Ain't That Sweet!

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Some chefs feel so strongly about these products that they have endorsed the Wholesome Sweeteners brand, which is one of several companies that distribute these sugars in the U.S. Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit restaurant in New York City is one of those chefs, and although he hasn't been paid for it, his picture appears on the back of a package of a raw cane sugar from Malawi, along with his recipe for moist, chewy gingersnaps. "I got hooked on these sugars about two years ago," says Samuelsson. "I'm always looking for good-quality ingredients, and these sugars have a flavor that can really stand out in a recipe."

Nigel Willerton, CEO of Wholesome Sweeteners, based in Sugar Land, Texas, attributes the rising popularity of specialty sugars to consumers who are more concerned about the source of their food, the environment and the use of pesticides and herbicides. Wholesome Sweeteners' sales of these sugars, which the company imports from five countries, have quadrupled in four years, reaching $26 million this year. Despite their growing market share, organic- and unrefined-sugar sales still account for a tiny share--about $39 million of the $10 billion-a-year U.S. sugar market. And only one company, Florida Crystals, produces organic sugar in the U.S.

Sugar is on no one's list of health foods, but are speciality types better for you than the common white stuff? Certainly the organic varieties contain fewer additives like pesticides. Some fans of these sweeteners also argue that a little goes a longer way to satisfy a sweet tooth. "Refined sugar is cheap filler with no flavor," argues Gretchen Goehrend, founder and president of India Tree of Seattle, one of the first companies to bring these sugars into the U.S. "If you get a mouthful of dark muscovado, you're not going to forget that rich and wonderful taste. It makes the meal more satisfying, so you'll eat less."

Goehrend's theory can be put to the test at Boule in Los Angeles, where bite-size pastries offer big rewards. While diet consciousness is far from Michelle Myers' mind, the pastry chef and candymaker has modeled her artful patisserie after the neighborhood versions she visited in Paris during her tenure at Le Cordon Bleu. But specialty sugars have added a whole new dimension to her baking. There are little gems, such as her dainty financier cake made with pineapple muscovado jam; brioche that sparkles with demerara sugar; and kouing-aman, a buttery, caramelized cinnamon-flake pastry.

Chefs like Myers and Beranbaum can't hide their enthusiasm for these sweet discoveries. Beranbaum even asserts that the new sugars can help simplify the art of baking because they add spectacular flavor without requiring complex skills. "For me," marvels Beranbaum, "finding these sugars is like being an astronomer who has discovered a new planet or a mathematician who has solved a new theorem." It's that sweet.