Newfoundlanders were shocked and dismayed following the announcement in March that Zest and Habitant would be discontinuing the popular Sunday dinner condiment.
Since then, residents in the province have been scrambling to get their pickle fix.
Mitchell Hudson, a Grade 8 student from Goulds whose mother lives in Bloomfield, is the latest to serve up an offering to fill the void.
Hudson began his summer job search over a month ago, but was shut down due to his age and a lack of hiring.
“I applied to a few places locally in town; fast food, convenience stores and grocery stores. I didn’t get a single call back,” Hudson told The Packet.
His mother suggested trying out his great aunt Sadie’s family recipe and see if stores would be willing to carry them.
“My mom thought I should do this as a summer job seeing as Zest has recently gone off the market,” says Hudson.
His great aunt Sadie is from Flower’s Cove and the recipe is loaded with cabbage, cauliflower, onion and — of course — mustard. They have a taste that Hudson says locals are bound to find familiar.
Although he has only been making the pickles for several weeks, he picked it up quickly and is already working long hours to meet demand.
“I’m excited. I mainly wanted to do this to get a bit of spending money, but it’s turned out really well,” he says.
The pickles were brought to the attention of the Clarenville Co-Op, who liked them enough to buy five-dozen bottles to start.
They also gave Hudson the opportunity to set up a taste demonstration table with samples today while having an anniversary celebration.
His mother, Darlene Way, lives in Bloomfield and has been supporting Hudson by offering cooking tips and support.
“I’m so very proud of him. He’s 14 and nobody wants to hire a 14-year-old, but he’s an amazing kid and people are missing out. Here he is creating his own business and he may even have to do some hiring after school starts up again because he won’t be able to keep up with demand,” says Way.
Way says Hudson comes from an entrepreneurial family, herself, two brothers and her parents are all business owners,
“He’s got business in his blood,” says Way.
The pickles can be found at the Clarenville Co-Op, Clarenville Home Hardware, Lethbridge Home Hardware, Bayview Gardens, Holloway’s Store, Musgravetown Pharmacy, Three Mile Ridge Country Store, W.W. Young and Sons, Pye’s Service Station, Smith’s Foodtown in Petley and the Dock Marina in Trinity.
For more information, contact Hudson by email at [email protected] or by phone at 709-687-3899.
Newfoundlanders were shocked and dismayed following the announcement in March that Zest and Habitant would be discontinuing the popular Sunday dinner condiment.
Since then, residents in the province have been scrambling to get their pickle fix.
Mitchell Hudson, a Grade 8 student from Goulds whose mother lives in Bloomfield, is the latest to serve up an offering to fill the void.
Hudson began his summer job search over a month ago, but was shut down due to his age and a lack of hiring.
“I applied to a few places locally in town; fast food, convenience stores and grocery stores. I didn’t get a single call back,” Hudson told The Packet.
His mother suggested trying out his great aunt Sadie’s family recipe and see if stores would be willing to carry them.
“My mom thought I should do this as a summer job seeing as Zest has recently gone off the market,” says Hudson.
His great aunt Sadie is from Flower’s Cove and the recipe is loaded with cabbage, cauliflower, onion and — of course — mustard. They have a taste that Hudson says locals are bound to find familiar.
Although he has only been making the pickles for several weeks, he picked it up quickly and is already working long hours to meet demand.
“I’m excited. I mainly wanted to do this to get a bit of spending money, but it’s turned out really well,” he says.
The pickles were brought to the attention of the Clarenville Co-Op, who liked them enough to buy five-dozen bottles to start.
They also gave Hudson the opportunity to set up a taste demonstration table with samples today while having an anniversary celebration.
His mother, Darlene Way, lives in Bloomfield and has been supporting Hudson by offering cooking tips and support.
“I’m so very proud of him. He’s 14 and nobody wants to hire a 14-year-old, but he’s an amazing kid and people are missing out. Here he is creating his own business and he may even have to do some hiring after school starts up again because he won’t be able to keep up with demand,” says Way.
Way says Hudson comes from an entrepreneurial family, herself, two brothers and her parents are all business owners,
“He’s got business in his blood,” says Way.
The pickles can be found at the Clarenville Co-Op, Clarenville Home Hardware, Lethbridge Home Hardware, Bayview Gardens, Holloway’s Store, Musgravetown Pharmacy, Three Mile Ridge Country Store, W.W. Young and Sons, Pye’s Service Station, Smith’s Foodtown in Petley and the Dock Marina in Trinity.
For more information, contact Hudson by email at [email protected] or by phone at 709-687-3899.
