Hidden Valley Ranch dressing sits on a table in the Italian countryside beside a margherita pizza and glass of red wine – Hidden Valley
There are some true ranch dressing devotees out there. The sort of folks who believe that ranch doesn’t just belong in a salad or pizza but also mac and cheese, eggs, or, apparently, even a milkshake — yes, that last example is real. If this sounds like you, if you think everything is better with a drizzle of ranch, well, there will soon be an opportunity to work as the first-ever “ranch ambassador,” spreading the good word about the U.S.’s most popular salad dressing around the world.
This summer, Hidden Valley, the brand behind the original California-based ranch dressing, is hiring four individuals to spend seven weeks traveling all across Europe and testing its product alongside local cuisines. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is a real job that comes with a real paycheck as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to several countries. Plus, the chosen parties will get to add the very unique job title of “ranch-bassador” to their resumes.
The goal of the mission is not just to spread the word of the sauce, but also to document the adventure. The four dressing devotees will be split into two groups of two, each with their own itinerary across the Old World. These ambassadors will be recording as they go, sharing on social media not just their own experiences and opinions, but also the encounters with locals that they have along the way.
Read more: 8 Unspoken Rules When Dining In Italy
How you can become a Hidden Valley Ranch-bassador?
Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on a table in England beside a basket of fish and chips and a pint of beer – Hidden Valley
Interested parties must apply for the ambassadorship in pairs, as each person must be comfortable traveling and sharing housing with each other for eight weeks. The rate of compensation is yet unspecified, but on top of wages for 40 hours of work each week, Hidden Valley will cover travel expenses (such as airfare and train tickets), and will provide stipends for food, activities, and more. In exchange, the ambassadors will be expected to not only spread the word in person, but also to create a variety of social media products for Hidden Valley. This includes four short-form social media videos and one long-form YouTube episode per week, as well as the production of additional photo and video assets for the brand.
Both pairs of ambassadors will start their journey in London, after which the route is divided in two. One group will take the northern road, traveling to Ireland, Iceland, France, Germany, Switzerland, and ending in Sweden. The other “partners-in-ranch” will head south, making their way across Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Croatia before ending in Greece. Starting in the UK makes sense for the ambassadors. Ranch dressing has never caught on in the UK, with the bottles sticking to their place in the “American foods” aisle of the grocery store. However, the prevalence of dressings like salad cream and creamy kebab shop garlic sauce could make ranch dressing a relatively easy sell.
The European itinerary of a Ranch-bassador
Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on a table in Greece with a whole fish, cooked greens, fried potatoes, and ouzo, among other dishes – Hidden Valley
For those on the northern journey, it’s not hard to imagine ranch dressing fitting in with some of the Nordic dill sauces or the buttermilk dressings in Germany, but the concept of “ranch” as a flavor is largely unknown. In many places, Cool Ranch Doritos are instead labeled as “Cool American.” That said, there is at least one manufacturer of “ranch-style” dressing in Germany, as well as similar product known by a name that translates to, essentially, “garden herb dressing.” But while some countries on this route may not be too difficult, these ambassadors must also attempt to bring Hidden Valley to France, a culinary culture unlikely to take to the condiment quite so readily.
The southern route is sure to be a difficult one. An argument can be made that ranch dressing is not so dissimilar to aioli, and thus might make a good pairing with the famous Spanish fried potato tapa, patatas bravas, but many of the pairings on this itinerary are sure to be met with reactions ranging from incredulity to outrage. There is at least one Italian food that folks in the U.S. often pair with this favorite creamy dressing, but drenching your pizza with ranch in Italy is simply not done. The southern ranch-bassadors will certainly have their work cut out for them. However, there is social media evidence that some Italians are willing to break with tradition, so there is room for hope.
For individuals excited to take on this journey of ranch dressing evangelism, applications open March 31. You can sign up at https://hiddenvalley.com/ranchbassador to be notified the moment the posting goes live.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
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