I had the pleasure of sitting down with Meg Dhamer, former caterer, food entrepreneur and creator of Pigtale Twist Products. Based in Chicago, she will be at different Kowalski's Markets all Labor Day weekend with samplings of her products: Three Berry Vinaigrette, Ridiculous Garlic Blue Dressing and Buttery Caramel Sauce.  She is proud of her products and rightfully so - they are gluten-free, all natural and beautifully packaged. I asked her about the her background.

"I was a caterer. Divorced with two children to support. I kept going to Gourmet Food events and always took classes. Finally, someone said to me that I couldn't take classes forever and I should do something. When my kids were going to college, they were over with their friends. They all asked me what I was going to do now. They told me to put all my favorite things in a bottle and sell it."

The favorite things evolved into her "Ridiculous Garlic Blue Cheese Dressing" (ridiculous because she puts 1/4 cup of garlic into each bottle), her "Three Berry Vinaigrette (made with raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) and her "Buttery Caramel Sauce."

Dhamer admits that she has always been drawn to cooking more than to the sweets.

"I've been cooking since I was eight years old. When I was eight, I brought my Halloween candy to school and sold it. After school, I went to the butcher and ordered a calves liver. The butcher asked me what I was going to do with it and I said I was going to cook it with bacon and onions. And so I did. I ate it all."

As Dhamer developed her products she researched nutrition. A nurse in the Hennepin School District in Minneapolis told her that 20 years ago she had 4 students in her high school with health issues that required medication. Today, 72 percent of her students have some sort of allergy - mostly food related. They are concerned about their lunch menu and what is safe to serve. Dhamer did not use preservatives and her products are gluten-free. She resolved to keep it that way.

Her products are hand-filled, labeled and packaged at Lambs Farm in Libertyville, IL. Lambs Farm is a safe, beautiful residential community for mentally-challenged adults. A portion of her proceeds goes to Lambs Farm. Recipes and more information can be found at her website: Pigtail Twist.

Meg Dhamer will be offering demos and sampling of her products through Labor Day at Kowalski's Markets. Find her between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at these stores:

Thursday, September 2: Kowalski's White Bear Lake

Friday, September 3: Kowalski's Hennepin Avenue

Saturday, September 4: Kowalski's White Bear Lake

Sunday, September 5, Kowalski's Grand Avenue

Monday, September 6, Kowalski's Woodbury