Large, tall stainless steel kettles gently bubble on the gas stoves at Kincades Fine Foods on Queen Street in Almonte, where the little shop is filled with wonderful aromas of jellies, preserves, salsas, vinegars and dessert sauces.

The attractive blue and white store is the perfect setting to show off the many condiments and colourful gift baskets now ready for Christmas. Inside you’ll find Peter’s ice cream parlour offering what’s billed as “the world’s finest banana split” topped with Kincades own chocolate truffle sauce, as well the butterscotch with Jamaican rum sauce.

Larry Kincade launched this operation a few years ago when customers from his previous catering business asked how they could buy his condiments to serve at home. Now, with partners Peter Fedirchuk and Nancy Wheeler, Larry’s wife, this growing enterprise produces products sold in stores as far away as Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal and 30 shops in Ottawa.

Some of the more popular items include red wine salsa (which contains up to 23 ingredients), horseradish jelly, smoked jalapeno (chipotle) jelly, cranberry pear chutney with tawny port, blueberry preserves with ice wine and, of course, the superb Dutch chocolate fudge truffle sauce. “I came from a big family and I was always cooking with my mother, so it’s natural for me to be in the kitchen creating these preserves,” Mr. Kincade says. “I make items with no preservatives or additives. I use only fresh ingredients with natural apple liquid pectin made by Bernardin.”

The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
05 Dec 2001, Wed • Page 62