New food, spirits businesses created by Westchester, Putnam entrepreneurs

Seven entrepreneurs in Westchester and Putnam — a longtime distiller, two sisters with a background in business, an avid baker and her mom, and an engaged couple who love tradition — are making a name for themselves in the food and drink space. Their stories follow.

Syndicate Distillers

Somers resident Albert Savarese, a veteran of the liquor industry, launched Syndicate Distillers in August featuring a host of spirits. The founder of the now-defunct Still the One Distillery in Port Chester (remember 914 bourbon? ), Savarese has a thing for area codes. That means one of Syndicate's new spirits is Hudson Region 845, a bourbon whiskey made in collaboration with another New York state distiller.

What makes his new blends different, he said, is that they're made with New York corn, rye and malted that's distilled to make a single-barrel straight bourbon in white oak barrels. It's a "trade-secret recipe of certain infused vanilla staves," specially made to create a dark walnut color with hints of honey, smoked bacon, vanilla, caramel and burnt orange, explained Savarese.

Syndicate Distillery, which distills its New York Rocks vodka in Yonkers and its Hudson Region 845 in Stanfordville in Dutchess County, currently has four products. Seven more are coming soon, including Black Brim gin; five types of Kentucky bourbon; and a gin made from the same vodka base as NY Rocks Vodka that should launch in January. Savarese and his new business partner, David Spezzano, are also looking at farms in the Clinton Corners area of Dutchess (to buy) and working with Economic Development in Westchester for a possible lease of a White Plains annex for Syndicate Distillers until they close on a farm property. More info at syndicatedistillers.com.

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Whipnotic

New York City resident Lori Gitomer has always loved whipped cream, but it wasn't until later in life when she was seeking low-sugar dessert options after giving birth to her daughter, that she realized how little the category had changed. Inspired by baristas in coffee shops, pancake houses and ice cream parlors that have been swirling chocolate, caramel sauces and fruit purees into whipped cream to make it more multi-dimensional, Gitomer and her sister Briarcliff Manor resident Tracy Luckow, decided to change the paradigm.

Their result is Whipnotic, a keto-friendly, gluten-free whipped cream with no artificial flavors and only 15 calories and one gram of sugar. Whipnotic launched in June 2021 and is now available in four flavors: Strawberry Swirl, Vanilla Salted Caramel, Brownie Batter and Peach Mango.

Gitomer said the new whipped creams, available online and at DeCicco & Son's, work on everything from ice cream to cappuccino or on morning pancakes, fresh fruit, cobbler and even cocktails.

The sisters have years of business experience, which led them to this entrepreneurial venture. Gitomer worked in sales at Viacom, NBC and CAA, and Luckow, who has a PHd in food science and nutrition, spent more than 20 years creating successful innovations for PepsiCo, Dannon and Sabra. So not only did the two women change the flavor of traditional whipped cream, but they also changed the experience by inventing a new technology that makes the nozzle more like a frozen yogurt dispenser with the capability of swirling two flavors together.

Whipnotic holds a global patent with more than 30 claims for the breakthrough packaging innovation. And there's now a sleek new cap and nozzle, reducing plastic usage by 60 percent. Go to whipnotic.com for more details.

Grem's Rugies, Brewster

Jackson Fischer-Diotte grew up eating his grandmother's rugelech. More than enjoying the flaky sweet treat, he also grew up respecting its history. Helen Fischer, aka Grem, got the recipe from her mother, who was of ambiguous Eastern European descent and who inspired Fischer's unique take on rugelach, an Old World traditional recipe that's flakier and more traditional — and NOT filled with chocolate or raspberry. "'Elegant and satisfying,' we like to say," said Fischer-Diotte, who lives (and bakes) out of Brewster.

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Helen Fischer had ambitions to start a rugelach business but could never find time to do so while raising three kids. She would still bake her "rugies" constantly and handed them out to family and friends well into her 70s. She also used to hand roll between 600 to 800 pounds of her rugies each holiday season and give them away for free.) Now, with her blessing — she's 86! — Fischer-Diotte and his fiancé Regan Kelly are working to fulfill her dream, not just for them, but to create a family legacy. The two always wanted to open a bakery and cafe.

Since launching in September, the two have been spreading the love of Grem's Rugies, mainly with online orders and from sales at farmers markets. Their goal is to eventually sell frozen rugelach raw in grocery stories. Details at gremsrugies.square.site.

Geaux Nuts, Scarsdale

You can thank Hurricane Katrina for Allison Kushnick's New Orleans-inspired nut mixes. Her parents evacuated the city when the 2005 hurricane hit and they relocated to New York. Wanting to do something to lift their spirits, the NOLA native and now longtime Scarsdale resident started working on recipes side by side with her mom, Barbara Gendler, to recreate the sugared meringue pecan that had always been a staple in their home. Although Kushnick worked for many years in health care and marketing, she was always an avid baker. She started Geaux Nuts as a hobby but elevated the brand this July to improve the look and feel of the product. This twist on the praline, said Kushnick, is now available in three flavors: Original Cinnamon; White Chocolate Crunch and White Chocolate and can be found online as well as at select retailers including June & Ho in Rye and Ovder coffee shop in Bronxville

This is not the first venture for the mother-daughter duo. When Kushnick and Gendler were in New Orleans, they sold flourless chocolate cakes to local restaurants. "She's the master behind the recipe and I play the business role," said Kushnick. "Though we divide and conquer when we get big orders!" Details at geauxnuts.com.

Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New food, drink businesses from these Lower Hudson Valley entrepreneurs