Owners of the East Village, New York wine-on-tap-bar Lois have launched Aida, a new food brand that features multi-functional modern pantry staples and entertaining essentials. Available now to select retailers and launching online in April 2017, Aida features a line of specialized cookies, nuts, and crackers wrapped in shelf-popping packaging designed by Studio XXXI that aims to transform the way cooks and hosts entertain at home.
The design-forward pantry items take the guesswork out of entertaining, whether they’re served alongside cheese and wine or incorporated into homemade recipes. The driving mission behind the brand is to inspire home cooks and hosts to create food experiences that are both unique and delightful, while still maintaining simplicity. The initial 2017 release will include five anchor items that feature modern riffs on classic staples including:
- Currant Crisps: A spiced interpretation of the shortbread cookie. SRP $10.
- Lemon Candied Pepitas: Salty pepitas with a healthy dose of sweet citrus and a subtle peppery kick. SRP $8
- Szechuan Candied Pecans: Punchy pecans candied with a combination of hot red pepper and mouth-numbing Szechuan peppercorns. SRP $10
- Sourdough Crackers: Perfectly salted and addictively crunchy sourdough crisps. SRP $9
- Rye Crackers: Old World flavors, both complex and comforting. SRP $9
Aida is the brainchild of wine-aficionado Nora O’Malley and specialty chef Phoebe Connell, both Cleveland natives and co-owners of the East Village wine bar Lois. “At Lois, we found that our customers became friends who looked to us for suggestions on eating, drinking, and entertaining,” says Nora. “They wanted to bring the Lois lifestyle into their homes including, most importantly, our food. Aida is an extension of Lois and our philosophy on eating and entertaining—it should be delicious and it should be easy.”
Aida is a New York City-based, women-owned business that makes a curated line of pantry staples and entertaining essentials. Founded in 2016 by Nora O’Malley and Phoebe Connell, Aida products are inspired by the small plates and customer favorites that they developed in their tiny East Village all-tap wine bar, Lois on Avenue C aka Loisaida Avenue. Today, Aida’s mission is to make eating fun and simple by offering inspired and reliable go-to products. Aida’s products are available on their website at www.aidaeats.com and at gourmet retailers.