Meet Erin Chamberlain | Executive Kitchen Witch

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Chamberlain and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Pickles & Potions was built from over a dozen years of home canning and experimenting in the kitchen. Before moving to Golden, Colorado six years ago, I lived nearly two decades in the Snoqualmie Valley, a rural farming community east of Seattle, Washington. The area was rich with family farms and agricultural heritage. The town quickly taught me to appreciate the value of small business and community. I learned to garden, ferment and preserve foods with friends and neighbors, as well through a lot of self-teaching. Along the way, my passions for gardening and local food evolved to volunteering with our farmers market, offering education, cooking demos and kids activities; and collaborating with a local farm to bring their visions of traditional skills and sustainability practices to life. Colorado’s generous Cottage Food program became the segway into turning my passions in this area into a business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Pickles & Potions isn’t your typical store-bought pickle. Everything produced is hand-batched in small quantities, and as much as possible, grown in my own garden. Turns out gardening at a higher elevation in a desert isn’t so easy! I spent my first few years in Colorado learning that watering was a part-time job, and learning what can grow here through lots of trial and error. It is really important to me to use local produce in my pickles, so I can’t always make my products year-round. This can be disappointing for my customers when a product they love is out of stock, but I know the quality that comes from using seasonal produce is going to make the best pickle. The best case scenario is to harvest and can on the same day, but when that isn’t possible, I seek out reputable distributors and my local farmers market to supplement my production.

In addition to pickles, I tap into my creative side with DIY kits to create your own drinking vinegars (also known as a shrub), fire ciders, simple syrups and cocktail bitters.  A shrub drink is a combination of fruits, botanicals and citrus – just add apple cider vinegar or your favorite vinegar to infuse! The result is a healthy, zingy, zero-proof flavored syrup that is a refreshing addition to seltzer.  I include recipes for fun ways to enjoy the drink, including cocktails and mocktails.  I’m proud to bring these unique beverages to market and share something a little more unusual to my customers.  In the future, I hope to expand my kitchen witchery to include classes and am always open to feedback, ideas and custom orders.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love being a tourist in my own town! Golden has so much to offer and is full of charm and small businesses. My favorite things to do when friends and family are visiting are to head downtown and take a stroll along Clear Creek and into the new trail along the canyon. If we’re up for a hike, heading up South Table Mountain is a fun challenge with rewarding views — and once we saw burro racers training on the trail! Ending a hike with a beer is a great tradition, and Coda Brewing in south Golden makes interesting and tasty brews, plus they are very family friendly. My favorite spots for a bite to eat include Kona Bowls, or Tellers in nearby Applewood if I’m up for a good burger. Shopping at Truly Bohotique or Earth Sweet Botanicals are my go-tos for gifts or a special outfit — especially if we’re doing something like heading to Red Rocks for a show! I feel so lucky to live near the best music venue in the U.S. and am officially spoiled. If there’s no show to see, I love browsing the farmer’s market or enjoying one of the many festivals hosted in town throughout the year. If we have the opportunity to head further out of town, a drive up Mount Evans is an easy way to say you claimed a 14-er, or for an adventure, we’d head out towards Buena Vista or Salida for some mountain time, river adventures and hot springs!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Starting and running a small business is no small endeavor. I am extremely grateful to my husband, who has given me the space to explore and develop my business, and my eleven-year old daughter, who is an endless cheerleader. Polka Dot Powerhouse, a women’s connection group, where I’ve been a member of the Foothills Chapter for six years, has been a huge source of support and encouragement. The women in the community are of the highest caliber and they have always been there for me to get through challenges, celebrate successes and move my business forward.

Website: https://picklesandpotions.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickles.potions.colorado/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinchamberlain/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/picklesandpotionscolorado

Image Credits
Natalie Morrow, Good Morrow Photography