Check Out Peter Morales and Silvana Wallinger’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Morales and Silvana Wallinger.

Hi Peter and Silvana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our story starts in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Silvana was born and raised. Dulce de leche is a huge part of the culture in Argentina. A jar of dulce de leche was always on the table ready to add to your morning toasts and pastries. After moving to the United States and settling in South Florida, Silvana looked for great dulce de leche but often found mass-produced products that had chemicals and food additives. Not like home.

Chef Pete was born and raised in Seattle where artisan foods are a staple. Later, he moved to South Florida, became a Chef, met Silvana, and got married. Along his journey, he was able to work with quite a few award-winning restaurants and chefs. Eventually, he ended up working a dream job cooking and providing food for race car drivers and their crew for a division of NASCAR… Until Covid hit. This forced the tracks to remove third-party businesses from the races and that dream ended. So he decided to search for a new idea.

Silvana and Pete traveled to Argentina and were blown away by the growing food and drink scene there. They found several shops that sold Dulce de Leche. Some even had different flavors besides the original. But, they still had a lot of fillers and additives. “I thought hey I’m a chef and I can do that… but better”.

So they came up with their version and Cowamel was born.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our biggest obstacle, when it comes to Cowamel, is educating the public. Dulce de Leche can seem like a foreign product to many people in the US. But in reality, once they try it, it becomes that all too familiar Caramel flavor they grew up with.

Most Americans have never seen this version of a Caramel. They either flashback to the chewy brown cubes (that stuck to their braces) they got in their trick-or-treat bag during Halloween, or they remember the runny caramel sauce that got drizzled over their ice cream sundae.

So it is very important that we get a sample to everyone, once they try it… they get it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We make an artisan version of Dulce de Leche. Dulce de leche is a slow-cooked and caramelized milk-based spread. Many people think Dulce de Leche and Caramel are the same, but there is a difference. Usually, Caramel is heavy cream-based and finished with butter and the end product tends to be chewier. Dulce de leche is pretty much milk and sugar that is cooked and caramelized for hours until it produces and decadent smooth spread.

We take it even farther by adding different flavors and spices to make many different yummy options. You can do so many different things with it. It can be spread on toast, bagels, croissants, biscuits, cookies, and on and on. It can also be a dip for apples, pretzels, cookies, and crackers. It can also be drizzled over ice cream, fruit, yogurt, popcorn, or stirred into coffee!
At Cowamel, we rotate flavors seasonally and whenever we come up with a crazy idea.

Our biggest seller is our Sea Salt Cowamel, it is three ingredients: Milk, sugar, sea salt! Coffee and Coconut Rum are also stapled flavors, but our rotating flavors are what keep guests coming back to see what’s new. We do strawberry for Valentines, Bananas Foster and Pecan Praline for Mardi Gras, Mexican Spice for Cinco De Mayo, Pumpkin Spice and Apple Pie for fall, Candy Cane, and Gingerbread for the Holidays. That’s just to name a few, but we are always experimenting with new ideas.

You can find us at some of the best Farmers Markets in Orlando: Winter Garden Farmers Market, Orlando Farmers Market at Lake Eola in Downton Orlando, and at the Celebration Farmers Market, in the Walt Disneyworld Resort area.

We have a lot of fun when we set up and decorate our booths. The set-up is not your typical farmers market set-up, we try to go above and beyond. They tend to give off an eclectic retro farmy vibe. With cow pattern tablecloths, antique books, old postcards, and little suitcases, we are trying to pull off a vintage “traveling farm” feel… if that makes sense.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
We love to travel and see what other cultures are doing with food.

We get a kick out of finding things that people in the US are not trying yet. With Cowamel, we found a very unique thing that people really rave about once they give it a try. It is fun to play with and the possibilities of what you can do with our product are endless. Cowamel is the first step, in the future, we plan on bringing some other great food ideas and products that we have found on our travels to our guests. So stay tuned.

Sometimes food in the US can be repetitive, and some people can get into ruts with food. Our business thrives on curiosity and many people can be very shy about trying new things, especially food-wise. This can make it tough to get guests to try our things. Our goal is to get everyone to try it and open some minds… and mouths.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: cowamel.square.site
• Instagram: @cowamelddl
• Facebook: @cowamelddl