Peanut Butter & Co.

Pardon Our Dust!

Lee Zalben- The Peanut Butter Guy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:31:08 +0000

Hey there – thanks for visiting the Peanut Butter & Co. website. I just wanted to let everyone know that we’ve been making some changes to the website, and still have a little work to go. During this time, you might notice that some areas of the site look a little different than you’re used to. Also, while we’re upgrading the site, you may find that an image here or there won’t load, or some text may be formatted a little strangely, or a button might be in a different place than before the upgrade.

I want to assure you that apart from these cosmetic issues (which we’re fixing on a continuous basis), the online store is fully operational and 100% secure.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be announcing some major new features to the site, which we think you’ll enjoy. So watch your email, and keep eating peanut butter!

-Lee Zalben, The Peanut Butter Guy

Want to learn to cook like a peanut pro?

Scott Stephan — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:03:57 +0000

If you’ll be in New York City on March 29th, our fearless Peanut President, Lee Zalben, is hosting a cooking class at the Whole Foods on the Bowery. Here’s the official buzz:

Peanuts and Peanut Butter are delicious and healthful foods on their own, but add a lot of flavor and protein when used as ingredients in your favorite recipes. March is National Peanut Month, so come celebrate with Lee Zalben, Founder & President of Greenwich Village’s Peanut Butter & Co. and discover exciting new ways to enjoy America’s favorite snack food.

On the Menu:

Chopped salad with Spicy Peanut Butter Vinaigrette

Peanutty Veggie Burgers

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread Pudding

Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Bites

If you’re interested in signing up, check out their Culinary Center information page for details on pricing, times and registration

Peanut Butter Photos!

Scott Stephan — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:57:26 +0000

As you may have noticed, we’ve been incredibly busy the last month or so. We made some pretty big changes to the way we handle a lot of our business and it required everyone here to pitch in together to get it done. Unfortunately, that meant that the blog got sidelined for a little while. But the good news is that soon we’ll back in the saddle. In the meantime, I’ve lined up some guestblogs from Krista at CPBGallery.com and Nick from Peanutbutterboy.com. They’ll be sharing some awesome recipes and stories about peanut butter.

In the meantime, two big announcements: One is that we’re running a contest over at our Page on Facebook:

“We want you to participate in National Peanut Month. How? By sending us a picture demonstrating just how much you love peanut butter. Got an idea for a dress made from empty Peanut Butter & Co. jars? Show it to us! Finally ready to make that Dark Chocolate Dreams snowman? Now’s your chance.

To enter, head on over to our Page on Facebook and upload your photo to the “Fan Photos” contest album, located below and make sure to note that it’s an entry for the “National Peanut Month contest” in the photo’s description. At the end of the month we’ll pick a winner based on creativity, level of difficulty and use of peanuts and peanut butter. Please note that for this contest you will have to be a Facebook member.

If you’re stuck and can’t think of anything, we’ll be uploading photos throughout the weeks ahead to try and jog your creative engines! So, get to it- The deadline for entries is March 30th, 2009.”

The other is that I took a little bit of time and uploaded some photos we had laying around. You can find them on Facebook or over at our Flickr group. If you’re a Flickr member and have pictures of our shop or our products, feel free to upload them to the Peanut Butter & Co. Flickr Pool.

Congratulations Lisa & Roey

Scott Stephan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:24:16 +0000

Two great friends of Peanut Butter & Co., singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb and TV executive Roey Hershkovitz got married this past Saturday here in New York City.

We’ve known Lisa for a number of years, having first met her when she taped an episode of her E! reality dating series #1 Single at the Peanut Butter & Co. sandwich shop in 2006. The date didn’t go so hot and Lisa was still single a bit later when she met Roey, and they too had lunch at Peanut Butter & Co., which is mentioned in The New York Times announcement of their wedding:

…That December they dined with friends on the Upper West Side, followed the next day by “a nondate” lunch date for two in Greenwich Village, where Ms. Loeb said they shared “a Fluffernutter” and also a concoction of peanut butter, banana, honey and bacon called “an Elvis.”

I saw the happy couple just a few months ago at the New York Chocolate Show, where they were just buzzing about their upcoming nuptials. And we were thrilled (of course!) when Lisa and Roey chose to present their guests with a Gift Bag that included coupons for free jars of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter!

Tales from Customer Service

Ging — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:07:26 +0000

Last year (wow, that sounds so long ago!), we heard from a college student, Emily Miethner, who wrote us to say she loved her experience visiting our sandwich shop in NY City. A Hofstra University student and self-proclaimed peanut butter nut, Emily included a recipe of her creation “Midnight Crunch” in her email.

The recipe consists of crunchy peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and a cereal called
Co-Co Krunch. She says it’s “fabulous,” “totally hits the spot,” and now her “new favorite midnight snack.” Emily included pictures of herself and a friend with her featured recipe (which she graciously allowed us to publish).

We realize that there are many people like Emily – college students who have to burn the midnight oil so to speak – who snack on peanut butter to get going. And it makes it all the more fun that some get out of the box and find creative ways to eat it. Emily said she was inspired by our “crazy, delicious, unique sandwich combos” at our sandwich shop. I am equally inspired by the positive emails and letters we get from customers – it is really one of the more delightful aspects of my job (we do take turns reading them aloud here in the office)!

Remembering John Updike

Lee Zalben- The Peanut Butter Guy — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:26:47 +0000

John Updike passed away today. He was a prolific author, famous for his fiction, essays, and poetry. He was also a peanut butter lover. The following quotation is from an interview he gave to Clyde Haberman, published by The New York Times in March of 1996:

“I was a great peanut-butter lover from childhood on,” he recalled. “The way I used to read was, we had an old sofa in the house, and I’d make a sandwich consisting of peanut butter and raisins. You’d eat one of those while you read John Dickson Carr or some other mystery writer, or James Thurber or Robert Benchley. In that way, many a happy afternoon went by.”

In honor of Mr. Updike, this weekend I plan on picking up a copy of one of his earliest and most famous novels, Rabbit, Run, making myself a peanut butter and raisin sandwich, and curling up on my old sofa and enjoying the two.

Comments, e-mails and our return!

Scott Stephan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:00:51 +0000

It has been over a month since our last post and it has been a busy month indeed! One of the things that really struck me when I first started working here was the seperation between the finished product on the shelf and the amount of work that goes into getting it there. As a consumer, I just had this idea that everything was automated. Not so, unfortunately. We spent a lot of the last month taking care of Holiday orders and customer concerns. When that was over, we ended up looking into a big change in the way we handle a lot of business-y things. And then the King Nut peanut butter recall happened, and while we were NOT AFFECTED BY THE RECALL(!) we spent a lot of time fielding customer calls and e-mails and issuing press releases to clear the air. But things are starting to calm down a bit and I actually just sent out our (hopeful!) schedule for the next few months, so with a little luck we’ll be back to frequent posting.

In the meantime I wanted to highlight some of my favorite posts, comments and links that’ve come in in the last few weeks. First, from a reader named Penelope:

When I first moved to the U.S., I told my husband I would only eat peanut butter if I were an American citizen. Belgians only eat chocolate spread. OK, maybe that is an overstatement, but you get the point. A few years ago I did not think I would ever apply for naturalization. I knew that I would have to give up my Belgian citizenship in order to become an American, and I was not ready to do that. But then again, never say never! Last year the Belgian law on dual citizenship changed (you no longer have to give up your Belgian citizenship if you apply for another citizenship), and more importantly, I start to feel more and more like an American. The U.S. is now my new home, and I want to participate in all facets of life, including voting. Early September I submitted my N-400 application for naturalization. I thought it would take years before my application would be approved. I was wrong, very wrong!

On December 31, 2008 I received my letter for the Oath Ceremony: Tuesday 13 January 2009! I could not have asked for a better way to start 2009. When I called my husband, he immediately said “I will cook that evening.” Mmm, my husband? Cooking? I should have known better: peanut butter sandwiches. Lord have mercy with me. Luckily a good friend had sent me a box with a pot of “Dark Chocolate Dreams” and a note:

“Here’s a little box to help you with your naturalization interview next month. Maybe this particular type of peanut butter will help you make the transition.”

How thoughtful of her! My first peanut butter experience might not be so bad after all.

Penelope, congrats on your new citizenship! It’s always wonderful to hear stories of our product being enjoyed, it’s even better when our products are helping someone through a tricky or difficult time. In the past we’ve recieved letters from people who said that the only food their sick family members would eat was one of our peanut butters. That’s a nice feeling!

From the comments, Josh has a sandwich idea:

hi im josh im 14 i saw your company on a show on the travel chanel and have a new sandwich for your menu its my favorite its a peanut butter & saurkraut sandwich on white bread with peanut butter on both sides with saurkraut in the middle make shure that you use plain saurkraut and creamy peanut butter write back if you like it

So here’s the deal: I’m not going to eat this. But if one of our intrepid readers agrees to make this, take pictures and send us those pictures, we’ll send them a free jar of peanut butter. Josh, I’m glad you like that sandwich. And I can even understand where someone might really like. But I have a hunch that that person is not me.

Peanut Butter & Co. products ARE NOT part of the current recall.

Lee Zalben- The Peanut Butter Guy — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:22:42 +0000

Many of our customers have contacted us regarding the current salmonella-related peanut butter recall. The recall is limited to products made by Peanut Corporation of America as well as products sold under the King Nut Brand. We do not supply or are supplied by either of these companies.

Peanut Butter & Co. products ARE NOT affected by this recall.

Some consumers have notified us that a news program may have included an image of our products while reporting on the recall. We have notified that news agency of their mistake and they have advised us that their intent was simply to show peanut butter in general and not to imply that our brand was part of the recall. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused our customers.

Peanut Butter & Co. products are tested throughout every stage of the manufacturing process. Strict quality assurance measures are in place to ensure that our products are 100% safe for consumers.

Should you have any additional questions please contact our customer service line at 1-866-ILOVEPB

Our second Holiday Recipe Contest winner!

Scott Stephan — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:11:50 +0000

We have a second winner for our Holiday Recipe Contest! Nick Strand of the Peanut Butter Boy blog submitted this super easy, quick and tasty recipe. Make sure to swing by his blog, this isn’t the only delicious recipe he has available:

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie Pudding by Nick Strand

8oz (~3 cups) frozen whipped topping, thawed for 30 minutes
2 cups milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt (preferably Greek)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup Mighty Maple Peanut Butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 small (4-serving) packages of instant vanilla pudding
6 honey graham cracker sheets
2 bananas, in 1/4” slices

In a large bowl, whisk together the whipped topping, milk, yogurt and pumpkin puree until well mixed. Whisk in the peanut butter, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Finally, whisk in the instant pudding powder until no clumps remain.
Line the bottom of an 8×13 glass baking dish with a single layer of graham crackers, breaking them as necessary to completely cover the bottom.
Cover the graham crackers with about 1/3 of the pudding and top with a layer of banana slices. Start a new layer of graham crackers and repeat. Decorate the top with shards of graham crackers sticking out, fresh berries or dark chocolate shavings.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight to allow the graham crackers to soften.

*Note: You can (and I do) use all low-fat or nonfat ingredients.

That brings our Holiday Recipe Contest to a close! Thanks to everyone who entered and keep your eyes on this blog and our Page on Facebook for future contests.

Blog break!

Scott Stephan — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:16:03 +0000

You guys may have noticed that we’ve been a bit lax with our updates over the last week or so. It gets incredibly busy around at Peanut Butter & Co. around the holidays, adjusting inventory, helping customers with purchases, sorting out all the little problems- We needed to take a break! But no worries, we’ve got a revamped and improved schedule starting in January, including some special guest bloggers. Before the New Year, however, we should have that Sandwich Paradise video up for your viewing pleasure, as well as the second winner of our Holiday Recipe Contest (You still have 1 day to enter!).

So, hang tight, keep us in your favorites or stick us in your bookmarks because we’re looking forward to continuing to bring you the best peanut butter news in the world!