Fortune Favors began as a mistake. Or was it something more magical, more…fortuitous? Chef Eric Rupert was hard at work in the kitchen, the stovetop crowded with pots and pans, when he accidentally dropped some pecan halves into the wrong pot. When he saw them again later, he stopped and looked more closely. They had a perfect, shiny glaze as though they had been intentionally and carefully conjured.
He tasted one, and was surprised at how crunchy and delicious it was. Over the next hour, as if in a trance, he ate them all. He added salt to a second batch, and shared them with family and friends. They were instantly spellbound, and a ritual was born: Eric would prepare these enchanting treats for campfires or holiday gifts, and they would be instantly and utterly devoured. He marveled every time someone took their first bite. In all of his legendary culinary career, he had never seen a food make people as happy as his candied pecans did.
In a leap of faith, Eric left Epic as executive chef in 2021 to found Fortune Favors (originally called Nutkrack), with co-founder Jessica Benish. He went about the task with a humble and grateful Midwestern sensibility along with a healthy dose of nostalgia and humor. The pair opened a neighborhood pecan shop on Madison’s east side, which quickly gained a cult-following as people tasted the candied pecans.
Today, Eric and a small team of food-lovers are sharing Fortune Favors candied pecans across the nation. Fortune Favors appreciates and celebrates the power of food to connect people, but doesn’t take life too seriously. Life is moments – connected. Best spent with good friends and good food. Magic from the mundane. Simple joys and pleasures. All you have to do is pass the can of candied pecans.
Fortune Favors those who taste something extraordinary, and share it!
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