Southern Roots, Midwestern Kitchen: Meet Jordan from Dilly Dally Provisions

Answers by Jordan Queen, Founder of Dilly Dally Provisions

Questions & Intro by Tina, HHM Chief of Staff

In the spirit of National Eat Local Day and this brand's recent redesign, the HHM team thought it would be a great idea to re-introduce Dilly Dally Provisions (DDP) to the community. DDP was founded by Jordan Queen, who grew up in the South, preserving food with his grandma. Now, he lives in Chicago, where he has brought his childhood flavors and techniques to the Midwest. DDP is authenticity at its best- nothing's fake, and everything's done with care. 

You grew up harvesting and canning produce with your grandmother- what are your favorite memories of her? 

Oh man, where do I start? I have so many memories of my grandmother, as I spent most of my childhood summers with her and my grandfather in rural Appalachia. Many of my

 favorite memories revolve around helping her in the vegetable garden or working alongside her in the kitchen.

One of my fondest memories is sitting with her and stringing green beans from the summer harvest. I also have vivid memories of helping her bread, season, and fry squash and green tomatoes that she had grown herself. There was something special about taking what we grew in the garden and turning it into a meal together.

Those summers taught me much more than how to garden or preserve food. They instilled in me, at a very young age, the value of hard work, self-sufficiency, and making the most of what you have. Looking back, those simple moments spent alongside my grandmother are some of the memories I treasure most.

Did you have any favorite dishes growing up? 

My grandmother grew some of the most delicious tomatoes you have ever tasted. She taught me that quality ingredients don’t need much to shine. One of the simplest—and most divine—things she introduced me to was the tomato sandwich.

It was just four ingredients: white bread, preferably Merita; mayonnaise, and it could only be Duke’s; freshly sliced beefsteak tomatoes; and a little salt and pepper. Honestly, there is nothing better!

It’s a tradition we still honor in our own garden. Every summer, when the tomatoes are at their peak, we enjoy tomato sandwiches throughout the season. And now, we’ve introduced our four-year-old daughter to this little culinary delicacy. It’s pretty special to see a tradition that started with my grandmother being passed down to the next generation.

What flavors, culinary traditions, or methods did you have to adjust to when you moved from the South to the Midwest? Did anything surprise you? 

When I first moved to Chicago, I quickly realized there were so many Southern staples I had grown up with and taken for granted that simply weren’t readily available here—things like dilly beans and corn relish, which is essentially our Midwest take on Southern chow chow.

At the same time, moving to the Midwest introduced me to flavors and traditions I had never really been exposed to, like giardiniera. I found myself really enjoying these foods and the way they reflected the culinary culture of the region.

That experience became a big part of the inspiration behind Dilly Dally Provisions. When I started the company, it was important to me to highlight my Southern roots while approaching those traditions through a Midwestern lens. I wanted to create products that honor where I came from, embrace where I am now, and ultimately help bridge the gap between the two food cultures.

I noticed that your products are pretty clean ingredient-wise, and not to mention- they’re also gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan. Were there any challenges in making your products healthy? 

Thanks for calling that out, because it was very intentional on our part. As someone who has always loved condiments, pickles, and sauces, I’ve often found that there can be unnecessary amounts of sugar, sodium, and additives that simply aren’t needed.

That’s not to say we don’t use salt or sugar in our products—we absolutely do. But we make a concerted effort to use them thoughtfully and sparingly, letting the quality and natural flavors of the ingredients really shine.

I wouldn’t necessarily say there were major challenges in making our products healthier. It’s more about being mindful and thoughtful throughout the recipe development process. Every ingredient has a purpose, and we’re intentional about what we put into our products—and just as importantly, what we leave out.

What’s the trickiest part of making your products? 

There are definitely a lot of challenges that come with making our products and managing the overall process, but I’d say one of the trickiest is scaling our recipes. We make everything by hand in very small batches, so taking a recipe that works beautifully on a small scale and translating that to larger production can be challenging.

As Dilly Dally continues to grow, we’re beginning to invest in equipment and processes that allow us to scale more efficiently while still maintaining the quality, care, and small-batch artisanal feel that our customers have come to expect from us.

For me, that’s really the balance—growing the business without losing the hands-on approach and craftsmanship that made Dilly Dally what it is in the first place.

What is the process like for making, say, a jar of Spicy Fermented Giardiniera Relish? Is the process pretty similar for your other products? 

Our process for making our Spicy Fermented Giardiniera Relish is completely different from the process we use for our other products.

Most of our products are acidified foods, meaning we rely primarily on an added acid—typically vinegar—to achieve the appropriate pH for safe preservation. Our giardiniera relish, on the other hand, is made through a natural process called lacto-fermentation. It’s the same basic process used to make foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, and it’s one of the oldest methods of food preservation.

We start with fresh vegetables and ferment them in a simple salt brine. During fermentation, naturally occurring beneficial bacteria convert sugars into lactic acid, creating the bright tang, depth of flavor, and distinctive character that you get from a naturally fermented product.

We’re especially proud of our giardiniera because naturally fermented giardiniera is still relatively uncommon commercially. And perhaps best of all, ours is completely oil-free—something that’s particularly hard to find when it comes to Chicago-style giardiniera.

So while it may look familiar, the process—and the flavor—is anything but ordinary.

Love the rebrand. How’d you make your new design choices from the previous branding? 

Thanks so much for saying that! We were definitely nervous about making the transition from our old brand to the new one, so it’s always refreshing to hear such positive feedback.

Our original branding was very serviceable for our first five years. During that time, we primarily participated in farmers markets and pop-ups, where the more minimal look worked really well for us.

As we’ve grown and started expanding our retail footprint, we felt it was important for our branding to evolve with us. We wanted something more colorful, playful, and eye-catching—something that would stand out on a crowded retail shelf while still feeling true to who we are as a brand.

We worked with a designer for nearly nine months to bring the new vision to life, and we really feel like they executed it perfectly. The new look feels like a much better reflection of Dilly Dally today: fun, vibrant, approachable, and rooted in our love of good food and thoughtful craftsmanship.

What is a flavor or ingredient you’d want to experiment with in the future?

I’m really getting into sweet-and-savory flavor profiles right now, especially as we’ve seen growing interest from our customers. One recipe I’ve been experimenting with is something we call Cowboy Candy, which is essentially candied red jalapeños.

We cook the red jalapeños down with organic cane sugar, apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, and spices to create what I think is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, with just a hint of sour. We’ve been testing the recipe at farmers markets over the past year and have gotten tremendous feedback, so we’re planning to make it part of our full-time lineup sometime next year.

I’m also really getting into mostardas, which play with that same sweet-and-savory combination. So, keep your eyes peeled—there’s definitely some fun stuff to come!

Lightning round. Give me your favorite use for each of your products- Go!

Spicy Fermented Giardiniera Relish — Pizza. No question. A heaping spoonful on a hot, cheesy pizza is hard to beat.

Corn Relish — It works perfectly as a topper for avocado toast. The sweetness and acidity add just the right amount of brightness.

Spicy Beer Mustard — My go-to for brats, but it’s also amazing as a marinade or glaze for pork, chicken, and salmon.

Pineapple Hot Sauce — A match made in heaven for al pastor tacos. The sweet heat and acidity are perfect together.

Mild Fermented Giardiniera Relish — I love adding a heaping spoonful to tuna or egg salad for a little extra crunch, tang, and kick.

Dilly Beans — Don’t overthink it. Just eat them right out of the jar!

The founder and his family!