Junk Food Nation, a gigantic effing storm swept through the DC area last night.  It knocked out power, it knocked out trees, it broke car windows, it tore up power lines.  It was quite the shitstorm.  Events – cancelled.  The AT&T National Golf Tournament – delayed.  Anyone with friends in the DC-MD-VA area on Facebook can see pictures of the aftermath – fences gone, branches through windows etc.  I know it was probably nothing compared to what those in the Midwest tornado country have to deal with, but still.  80+ MPH winds are no joke.

The storm was SO bad, in fact, that the power outages leveled a big portion of Northern Virginia, where some of the Amazon Web Services servers are. It knocked out some VERY important sites: Netflix, Instagram, Stipple, etc.  Of course, this kind of puts life into perspective when some people don’t have any power or water and others are complaining, “I can’t post my vintage photo of my dog online!!!”

It doesn’t help that we are expecting back-to-back 100 degree days here in the District.  Geez Louise.  Thankfully, my co-op building is old, cranky, and made of brick and asbestos (I’m sure), so I’m fine.  When I look out onto the street though – yikers.

To take my mind off, today’s junk food: Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix!

Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix: The Money Shot

Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix was picked up at the Fancy Food Show on one of the first days.  This Chicago based popcorn line was created by a Culinary Institute of America chef.  This popcorn comes in a variety of flavors…amazing flavors like white cheddar jalapeno, creamy dill, and pumpkin spice.

The one I picked up from them was their Caramel-Cheddar-Kettle Mix, which is apparently a Chicago sweet-savory old time favorite mix.  I’d never had it before, so this was news to me.  Cheese and caramel???

Wait, the popcorn is coming out from underneath!

Love the logo of this Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix. Who WASN’T a fan of Mary Poppins??? Of course, those little kids in the movie did drink weird liquids from Mary Poppins bottle and spent an hour dancing with cartoons inside a “painting.” Maybe Mary Poppins was popping something else.

Anyways, I like how the popcorn is only raining out from underneath the umbrella.  Cool looking – the company website has this animated.  Very neat.

Toll free purchasing!

That’s all the info you need to get some of this Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix!

Simple wax bag, sticker

Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix came in a very simple wax bag with this sticker on top.  When you go on their website, however, you can see that their popcorn is actually very elegantly packaged.

I kind of like the simple packaging, to be honest.  Why fuss with all the glitz and glamour?  Make the insides the best you can, the rest will sort itself out.

Perfectly formed kernels

Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix smelled mostly like cheese when I opened the bag.  As I dumped out the bag, I could see that Gary Poppins only used nice full popcorn kernels. No stranglers here.

Unusual mix (to me)

I took one big mouthful of all three and munched on this Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix…and WOW I LIKED IT.  I’ve never had this cheesy caramel combo before, but I have to admit, it’s pretty damn good.

It helps that separately, the popcorn flavors are solid.  The Cheddar popcorn is sharp in cheese taste, a nice sharp yellow cheddar flavor.  It’s semi-salty and full of body.

The caramel corn is crunchy with coating and very sweet – nice and burnt sugary.  Very appealing – like Crackerjack or Fiddle Faddle or any other caramel corn.  Really good.

And the kettle corn was my favorite part. Lightly sweet and salty, it tasted like a semi-savory version of Corn Pops. Crispy and satisfying.

Cheesy, sugary, salty…mmmmm

None of the flavors in this Gary Poppins Caramel + Cheddar + Kettle Popcorn Mix was bad, and the popcorn itself was not stale or soggy – BIG plus.

Eaten together, I was really surprised.  The tongue definitely tastes the cheesy flavor first, and then as you chew, the caramel flavor forces its way through the cheesy creaminess.  The thing that makes it work is the saltiness of the cheese and kettle corn – it almost makes the caramel flavor into a more of a barbecue flavor.  I know some people love those Honey BBQ Cheese Curls – the flavor profile here was similar.

So, Gary Poppins, you’ve convinced me.  Chicago Mix – winner. Everyone – buy this stuff.

PURCHASED AT: Given at the Fancy Food Show

COST: Free (but can be bought online for various shapes and prices)

Thoughts? Please comment below (I always reply) or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. Also, you can always email me at junkfoodguy@junkfoodguy.com. Let’s hang out.

Sincerely, Junk Food Guy