Misfits Market Spring Tasting Event (2026)

One fine April, we teamed up with Misfits Market, an online grocery store that delivers to all lower 48 states. They planned a tasting event in SoHo for 100 guests. We discussed four brands that would also attend the event and we were challenged to create brand new recipes using their products: Joon Pistachios, Smash Foods, Odd & Ends, and Mezcla.

We had the opportunity to rapidly test and develop these recipes before the event and we're proud of how they turned out.

The Tasting Menu

Below are photos from our development process. At the event, we broke them down into smaller portions for the guests.

Up first was the Joon Salt & Pepper Pistachio asian pear salad. We wanted to highlight the pistachios with peppery arugula and crisp Asian Pear. Our vinaigrette was made with grainy mustard, a little honey, minced shallots, and olive oil. The bottom of the pistachio bag also has a ton of salt and pepper at the bottom, so we used all of it!

Odds & Ends is Misfits Market's internal brand for upcycled products. Their girasole (or ravioli) is stuffed with ricotta, goat cheese, and rescued arugula. We wanted to highlight the tasty filling, so we used their jarred pesto and imbued it with our own garlic confit, fresh basil leaves, and freshly ground black pepper.

Smash Foods makes a delicious cherry pomegranate jam thickened with chia seeds. We adapted the cherry chocolate meatballs from our cookbook and swapped in ground bison, which is available on Misfits Market. We made a glaze with the jam by adding Aleppo pepper and finished the meatballs with shaved dark chocolate on top.

Mezcla makes crispy protein treats and they were already handing out samples at the event. We planned to make a dessert based on two of their existing flavors: frosted strawberry and matcha vanilla. At the bottom of each cup, we spooned a bit of strawberry jam. We whipped up a mousse with high-quality Callebaut white chocolate, sprinkled on ceremonial-grade matcha powder, and topped it with a freeze-dried strawberry.

A Party Tip

We prepared the pasta portions a la minute with a constantly boiling pot of salted water. The stuffed ravioli with fresh pasta casing took only 3 minutes per 4-ounce portion. We used a quarter sheet pan as a pot lid because it doubled as a plate warmer for portions we had already cooked! That way, we could cook ahead and keep another batch warm on deck before serving it.

We tossed the ravioli with a little pasta water and a big dollop of pesto before adding fresh basil and a few slices of confit garlic.

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