Snacks from the Earth: Raw Mountain Foods

A few weeks ago I sat down for tea with Candace Tierney. She’s the founder of Raw Mountain Foods, a Carp-based company that makes snacks from plants.

Raw Mountain Foods’ celery root chips, blueberry kale chips and other products are available at Rainbow Foods, Herb and Spice, The Green Door Grocer, Market Organics, the Natural Food Pantry in Kanata and a few other local shops, as well as online.

Some of the ingredient combinations may sound unusual, but Candace explains that’s part of their appeal, to her and to customers. She’s careful to match and balance flavours, and conducts market research before launching new products. She also does product demos around town so people have a chance to get to know what’s available.

Candace’s love of experimenting with ingredients arose during her late teens, when she began changing her own diet in order to feel healthier and deal with childhood food sensitivities. She started adding foods from her own garden, and began creating recipes, many of which are plant-based, vegan and/or raw.

“That’s kind of where my love of food grew,” she says.

Candace also draws food influences from her travels in Southeast Asia, and acquired a marketing degree before launching Raw Mountain Foods just over a year ago.

“It’s going great,” she says, adding, “I’m very grateful to have a lot of incredible people around me that support me.”

So far Raw Mountain Foods has focused on plant-based snacks, with ingredients sourced seasonally from local farms where possible, and some imported bulk items, including organic chia seeds, raw organic cacao powder and raw organic coconut flakes.

Part of what Candace wants to accomplish is to share her love of healthy food with people, and demonstrate that it’s possible to add more local, seasonal and tasty foods to existing diets.

Candace shares recipes—and gorgeous photos of her food creations—on her blog, Raw Mountain Kitchen.