Rick Field
Meet Rick Field, CEO + Chief Pickler at one of our favorite pickling companies - Rick's Picks. After taking the top prize at a pickling competition, Rick decided to embark on the culinary adventure of his dreams.
What Inspired You To Start Your Company?
The experiences I had as a child making pickles with my family in the summer in Vermont.
Tell us about your products.
Nuanced flavor profiles. Crispy, savory, persuasive. Low sodium. A brand that embodies the rustic pleasures of home canning fused with the lively spirit of the food world today.
What Does Being A Small-Batch “Craftsman” Mean To You?
There’s a lot of love in the jar (not that kind of love).
What is your favorite small-batch treat?
Szechuan pickled cabbage from my local chinese restaurant.
What Drew You To Food?
Mom and Dad lead me there. Plus after a career in TV, I turned 40, broke up with girlfriend, lost my job in TV…. And won a pickle contest. What else was I going to do?
Where Does Your Food Inspiration Come From?
Poland, Japan and Louisiana.
What Products Are You Working On Now?
Shhhhh. All I can say it will involve single servings.
Do You Have a Favorite Product?
The next one.
Latest Ingredient Obsession?
Sesame shitake salad dressing.
What Did You Have For Dinner Last Night?
Thai food in a strip mall in Anaheim, CA.
What Person, Living Or Dead, Would You Most Like To Have Try Your Product?
Nicholas Appert, the Frenchman who invented canning in the 1800s.
What’s The Best Piece Of Advice You’ve Gotten In Building Your Business? What Advice Would You Give Other craftsmen?
If you really want to pursue your food dream to the point where you are earning a living, make sure you love paperwork. It’s all paperwork at a certain point.
What Other Local Food Craftsmen or Chefs Do You Admire?
The gang at Dover in Brooklyn.
If You Had To Choose Your Last Meal, What Would It Be?
Roast chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.
Favorite Restaurant or Food Experience?
Anything Omakase.
What Do You Enjoy Doing Outside of the Kitchen?
Hanging with my kids and watching them learn how to do things Watching pro football on TV and drinking Tecate with my bros.
What’s Your Favorite Kitchen Soundtrack?
Come on. There is no single answer to a question like that. But I will say, I have conducted a lot of pickle tests while listening to Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers.
Stay up-to-date with Rick + all of his pickling creations: