State of Cornfusion: Popcorn seller fills farmers market with flavor
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 11 months AGO
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Debbie Doran-Martinez scoops out a helping of Rainbow Fruit popcorn at the Moses Lake Farmers Market.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | October 3, 2018 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — This is not, as the saying goes, your father’s popcorn. Unless your father was into flavors like Dill Pickle, Sweet Lime Habanero and Strawberry Lemonade.
These and 40-some more flavors are the stock in trade of Cornfusion, which you can usually find at the Moses Lake and Quincy farmers markets.
“We typically take to market about 10 flavors every week,” said Debbie Doran-Martinez, who owns Cornfusion. “We rotate them through. There are some, the basics, you know, Cheddar, Rainbow Fruit, we take those every single week. Then there are some that are requested all the time that we take every other week. Then there are some flavors that we just maybe bring once or twice. ”
Cornfusion is a “side gig” for Doran-Martinez, who is also the executive director of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband Alex bought it a couple of years ago and “we’ve been making lots of popcorn ever since.”
The business is a family operation, Doran-Martinez said, and they try to involve their grandchildren in particular. “It gives them a work ethic and customer service skills, money handling, all of that. So we make it not only a family fun business, but also they’re learning skills for life.”
The corn is popped and flavored in a specially-refitted shop at Doran-Martinez’ home. It’s licensed with the Washington Department of Agriculture, which means the family can produce the stuff, sell it on the internet and ship it to out-of-area buyers. This particular license also enables Cornfusion to sell wholesale to other retailers.
The flavors themselves are as real as they are varied, Doran-Martinez said. When she spoke with the Herald, she and her family had just finished making Maple Bacon and had segued into Almond Joy, which actually has coconut and almonds in it and is drizzled with dark chocolate.
“It’s crazy how the different flavors are so true to what their names are. We have one called Red Hot Cinnamon, and it tastes like cinnamon bears. We have one called Iced Cinnamon Bun, and it tastes like a Cinnabon cinnamon roll.” All the flavors are gluten-free, she added, with the exception of Buffalo Wing Blue Cheese. There’s even a seasonal one for Christmas time called Elf Crunch, which is presumably not made from real elves.
Currently besides the booths at the farmers markets, Cornfusion is available at a Michael’s Market and Bistro and Second Time Silver in Moses Lake, as well as two places in Pendleton, Ore. If everything goes right, she says, she’s hoping to expand that to include Yakima, Wenatchee and even Seattle. “That’s if I can ever get a break from making popcorn,” she said.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.