Did you read this post? Did you guess where I was earlier this week?
I can still hardly believe it myself.
Imagine being completely obsessed with a product (for years!) and then finding out you get to fly across the country to tour the factory. And try the about-to-be-launched flavors. And learn about what they have planned for the future.
Think about it. I mean really think about it.
Could you ever!?!?
I had to pinch myself throughout the entire trip.
You see, I’ve adored Sabra from it’s infancy and made it very well known. If I didn’t have this blog to gush over their hummus, I’d likely be shouting about it from the rooftops. So to see it grow into what it is today, it feels like I played a role. Finally the rest of the US is starting to recognize what I’ve been onto for years!
I’m not going to lie, I have been drinking the cool-aid. Filtering my enthusiasm for Sabra is just not an option.
To say I was impressed is an understatement. Each and every person I came across, from the Chief Technology Officer to the factory employees, exuded passion for the brand.
Needless to say, there’s no shortage of pride in making the best hummus. So let’s get into it!
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I was the last person to arrive in Richmond Virginia, so I literally hit the ground running (or at least attempted to…no coffee all day…yikes!).
Checked into the hotel (washed my face) and in under 20 minutes I was back in the lobby to head to dinner.
Since I was only in town for one night, it may seem excessive to have a full kitchen in my hotel room…and a dishwasher…and an oven…and a fireplace…but hey, that’s how they do things in Richmond. Go big or go home.
But back to the schedule. We took a limo party bus (very prom) to the restaurant, Bistro Twenty Seven.
It’s in downtown Richmond, and that’s about all I can tell you regarding it’s location, since I was engrossed in conversation with my fellow tastemakers the entire ride there.
We were greeted with an open bar and a variety of appetizers.
The vegan starter was a polenta with marinated mushrooms and roasted tomatoes.
I’m very fond of this combination of flavors (as you can see), and Bistro 27’s version was perfection. The texture melted in my mouth, but still offered a tiny bit of crunch. And although some may have found it a tad salty, I was pretty comfortable with it.
I thought the mini fork and plate were cute enough to get their own photo. Mingling transitioned from the bar to our table…
Because I am OCD about having veg friendly options, I had emailed the Sabra people prior to the trip to make sure they would have a vegan friendly meal for me. Of course they were on top of it already.
As you can see, Bistro 27 had prepared a four course menu with wine options as well as dessert. Sadly, the vegan options weren’t exactly innovative. I’m not sure how familiar they are with plant based dining (I found it rather amusing that the manager referred to the options as “vegan free”), but I certainly appreciated the restaurant’s efforts.
With that, I’ll just jump right into it…
Course 1: Israeli couscous with a chickpea salad.
The sweet and tangy balsamic drizzle around the rim of the plate was the highlight for me. I tried to get some in each bite of couscous.
Course 2: Home-made fettuccine with Bistro 27 tomato sauce.
I rarely have very strong opinions about pasta dishes, but this was wonderful. The noodles were slightly al dente, which I loved and the sauce was bursting with flavor.
Course 3: Mixed greens served with walnuts, onions, tomatoes, and the house dressing.
Although this salad was not overly exciting, I was happy to get some greens. The dressing was light with hints of lemon and olive oil – a simple, yet bright summery salad.
Course 4: Assortment of grilled vegetables with olive oil and fresh herbs on a bed of rice.
Evidently the menu was slightly off because my plate was missing the bed of rice. Truth be told, I feel like it’s a cop out when restaurants offer grilled veggies as a vegan main course. That said, I was already pretty full by the time this plate arrived, so I wasn’t terribly bothered by it. And as you can see, the portion is definitely not lacking. I very much enjoyed the tomatoes and asparagus, but there was just too much!
Dessert: Berries.
They were good, but they were just berries.
I know this is primarily a food blog, but in all honesty, the night was so much more than the food. I was thrilled to be in the company of some truly wonderful people. We were a chatty bunch, too, so by the time I got back to the hotel room I was exhausted. I showered and then passed out immediately.
The next morning, my alarm went off way too early for my liking. But as soon as I realized why (and where I was) I leapt out of bed, ready to get the day started.
Travelling without Kyle is foreign to me, and made me realize how I’ve come to rely on him for pretty much everything involving a foreign appliance. Like the coffee machine. And my hotel room’s air conditioner. And the TV. Do I sound like a totally pathetic female right now or what?! Technology is NOT my strong suit. It’s a miracle I have a blog that requires me to do internet-y stuff (although my using the term “internet-y” probably raises some red flags).
Anyway, I figured out the coffee machine (my #1 priority) but the rest were a no-go.
Breakfast was provided by the hotel. Nothing complicated, a standard spread (I had the English muffin and banana, but saved the wheat bagel for the flights home).
And then we were off!
Welcome to the factory!!
First off, Mina gave a brief introduction, highlighting how the brand started back in 1986 and how it grew into the country’s best selling hummus.
Side note: I remember the first time I tried hummus. I had heard of it before, but didn’t really know what it was. Please keep in mind, I was in college, living in my own apartment with three other broke ass girlfriends and cereal and canned veggies were staples (so gross). My dad was visiting me and bought some hummus for our barren (nightmare of a) fridge…this was in 2003. I may be wrong, but I feel like I was a little ahead of the game (for an American).
So when did hummus become as common and well known as it is today? I don’t know, but according to Sabra’s stats, the household penetration has been increasing rapidly over the past few years and is now at 13% for their company alone. To me, that’s remarkable. I bet you Rabbi Yehuda Pearl never dreamed that his tiny operation would blossom into the brand it is today.
What stood out most to me was how 80% of people who buy Sabra continue to buy it. I mean, I get it because I’ve tried it, but still, that’s a HUGE percentage.
Ok, enough numbers (for a second there, I felt like Kyle with all the brand management talk).
Next on the agenda was a photography tutorial from Matt Armendariz of MattBites.com
Lately I’ve been a lazy iPhone blogger, so this was a nice reason for me to bust out my fancy DSLR and rediscover it’s glory.
We played with lighting. He shared a few tricks. And then we got to mess around a bit on our own.
Check out his set up!
Pricey gear aside, I was happy to learn he doesn’t always use his high tech expensive equipment, and grabs his iPhone for quick shots too. 🙂
Oh, hi there, bowl of hummus!
It was fun and casual, but definitely made me want to continue to learn more.
From there it was on to the tasting (!!!)…stay tuned for part 2, including a session with Sabra’s Executive Chef, MaryDawn Wright and a tour of the factory. 🙂
Do you remember the first time you tried hummus? Share!
That’s soooo awesome that you got to go on this trip!!! How cool!!! I don’t think I remember the first time I tried hummus… I’d have to think about that one… Probably just as a dip at a party or something.
Hi Elise,
Just curious – you said you saved the wheat bagel for later, but the English muffin has wheat too. I eat FODMAPs free too and I haven’t yet found the number of grams of wheat that will bother me. Are you okay with just the English muffin?
oh sorry and just to add on I noticed your pizza dough / herb twists are made with wheat flour too. They look delicious but how do you eat them but avoid like cupcakes for example due to the wheat?
I am genuinely curious! thanks!
I LOVE sabra hummus. My favorite! I can’t really remember the first time I tried hummus, but I know it was love at first bite 🙂
Haha–whenever I mention technology in “real life” or on my blog I always feel like I should hire a translator to make sure that I haven’t inadvertently embarrassed myself through my technidiocy. (Yah, that’s a word.)
ahhh this trip sounds amazing and the picture of you in the Sabra hard hat is priceless, hopefully one to show the grandkids later in life! I actually don’t remember the first time I had hummus, it was probably about 6 years ago, but I’ve been and avid lover since.
i could give you some long winded answer about my thought process going into this trip (or any vacation/travel excursion) but when it comes down to it…being on a low FODMAPs diet means many times you have to make sacrifices. in a perfect world the combination of foods would be to my specification, but travel is a wild card and just having vegan options was my #1 priority.
i also want to emphasize that im not on a FODMAPs free diet (elimination diet) but rather a LOW FODMAPs diet, so my day to day eats do include small amounts of FODMAPs, often wheat.
that said, i did go FODMAPs free for a few days leading up to the sabra adventure so as to give my gut the best possible chance at tolerating the FODMAPs i knew were coming (beans!). but i also know that i can reset my digestive system fairly well by being strict once i am back in the comforts of my own kitchen. i am a hummus lover, so its a food ill always keep in my diet. for more info on how i deal with the different FODMAPs categories, please see my other site: http://www.fodmapsdiet.com
so now, to answer the rest of your wheat specific questions. the english muffin was ok, but it was the first FODMAPs thing i had in the day so my gut was rested and the FODMAPs load was small enough to tolerate. the bagel was hard on me because it was later in the day after lots of other FODMAPs. but i was in an airport, so you make do. these processed breads are things i try to avoid at home (but im not perfect and if a tray of bagels is sitting out, its hard to say no). baking for myself and my husband is a different story. ive discussed this on my other site, but in short, i cook with wheat flour from time to time because i know how to make things with wheat and when eaten in moderation and without other FODMAPs, i dont have a problem with it. the effects are minimal when eaten in its purest form. home-made = no processing
again, please see my other site: http://www.fodmapsdiet.com for more
The first time I tried Sabra Roasted Garlic hummus (really the only hummus there is, as far as I’m concerned), was last summer. I’ve been inhaling family sized tubs of it ever since.
omg…SO JEALOUS! i cannot think of a better person to tour sabra though, as you are the sabra QUEEN! so glad you had a good time mama. and matt bites! i LOVE him. his photography is exquisite…please pass on his words of wisdom!
can’t wait for part two! love ya 🙂
My family is Israeli, so hummus is like our ketchup. I’ve been eating it my whole life. And Sabra is about as authentic as they come. Most store bought hummus brands are bastardizations of the real thing. But (fancy flavors aside), Sabra is spot on.
This looks like such a blast, I’m so excited for you to have been able to participate!!!
I’d eaten hummus a handful of times growing up and in college (i.e. when it came on the side of a Mediterranean dish) but I fell in love/became obsessed with it when I moved from Pacific Heights to Russian Hill in SF. I was thrilled to discover a Trader Joe’s just down the hill and their hummus quickly became a STAPLE, I’ve had 2+ containers in my fridge at all times since then.
Now I’m hungry. 🙂
So much fun — can’t wait to read part 2!
I don’t remember the first time I had hummus, but I do remember my Dad’s first taste (I was the one who introduced it to HIM!) He thought it had flavor similar to that of Mexican food, so for some reason he started calling it ‘Mexican dip’. I have no idea if he has had any since then…I should really make him my homemade version 🙂
I have always and forever associated you with hummus. While I like it enough, I really don’t eat it as often as I should (at least by HHH standards) and I’ve never made my own. And now that you ask, I don’t remember my first time…but I think it was in college. (Yes, we’re still talking about hummus here.)
Looking forward to Part 2!
I’m pretty sure you were the first person to get me to buy Sabra hummus back in the day, so I am so happy that you got this opportunity! They lucked out getting the perfect person to attend this!
The first time I ever tried hummus was at my grandma’s house. It was Sabra Roasted Red Pepper. She served it with blue corn tortilla chips and it was love at first bite! 🙂
LOVE, love, luv Sabra – give me a spoon and I’ll make it all gone. I think I already mentioned that I love it.
It is so awesome that you get to tour Sabra! I love them so much, I can admit I’m a super addict. As for the first time I tried hummus, it was also in college, 2002?, at this fantastic greek restuarant, The Mad Greek, in Lawrence Kansas! And the first time I tried Sabra hummus was actually only a couple years ago, now it’s the only brand I buy 🙂
oh my gosh your trip sounds amazing!! i am such a sabra fan — other hummus brands just don’t even compare!! I’m so happy for you that you got your “dream tour!”
I was in high school (in the early 90s – ok, 91/92) and a girlfriend and I started venturing into “the city” (St Louis) to try new (to us rural girls) foreign cuisines. One of our first was a Greek restaurant, full of hummus and (I wasn’t veg*n yet) gyros. It was the start of a long love-affair with Mediterranean food in general and, really, all foreign cuisines. It made a great base for my (really soon after this, in 1992) transition to vegetarianism. I have found that eating non-standard foods to start with made it so easy for me to learn to cook vegetarian food – I never had to learn to sub meat, because I just learned to cook as a veg, making all kinds of naturally meat-free dishes from around the world.
This sounds like such an awesome adventure! How lucky that you got to attend this! Especially as a hummus enthusiast 😉 Can you believe I’ve actually never tried sabra’s hummus?! I usually make my own, but I’ve never actually seen sabra at my grocery stores before. Odd.
Off target from today’s post, but if any of you vegans/vegetarians need good “ick” info to give to meat eaters, check out NPR’s Fresh Air broadcast today. You can get the podcast on iTunes. Terry Gross interviews Tom Philpot from Mother Jones. Interesting and scary stuff. I had never heard of “poulty litter” before – which is fed to cattle.
OMG, Elise. I canNOT believe you got to go to the Sabara factory and taste/tour your way around hummus deliciousness! Jealous. SO jealous! What exactly was this? Were they just hosting a bunch of bloggers or what?
I guess I was waaaay ahead of the game because my hippie granola mom has been buying/making it for years. I am the same age as you, and I remember eating it back in Jr High and being embarrassed about my hummus sandwiches in the lunch room, lol.
Courtney
The Hummus you love must love you back! How cute, I’m glad you had a good time 🙂 Can’t wait for part two!
I was first ‘force’-fed hummus, (along with taramosalata) courtesy of my Mum when I was 10 or 11. I was presented with it every Saturday for lunch, but I couldn’t have my chocolate eclair until I’d finished it. I HATED the stuff. Fast forward 17 years (oh so old) and I wouldn’t be without it now (won’t touch taramosalata with a barge pole though). But I wish there was a magic gum to get rid of the all pervading garlicy afterbreath. Randomly when I backpacked through Greece a few years ago I didn’t eat hummus once. Shame
thanks so much for your detailed reply! sorry! I check your other site periodically but hadn’t checked recently!
I honestly cannot remember the first time I tried hummus but I can tell you that I looooove sabra hummus! I drove 9 hours back home today from school and that was the first thing I grabbed out of my fridge was sabra spicy hummus with some crackers and carrots – best snack ever!
wow haha your other site has a post that would have answered all my questions sorry!
The first time I tried hummus was when I was 16. I had just announced that I was going to be a vegetarian and had been reading “Vegetarianism for Dummies” which told me that hummus is a great alternative to meat for protein and nutrition. So I grabbed a tub from the deli section of my grocery store…a few carrot dips into the tub later, I was hooked for life 🙂
Oh how FUN!
Ha, the “dessert” cracked me up – berries. Just Berries.
Oh hummus love… can’t remember my first experience it must have been YEARS ago (over in NZ hummus was on the shelves quite ‘early on’ in regards to health food… I still haven’t found a brand here in Aussie that rivals my favourite “Lisa’s” form nz!)
I actually haven’t had bought hummus in a long time – it’s all home made these days, but I would LOVE to try Sabra!
It was SO great meeting you Elise and your post is fantastic! Looking forward to connecting with you even more now that we have hummus to link us!
Sabra is my favorite brand. Other people said to try he other brands, but when I compared nutrtional stats, sabra won. Later on, I tried the other brands just to see… but um, no. Sabra is waaaaay better in flavor. I have brought it to parties and introduced this amazing hummus to those lacking and all have loved it. I always stress they should get that brand.
Lately, I’ve been on a no added fat kick, so I switched brands (or make my own at home). But for parties? Still bringing the sabra, rest assured.
I’ve been eating hummus since around 1999. We had a neighbour who made a MEAN homemade hummus and I’ve been hooked ever since. There’s a local brand where I live called Holy Homous that is my ultimate fave, but I’ve also tried Sabra and totally love it as well! YUM, HUMMUS!
Look at us all geeking out, hey? So excited for you getting to tour a hummus factory. Are we granola or WHAT? 🙂
Elise, it was so great meeting you at Sabra! I wish we had gotten more of a chance to get to know each other but I feel like I’m getting to know you through reading your wonderful post and seeing your awesome photos. Can’t wait to read part II. Regarding first time eating hummus, I’m Jewish so it was more common in our community since they eat a lot of hummus in Israel, so I can’t remember the first time I tried it. The first time I remember someone making hummus for me was after college in the 1990s when my (now) husband’s roommate Mike Krivan made great hummus in the food processor with tons of garlic so we all had garlic breath for hours afterwards. We were all so impressed that he knew how to cook.
This is just way-cool!!!! What an amazing experience!
First time I tried hummus – truly don’t remember. It was probably college, introduced from one of my roomies. My dad also started making it when I was either in late high school or during my college years. (high school – 20 years ago! scary, very very scary.)
Glad you had such a great time – and that Bistro 27 looks fantastic!
~Rebecca
haha. thats awesome. i had my 10 year reunion two years ago…time flies!!
i agree! it was so fun meeting all these new people and sharing such a fun experience. you’re lucky you had hummus from the get-go 🙂
i know…such hippies 🙂
phew. the idea of oil and tahini free hummus isnt too appealing to me, but thank goodness you shared the sabra love with your friends…
no problem! glad i can help 🙂
ditto
i know. i dont know anything about anything aside form the on and off buttons of things.
well done!
awww…thanks girlfrand.
love you too!!! i keep meaning to comment about how proud i am that youre taking such a huge leap of faith. it makes me so so excited for you. big things are in your future for SURE.
ive never been to israel, but ive been to pretty authentic restaurants in NYC and i have to say, youre so right, sabra does a wonderful job at creating the real deal.
haha. thanks girl!
have you tried TJ’s white bean dip too?? its awesome.
thats hilarious. what does he call guacamole?
haha…college…so many firsts 😉
so sweet of you to say that (i think so too!!)
ps i need to email you, i have questionssssssssss
roasted red pepper is my favorite. although the seasonal one coming out this holiday season just topped it.
word!!
its pretty fantastic. that red ridged top makes my heart pitter patter 🙂
thanks caralyn!! i totally agree 🙂
so true!! mediterranean cuisine makes me think i could move to isreal or greece…but i also want to travel to several asian countries (like thailand and japan)
oh canada…
i know right??? so so crazy. i was in awe the entire time.
apparently they’ve known about my blog since the very first days that i started (and was gushing about sabra excessively).
so sad! im off to google taramosalata now….so curious!
i agree! its where my eyes go to first in the fridge 🙂
i love how nerdy you are (because it reminds me of me) 🙂
i wonder if theyre going international…clearly you need to travel o the states!!!
I’ve been eating & making hummus since the very early 90’s, and although my stuff is pretty tasty … Sabra is what I buy EVERY TIME I buy hummus. Each and every one of their flavors are fantastic!!
the first time i had hummus was from trader joes paired with their pita chips and it was love at first bite (5ish years ago)!!
i’ve tried many brands since and my fave would have to be sabra and then TJs.
SO jealous of your tour!! 🙂
How do you feel about one of Sabra’s joint owners being the Strauss Group – an Israeli food company that has financially contributed to human rights violations against the Palestinian people?
As a law student, I refuse to support the company because of that.
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Anytime! 😀
I recently found your blog and really enjoy it!
I don’t remember the first time I tried hummus, but I’ve been eating if for years and years. I loved it right away!
I hope this is not blasphemy, but one of my favorites brands is actually Tribe. It doesn’t appear to be sold in too many places, though, and I can get Sabra in the huge tub at Sam’s Club, so that’s what I’ve been buying lately.
Although it’s oil free, it’s not tahini free. It still had enough tahini to make it 1 gram of fat per serving.
Tahini by itself is the worst.
The first time I tried hummus was in LA (natch!) when my husband and I were visiting my brother. We went to a birthday party and my brother brought hummus and pita chips to share. Love at first bite! My first hummus was a big deal to me – a small-town, Midwestern girl. It seemed so “west coast” for someone like me. I don’t even think I could’ve found hummus at my local grocery store at that time (way back in 2006 ☺) – now, there are dozens of brands and flavors!
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Holy crap Elise! I’m so freaking jealous! A Sabra tour that in depth?! Ughhhh!
And I am the EXACT same way when it comes to electronics/technology! I surprised the HELL out of myself when I moved into the new house and figured out all the cables to make the television work. Oh yes, happy dance ensue shortly after! 😉
The first time I tried hummus…hahaha! I was at a Halloween party and my friend, the host, had some plain and roasted red pepper out with veggies and chips. I had heard of it before but never tried it so I figured I might as well go for the plain one to form my opinion. I scooped up a bite and…oh my god, it was everything I could do just to get it down! I hated it! Little did I know that about 3 years later I would be adding it to practically everything I consume…and holding myself back from eating it straight up with a spoon! Haha!
thats hilarious!! i used to hate tomatoes. funny how tastes can change.
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hi.
did they tell you if sabra hummus is vegan, or not?
their email says “without meat or dairy”. but that doesn’t explain everything, you know?
thank you.
its vegan.
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