announces New Products
Aunt Deb Stein’s Mustard has New Items Coming for Spring
By day, she’s Debbie Stein, Human Resources manager at HoliMont Ski Resort. By night (and weekend), she’s Aunt Deb, maker of the local hot mustard brand that is so popular, people buy it by the case. This spring, Stein is looking forward to sharing some new spicy condiments with her customers who aren’t afraid of a little heat!
Stein has been making her hot mustard recipe for many years for her family and close friends, but last year, she went “pro” at the urging of her husband and children. “My husband and I used to go to a bowling alley in Randolph, and the woman who owned it used to serve it but would never give her recipe out,” she explained. Before Twilight Lanes closed permanently, the owner gave Stein the recipe, much to her surprise! Ever since then, Stein has enjoyed making it, with some minor changes to meet state requirements.
For Stein to become a small-scale food processor, she had to obtain a Processing License through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. After many online courses, tests, and trips to Cornell University in Ithaca, Stein obtained this license, which is required for the sale of any food item that is altered by baking, canning, preserving, freezing, dehydrating, pickling, brining, bottling, and more. Requirements vary based on the type of product being made and sold. “Because mustard is considered an ’acidified food,’ I had to send the recipe to Cornell to get it approved,” Stein explained. “They have to test all the ingredients and each batch to make sure nobody can get sick from it. This approval makes it ‘legal’ to sell.”
Once Stein received her processing kitchen license and had her recipe approved, she set up shop in the former Brooks Market in Little Valley. “My husband and I remodeled the kitchen in the back, and that’s where I make it. The kitchen had to be approved through the Department of Ag and Markets, and I get tested every few months,” she explained. “It’s been great! Right now, I can’t make enough mustard!”
So what is it about Aunt Deb Stein’s Hot Mustard that makes it so appealing? “I use either Hungarian or hot wax peppers or inferno peppers,” Stein said. “We try to grow most ourselves, but some we do buy. That’s the major ingredient. I make a milder version every now and again, but it’s the hot mustard people really seem to like. I had both the mild and hot recipes approved by Cornell.”
Speaking of recipe approval, Stein is excited to share the news that her recipe for hot pepper jelly has recently been approved. “I’m just waiting on approval for my mango hot pepper jelly,” she added. “I check my email ten times a day! I also have my hot salsa recipe approved. I think it tastes best on pork. My husband is a hunter, and on game meat, he says it tastes really good. The mustard makes a great dip - I bring it to work with pretzels. With cream cheese and crackers, it’s really good!”
Word is spreading about Aunt Deb Stein’s Hot Mustard. Over the past year, Stein has been selling large quantities at small craft shows, and her mustard is also available at local businesses including HoliMont, the Jenny Lee Feed Mill in Cattaraugus, and Sixt Lumber in Little Valley. Due to the cost of shipping heavy jars, Stein doesn’t do a lot of mail orders; however, customers can contact her through Facebook or email and make a plan for local pickup at one of the businesses that carry her products.
“The folks at HoliMont have been so great about letting me put it in the office,” she said. “We get a lot of walk-ins at HoliMont and boy, do they buy mustard! Sometimes they ski, too.”
Learn more about Stein’s products and contact her via Facebook by following Aunt Deb Stein’s Hot Mustard or emailing steinsmustard@gmail.com.