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The Perfect Cheesecake Bite For Spring

Sweet Tooth? No Problem!

Maybe you’re prepping for swimsuit season, maybe you’re still sticking to your New Year’s resolution (if so, big congrats!), but many folks these days are working to cut back on sugar and watching their calories.

And that’s the tough spot, right? You want to maintain your health goals, while still enjoying the little things in life… like cheesecake! 

Not to worry: if you’re looking for smaller portion sizes that will appease your sweet tooth without compromising your waistline, we have just the thing for you. Cheesecake Bites give you that perfect bite of sweet – without the huge portions or tempting leftovers.

In fact, we think they’re the perfect, light treat for spring!

 

Real.Good.Cheesecake (Bites.)

The first version of our Cheesecake Bites was inspired by our popular 3” Mini Cheesecakes. Those small, personal-sized cheesecakes were such a hit, we decided to experiment even more when it comes to personal-sized cheesecakes! We excitedly debuted our Cheesecake Bites – but you may be surprised to know that in the beginning, they came without the delicious chocolate covering. (We know, it’s shocking to even consider!) The chocolate-covered magic was sparked when a customer exclaimed, “Why don’t you cover them in chocolate?! That would be so good!” 

We were floored – and the customer was 100% correct! Now, the 8-pack of Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites has become a huge coast-to-coast hit, for a wide range of folks who love a sweet bite. 

For instance, check out this sweet story from a satisfied customer: 

“…I had been purchasing them primarily for my husband who has Parkinson’s. He’s in a period where nothing tastes good to him. But if he eats one of your cheesecake bites before his meal, (even though he says he doesn’t like cheesecake), the “bite” puts such a good flavor in his mouth that he wants to eat lots of other good things afterwards. I want to keep him eating, so lately, he’s been getting a “bite” before he eats all the time… Thank you for your help in my quest to keep my husband eating. (I and my neighbors also enjoy them!)”

We are so happy to provide high-quality, wholesome treats that are suitable for all lifestyles and patterns of eating. Everyone benefits from a delicious sweet treat – especially in a small and guilt-free portion!

 

Never Artificial, Always Delicious

Keeping with our commitment to excellence, our Cheesecake Bites are all-natural and handmade with only REAL ingredients, such as local fruit and real cane sugar, cream cheese, and butter. And our guarantee continues: you’ll never, ever find high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavors or colors in our cheesecakes.

This means you’re in the clear – and you can enjoy with ease, knowing that our ingredients are 100% pure and whole foods. Sweet and satisfying – it’s a win! And you can rest easy,
knowing the wholesome ingredients and small portion
sizes won’t derail your fitness goals. 

 

Cheesecake: The Best Kind of Spring Fling

Our Cheesecake Bites are such a hit, we’ve expanded their menu to 12 fantastic flavors

 – including some light-and-lively flavors that are perfect for spring.

A few of our top recommendations for springtime are Lemon, Key Lime, and Coconut – each covered in a delicious chocolate coating and the perfect serving size for a quick bite (without the temptation to go overboard!). 

If you’re looking for a different type of flavor, we also offer our Cheesecake Bites in classic flavors like New York, Chocolate and Espresso. And we’ll give you a sneak peek:
we’re debuting a fantastic new flavor this fall – Maple Pecan!

Kroger, Publix, and Albertsons/Safeway stores carry a selection of our Cheesecake Bites. I would also encourage our audience to contact their local grocers to see if they carry our bites.


Find Your Store!

If your mouth is watering, you can easily purchase Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake Bites at your local Kroger, Publix, or Albertsons/Safeway store – and we provide our products to multiple local stores, too! Contact your market of choice to see if they carry Chuckanut Bay Cheesecakes and let us know which flavor’s your favorite! 

 

The Perfect Cheesecake Bite For Spring2021-04-19T06:37:41-07:00

The Miraculous Huckleberry

When you think of huckleberries, what comes to mind?

 

If you’re anything like us, maybe you picture rolling mountains, warm summer nights, and Grandma’s favorite pie. But beyond that, we tend to draw a blank.

 

As it turns out, each of those scenes is totally correct, but there’s so much more to huckleberries and we got the scoop from the pros! We reached out to Tom LaMonte, owner of Northwest Wild Foods — our source for getting the amazing huckleberries used in our huckleberry cheesecake — and he filled us in on this incredible fruit. 

 

Let’s dive in!

Huckleberry vs. Blueberry

 

The huckleberry is commonly compared to the blueberry — and on the surface, this makes total sense. They come from the same family, but while blueberries are obviously blue, huckleberries are much more vibrant and are often hued red, purple, and even black. And on the inside, the differences continue. The inside fruit of the blueberry is often white-ish in color, while huckleberries keep their jewel tones with a blue interior.

 

But the differences are much more than skin-deep. Tom describes huckleberries as “blueberries on steroids” with much more sweetness and tang than your average blueberry (YUM!). 

 

We perused Northwest Wild Foods to get the scoop on the incredible health benefits of huckleberries — and for good reason! Huckleberries are fantastic for heart health, eye health, and vascular health, as well as being high in Vitamins C, A and B, iron, and potassium. The benefits just keep coming! 

 

Delicious AND nutritious? What a win! And to make them taste that much sweeter, you can only get them in one place on earth…

 

Huckleberry Heaven

 

The magic all happens in the North Cascades, at elevations between 2,000 and 6,000 feet. “I’ve never seen or heard of [edible] huckleberries from anywhere else but here,” Tom told us. The huckleberry’s peak season occurs from around mid-August to mid-September — and that’s it! 

 

This explains why they’re such a hot commodity. 

 

You’ll never hear of a huckleberry farm, either! “The University of Idaho tried to farm huckleberries for twenty years without success,” Tom explained. “Huckleberries are all wild, foraged in the mountains and grown by Mother Nature!” 

 

No wonder they taste absolutely magical. 

Pancakes, Cheesecake, and Salmon – Oh My!

 

We were curious: what’s the best way to use the huckleberry in cooking? 

 

“We began selling wild blackberries and wild huckleberries to restaurants, as they make a superior dessert,” Tom shared with us. “We then realized the health benefits of the berries later on, and it’s a win-win! Huckleberries go into anything a blueberry could, and will always make it better. Some of our favorites are huckleberry lemonade, huckleberry pancakes, huckleberries mixed into lemon yogurt, and in a huckleberry crisp.” We’re sure you can agree that wow, these sound incredible!

 

We also found a delicious-sounding recipe for Grilled Salmon with Huckleberry Relish, if you have more of a savory palate. And here’s the good news: even if you’re not able to travel to the North Cascades at an elevation of 2,000-6,000 feet during late August, you can still access incredible wild huckleberries from our friends at Northwest Wild Foods. They sell a variety of berries, both fresh and frozen — and they’re always picked wild and sustainably preserved. 

 

However, if you’re not quite up to another cooking endeavor, we have a solution! You can get the taste of wild-grown, ethically-sourced huckleberries in our Huckleberry Cheesecake, made (as always!) with natural, whole ingredients. It’s the perfect way to get a quick taste of summer as we wait for spring to arrive – and we offer a sugar-free version, too. You can enjoy a fantastic cheesecake, no matter your lifestyle! 

 

Real.Good.(Huckleberry)Cheesecake.

 

Huckleberries just might become our new favorite berry — and for good reason! They offer a wide variety of health benefits, and are the perfect addition to all kinds of recipes, both sweet and savory. Get a taste of huckleberry goodness, and grab a cheesecake to share (or enjoy alone — we’ll never tell).

The Miraculous Huckleberry2021-03-09T20:42:47-08:00

Valentine’s Day: An Excuse to Eat Sweet

Welcome to February: the season of love, sweet treats, and tons of pink – the ultimate Hallmark holiday. And not everyone enjoys it…

In fact, you might have heard of Galentines’ Day, celebrated Feb. 13th with your closest friends – and for some of the single members of society, a better name for Valentine’s Day is S.A.D., or Singles Awareness Day

But in reality, it’s way more meaningful than pictures of cupids and cartoon hearts: Valentine’s Day has tons of history that make it fascinating. From the 3rd century to modern-day, Valentine’s Day has remained a beloved tradition – and a great reason to indulge in something sweet!

 

The Origin Story

Today’s Valentine’s Day celebrations center around love, but the original holiday was… just a little different. This event, called Lupercalia, was instituted by the ancient Romans and took place in mid-February – but that’s where the similarities end. 

Lupercalia originally celebrated a time of purification after winter, the arrival of spring and the birth of new things. It also included a 3rd-century version of “The Bachelor” – the pairing off of eligible men and women in a lottery format.

 

Though you’re probably not celebrating Valentine’s Day with a 3rd-century version of Speed Dating, you may be more familiar with the myth of St. Valentine…

 


The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Though there were a few saints named Valentine in the early 3rd century, one popular story involves a bishop named Valentine who lived in Terni, Italy, and was martyred in the year 270. According to myth, he wrote a letter to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and cured of blindness, and signed it, “from your Valentine” – and the first Valentine’s Day card was created! 

Another legend is even more compelling: during the time of St. Valentine’s martyrdom by Emperor Claudius II (also known as Claudius the Cruel), Rome was involved in multiple bloody and unpopular wars and skirmishes. Claudius struggled to maintain a strong military presence, and he believed that his men’s attachments to their wives and families were to blame… so he banned all engagements and weddings. 

St. Valentine rebelled against this unfair decree and married couples in secret, sparking the fury of Claudius the Cruel. Needless to say, his actions earned him his sainthood by the Catholic Church, and he remains so to this day.  

Celebrate with a Sweet Treat

Whether you’re celebrating S.A.D., Galentine’s Day, or sticking with the traditional February 14th romantic celebration, we believe it’s important to celebrate in style. What’s more romantic than giving your significant other a mini-cheesecake in their favorite flavor (may we suggest White Chocolate Raspberry, one of our most popular)? 

Or if you’re doing a girl’s night, show each of them how special they truly are by gifting a cheesecake that perfectly matches their personality: an Espresso cheesecake for your coffee-obsessed friend, a New York cheesecake for your classic-and-elegant sister, and a Pina Colada for that friend who wishes they were on vacation! 

The possibilities are endless – and nothing is more meaningful than a little intentional thoughtfulness!

Our delicious (and all-natural!) cheesecakes are available in many local stores across the United States – find yours here: https://www.chuckanutbay.com/where-to-find-us!

Real.Good.Cheesecake.

However you decide to celebrate, there’s no better time for a sweet treat – especially during a year when celebrating may look a little different. Luckily, you can support local business, invest in all-natural and wholesome ingredients, and show someone (even yourself!) that you care.

Enjoy the day, and tag us if you grab a Chuckanut Bay Cheesecake this year – we’d love to see your celebrations! 

Valentine’s Day: An Excuse to Eat Sweet2021-02-10T15:20:03-08:00

Fruitcake Holiday’s Favorite Treat

Fruitcake: Holiday’s Favorite Treat 

 

We’re going to say it: fruitcake gets a bad rap. Maybe it’s the fact that the expiration date is almost nonexistent, maybe it’s the stereotype of a rock-hard, sugary-sweet brick of cake. We get it. 

The good news is we’re here to change the narrative and say, fruitcake is an amazing part of the holiday season, and we can prove it!

Centuries of Fruitcake

Fruitcake has been around in various forms since the ancient Romans, who created their own pomegranate-barley granola bar (which, truthfully, sounds amazing). Fruitcake as we know it was born in the Middle Ages, with the addition of honey, spices, and dried fruit. 

Fruitcake became popular all throughout Europe, and nowadays countries from Bulgaria to the Bahamas enjoy the rich and spirited taste of fruitcake.

Chuckanut Bay Foods: Holiday Edition

Our rich, fruit-studded history with fruitcake began in 2008, the early days of Chuckanut Bay Foods. At that time,

 we were in the process of growing the cheesecake business you see today, and we wanted to make use of the kitchen and our awesome staff even on the slow season. 

And, like most things in life, it all started with a simple question we asked our local Haggen’s: “What else can we do for your bakeries?”

Their bakery was making fruitcake from scratch at the time, and looking to free up their team for other projects – so we stepped right in. 

Real.Good.Fruitcake.

During our testing period, we worked hard to create a similar-but-different fruitcake that incorporates all the most-loved elements of the traditional one… but without the overly-sugary flavor and heaviness! 

To begin, we perfected a delicious spice cake base – and of course, then came the cherries! We stuck with the traditional red-and-green, and our fruitcake became a twist on the original. Think, “cake with a few accent cherries”, instead of “entire cake made of cherries”.

But we didn’t stop there!

To align with our commitment to real ingredients, we also created a version of fruitcake that ditches the preserved fruit and emphasizes natural, healthy ingredients instead. 

In our All-Natural Fruitcake, you can enjoy the taste of the season through delicious candied orange peel, raspberries, raisins, cranberries, pineapple, strawberries, walnuts, pepitas, and more! 

Whether you prefer an upgraded taste of the classic, or are looking for a brand new twist, we think you’ll LOVE the fruitcake recipes we’ve developed – and you can indulge guilt-free, knowing both of these delectable fruitcakes are handmade from scratch by our dedicated team!

“I had never even tried fruitcake because of the bad reputation, but this Thanksgiving I took a chance on yours and let’s just say wow. Absolutely delicious. Thanks so much and happy holidays!” – S.T.

Spruce Up Your Holiday

You can choose from the Natural Loaf, the tried and true Traditional Loaf, or even a fun-and-festive Wreath Loaf to spruce up your holiday table. And good news – our fruitcake is now available in over 1,000 stores across the country! The reviews are always glowing, and we’d love for you to experience one of our favorite parts of the Christmas season. 

“Just want to let you know how much my family enjoys your fruitcake. I bought it last Christmas for the first time at my local QFC store. I was so happy to find it again today. A very delicious product. Thank you.” 

– J.D. 

Give fruitcake a second chance – and start a whole new holiday tradition! 

Browse Fruitcakes

 

Fruitcake Holiday’s Favorite Treat2020-12-17T15:04:31-08:00

A Pumpkin Paradise

The Best of Two Delicious Worlds

As Thanksgiving gets closer and closer this year, so does the desire for comfort food that brings us back to holidays spent with family and friends. 

We’re excited to introduce one of our favorite holiday flavors that combines two classic desserts – New York Cheesecake and Pumpkin Pie. Meet the Paradise Pumpkin Pie, a family favorite of one of our co-owners Julie! 

Classic Thanksgiving, with a twist!

The magic began over a regular night and a regular dinner… 

Julie and Matt, two of our co-owners, were hard at work brainstorming a new seasonal flavor that would bring both nostalgia… and something just a little different!

“I immediately thought back to my Aunt Marty’s Paradise Pumpkin Pie and suggested that we might want to offer it as an interesting flavor profile for the season,” Julie explains. 

For Julie, holidays mean food and family – and Aunt Marty’s pie was the highlight!

“When I think back to those special family get-togethers when I was a child, I alway remember the food! We have a large family and everyone would bring something no matter which house was hosting. Of course, my first thought was always, ‘Is Aunt Marty bringing her Paradise Pumpkin Pie?’”

This combination of delight and comfort made Paradise Pumpkin Pie the perfect candidate to test out for our customers – and it’s become a hit!

 

The Process

When you’re a home baker, you can take as long as you like to trial-and-error the perfect recipe. However, when you are making thousands, 

the process cnnot take quite so long. Once again, our Research and Development team came to the rescue, spending months to create the absolute perfect proportion of flavor and texture! 

Now, Julie explains, “It sits on a graham crust instead of in a pie shell and when you cut into it, the dessert layers look beautiful. The taste is just as I remember it.”

Sounds like a win to us!

 

Comfort Food – Extra Comfort, Please

This year, we need a little comfort and normalcy – and luckily, this dessert accomplishes exactly that! 

We want our customers to experience the best of two quintessentially American desserts: The New York style cheesecake and the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. 

“I hope that they enjoy, just as I did when I was a child, the loving atmosphere of friends and family… And with the anticipation of the best sweet treat coming to close the meal!”

Cheers to that, Julie – and what a sweet treat it is! The layers of pumpkin pie and New York-style cheesecake complement each other perfectly – and the pecan streusel topper creates the most satisfying crunch and cinnamon-y flavor. It’s truly a win!

You know the saying… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! We like to switch it up a little and say, “If two things ain’t broke, put them together and make them even better” – and voila! This Paradise Pumpkin Cheesecake perfectly fits the bill of a dessert full of nostalgia, cheer, and holiday spirit, no matter what your holiday plans may be. 

You can find us at a wide variety of local and national grocery stores – see the full list here!

 

 

A Pumpkin Paradise2020-11-24T22:16:08-08:00

Spooky Season: Chuckanut Bay-Style!

When you hear the phrase “most wonderful time of the year”, you probably think of Christmas, right? Well, here at Chuckanut Bay Foods, we think of HALLOWEEN!

And leading the pack of Halloween aficionados is Gina, our beloved Production Manager! Each year, she puts on an elaborate Halloween event, open to the public – with a specific theme, games & activities, and of course tons of Halloween candy… and this year is going to be a good one!

Six Years of Magic

The themes Gina has chosen are always creative – and fully immersive!

The past years have ranged from classic horror to pop culture scares – last year, for example, we visited “Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory” – and the year before was “Raven’s Roost”!

For this sixth iteration of our Halloween House, Gina settled on the theme “Carnival of Clowns”. And this year, there are multiple stations, including four carnival games, a cotton candy booth, a photo booth, the Clown Town Hooch House (hot buttered rum, anyone?) and an outdoor movie theater – and there’s even more we didn’t mention!

The best part? Over 500 carnival prizes, candy for each station, 8 dozen homemade cookies, and plenty of rum to go around!

It Takes a Village

We absolutely love watching Gina put on this event each year – and this year, it’s been especially exciting to watch 3 of our team members get involved as volunteers (both working during the event, and those who took the time to bake cookies)! Additionally, several other businesses in the community have also made contributions that have made a world of difference.

On behalf of Gina (and the rest of our team), a big thank you to Pacific Building Center for their loan of popcorn and cotton candy machines. What a great way to keep the kids happy! (And the adults… no judging here.)

The kids are also going to love the 2500 pieces of candy donated by Windermere Realty – and the pumpkins donated by CostCutter have gone miles in decorating for our Halloween House! We’re so grateful to our community who has come together to make the event an awesome one – especially during a year where nothing moves on as normal!

 

 

Creativity and Community

Every good business and event has their WHY – and the Halloween House is no different! Gina loves the reward that comes from

challenging her imagination each year – and the opportunity to create a new idea, filled with wonder and excitement.

But even more importantly, her favorite part is truly the people!

“It feels so good to give to the community. To see the little kids’ eyes light up with curiosity and magic is why I do it – and why I’ll do it until I’m in the dirt,” says Gina.

“Another fun element of this is the reaction I get from the grownups, who are almost as curious and thrilled as the kids – because I believe we all need a little magic, no matter how old we are!”

Join us this Halloween

We are so excited for this year’s Halloween House – and we’re so grateful for Gina and each person who has pitched in to make this year a fun one, for kids and their parents alike!

If you’re looking for Halloween plans, we’d love for you to join us! Our open house is from 5pm-8:30pm, Saturday the 31st! We’re at 608 C St in Blaine.

And of course, we’d like to note that Halloween House is an open-house, outdoor event. We are COVID-compliant and will be implementing six feet of separation, as well as wearing masks and gloves. All treats will be prepared in advance and pre-bagged, so no little hands are at risk.

We’ll see you there!

Spooky Season: Chuckanut Bay-Style!2020-10-29T14:37:01-07:00

Chocolate Necessities: Excellence You Can Taste

Picture with us, if you will, a business founded on creativity, melding the best techniques throughout history to create something both new and deliciously familiar. A standard of uncompromising excellence that never fails to inspire and delight – and satisfies that sweet tooth as well.

Curious yet? Meet Chocolate Necessities, a world-class artisan chocolate company that we’ve had the pleasure of building a close relationship with over the years here at Chuckanut Bay Foods. 

Allow us to introduce you to founder Kevin Buck and show you what puts Chocolate Necessities in a league totally their own!

A History of Excellence

Though Chocolate Necessities is based in beautiful Bellingham, WA, their story actually begins in Banff, Alberta. In the early 80s, a young Kevin Buck tasted fine chocolate (from prestige chocolatier Bernard Callebaut) for the very first time while there on a trip…and he immediately fell in love. 

At the time, there were only a few fine chocolatiers outside of Europe, so after his education in fine chocolate, Kevin had to make a decision: if he wanted to pursue creating (and consuming) chocolate fit for royalty, he would have to buy wholesale. And that meant one thing: starting his own business.

The year is 1986 – and Chocolate Necessities has its first retail location. They opened their doors in a small store on the Guide Meridian in Bellingham and it’s still there today. The first truffle created was Amaretto – still a fan favorite to this day!

 

International Meets Local – A Winning Combination

In order to create chocolate fit for a king, Kevin made the decision to source both locally and abroad, merging the best of both worlds to create something truly special. On the international end, he uses pure Tahitian vanilla for his truffles, straight from the source, and cocoa powder from Holland. 

But when it comes to the little touches that make Chocolate Necessities’ treats so special, Kevin knows the best is right next door. He’s proud to utilize local vendors such as Samson Winery, Holmquist Hazelnuts, Chuckanut Bay Distillery, and locally-roasted Lotus Coffee, just to name a few.

 

What Real Cheesecake and Real Chocolate Have in Common 

As it turns out, Chuckanut Bay Foods and Chocolate Necessities create different products, but at the same time, we share so much! Kevin Buck and his team share our commitment to using all-natural, 100% pure ingredients – even if sometimes that means having extra hoops to jump through. 

Kevin and our founders both emphasize combining creativity and precision to craft original, joy-inducing products while ensuring they’re consistent – every single time. It’s a science – but it’s also an art!

 

To Life-Long Friendships & Partnerships

We’re grateful for so many years of friendship with Kevin and his team. They always support our creation, encourage us to try new things, and provide an awesome local company to test out new products!

If hearing the word “chocolate” so many times hasn’t convinced you to treat yourself to North America’s best chocolatier, check out a few of these truffle flavors: Honey Roasted Almond, Mandarin Orange, Balsamic Caramel, and Strawberry Lemonade, just to name a very few. 

Besides truffles, Chocolate Necessities offers a huge variety of dark, milk, white and ruby chocolate products – and their second location in Downtown Bellingham also offers world-class gelato and sorbetto when you need a little authentic Italian refreshment!

 

We encourage you to indulge in a fine local chocolate company – and grab a fresh, delicious cheesecake while you’re at it! 

Chocolate Necessities: Excellence You Can Taste2020-09-28T15:00:11-07:00

Raspberry Bliss The Perfect Ingredient

Ready for a taste of our behind-the-scenes operations? 

If you’re a Whatcom County local, you probably already know that our area is the largest producer of raspberries in the world (over 95%!). And even if you’re not, you’re sure to have experienced some of the amazing local bounty our region has produced. 

We’re so lucky to be able to partner with local raspberry producer Cut Maberry Farm to produce our fan favorite White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, as well as our fresh and tropical Mango Raspberry Cheesecake! We’re excited to introduce you to this great company and spread the word about one of our all-time favorite flavors. 

Behind the Berry

We all know and love raspberries as a quick, sweet snack – and they’ve been popular throughout history.

There’s evidence they’ve been a favorite since around 30 B.C. – yes, you read that right. Over 2,000 years of popularity! There’s very early records of cultivation in the 4th century, and we can most likely thank the Romans for spreading them as crops throughout Europe. 

In the Middle Ages, raspberries were most often used for medicinal purposes and as a paint or dye… but by the 17th century, British gardens were full of raspberry bushes – prized both for their beautiful fruit, but also cultivated to enjoy as a treat.

As we know, raspberries were brought to America and exploded in popularity – the rest is (family) history!

Meet the Maberrys

Introducing the Maberry family – four generations and counting! It all starts with Leonard & Blanche Maberry,  who joined their son W.E. Maberry and his wife Kathleen on their little family farm in 1944. A few years later, in 1946, the family celebrated their first harvest of 21 acres of strawberries – and the birth of W.E. and Kathleen’s son Curt. 

When Leonard retired from farming in 1959, W.E. and Curt added raspberries – and we’re so glad they did!

Curt Maberry purchased the farm in 1973, and under his guidance the farm grew to nearly 1,000 acres of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries – and added its own onsite processing facilities. Now, we’re on to the current (and 4th) generation of Maberrys; Matt, Angie, and Mandi, who provide us with the best possible berries, year after year.

Sweet + Healthy

What’s not to love?! Besides being delicious (and an incredible cheesecake ingredient), raspberries offer tons of antioxidants, vitamins A, E, C, and B, and minerals like magnesium and calcium to keep you healthy and feeling your best. 

There’s even evidence that the antioxidants contained in raspberries can prevent platelet buildup (a serious factor in cardiovascular disease), potentially reduce cancer cells, and prevent inflammation (a risk factor for type 2 diabetes). 

Raspberries are an awesome snack that serves as the perfect replacement for sugary treats like candy and soda – while still satisfying that sweet tooth!

Real. Good. Raspberries

 

We already knew we were biased, but it turns out that raspberries are pretty much the perfect food.

They’re good for you in a variety of ways that support long-term health, as well as being delish and an easy way to support local farmers. 

There’s so many ways to eat raspberries – and if you’re looking for ideas, might we suggest a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake? Try one today – we know you’ll love it!

Raspberry Bliss The Perfect Ingredient2020-08-25T15:57:08-07:00

Delicious Pick-Me-Ups and Treasured Partnerships

This past February, Chuckanut Bay Cheesecakes took a brand new step. We had our first product collaboration with a restaurant chain, Burgerville, and presented a new product – a Cherry Cheesecake Shake (and yes, it was as good as it sounds!). While this product was a seasonal offering only, it opened the door to a new element of our business – partnering with restaurants to create exclusive desserts.

More American Than Apple Pie

Burgers and milkshakes: two legendary fast-food staples. In fact, it’d be hard to come up with a more classic American combo. Burgerville has been a Washington State staple since it was started in 1961. Their mission statement can be summed up in three different words: fresh, local, and sustainable.

It’s the best feeling to find a partner that aligns so closely with our own values: we work hard to use REAL ingredients like all-natural vanilla, cream cheese, and locally-produced butter. This collaboration was a great way to lift up small businesses and local farmers, highlighting their products and showing their amazing offerings to a whole new audience. Win-win-win!

But before we created the perfect treat, we had some snags to get through…

Real.Good.Milkshakes.

We pride ourselves on producing high-quality (and delicious!) desserts at a reasonable price. But collaborating with Burgerville to create something completely new posed a challenge. When you’re working at a burger joint, speed and convenience are key. And trying to scoop slices of cheesecake out of a pan was just simply not doable!

So we faced a new test: how could we make our cheesecake scoopable and easily blendable so Burgerville employees could whip up some cheesecake shakes in no time?

After some trial and error, we came up with the perfect idea: a cheesecake that was slightly softer and without a crust, while maintaining the delicious flavor and texture that we’re known for.

We were so excited to be able to pivot and develop a modified recipe to best suit Burgerville’s needs – and voila! A scoopable, delicious, creamy cheesecake that blended perfectly and tasted amazing. Our plain cheesecake offered the perfect backdrop for ANY flavor, whether cherry, chocolate, or something even more creative.

We were happy, Burgerville was happy, and most important of all… their customers were REALLY happy! The milkshake was more popular than we had ever anticipated, and that got us so excited to collaborate with even more restaurant chains down the road.

Let’s make something amazing!

Our vision is this: creative collaborations that will elevate both of our brands and bring forth enticing new offerings.

If you pride yourself on fresh and wholesome ingredients, and you’re interested in collaborating on an awesome new product for your restaurant, this might just be a match made in dessert heaven.

Shoot a message to Mark at markh@chuckanutbay.com and let’s make some cheesecake magic!

Delicious Pick-Me-Ups and Treasured Partnerships2020-07-01T13:32:21-07:00

Efficiency + Quality: The Story of Lean Manufacturing

Ready for a taste of our behind-the-scenes operations? 

Since our earliest beginnings, Chuckanut Bay Foods has been proud to utilize Lean manufacturing techniques to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and create even more value for you. 

Originally derived in 1930 from the world-class Toyota Production System (TPS), Lean Manufacturing has continued to benefit businesses in hundreds of industries over the years, including our own. The Lean system works relentlessly to eliminate waste from the manufacturing process, making it an ongoing adventure of improving our flow and keeping everyone engaged. 

How does Lean make a difference?

We’ve all seen that famous I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel are working in a chocolate factory, manning a conveyor belt. The job seems simple: as chocolates roll by, they’re to wrap each one in a paper and place it back on the belt for packaging.

As the conveyor belt rolls, they quickly fall behind, and we see Lucy stuffing her mouth full of chocolates to hide the fact that they can’t keep up!

This episode is a true classic, but we can learn a little about Lean principles here as well…

The goal of Lean is to reduce waste in every step of the manufacturing process – and it’s clear to see that there are lots of inefficiencies going on in Lucy and Ethel’s process. This is where Lean comes in. 

For example, we could streamline Lucy and Ethel’s workspace by making the paper easier to grab, saving them time and effort. Or, we could train them in one Standard Operating Procedure so they wrap each piece in the same way, every time, reducing waste by eliminating sloppy workmanship and allowing them to increase their speed. 

Less is More!  

But what’s our root motivation in implementing Lean in every area of our processing?

It’s YOU, our customer! Every improvement that we make throughout our team is made with you in mind, and our entire team is brainstorming daily about how we can improve your experience.

For instance, our time-saving measures mean we have more time for responsiveness and customer engagement, answering your questions and filling your orders in a quick and prompt manner. And streamlined production means less time waiting for your cheesecake. Because who wants to wait?! 

Our dedication to consistency means that you’ll never have to worry about the quality of our desserts. We’re excited to be able to create better service and more value for you while reducing the resources we use along the way. 

Less waste = more cheesecake goodness. 

 

Values, Goals, & Practices

Here at Chuckanut Bay Foods, it is deeply important to us that we maintain integrity with our values and goals, as people and as a company. These include:

  • Respect for people.
  • The endless pursuit of the identification and elimination of waste.
  • Striving for FLOW.
  • Achieve PULL through our company.
  • Keeping everyone actively engaged in the improvement process.

These values and goals are why we started utilizing the Lean business model from our earliest beginnings. As we have grown as a company, so has our Lean practices. As a core part of our production management development, we have built our Quality Program on the Lean principle that quality improves as waste is reduced.

Our daily operations focus on the “6S” – Sort, Straighten, Scrub, Safety, Standardize, and Sustain. Audits are conducted daily by department heads with our staff to ensure the application of the 6S and to find more ways to improve the work area.

We’ve worked hard to implement Lean and create proper flow, maintain organization, and create motion-friendly layouts for our team. Reducing time spent and physical waste means keeping prices low for you – and your cheesecake delivery time quicker than ever!

Real.Good.Teamwork.

There are more benefits to Lean manufacturing than just the processes. Involving our entire team in this standard has had an amazing unifying effect, increasing a feeling of ownership at all levels throughout the company. 

Eliminating waste not only allows us to bring more value to you, our customer, but efficiency goes a long way in reducing stress for our employees as well! When customer satisfaction is prioritized and employee participation is valued, the workplace becomes a place to take initiative in developing better methods. 

Our Lean mission has given our workers a sense of purpose and allowed them to see how much we value them and their opinions. Each member of our team knows that they’re a part of something much bigger than just clocking in and mindlessly working without direction. The motivation to find better, cleaner, smarter ways to do a task is a never-ending challenge – one that our team rises to every day!

Trust us: cheesecake tastes better when it’s made by happy employees.

We call that a win-win!

Efficiency + Quality: The Story of Lean Manufacturing2020-09-28T13:46:00-07:00
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