When you think of unique foods available in Stratford, what comes to mind? Something exotic that comes with a sauce you can’t really pronounce, or with a side of vegetables that you think might have a distant relation to carrots or potatoes?
Sure, you can find that here. But you can also find something called Truffle, Black Garlic and Parmesan. Pretty exotic sounding, isn’t it? Even more so when you consider its popcorn.
Yes, popcorn. Gourmet popcorn isn’t a new thing, but in Stratford it’s one of the city’s better-kept secrets. Wendy and Emily Stanley operate Poppin Kettle Corn, found at 102-164 Downie Street in the downtown core’s south end. They’ve been hand popping small batches of kettle corn since 2018 and been in their bricks and mortar location for three years. It’s been a slow and steady climb up the snacking ladder, and Wendy Stanley said they’ve developed a loyal following over the years.
“We’ve expanded our flavour offerings from when we started, which back then was just the sweet and salty you get with regular kettle corn,” she said. “Now we have about 30 flavours, and my daughter Emily and I are always coming up with new ones and different creations. There’s always something new and unique, even when you’re a regular customer and you were just here a week ago.”
As gourmet popcorn goes, Stanley said they pride themselves on creating a memorable taste experience for their customers. They use mushroom kernels (not the typical butterfly ones you get most of the time), which allows for better flavour retention as well as visual presentation. But she knows that people are coming in (and coming back) for those creative flavours they come up with.
“We always try to feature a different flavour every month - we just had strawberry cheesecake, and some of the more unique ones we’ve had like the truffle black garlic parmesan one become regulars on our menu,” she said. “We’ve had peanut butter and jelly, and something we call our Movie Smash where we take theatre popcorn and add the treats you would get at the movies - Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Berries and M&Ms. There’s also a version of that where we have Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and mini Reese’s Pieces and the Reese puff cereal.”
It’s not all about popcorn, as Stanley said their chocolate line is featured on the Chocolate Trail in Stratford. They source those types of products from other small manufacturers, which gives them a nod while allowing the Stanleys to focus on keeping things poppin.
“We have our feature flavour for June called Rainbow Brite, which is candied popcorn with all the fruit flavours,” she said. “Our love of popcorn helped guide us in starting this business, and sharing our passion with other people who love popcorn helps keep us going.”
So while you have some obvious hits, one has to wonder if there are any flavours they’ve tried out that perhaps missed the mark - some Canadian potato chip fans may want to look away from the answer.
“Ketchup never really worked out for us - it’s one of those that people either really love it or they don’t,” she said. “We want to cover every taste palette, so we were a little surprised at that one.”
The message Stanley hopes people will take away from visiting Poppin Kettle Corn, along with a few bags of their fine work, is a simple one: quality will bring you back.
“We’re proud of the products we make and it’s just heartwarming when people refer friends or come back themselves,” she said. “People are always telling us they love our product and how good it tastes, and there’s nothing more you can ask for.”
You can find Poppin Kettle Corn’s hours of operation and menu on their website.
