CASPER, Wyo. – A tiny shop in the corner of the historic Rialto Theater building is bringing a new world of snacking to Casper.
“My husband and kids were spending so much money on ordering these mystery boxes of foreign foods,” said Ashlee Taylor, “so we just decided to find it all ourselves.”
Ashlee and her husband, Eric, – who run other small businesses in Casper – eventually decided they’d use their international food distribution connections to establish a unique new business for people with more adventurous snacking tastes. The store 307 Exotics officially opened on Thursday.
As anyone who has traveled knows, America’s snack isles tend to be rather homogenous, while consumers in other parts of the world – particularly in Asian countries – are offered wildly differing flavors.
“We get a lot from Japan and China, but we’re trying to get more from the Netherlands [and other parts of Europe],” said Ashlee. They’d also like to branch out to Latin American snacks.
Fans of Kit Kat bars have known for years that Americans are getting robbed of a plethora of unique flavors, many of them less sweet and featuring more complex flavors that are aimed at adults. Ashlee has been able to stock the walls with numerous tantalizing examples of Kit Kats and other brands. “We have tiramisu mints and cheesecake flavored Kit Kats,” she said. “We have a lot of different Sour Patch Kids flavors, which are very nice.” Wildly different Oreo cookie flavors are also available, such as blackberry, grape, peach and strawberry. “The lemon meringue and the lemon cheesecake, those are really nice.”
As for chips, some of the offerings veer considerably far from common American flavors.
How about some squid ink Lays? Or maybe you’re in the mood for shrimp ships? Scallops, anyone? How about some duck tongue? Ashlee said she’s tried most of them and has grown to appreciate or even love many. “My favorite is the Lays Italian meat sauce,” she said. “It literally tastes like spaghetti.”
The bright, whimsical packaging from Asian offerings are also a feast for the eyes. “It’s really great, it’s exciting,” she said.
While processed snack foods aren’t necessarily healthy, there is the added benefit of stricter Japanese and European regulations, that ban a number of food chemicals found in many American snacks, according to Ashlee.
307 Exotics bookends the historic theater building, with the Rialto Soda Fountain long established on the Second and Center corner. With the soda fountain specializing in nostalgic sweets and their store bringing in exotic treats, Ashlee says they play well off of each other.
She’s also excited to be part of the Rialto’s rebirth as a comedy and small live events center, which is hosting their first live events Saturday, Aug. 3.
“That’s why we’re here, we want to put something new from our generation into this historic spot,” she said.
307 Exotics is located at 100 East Second Street on the east side of the Rialto Theater building. Their phone number is 307-333-1638.