Q. What new pickles do you have coming up this summer?

A. We have a spicy crinkle-cut pickle chip called ‘Hotties.’ The heat comes from a mouth-watering combo of sriracha and dried hababero.

Q. What spices and ingredients do you most love to work? 

A. I like spices that are highly aromatic... spices that say loudly and clearly what they are.

Q. Any recommendations for where you source your produce?

A. We source most of our produce from a network of farmers in a 250-mile radius of New York. This is known as the core region and greenmarket rules stipulate we source from within the core.

Q. You were at the forefront of the artisanal pickle makers resuscitating a dying tradition, what changes have you seen since you “went pro?”

A. Artisan craft methods of all kinds ranging from pickling to knitting are being embraced now more than ever by a culture that needs a break from staring at screens... TV screens, Blackberries, computers. Things that are tactile and can be touched, held, and made, mean a lot these days.

Q. You’re often at the markets, selling directly to your customer... what are some of the comments you receive, and how does it affect the development of your products?

A. My favorite comment: ‘Are you Rick?’

My least favorite: ‘These are not as good as my grandma's.’

People have urged us to make certain kinds of things (a spicy cucumber pickle, a garlic pickle) they are familiar with and we have embraced these ideas with Hotties and the People's Pickle.

Q. Any tips for people who like to pickle at home?

A. There is no such thing as a bad experiment. Embrace your inner pickler.

Q. Any fun serving suggestions/pairing using pickles or the brine?

A. www.rickspicksnyc.com/recipes has a great bunch of ideas.  The individual pickle pages on the site have more.

Q. How long can an artisanal jar of pickles last once it is opened?

A. Keep them refrigerated and they will last a good long while. Six months or more.

Q. Did you and the Lee Brothers share any good food tips when you were all working together at VH1?

A. Surprisingly, not. None of us had really embraced food careers at the time.

Q. You also like to make soup... is there a Rick’s Sips soup company in your future?

A. Let me get through this pickle thing first. But I do have ideas....

Q. Who else in the pickle business deserves more praise?

A. I like the fermented products of real pickles from Western Mass.  I have a lot of respect for what the McClure brothers have done. And I have a crush on Beth's Farm Kitchen.

Q. What greenmarket vendors/farmers are selling outstanding products?

A. Keith's Farm, Stokes Farm, Migliorelli Farm, Bradley Farm, Maxwell's Farm.

Q. What purveyors or shops inspire you and what do you love about them?

A. Saxelby Cheesemongers has great stuff and a superb newsletter.

Q. Food markets around the world that you love?

A. The one at the foot of the Ramblas in Barcelona.

Q. Restaurants (anywhere) that are doing great things:

A. Boat Street Cafe in Seattle... cool ingredients

I love Dok Suni on 1st Avenue in Manhattan.

I love Geido in Brooklyn.

My best meal in the last five years was at Blue Hill Stone Barns.