Granola was the culprit
I heard a story once about a guy who fell in love with a puppy at a shelter. He called her “The $600,000 Dog” because he then had to buy a house with a yard for the “free” puppy.
This mirrors my relationship with granola.
Granola ended up being responsible for several hundred thousand dollars in loans, kitchen equipment, furnishings, pantry items and workers around the clock. Because at some point of what I’m sure was delirium, I decided that my granola must be housed in my own restaurant … you know, the one I didn’t own yet.
It all started when I decided that every granola I tried was too sugary.
I liked the concept of granola, don’t get me wrong. I had been eating it since the ’70s. But I figured there had to be a better, healthier way. I dove into creating my own recipe with honey and maple syrup as my staple sweeteners with just a scant bit of sugar to give it some granular depth.
I wanted a granola with more than just oats, so I packed my original recipe with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, and sometimes fresh apples, cut into small chunks that became delicious pops of flavor from slowly toasting in the oven. Mary’s Marvelous Original Granola became a popular flavor with more than just me.
For the devoted purists, vowing for low fat, no nuts, no fruit and no oil, I created a flavor that was exactly that. It was crunchy, barely sweet and delightfully plain.
At some point, the holidays came around, which invented another unique Mary’s Marvelous granola flavor with dried cranberry and chewy, candied ginger and lots of toasted walnuts. Some people ask how I came up with candied (crystallized) ginger, and to that, I have no real answer. I just added what I liked. I hadn’t seen any granola out there with what I liked - candied ginger.
Then, of course, I had that decadent chocolate craving moment when I decided to create a Chocolate Almond Granola with big, fat chunks of chocolate (whatever was in the dry pantry) and almonds. I’d cook the granola to its finish, then fold in the chocolate chunks while it was still warm creating wonderful “globs” of oats, almonds and chocolate.
Most recently, I’ve created a new, really unique version of my granola, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
Initially, I sold a small amount of granola in the Hamptons’ popular Red Horse Market. As sales and popularity increased, I decided to drive to the corporate office of the largest supermarket chain on Long Island and ask for an appointment with the product buyer. He met with me that same day (which I heard later was completely unusual) and enthusiastically took on my entire line of granola (all four flavors) for their Hamptons store.
In just a matter of time, I hired a distributor and was renting a commissary kitchen to make my granola to meet the increasing demand.
I would schlepp all the ingredients and several huge industrial bins from my house. Over several hours, I’d make pounds and pounds of granola and seal it tightly in the bins. Then I’d schlepp the giant bins back to my house where the assembly line of packaging, labeling and boxing bags of granola finished the process. Readying orders for delivery and pick up.
It might have been the growing demand and the schlepp that was the tipping point
As we look back at our biggest decisions in life, I think that most of them are made out of pain, annoyance or absence. We either have too much of one thing that we don’t want … or too little of the thing we do want … and so we act.
This is why the production routine in the commissary kitchen, shuffling giant sheet pans loaded “just so” with granola, for hours, in and out of the ovens, was the culprit behind the creation of Mary’s Marvelous café and store.
In short order, I hired Marianna to help me make and pack the granola. She stayed for 20 years as my chief “Granola Maker,” and (side note) when I opened Mary’s Marvelous, she became our head cook.
In the early days of the Amagansett store, we were closed on Wednesday, which became the “official” granola-making day. Wafts of baking granola floated along the sidewalks outside the store. The town folk always knew we were “in production.”
You’ll never guess what my latest granola recipe is made with …
I was thumbing through a Middle East cookbook a few months ago and found a granola recipe made with peanut butter. So delish!
Of course, as all chefs do, I’ve made my own variations since, and I’ve landed with a recipe I really like the taste and texture of. I use olive oil and peanut butter with cardamom and lots of pumpkin and sesame seeds and a little bit of salt. I finish it with a good swath of unsweetened coconut flake and use a combination of maple syrup and honey for sweetness. Pure heaven.
My All New Granola
Granola is quite easy and quick to prepare. Most of the time spent is measuring the ingredients and tending the granola as it slowly toasts in the oven. This recipe doesn't include any fruit, but you can certainly add some if you like. Raisins, currants, dried cranberries, or apricots would all work well. If you decide to use dried fruit, add it during the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent it from becoming hard. You can also experiment with different nuts or a combination of nuts; I've used pistachios, walnuts, and pecans in the past. (See note below.)