A Career Change Fueled by Passion
After two decades in the corporate space, John Callicotte pursued a sweet interest and entered the kitchen.
When studying at Pima Community College, Callicotte expanded his knowledge of smokers, exploring beyond traditional barbecued pork chops and brisket.
“I needed to do something I was more passionate about” he said. “That brought me back to the culinary world. With the support of my wife, I was able to pursue my passion for high quality food.
While researching the types of products I could sell under Arizona’s home cottage licensing, I thought of smoke-roasting nuts.
“So I started working on recipes while in school,” he said. “I used my regular smoker for some test runs. I knew it would work when the taste testing revealed the nuts had the flavor of my past barbecues.”
Investing in the Craft
Soon after, Callicotte went all in on his venture and acquired the proper equipment.
“In order to provide a more consistent taste, I invested in a smoker just for producing nuts,” he said. “Each recipe takes anywhere from two-to-four labor intensive hours to smoke.”
Furthermore, all of their recipes are vegetarian; most are vegan.
From Red Rock to Mount Lemmon, Sonoran Sweetery began to share their smoke-roasted nuts throughout Tucson. Before long, Callicotte achieved a significant milestone as a Tucson food vendor.
“The uniqueness of the products opened the doors to the Heirloom Farmers Markets just months after I applied, a market that fellow vendors had told me it would be one-to-two years to be accepted into,” he said. “Nick Szumowski, Heirloom’s executive director, told me that he’d never heard of smoked nuts before I had applied and that he was impressed with how original the products were.”
Within one month of starting at his first Heirloom Farmers Markets event, he expanded to the rest of their markets.
Adding a Playful Twist to Gourmet Nuts
While Callicotte refines his craft, he embraces the playful nature of his products through innuendos and puns.
“Whether it be the colorful booth display, our humorous signs, nut jokes, or even our highly sought after ‘Nut Sacks’ product bags for customers, we always enjoy our time at the market,” he said. “Most of our products have layers of flavor, which makes explaining them to shoppers entertaining.”
These nuts don’t only offer a number of jokes, but also palate versatility. With flavors such as pumpkin spice pecans and sweet fire cashews, Sonoran Sweetery gives plain nuts an inviting makeover.
Callicotte emphasized the nuts offer versatility beyond a snack.
“They are a great addition to salads and roasted vegetables,” he said. “We often use them in recipes for pecan crusted salmon and chicken. They’re also great for baking.”
Expanding Beyond the Market Scene
Despite its accomplishments, Sonoran Sweetery is only four years old and still coming out of its shell.
“We’re continuing our collaboration with High Desert Sauce Co. and working towards additional collaborations with other vendors,” he said. “We’ll be increasing our social media presence with recipes, cooking videos, market shopping videos, and much more.”
Sonoran Sweetery will be available at the Heirloom Farmers Markets, Fourth Avenue Street Fair, Made in Tucson Market, the Vegan Tucson Night Market, the Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair at Reid Park, and online.
For more information, visit sonoransweetery.com. Keep up with Sonoran Sweetery on Instagram.
