Sarah Hedger has had a quite a journey of the heart. She grew up in San Louis Obispo, California, reading cookbooks from cover to cover with parents who made all their food from scratch. She also loved (and still does) food writing and started an organic soup company. When it came to making a decision to study, she naturally started with nutrition. However, she thought the only jobs for a nutritionist in the US would land her in a hospital role, which wasn’t her first choice for a career setting. Sarah really liked business as well, so eventually chose finance as her major and ended up doing commercial real estate. As an entrepreneur she did well, both in the US and also in Wellington, where she moved five years ago. As the years rolled on, however, Sarah found that she was not being consistent with her own life philosophy. Namely, that you should try to fill your days with only those things you really, really love. And she really, really loved food.
In confronting herself, then, she moved to Wanaka to carry on her heart’s journey. Within a short time she met the chef of Whare Kea Lodge,
a Relais & Châteaux property. She started baking and doing breakfasts. Without any professional kitchen experience Sarah nevertheless ended up being the sous chef within six months! Her heart was emerging and so were her real skills in the kitchen. She developed a grain free granola – based mostly on roasted coconut and dark chocolate – that everyone absolutely loved. People badgered her to sell this exceptional stuff commercially but Sarah took her time to work out the best ingredients, the best processes, as well as the logistics of how to produce it while holding down her kitchen day job.
a Relais & Châteaux property. She started baking and doing breakfasts. Without any professional kitchen experience Sarah nevertheless ended up being the sous chef within six months! Her heart was emerging and so were her real skills in the kitchen. She developed a grain free granola – based mostly on roasted coconut and dark chocolate – that everyone absolutely loved. People badgered her to sell this exceptional stuff commercially but Sarah took her time to work out the best ingredients, the best processes, as well as the logistics of how to produce it while holding down her kitchen day job.
When the Whare Kea Lodge slowed down for the season last April Sarah took the opportunity to rent a local commercial kitchen. The time was right to begin placing all of her lessons into her hand made,
small batch, gluten free granola. She chose coconut from Blue Coconut in Christchurch,where they can trace each and every batch back to their exact farms in the South Pacific. Sarah makes her own dark chocolate using organic cacao and coconut oil and the honey comes from Flat Out Apiaries, a couple of kms down the road from her kitchen. The hazelnuts come from Wanaka, too, and the rest (goji berries, chia and almonds) come from wherever she can source the good stuff seasonally. Sarah asked a graphic artist friend in Wellington to do some packaging design and, thus, YUM Granola was born.
small batch, gluten free granola. She chose coconut from Blue Coconut in Christchurch,where they can trace each and every batch back to their exact farms in the South Pacific. Sarah makes her own dark chocolate using organic cacao and coconut oil and the honey comes from Flat Out Apiaries, a couple of kms down the road from her kitchen. The hazelnuts come from Wanaka, too, and the rest (goji berries, chia and almonds) come from wherever she can source the good stuff seasonally. Sarah asked a graphic artist friend in Wellington to do some packaging design and, thus, YUM Granola was born.
Sarah tells me the making of YUM is a three-part process where she has to 1) measure out all the ingredients to concoct a perfect flavour balance,
2) bake the stuff that needs baking and let it cool,
3) mix everything in together. If you’ve ever baked coconut you know it can go from perfectly brown and delicious to burnt and useless in the blink of an eye. Sarah’s partner, Mike, helps bake using his meticulous time-management skills to keep an eye on things, including making sure the home made dark chocolate mixes in and bakes just right. Mike also helps package (by hand) and stands along side Sarah at the various markets they’ve consistently sold out of YUM at.
2) bake the stuff that needs baking and let it cool,
3) mix everything in together. If you’ve ever baked coconut you know it can go from perfectly brown and delicious to burnt and useless in the blink of an eye. Sarah’s partner, Mike, helps bake using his meticulous time-management skills to keep an eye on things, including making sure the home made dark chocolate mixes in and bakes just right. Mike also helps package (by hand) and stands along side Sarah at the various markets they’ve consistently sold out of YUM at.
YUM makes a dark chocolate granola (which has a lovely smidgen of Marlborough Sea Salt added) and an Original version which has a warming cinnamon vibe (because it has cinnamon,
of course) along with rich caramel notes thanks to the local honey. Being a cereal nut, I could eat this stuff all day… and heaps of it. The dark chocolate YUM is so rich and delicious, especially wth some Raglan Coconut Yoghurt, that about a half a bowl does me for the day. This works well with my personal approach to buying food, choosing items that may cost a bit more but provide me with exceptional health benefits, unparalleled quality and a delicious flavour experience. I think this is the heart of living as a modern day epicurean; to thoughtfully and thoroughly enjoy what you buy and eat everyday. Sarah and Mike at YUM share this same kind of thinking which flows authentically from their formidable foodie hearts. Keep your eye out for their lighter Bircher Muesli arriving on shelves soon. It’s going to be made so you can soak and activate it the night before, giving you an enjoyably different grain-free, breakfast Bircher experience. Yum, can’t wait!
of course) along with rich caramel notes thanks to the local honey. Being a cereal nut, I could eat this stuff all day… and heaps of it. The dark chocolate YUM is so rich and delicious, especially wth some Raglan Coconut Yoghurt, that about a half a bowl does me for the day. This works well with my personal approach to buying food, choosing items that may cost a bit more but provide me with exceptional health benefits, unparalleled quality and a delicious flavour experience. I think this is the heart of living as a modern day epicurean; to thoughtfully and thoroughly enjoy what you buy and eat everyday. Sarah and Mike at YUM share this same kind of thinking which flows authentically from their formidable foodie hearts. Keep your eye out for their lighter Bircher Muesli arriving on shelves soon. It’s going to be made so you can soak and activate it the night before, giving you an enjoyably different grain-free, breakfast Bircher experience. Yum, can’t wait!
