Andrew Cesati of Park City’s Yee-Haw Pickle Company has me thinking about … well, about pickles. A pickle, by definition, is preserved, right? As I understand it, that’s the whole point. Take a cucumber, add brine and whatever you want to flavor said brine, and the item is now relatively safe from the ravages of time. And extra delicious, to boot.
Which is why common grocery-store pickles are so perplexing. The research into commercial pickles Andrew and his wife, Allison Yeary Cesati, undertook led them to understand that the jar of pickles you probably have in your refrigerator door is full of dyes, high-fructose corn syrup and chemical preservatives.
They weren’t pleased with that, so they decided to make their own. Hey, it’s the American way.
And so, Yee-Haw Pickle Company was born. Andrew and Allison tinkered with recipes, inflicted them on friends, tinkered some more and eventually settled on their product line. There are the regular dill pickles, spicy, garlic, sweet sandwich slices and pickled green beans. I picked up some of the No Frills Dills and the Hot Damn Dills, and I can attest that they are very, very tasty. I am eating them as I type.
Starting with a successful debut at the Park City Farmers Market in August—which cleaned them out of their initial supply—the Cesatis have since ramped up production and found shelf space in select boutique shops, as well as your local upscale national-chain, natural-food grocery store.
It’s not just the flavor that drives Andrew and Allison. With an eye toward environmental impact and community involvement, they source their produce from local farmers, and spread the Yee-Haw word with sponsorship of area events. “A pickle can be more than just a tasty pickle,” Andrew told me over the phone. “We like to think they can make a small difference, too.”
Sure, but tasty is definitely a good place to start.
YEE-HAW PICKLE COMPANY
YeeHawPickles.com