Those Hidden Valley Ranch-Bassadors Are Having a Great Time, By the Way
We caught up with the three teams of Americans spreading the summer's "it" condiment across Europe.
Image Courtesy of Hidden Valley Ranch
This year’s FIFA World Cup has been full of many upsets and surprises. But one unexpected player trending around the tournament is a staple American sauce: ranch dressing. As the originator of ranch, Hidden Valley has been leaning into foreign tourists’ fervor over the do-it-all condiment, even suggesting packets of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning as a TSA-approved souvenir.
But before all the soccer started, the brand already had plans to get Europeans interested in ranch. Earlier this year, Hidden Valley Ranch decided to put the “put ranch on everything” mindset to the test by hiring teams of jetsetting “Ranch-bassadors.” Their assignment? To travel across Europe this summer, putting ranch on just about anything they can find (to eat, that is). The best part? It’s a salaried, 40-hour-per-week job.
As of this writing, the three teams are three weeks into their seven-week journeys. I caught up with them via email to find out how things are going with introducing ranch abroad and what they’ll take away from the experience.
Who are Hidden Valley's Ranch-bassadors?
Spencer and John:
Friends Spencer and John are both seniors at Syracuse University. The pair was already versed in travel, having studied abroad in London last year. Outside of school, they both enjoy creating travel content for their social media channels.
Michael and Sophie:
Sophie and Michael met while competing on season 14 of "MasterChef," with Sophie placing in the top 40 and Michael winning the season. Now together for three years, the couple runs a business "creating unique dining experiences and food-focused content."
Katie and Lucas:
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Katie met Lucas of Santa Barbara, California while living and traveling abroad, and the two have been dating ever since. The pair share a passion for creating social media travel and food content, and Katie is studying documentary filmmaking and unscripted television at Chapman University.
What have Hidden Valley’s Ranch-bassadors been up to?
Earlier this month, I emailed the Ranch-bassadors a questionnaire about their experiences thus far. Here’s what they had to say:
The most surprising or unexpected food they’ve tried with ranch so far:
Spencer: The most surprising food I’ve tried with ranch so far has been the famous pulled pork sandwich from The Black Pig in London’s Borough Market. Having studied abroad in London last semester, I had tried the sandwich on its own countless times and grew to love its flavors. Getting to try the sandwich with Hidden Valley Ranch was such a unique experience that made an almost perfect sandwich that much better.
Sophie: The Crème Brûlée Donut from Borough Market! It was such an unexpected pairing — you wouldn’t expect ranch to pair seamlessly with such a sweet and caramel-esque dessert. The ranch seasoning packet with the doughnut made it taste almost like an egg soufflé in the best way possible. It added a beautiful, nuanced flavor of salty, slight herb, sweet, nutty and caramelly. It is kind of like how you add a pinch of salt to dark chocolate to elevate the existing and undertones of flavor.
Mike: Caviar with ranch! The briny, salty bite with the sweetness of the ranch was insane. The fact that the herbs inside of the ranch carried the flavor of the caviar, the ranch worked as a vessel just as butter does to carry the flavors to your tongue. Such an interesting experience.
Lucas: The most unexpected food that I have tried with ranch so far has been a duck confit sandwich. It was an incredible pairing, and the rich fattiness of the duck went perfectly with the ranch.
Katie: The most unexpected food I tried with ranch so far is definitely escargot. It was surprisingly a great combination.
Europeans’ reactions to ranch since the World Cup-related social media buzz:
Spencer: The response to Europeans discovering ranch while visiting the States for the World Cup has been such an exciting thing to see online, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Sophie: A good handful of Europeans we’ve met have either heard of ranch or seen the media craze online. It’s been so fun explaining the ins and outs of ranch and the Hidden Valley brand to folks across the past few cities we’ve been to.
Mike: A lot of Europeans we met have been really excited and open to trying ranch, which was also exciting and surprising. There definitely was some slight hesitancy with some Europeans, but we presented some awesome pairings with local dishes, which I think made ranch seem more approachable to them.
Lucas: It is quite surprising to see their love for ranch, as it is something completely new for them. I am so happy to see everyone around the world enjoying this sauce and having something we can all connect with and share a laugh over!
The most memorable interaction they’ve had so far:
Mike: In London, we met some awesome bartenders who were interested in creating ranch-based cocktails. One made a clarified ranch martini for us, and a handful of locals at the pub could not hide their confusion and shock. However, as we, the bartender and a local gave the drink pairing a shot, the emotions shifted to quite a positive note. It paired so seamlessly and even added notes of slight tang and fine herb. Their shock in how well it paired was definitely one for Sophie's and my books.
Sophie: We recently went to a caviar bar in Paris, and the manager was fascinated with the concept of pairing such an elevated dish with ranch. He built us a sturgeon fish and caviar toast with a dollop of ranch. He was surprised and intrigued with the tangy and herby notes and even ran to the back to give the bite to the owner of the shop.
Katie: When people try ranch dressing, I love hearing the food items that they think would also pair well with ranch. It gives us so much inspiration on what local foods to try!
Spencer: Throughout our travels thus far, tons of people have cheered us on in the comments of our videos, which has been super exciting to see. People comment on the pairings we try and some even message the @officialranchbassador account hoping we can drop some ranch off while abroad.
What it's like to travel with a bottle of ranch:
Katie: We are always carrying a bottle or two of ranch and microphones in case inspiration strikes for a video concept. It is definitely different from how we typically travel, but I love exploring cities through a new lens.
Lucas: Traveling with a bottle of ranch has pushed me to connect with people in new ways. It is always a fun conversation starter and an amazing story to tell.
Spencer: Because trying new foods is such a major part of travel, I’ve found having ranch on me at all times to be a super easy way to taste-test new flavor combinations. I find myself seeking out foods I normally wouldn't just to see if they might pair with ranch. This has made capturing content super easy, but also has urged me to seek out new flavors, which I’m grateful for.
Mike: Sophie and I had not traveled a ton before. This is our first time in Europe and my first time outside of the States! Traveling with a bottle of ranch has broadened my horizons in seeing new places and hitting up culinary spots that I had always dreamed of since I was a kid.
Sophie: I echo Michael’s sentiment for sure! When we do little trips, I tend to get overwhelmed with too many excursions and find more comfort in our hotel room. However, with ranch, I have been so excited to take on each day in a new city in Europe and see sites, meet such fun locals for conversation and try some delicious food (with ranch, of course).
Challenges they’ve faced with bringing American ranch into restaurants and across borders:
Mike: I think some chefs definitely feel confused when we present the idea of eating their food with ranch or collaborating on dishes with the condiment. We try to approach these conversations with as much respect as possible and look for ways of collaboration. We tap into our food knowledge and present ideas with as much intention and research as possible.
Sophie: Funny enough, TSA thought it was hilarious that we were decked out in ranch gear from our flight to London.
More international foods they're looking forward to trying with ranch:
Katie: As we continue to travel, I am looking forward to pierogis in Poland, and of course some classic Italian pizza!
Lucas: Out of all the amazing foods we will be enjoying this summer, I am most looking forward to pairing it with some authentic wienerschnitzel.
Spencer: I’m looking forward to trying a spice bag with ranch seasoning while in Ireland!
Mike: I am looking forward to paella with ranch in Spain.
Sophie: I’m super pumped to try schnitzel with ranch! Vienna was one of the first ever European stops that my Mom visited last year, so I’m excited to share this food moment with her over the phone.
Image Courtesy of Hidden Valley Ranch
How to keep up with the Hidden Valley Ranch-bassadors:
You can follow each Ranch-bassador individually on social media, or follow the dedicated Ranch-bassador Instagram account from Hidden Valley.
Highlights for Spencer have included a London Fish and Chips Crawl and dinner in Paris with the other Ranchbassadors. Mike and Sophie have been traveling and cooking, making a giant croque monsieur and a ranch-themed soccer match day spread. And Katie and Lucas took time out to try a doner kebab and ranch pairing.
The Ranchbassadors have a few more weeks and many more countries to hit on their itineraries, so we expect to see even more surprising ranch pairings all summer long.
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