I love a neighborhood food story. Stir in some fitness, pour in a little wine, mix in some mingling — and you’ve created a recipe for community building.
This combo is exactly how I met Lenny Ross, founder of Pecan Amor, nearly two years ago. Ross and his husband, Drew, live just a block east of my house, but I’m not sure I would have met them had I not looked up one day on my rush to the car and spotted one of my Zumba friends walking a dog.
“Denise!” I squealed. “I didn’t know you lived over here.”
“I don’t,” she said. “My son and his husband do, and I’m housesitting and taking care of their dog.” The next time I saw Denise in Zumba, she invited my family to a neighborhood rosé party that the Rosses were hosting (they provide the food and ask neighbors to bring bottles of rosé). In their backyard, we met more lovely neighbors we’d never seen. And at this year’s rosé party, I learned about a Monday night walking group that starts to the west of us and ends with a potluck and prayer in yet another couple’s backyard.
Again: Food, fitness and (new) friendship.
It was after a gym workout one Saturday morning that I got to taste my neighbor’s delicious pecans (I started with Cinnamon Crunch and Garlic Parm) at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market in Inglewood. On a board at the Pecan Amor booth was the all-important question about how to properly pronounce the nut: “Pee-can” or “Puh-cahn?”
The latter, of course.
I recently ran into Ross on a neighborhood walk and asked him to share his pecan story. No matter how you pronounce it, this story is warm and toasty.
“I think I was about six years old when I first discovered my love for pecans,” he says. “My grandma owned and operated a pie shop, and my mom — her daughter — made the original flavored pecans we now call Cinnamon Crunch. She used them to top Grandma’s sweet potato, pumpkin and pecan pies. At six, there wasn’t much I could do to help in the bakery, so in my mind, the best way to contribute was to eat the pecans. My mom would walk into the back of the shop, ask where the pecans had gone, and I could never hide my guilt.
“Years later, my mom handed the recipe down to me, and that’s when Pecan Amor was born,” he says. “I’m still not entirely sure who created the original recipe. Grandma never wrote anything down — baking lived in her bones. She measured with her heart, always saying things like, ‘a pinch of this and a scosche of that.’ Thankfully, my mom eventually captured the recipe and passed it on. It means so much to me. Sometimes when I snack on the Cinnamon Crunch, I can still hear Grandma’s mixer humming in the background.”
Once Ross perfected the recipe and decided to make it a business venture, he searched high and low for the perfect name. “I went through lists of names, puns and ideas, and even did quite a bit of research,” he says. “I remember the exact moment the concept clicked. I was standing in a grocery store aisle looking at shelves of mixed nuts and flavored snacks. Peanuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias and walnuts were available in dozens of flavors. But when I got to the pecans, there were only two options: raw or salted. I thought, ‘Man, pecans need some love!’ I jotted down ‘Pecan Love,’ but it didn’t stick for long. I’ve always loved a good play on words, so I explored other ways to say the same thing — even in other languages. That’s how ‘Pecan Amor’ came about.”
Pecan Amor sources from California growers as much as possible, Ross says. “Supporting local growers matters. It shortens transportation distances, reduces carbon emissions and strengthens our state’s sustainability culture. It also helps ensure freshness and a high-end quality you can taste.”
When I was growing up in Louisiana, pecan trees were plentiful. My sister and I gathered fallen pecans in the folds of our skirts and cracked the hulls open under our shoes, then picked out the meat to pop its fresh, buttery taste into our mouths. Pecan Amor’s nuts remind me of that quality — and the flavors are, indeed, reminiscent of grandmamas cooking with love.
“We use all-natural components — period,” Ross says. “Even our chili lime flavor uses real lime juice, not citric acid. Our Garlic Parm features freshly grated parmesan, not the shelf-stable kind with additives we refuse to use. We cook in small batches, stay mindful of quality and are constantly experimenting with new seasonal flavors in our kitchen.”
And since the beginning of any year is when most folks are looking to improve their eating habits, Ross reminds us that “pecans fit beautifully into a healthy lifestyle. They’re rich in heart-healthy fats, high in antioxidants, packed with vitamins and minerals, great for steady energy and incredibly versatile.
“They’re also perfect for kids’ snacks and meals,” he says. “I love tossing the Garlic Parm pecans onto salads — or crushing them to top pasta, soups, avocado toast or even pizza. If you want to get creative, they make an incredible breading for salmon. Speaking of salads, there’s one apple-fennel recipe I adore with these pecans. You have got to try it. It does not disappoint!”
Apple-Fennel Salad with Garlic Parmesan Pecans
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Lemon zest
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
3 Granny Smith apples halved, cored and thinly sliced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
½ cup Garlic Parm pecans by Pecan Amor, crushed or whole
¼ cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper until emulsified. Set aside.
Thinly slice the fennel bulb. Slice the Granny Smith apples and celery. If prepping ahead, toss the apple slices with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
In a large bowl, combine the fennel, apples and celery. Drizzle with the dressing and toss gently to coat.
Top with the Pecan Amor Garlic Parm pecans — whole or lightly crushed — and sprinkle with the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Serve immediately for the best texture.
