This Week at The Deli: Danny's Nut Butter

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the desire for exciting at-home dining experiences has boomed, turning artisanal food makers into the talk of the town. The products are infused with their makers’ stories, and filled with the sense of connectedness that so many have been without. The Deli is an ode to them. 

Last week, we introduced the Bushwick duo behind Bad Habit ice cream. In this issue, we are spotlighting Danny Castañeda, a Flatbush, Brooklyn, native who aims to destigmatize the health food market with Danny’s Nut Butter.

The Product: Nut butters and sauces.

The Deli Pick: The Cashew Almond Nut Butter.

How To Buy: $10-$14. Order directly on DannysNutButter.com. The site offers delivery within New York City, and domestic shipping (rates are calculated at checkout).

Where To Find It: Available in stores in New York, Los Angeles, and, very soon, Texas. See website for list of stockists and follow @dannysnutbutter for updates.

I first had the idea of making a nut butter in 2016. I was working at Dimes and I got to try food that I didn’t have access to back in the day, like acai bowls. They had a nut butter topping on one of their acai bowls and I was like, damn, I want to create my own. I started testing recipes in my house, but it wasn’t something I was too occupied with until the beginning of the pandemic. I had to figure out a steady form of income, so I started making batches of nut butters again just out of my house with a KitchenAid blender, fulfilling via Instagram DM, and hand delivering them on my bike. My girlfriend helped me solidify my branding and identity, and that’s when I created my website and got to the point where I’m at now, working out of a commercial kitchen.

Both flavors have been well-received, but a lot of my native New Yorker homies love the candied peanut butter, because it’s reminiscent of that Nuts4Nuts street cart. It’s a very familiar flavor.

I’m in the process of testing out a new flavor. There’s a Colombian-style dulce de leche called arequipe, and I am going to make a vegan version. It will be real delicious. I also have another collaboration in the works with chef Danny Bowien. It’s going to be a smoked habanero oil Dan Dan sauce, so keep a look out for that!

I eat it every day. I try to start my day with a smoothie, and I always throw my nut butters in it. Honestly, I also just put it on toast, with some apple slices on top. Pretty much any fruit that you can get your hands on.

My goal is to make my product accessible and relatable to all. Ultimately, my mission is to be in Key Foods, in Associated Supermarkets. I’m very over exclusivity, and I want my product to reach everyone, including communities of colors. This is for everybody.

My main driving force has been my community, my friends within my immediate surroundings. We’ve all been put through the ringer, especially during Corona, and seeing all these people flourish is so inspiring.

For pizza, it’s a toss up between Scarr’s and Di Fara. I also love tacos at Tortilla Factory in Bushwick. That was my go-to spot for a long time. For late night, it used to be a hamburger at Metrograph. I would get off a shift and have that. Another spot I definitely want to shout out for sure is Hibiscus Brew in Flatbush, a newer Black-owned coffee and smoothie shop.

Shout out to Trade Street Jam Co. They're a Black female-owned jam company that has a really beautiful selection of jam flavors. Their stuff is delicious, and I’m obsessed with their blackberry jam. It happens to pair well with my nut butters, too.