Vol. 6
On condiments, nostalgia, and sneaky Smithees tees...
As the weather warms, we turn to the season of barbecues and picnics, of Mister Softees adorned with sprinkles or hot dogs laden with relish retrieved like a treasure from the nearest cart. It is, in other words, condiment season: all summer foods made that much better by a generous swoosh of mustard, relish, ketchup, hot sauce, or a magic shell, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, even Marshmallow Fluff. Remember the stuff?
In this zine, we reflect on the condiments that matter - those that quietly impress us every day, those we wondered about in halting moments between innings, and those that, upon tasting once more, disappoint and end up relegated to decoration behind the bar.
Read on for some thoughts on fluferettes, the great American pastime, the simple beauty of a pat of good butter, and our upcoming guest chef dinner with Locust on Tuesday, June 10th!
Don’t miss it, and come tell us about your favorite condiment.
Oh, and we saved the best for last: we now have merch! Scroll down for the reveal…
See you soon,
Smithereens
Locust x Smithereens
For the next installment of the Smithereens Book Club (aka our guest chef series), we’re thrilled to welcome Locust from Nashville for one night only, on Tuesday, June 10th! Reservations go live at 10 am tomorrow…
Located in Nashville's 12 South neighborhood, Locust is a critically acclaimed restaurant known for its ever-changing menu highlighting seasonal products. The restaurant was named one of The New York Times’ 2022 America’s Best Restaurants and is listed in World’s 50Best Discovery.
Chef Trevor Moran and crew will cook along with us and offer an à la carte menu. Expect dishes like earl grey shaved ice and swordfish breakfast sausage alongside our abalone skewers.
Q&A: Chef Trevor Moran answers the Smithereens Questionnaire
Born and raised in Ireland, Moran’s culinary path began in his early 20’s. After working his way through several restaurants throughout Dublin, the young chef landed at Rene Redzepi’s acclaimed Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. Moran began his Noma journey in 2009 and spent nearly four and a half years learning the ins-and-outs of the Nordic kitchen, sourcing local, seasonal products that showcased different regions of Scandinavia.
He made his U.S. culinary debut in January 2014 as the executive chef of Strategic Hospitality’s award-winning tasting room, The Catbird Seat. Moran brought with him an affinity for fresh, seasonal produce and a simplistic, yet highly refined cooking style. He left The Catbird Seat in December of 2015 but his love for Nashville remained, and in 2020, Moran opened Locust, launching with a menu largely focused on seafood, dumplings, and shaved ice. Today, Locust continues to be fully, uncompromisingly, and unapologetically itself, featuring a menu that leans into Moran’s Irish roots and past experiences in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens. The restaurant was named Food & Wine Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2022, and in 2023, Moran was named a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast.
What is one thing you will always order if you see it on a menu?
The chewy dish, anything chewy.
Where in the world would you most like to travel to at this moment?
I’d like to travel to Ireland with the team and tour the coastal towns eating oysters and drinking pints.
It is your last meal on Earth, what are you having for dinner?
Lasagna, although I haven’t had any in years so that’s probably why.
What is an ingredient that you can't live without?
Horseradish. It goes well with everything. Except toothpaste.
* Is horseradish actually the best condiment?
What music are you listening to in the kitchen?
Pantera, Death, King Gizzard, Melvins, Merauder, Roxette, Aceyalone.
Sinful Cities and Sandwiches
Nicholas Tamburo, Chef/Owner
It’s been at least two decades since I’ve dipped a spoon into a jar of Marshmallow Fluff. It was never a huge part of my childhood, despite being invented in the very city I’m from; we weren’t a Fluff household. I remember plopping it into hot chocolate at my neighbor’s house after school or indulging in the occasional sandwich, that ghastly combination of peanut butter and marshmallow: The Fluffernutter. The very same sandwich that, in 2006, spurred a Massachusetts senator to propose legislation to put a limit on the amount of Fluffernutters that could be served in public schools.
Marshmallow Fluff originated in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1917 before disappearing for a while in the midst of World War I due to ingredient shortages. Its original creator sold the recipe in 1920 to two men, Allen Durkee and Fred Mower, who were intent on making Fluff a household name. They set up shop in Lynn, MA and got to work. A place that I knew growing up as “The City of Sin.”
Durkee and Mower were early pioneers of radio advertising, they sponsored a weekly series of shows called “The Fluferettes” and you could hear this jingle all throughout New England:
On the last episode of their show they announced “The Yummy Book,” a collection of recipes featuring Marshmallow Fluff which is still available online today. Some of the recipes like the “frozen fruit salad” may not sound very yummy but the book did introduce one iconic creation to the world: The Whoopie Pie.
In 2011 it was proposed that the whoopie pie be named the official state dessert of Maine. Of course this honor was instead given to the blueberry pie. As consolation, the humble whoopie was named “the official state treat of Maine.”
The other day, on my way to Smithereens, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a jar of Marshmallow Fluff (it also comes in Strawberry Fluff, unfortunately the Raspberry Fluff was discontinued in 2013). I thought it might pair well with the sweet and nutty flavor of our Anadama bread. Unfortunately, it tastes horrible. I may try my hand at some whoopie pies to find a use for this jar of Fluff that now lives behind our bar at the restaurant.
The good news is that the jar looks exactly as I remembered it. In fact, I’m not sure that they’ve changed the packaging one bit since the early 90s. Certainly there’s some sort of platitude I can offer about how everything changes but some things stay the same.
Rest assured, the annual festival celebrating Marshmallow Fluff is still going strong in Somerville, MA - the birthplace of the most famous whipped marshmallow condiment. In fact, it’s coming up on May 31st.
Field of (Relish) Dreams
Ketchup, Mustard, Relish: who’s the fastest, who’s the coolest, and who are you going to take home to mom?
Haran McElroy, Server
I’ve been to dozens of baseball games and one of my favorite things was always the in-between inning entertainment. Baseball is boring and dudes dressed as hot dogs with different condiments racing around the field is not. Now that I’m older and wiser, I think back on this spectacle. Who were these men behind the mask? And did they embody the condiment assigned to them? Did they have an unbreakable bond and push each other to run faster every day? Did they vacation together during the offseason at a timeshare in Flagstaff, Arizona? Anyway, relish was always my favorite.
At least we know none of them are going home with Miranda, not even relish.
p.s. Have you heard of the “simple and deeply American” 9-9-9 challenge?
Butter.
Amelia Catanzaro, Cook
A condiment is an additive, not a focal point, imbuing the flavor of a dish with an extra layer of depth. I do not want my condiment to steal the spotlight; instead, I envision it to be the awesome pair of heels that lets the singer stand a little taller, belt a little louder.
It’s easy to overlook butter in the conversation of favorite condiments. Ketchup screams, mustard tries to play it cool, and mayo exudes a cringey haughtiness. Meanwhile, butter patiently waits in the stands, observing the condiment race, saving her running legs, all the while knowing what her real purpose is: to support, not shine.
I have a close relationship with butter. It is poorly tattooed on the inside of my right middle finger, often being mistaken for “butt” due to the thickness of my ring. It was my mother’s childhood nickname for me. And, it is the word I use to describe just about everything I love – buttery blankets, buttery pastries, buttery skin, buttery light, buttery people.
Butter makes the morning palatable. Two pieces of rye bread sandwiched with a quiet spread of the good French stuff in between, pancakes finished with a glob of whipped butter, baguettes stuffed with thinly sliced ham and cheese (yes, in the morning) made that much richer with salty butter. It is reverent in its simplicity; a casual indulgence, unfussy in its nature and perfect in its texture. Butter needs no makeup.
And, it belongs on just about everything.
But wait, MERCH!
Maybe clothes are the best condiment of all? The literal and figurative dressing by which style, flavor, aplomb is achieved?
We thought hey, what if we …
Before You Go. . .
We’re thrilled to be on The Infatuation’s 25 Best Restaurants in NYC!
And on Eater’s New York Heatmap
Among starry company in the Best Newcomer finalists for Star Wine List of the Year New York 2025
And Join us on Friday, May 23rd for a BTG takeover with California producers Scar of the Sea and Lady of the Sunshine!