Matisse & Jack’s was named #1 “Yummiest” in the first annual StartupNation Home-Based 100 ranking of the nation’s top home-based businesses. Catch Sarika’s interview on the Startup Nation radio show.
M&J’s #1 athlete Trevor Glavin just won the PBR Off-road Triathlon! Trevor, you rock! Follow Trevor’s blog as he trains for the Xterra National Championships. Hey Trevor– what’s your secret? (Hmmm… maybe some Matisse & Jack’s Power Snacks 
Outside magazine’s yearly "Best New Gear" issue just came out and TrailBlaze Bake-at-Home Energy Bars are highlighted in the running nutrition category. Check out pg 46. Michelle Valenti writes the bars are "as easy to bake as instant brownies." TrailBlaze provides a sustained, low glycemic boost that will keep your energy up during your run.
As the 2007 triathlon season kicks off, we are proud to announce that TrailBlaze will be an official energy bar of both the SF Triathlon Club and of our first endorsed racer, Trevor Glavin. Also, check-out the February issue of Triathlete magazine for a great write-up of our energy bars.
The San Francisco Triathlon Club is a not-for-profit triathlon club that offers a wide range of workouts, mentor programs, and a social and highly energetic team atmosphere for all ages and abilities. You will find Matisse & Jack products at SF Tri Club events and we are excited to be associated with an organization that is devoted to giving back to the community and involving themselves with community events.
Keep your eye out this year for Trevor Glavin, who placed first in last year’s Xterra World Triathlon Championship in the 25-29 age group. This season Matisse & Jack’s will be providing Trevor’s homemade fuel and ongoing support. As a full-time sales rep, a business admin student, and a family man, who only starting seriously participating in the sport in 2006, Trevor breaks the mold. Read a full story on him in last week’s Monterry Herald. Good luck Trevor!
Check the newstands for this month’s Triathlete, world’s largest magazine for triathletes. TrailBlaze gets high marks as an all-natural, healthy alternative to processed, packaged bars.
Aside from the better taste and the familiar experience of a homemade treat, we’re beginning to wonder whether homemade foods could also be a safer choice. As the demand for natural/organic and healthy foods grows, more of these products are being mass produced. Whenever food is processed in mass, there also lies the risk of widespread contamination, should something go wrong. We saw this in the recent nationwide spinach scare; the culprit was not rampant e-coli on farms — it was the fact that the processing (e.g., washing and packaging) of much of the nation’s greens was concentrated within a single facility - allowing for large-scale contamination. In the natural and organic world, chemicals and irradiation are not characteristically used (thank goodness), but as the world of natural foods grows into mass production - will the integrity of the foods become compromised in other ways? We don’t think the answer lies in irradiation or some new impenetrable packaging technology, for both of these choices have external costs that range from environmental degradation to packaging waste to lowered food quality. We think the answer lies in consumers choosing less processed food, and seeing beyond the instant gratification of a ready-to-eat product. This really isn’t a hard choice - in fact, it can be an eye-opening-ly delicious choice! So whenever you can, forgo the ultra-convenient option, for something homemade or semi-homemade. Your taste buds will thank you, and it might just be safer too…
Woohoo! Matisse & Jack’s received major kudos today from the Denver Post. The newspaper conducted a blind taste test of "athletes, foodies and chocoholics" of ten popular bars. TrailBlaze Bake-at-home Energy Bars took the #1 spot, scoring 18% higher than the second-place bar. We were up against the ten most popular bars on the market. They posted a chart of the results and also wrote us up in a piece:
Barb from Fort Wayne, Indiana wrote us with a fantastic pumpkin bread recipe that incorporates TrailBlaze. This will give the family the energy to trick or treat the entire neighborhood.
Take dry mix and add 1/2c pumpkin, 1/2 lt. applesauce, 2T water, and 1/2t pumpkin spice. Mix well. Bake 30 mins.
Tastes like pumpkin bread!
The Matisse & Jack’s team took in the scenery of Big Basin’s old-growth redwood forest as we supplied homemade bars to runners recovering from the 5.5 mi, 10.5 mi and 16 mi trail races. Redwood Trails puts on races in beautiful places; upcoming races where runners will find fresh bars include Angel Island’s Heaven View Trail and the Woodside Sequoia Trail.