Ask nearly anyone who was born and raised in the *DelMarVa region to identify the one taste that they most closely identify with our area and they will tell you "CRABS!"  We love our steamed crabs, spiced generously with that special blend of Chesapeake Bay seasoning and enjoyed with cold beer and great company all summer long at our famous crab feasts. *(For those of you from out of town, "DelMarVa" refers to the parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia that surround the Chesapeake Bay.)

We in the DelMarVa love the taste of that special crab seasoning so much that we use it in many other ways, including on other seafood, on french fries, potato chips, fried chicken and even popcorn!  I've even seen it on peanut brittle (and it was delicious, by the way)!

In case you haven't tried using Chesapeake Bay seasoning on plain popcorn, you should give it a try.  It's a nice change from ordinary salted popcorn, but doesn't make for a product that I would like to produce under the "CrunchDaddy Popcorn" label.  I always want to create unique gourmet popcorn flavors that are different from anything you've ever tasted.

Back in 2007 when I began developing my recipes, I tried adding that famous Chesapeake Bay seasoning to regular kettle corn, going for a sweet & salty "yin/yang" kind of thing.  Some people really enjoyed it and still ask me to make it, though, to be honest, it just didn't thrill me.  It wasn't until this past summer when I began to work with various peanut products that I decided to revisit the idea of using our favorite DelMarVa seasoning on popcorn.

What I came up with is a hybrid of tastes that I believe to be unique: Freshly popped popcorn, very slightly sweet, dusted with a fine coating (just a dusting) of roasted peanuts and our beloved Chesapeake Bay seasoning.  The result is what I call "Chesapeake Crunch"!

Unlike some other snack food products that use a similar seasoning and are extremely salty, "Chesapeake Crunch" uses only a moderate amount of salt.  You can enjoy the unique taste of the spices, peanuts and popcorn together "without going into a salt pucker" as I like to say.  Unlike our sweet offerings, "Chesapeake Crunch" is the kind of popcorn that you'll want to enjoy with a an ice-cold beer, a glass of sangria, a tall iced tea or whatever you choose to wet your whistle.  You may even be tempted to sneak "Chesapeake Crunch" into Camden Yards to watch the Orioles play!

I'm proud that "Chesapeake Crunch" will be representing our classic DelMarVa taste to folks far and wide!