written by Lauren Kramer
1 WOODINVILLE WHISKEY CO.’S BARREL-AGED MAPLE SYRUP
Back in 2012, Orlin Sorensen, co-founder of Woodinville Whiskey Co., started an experiment barrel-aging maple syrup in one of the whiskey barrels. “We thought it might taste like bourbon, and draw out the rich notes of vanilla, oak and warm spice, and we were right—it turned out spectacularly,” she recalled. The Grade A pure syrup, tapped from a family farm, is aged for a full year in freshly emptied bourbon barrels. The final product has a bold, complex flavor that is a great ingredient in cocktails, savory dishes, barbeque sauce and more.
Woodinville Whiskey has a passion for experimenting and innovating, and in addition to its maple syrup, bourbon and rye whiskeys, it also offers barrel-aged coffee beans.
14509 WOODIN-VILLE REDMOND ROAD NE
WOODINVILLE
www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com
2 LUMMI ISLAND WILD
If you care about sustainably harvested salmon, you’ll want to try salmon caught by Lummi Island Wild, a co-op where the fishermen practice a centuries-old, solar-powered Coast Salish fishing method called reefnetting. “Lummi Island’s Legoe Bay is the only place in the world where reefnet fishing occurs,” said Lauren Doll, marketing director. Fish are gently hand-sorted, and bycatch is returned to the ocean. That gentle harvesting method means the fish experience no stress, which makes a big difference to the taste, she says. “When fish are unstressed, there’s no lactic acid building up in the salmon muscle, and the result is salmon with higher fat, a richer flavor and a better texture.”
Lummi Island Wild partners with tribal fishing partners to expand its seafood to halibut, shellfish, whitefish, canned salmon and canned tuna. All its fishermen are local and practice sustainable fishing. Its seafood is available on its website and at PCC Markets and Haggen the Food Co-op.
3 FLOUR & OLIVE CAKE MIX
Estelle Sohne left a career in law to raise a family in Kirkland, but discovered a love of baking along the way. In 2023, she launched Flour & Olive with a selection of four luxury cake mixes, each of them containing a custom blend of unbleached and whole-wheat flour, non-aluminum baking powder and natural flavors, and all suggesting olive oil for the finished product. Her new company immediately garnered attention from the Specialty Food Association, which handed her a gold award for the almond mix in 2024 and a gold finalist distinction in 2025.
“My mixes allow average or non-experienced bakers to enter the world of baking in a really easy way,” she said. “They can use the recipe at the back of the box and make something really simple, or scan a QR code to find other recipes with which to use the mix, representing international and ethnic favorites.” Flour & Olive’s ginger cake mix has twelve recipes to choose from, including Ethiopian coffee spice cake with espresso cream, while the vanilla cake mix has more than thirty. The use of olive oil instead of butter creates a lighter, healthier cake, she added, but without sacrificing its deliciousness.
The cake mixes, available in almond, ginger, chocolate and vanilla, are available for purchase on their website, at select grocery stores and on Amazon.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this so soon.