At the end of June, a board of judges gathered in Paso Robles for a blind tasting event to determine the winners of the California Mid-State Fair’s 2021 Central Coast Vinegar Competition. From a pool of entries encompassing 10 coastal counties (from Alameda to Ventura), Solvang’s Broken Clock Vinegar Works placed first in one of the competition’s five categories.
“We are very grateful there is a competition like this,” said Broken Clock co-founder Jody Williams, whose infused chardonnay and lavender vinegar took home the Best in Class (Infused) award.
The last year Broken Clock competed in the contest was 2019, in which they won one gold, one bronze, and three silver medals. Apart from scoring Best in Class this year, the company earned four more medals (two gold and two silver) to add to its list of accolades.
“We were very excited to find out that we placed again and are very proud of all of our vinegars, but it was especially exciting to win big for the chardonnay lavender,” Williams said. “That vinegar is so beautiful and fun to use. It’s always nice to know a group of highly qualified judges agree.”
Williams also appreciates the competition as an outlet to stay in touch with other vinegar makers from around the state.
“We always have a good time checking out the other winners and discovering new vinegar producers. There aren’t many of us out there,” she said. “We’d love to go tour some of these other producers and see what they’re doing the same/differently, etc.—just like winemakers compare notes, us vinegar makers need to stick together.”
Broken Clock Vinegar Works originated as a cottage food business (in Williams’ home kitchen) in 2016, a year before Williams and her husband acquired an official facility, where they continue to operate today. Over the past few months, the couple has been pondering whether they should pursue a separate location (in either Solvang or Los Olivos) strictly for retail, or continue using its current space for both retail and production.
“We have been busy expanding our product line, increasing distribution, and reinventing our retail location at our production facility to better accommodate COVID-19 safety protocols,” said Williams who currently hosts private tours of the facility (aka The Shrubbery), where guests can catch a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Broken Clock’s infusion and fermentation process.
“We are trying to make it a really unique experience for people, and also educational,” Williams said of the tour. “We try to make sure there are some interesting things going on, like having a vinegar mother that people can see and touch, or something fermenting in one of our large bins.”
One of Williams’ favorite parts of these appointments though is simply witnessing her guests’ reactions during the tasting segment, especially attendees who have never tried a shrub before.
“We love sharing that ‘aha’ moment with people when they have just tasted shrubs for the first time, and a whole new world of flavors and recipes go off like a light bulb,” she said.
The newest shrub flavor guests can look forward to trying is a triple threat—beet, carrot, and cinnamon.
“We have never done anything like it, so we started with a few different trials at home,” Williams said of Broken Clock’s latest experiment. “Thankfully they were delicious, and we settled on this combo.”
Williams ordered beets and carrots from one of her favorite local growers, Finley Farms in Santa Ynez, for the new flavor. Broken Clock has used golden beets in previous shrubs, but this new offering marks the first time Williams and her husband have used red beets.
“The fun thing about red beets is that the color is hot pink, so now we have this amazing product that makes a hot pink cocktail—so fun,” Williams said.
Hot, new flavors aside, the Broken Clock brand has grown into much more than just shrubs, Williams explained.
“Our fermentation line is a fun new focus and also very educational for our customers,” Williams said, while discussing Broken Clock’s take-home pickling kits and lacto-fermentation brine packets available for purchase.
“All you have to do is know which veggie you want to use—cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, squash, etc.,” Williams said, referring to the brine packets, which include beginner-friendly directions and supplies for patrons to create healthy, lacto-fermented foods from the comfort of their own homes.
Although an official start date has yet to be announced, Williams said she and her husband are also planning to host monthly fermentation workshops at Broken Clock, beginning with an introduction to lacto-fermentation (which the couple hopes to host sometime this summer).
Participants will be asked to bring three vegetables of their choice to the class, which they’ll learn how to ferment in jars using spices and other supplies (all included with the price of admission).
“The thing about lacto-fermentation is that you really only need a few supplies to do it right,” said Williams, who offers complimentary samples of lacto-fermented cauliflower, carrots, green beans, and cucumbers to visitors during shrub tastings.
“Eating lacto-fermented foods is linked to all kinds of health benefits, and we try to have examples going at The Shrubbery at all times to serve people while they taste,” Williams said.
Send veggies, tales, and VeggieTales to Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 8-15, 2021.
