Belle & Buddy’s Kitchen
FOUNDED
2015
THE OWNERS
Barb Blumenshine
ABOUT THE OWNERS
I have lived in Kansas my entire life and in Wichita since my early 20’s, which means I’ve lived here a LONG time. My husband Scott and I recently celebrated our 30th anniversary and we have 5 kids and 7 grandkids, plus 2 of our rescue dogs…Belle and Buddy. Yes the business is named after our dogs who are obviously spoiled rotten, we always joke that they run the household so it seemed logical to name the business after them. My adoptive mother didn’t cook so I never learned how growing up. After Scott and I got married and started a family it became clear that eating out daily wasn’t a viable option anymore so I bought some pans and cookbooks (pre-Google and Pinterest days) and taught myself to cook and discovered I loved it! So I ventured into canning but my products were only for us plus family and friends until now. For an ironic note…I found my biological mother around 4 years ago and she loves to cook and has canned her entire life. I guess some things are definitely genetic.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS
I make and sell jams, jellies and apple butters and I’m currently working on adding 1 more product to those. I have over 100 flavors including 12 flavors of apple butter, several marmalades and I am just introducing 2 new lines…Belle and Buddy’s for Kids which are made with organic fruit, organic sugar and lower sugar, plus Belle and Buddy’s Naturals which are made with coconut sugar and/or locally sourced honey. While I do sell basic flavors that are delicious, I specialize in flavors that are unique and won’t be found in the grocery store such as Vanilla Cardamom Strawberry Rhubarb and Black Dragon (Blackberry and Dragon Fruit). With that many choices it is easy to find something to please (almost) anyone.
WHY THE BUSINESS WAS STARTED
After being a stay-at-home mom of 5 for the majority of their childhood, when Peyton, our youngest, turned 15 and got his drivers license I decided it was time to do something for me. Since I enjoyed making jams so much and coming up with new flavors I decided to sell at Farmers Markets and I thought that would be a good choice. A friend helped me get started by pointing me in the right direction for paperwork and Market equipment I would need (weights to keep your tent from ending up in the middle of 21st street are helpful) and I was on my way. After only 4 years it has grown far more than I ever expected and I am very thankful for all my customers, regulars and new.
THE MENU
I have over 100 flavors of jams and jellies, some of which are seasonal, and 12 varieties of apple butters, only 2 of which are seasonal.
MOST POPULAR ITEM
My best sellers include Vanilla Cardamom Strawberry Vanilla Jam, Black Dragon Jam, Apricot Ginger Rosemary Jam, Vanilla Spiced Apple Butter and of course Sand Plum Jelly. Another best seller is Blueberry Garlic Marmalade, which is made with locally sourced garlic from Orie’s Garlic Farm.
HOW TO REACH US
From now through the end of October I will be at Old Town Farmers Market on Saturday mornings from 7-noon.
From May through September I can be found at Green Acres Farmers Market in Bradley Fair on Tuesday from 3-6 and at Andover Farm & Art Market at the intersection of Central and Andover Road on Thursday from 4-7.
Every 3rd Thursday from June through October I will be at the VA Farmers Market at the VA Center on East Kellogg from 7-1.
I will also be at several Pop-Up Markets throughout the season and those will be posted on social media, and you can always find me at all Haute Handmade pop-ups and Garlic Fest.
Facebook
Instagram/Belle and Buddy’s Kitchen
316-841-0261 or 316-841-1360
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