After being diagnosed with a mild form of celiac disease four years ago, Lizette Rivera knew she'd have to stop eating gluten. Since Rivera could only eat so much chocolate, she needed to come up with another item to snack on, and it also had to be something her family would enjoy.
She found popcorn.
Though Rivera had been concocting flavored popcorns at home, it wasn't until she took some to her daughter's softball game that she "fell into it." From there, Chef Inspired Popcorn Company was born. The owner opened her first store on Hanley Road in Town 'N Country around a year ago and is set to move the operation to SoHo in fall. She's hoping to launch her new store at 927 S. Howard Ave. the first week of September.
"It is a fun business," Rivera said. "And who doesn't like popcorn?"
The relocated store will feature some of the Hillsborough popcorn company's best-selling puffs, which are made from rounder, sturdier mushroom kernels rather than the butterfly kernels used in theaters. With flavors ranging from sweet and savory to specialty, the options include salted caramel, bacon cheddar and birthday cake (Rivera calls this her Hollywood popcorn because "people call and ask for it"). Other gourmet variations, rotated about once a week, are banana split, Parmesan truffle and rosemary olive oil.
Rivera also said she'll introduce fresh snacks, such as jumbo marshmallows and candy caramel apples, for the upcoming fall season, and shaved ice in the summertime.
"Just kind of fun, cool things that you would have to maybe go to Downtown Disney to find. We want to bring it here locally," the owner said.
Chef Inspired Popcorn Company's new 1,300-square-foot space, where Tate's Pizza used to operate, will be divided by a half wall, allowing customers to watch — and smell — the production of Rivera's flavored popcorns. The smell, she said, fills up the whole store.
The gluten- and peanut-free facility will have a table and some chairs, but customers are meant to come in, see the popcorn on full display, buy it and take it home to enjoy. And see it, they will. According to Rivera, she aims to hold tours once her relocated operation is up and running; a five-gallon industrial popper, a caramelizer and a tumbler are among its features.
"For the kids," the popcorn company will always remain peanut free. Rivera, who follows a gluten-free diet, said she knows what it's like to not be able to eat certain foods due to allergies and other dietary restrictions.
"We really try to create different, fun things for those kids," she added.
So what's next? Rivera intends to open a store on the beach by the end of 2017. While her SoHo flagship will act as the main host of production, she said the beach location will likely be for retail.
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2016.