UMAMI Crave the Fifth: a family project
UMAMI Crave the Fifth is a family owned and operated business based in Kelowna, BC. It’s founders are sisters in law Joanna Best and Stephanie (Best) Gaudette, who decided seven years ago to take a favourite sauce recipe and use it as a foundation on which to grow a food business. That sauce is now known as UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original Dressing and Everything Sauce, one of seven gluten free and vegan products currently offered by this brand.
Joanna is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Canada and has worked in kitchens both across Canada as well as in the US. It was while working with her husband Justin (also a chef and Stephanie’s brother) in Kelowna that she decided to research exactly how to bring a food product to market. Stephanie, who has been a registered nurse for over 30 years, had recently moved from New Brunswick to Kelowna with her family and was eager to partner with Joanna on this new venture.
Today, UMAMI Crave the Fifth is known as a premium brand that consistently delivers delicious, balanced tastes in products that are both nutritious and suitable for most diets. Best of all, they can be used by anyone, regardless of culinary skill, to create memorable food experiences at every meal. With four versatile sauces and three ready to cook ancient grain salad mixes, the possibilities are endless.
Stephanie Best - Gaudette (L) and Joanna Best:
sisters in law and co-owners of UMAMI Crave the Fifth.
UMAMI: Japanese for “Savoury”
It’s been just over 7 years since we had to decide what to officially name “the cider vin” so that labels could be created for those first bottles. Joanna, being the chef, kept saying “it doesn’t have a flavor; it’s a taste. It’s umami”. Stephanie, the nurse, asked as many others do: “what the heck is umami?”. Discovered by a Japanese scientist, the word “umami” loosely translates to “a pleasant savory taste” in english and is the fifth basic taste (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter are the more familiar ones).
It’s a challenge to describe the umami taste. Scientifically, it’s glutamate that creates the rich, deep, brothy taste that stimulates our umami taste buds with satisfying flavour. We describe UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original as a delicious, balanced flavor that once tasted, though hard to explain, leaves you wanting more. It just enhances whatever you pair it with: green or grain salads, any protein, roasted vegetables, bowls, stir fry, charcuterie, sushi, eggs, dizzled on avocado toast, on and in sandwiches…… (We hear from customers every day that they use UMAMI Crave the Fifth sauces on “everything” so we decided to add that to our new labels!)
UMAMI Curried Maple and UMAMI Chipotle Caesar evolved from the Original recipe but with flavor profiles that are reflected in their names and every bit as delicious as their predecessor. Prawns or roasted vegetables tossed with UMAMI Curried Maple are a favorite; UMAMI Chipotle Caesar is a creamy restaurant style caesar dressing made without anchovies, cheese or eggs, but you won’t miss those.
Like most moms, we used to (and sometimes still do) put a lot of pressure on ourselves to create meals worthy of a mention in a parenting or cooking magazine. We have learned that our families aren’t necessarily looking for culinary masterpieces; they just want something that tastes good and that makes them feel good. We are dedicated to consistently creating and offering products that are made with quality ingredients so you can feel good about the food that you eat.
Our mission is to inspire everyone to enjoy delicious food by providing
easy-to-prepare, versatile, and nutritious options that turn
ordinary ingredients into extraordinary meals.
Steph & Jo
“Life is short. Eat delicious food, drink the good wine, and above all, have fun!”
~ Stephanie & Joanna