The Cheese Stands Alone: A Field Trip to Caputo Brothers Creamery

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Judy

“Where’s the ricotta?”  Jimmy and Carl had got me hooked on this fresh cheese they brought to sell at the Olney Farmers and Artists Market, and then they cruelly stopped bringing it.  They gave me some runaround about it being inconvenient to pick it up, blah blah.  There was nothing to do but go straight to the source.

The source turned out to be Caputo Brothers Creamery, in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.  It’s 60 miles due north of Olney, not far over the Mason-Dixon Line. North we drove, north to the Spring.  When we got there, we found not so much a bosky dell as an enormous pulp wood processing plant.  We persisted, though, and found Caputo Brothers on Main Street.

The Latest Model in Cheese

The Latest Model in Cheese

In a refurbished car dealership, David and Rynn Caputo have built an immaculate cheese processing establishment.  There is a large room full of shining, industrial vats and implements, a homey dining room, a small retail area, and a cheese aging cave for the small percentage of fresh cheese that doesn’t go out the door as ricotta and mozzarella.  They also sell “Capomozz,” cheese curds ready to stretch into mozzarella by home and professional cooks.  It doesn’t come fresher.

Shiny Cheesemaking Equipment

Shiny Cheese Making Equipment

Skimming Off the Ricotta

Skimming Off the Ricotta

The Mozzarella Corner

The Mozzarella Corner

Rynn Shows Us the Aging Cave

Rynn Shows Us the Aging Cave

The cave is full of their Provola, Provola Piccante, and other aged cheese.  The Vecchio Ricotta Salata has won an American Cheese Society award.  Recently, the Slow Food organization asked them to produce a small batch of Rogusano, a traditional cheese now endangered in Italy.  It was such a success at the cheese show that they are now in the process of lining up the regulatory licenses for commercial production.

In addition to cheesemaking, the Caputos host Farm Table dinners and tours of Italy showcasing the traditional foods of various regions.  Information about these events and much more can be found at their website.

When I told them that their ricotta was the best I have ever tasted (albeit I have never been to Italy), Rynn knew why: Caputo is the only cheesemaker in this country that makes it the artisanal way, by culturing the milk instead of using vinegar to make it coagulate faster.  The process starts at 4 a.m. every day, and they were just finishing up as we watched, at around noon.  Rynn told me that in Italy, people know to show up at cheesemakers when the ricotta is just finished, and can be seen sitting in their cars eating bowls of the warm cheese.

Then Rynn and Mark Severn, the Director of Sales and Operations, brought out a little of each of their cheeses for us to sample.  They included some of that brand new ricotta, warm and all, and for me, it was one of the culinary highlights of August.  I envied those Italians!  All the other cheeses were excellent, as well, especially the ricotta salata.

Rynn and Mark Prepare the Tasting Samples

Rynn and Mark Prepare the Tasting Samples

And Proudly Posing

And Proudly Posing

The non-vinegar method of ricotta production is not the only thing that sets Caputo apart from other U.S. cheesemakers.  They source their milk from local farms, which must adhere to the Animal Welfare Approved Standard.  They even haul the milk from the farm to their factory in their own truck, to be sure that it’s kept pristine.  They make 200,000 pounds a year, and it’s so popular that every pound is pre-sold.

Late summer is a time of reduced milk production for cows, but the source material should be more plentiful soon, so here’s hoping that there will be a more reliable supply at OFAM in the near future!  I’m sure Jimmy and Carl are one of the smaller retail outlets Caputo deals with, but they have customers eager to consume that wonderful cheese.

 

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A Field Trip We Could Walk To: Sandy Spring Gardens

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Judy

When I told Tom Farquhar where we lived, he said, “you could walk to the farm!”  Well, we could if it weren’t so hot (and we weren’t sure we could find the field back behind Lethbridge Court), so we drove there.   But we could indeed have walked overland.

Turn off New Hampshire Avenue, seek behind the strip shopping center, beyond the townhouses, to the cul-de-sac lined with expensive homes, named for the erstwhile 300-acre hay, beef and dairy farm that used to be there, then find the driveway that leads to the old barn still standing (newly restored by Mennonite craftsman), and you will find 10 acres farmed by Tom, Mark Mills of Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm, and rows of dryland rice being raised by Nazirahk Amen of Purple Mountain Organics.

Tom is one of the newest farmers selling his produce at the Olney Farmers and Artists Market, and Mark has been with us for a few years now, so this synergy fetched us out to the hyper-local, organic field enclosed by ½ mile of deer fence.  We were greeted by Mark and his dog, Crema (is that a cheffy name for a dog, or what?)  He was gathering some eggplant for one of his restaurant customers.  He called Tom, who was across the road, and he came driving right over in his big farm pickup truck.

Mark Mills with Crema, Out Standing in his Field

Mark Mills with Crema, Out Standing in his Field

Crema and Farmhouse

Crema Inside the Deer Fence

Buckwheat and McMansions

Buckwheat and McMansions

Tom in His Truck

Tom in His Truck

Tom has had an interesting life.  A music major in college, he went on to become headmaster of several private schools in this country and abroad, including Sidwell Friends School.  Of course, locals will recognize the name Farquhar as one of the old original families of Sandy Spring.  The oldest public middle school in the county is named after William Farquhar.

When it was the Lethbridge Farm, these 10 acres were conventionally farmed.  Most recently, though, it has lain fallow for four years, so when the current effort to turn it back into productive farmland began, Tom and the other partners had a jump on the five-year organic certification process.  Still, there’s a lot of work involved to raise organic crops.

When they started farming, the field was overgrown with thistles.  They plowed the thistles and sowed buckwheat, which grows fast and shades out weeds. Later, it will be turned under to provide a natural soil amendment.  Meanwhile, the white flowers attract bees, butterflies and other insects.

Across the road, a smaller plot is being cultivated.  Here, Tom showed us the beetles attacking his beans and the ladybugs he uses for defense against those dark forces.  I can vouch for the excellence of his tomatoes, corn and squash.

The Garden Plot Across the Road

The Garden Plot Across the Road

Farm Workers

Farm Workers

Bad Beetles and Good Ladybugs

Bad Beetles and Good Ladybugs

High Corn

High Corn

Tom is proud of his prize collection from the Montgomery County Fair.  His vegetables took 5 Firsts, 2 Seconds, and one Fifth Place.  Who says organic vegetables aren’t pretty?

He is raising a stand of Golden Cross Bantam, an heirloom variety of corn, by request of the members of the Sandy Spring Friends.   They want it to make corn pudding, a specialty from the 18th Century.  Somewhere in my house I have a reproduction of the corn grater invented in Sandy Spring for just this purpose, along with the historic recipe.

The last stop on the tour was inside the old barn.  Tom said there is documentation that dates it to at least 1810.The landowner is using it to display his collection of old tools and other artifacts he finds locally.

Restored Old Barn

Restored Old Barn

Workbench Inside Barn

Workbench Inside Barn

Arty Shot of Barn Interior

Arty Shot of Barn Interior

Another Interior, with Artifacts

Another Interior, with Artifacts

Come by the Farmers Market and buy some beautiful, local, organic produce!  Sandy Spring Gardens is there every other Sunday.  See you there!

 

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Save the Price of a Ticket to Dublin: Guinness Has Arrived in Maryland

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Judy

Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House, Relay (or is it Halethorpe?) Now Open

Great news for beer drinkers near Baltimore!  Guinness has opened their one and only brewery in the New World.  They took an old distillery building complex and poured $90 million into it.  The result is a destination for the complete beer experience: taproom, outdoor event venue, gift shop, and soon, a restaurant.  Oh, and opportunities to tour the exhibit spaces focusing on the history of Guinness, and see the beermaking process.

We were invited to the press preview, a day before the public opening on August 3, and we accepted with alacrity.  There was a big crowd seated outside the building.  Not just press, but many folks instrumental to the process of bringing this project to reality, including local suppliers, politicians, bureaucrats, and fellow brewers.  Yes, Guinness has joined the Brewers Association of Maryland (BAM), a group of small, craft brewers.  Noblesse oblige?

The Famous Harp Symbol Comes to Baltimore

The Famous Harp Symbol Comes to Baltimore

A Traditional Cooper Shows How It Used To Be Done

A Traditional Cooper Shows How It Used To Be Done

View From the Brewery Steps

View From the Brewery Steps

The Signpost. Why Are All the Others in Africa?

The Signpost. Why Are All the Others (Except Dublin) in Africa?

It was very hot.  Still, the crowd was cheerful and attentive to the speechifying by everyone from Tom Day, the Chairman of Diageo (the parent company of Guinness) and Governor Hogan, down to the Ceremonial Firkin Tapping by the Guinness Maryland brewing team.

Gov. Hogan Presents Tom Day with a Proclamation

Gov. Hogan Presents Tom Day with a Proclamation

toast

Toast: Politicians and Beer Executives

BAM's President, Cindy Mullikin, Speaks

BAM’s President, Cindy Mullikin, Speaks

The Money Shot: The Ribbon Is Cut

The Money Shot: The Ribbon Is Cut

Then we were released to experience the reason for the occasion – tasting the product.

One passes through the lobby, with the gift shop and a few artifacts on view (along with cheerful employees),

Cheerful New Employees with Old Still

Cheerful New Employees with Old Still

You Can Buy Anything You Want with Guinness on It

You Can Buy Anything You Want with Guinness on It

and enters the taproom.  It’s filled with enthusiastic tipplers working their way through the 17 different pourables on offer.  And lunch.  Since the restaurant is not yet fully operational, some local purveyors were invited to provide their products.  They did us proud.

One Example of Pourable on Tap

One Example of Pourable on Tap

The Lunch Spread

The Lunch Spread

Oysters! All I Could Eat!

Oysters! All I Could Eat!

Dessert - Bonbons Infused with Guinness

Dessert – Bonbons Infused with Guinness

Smile - And Pass the Finger Food

Smile – And Pass the Finger Food

Our Plates

Our Plates

The Kitchen Crew of the Almost-Open Restaurant, which will Have Many Dishes Incorporating Guinness

The Kitchen Crew of the Almost-Open Restaurant, which will Have Many Dishes Incorporating Guinness

As I have an unlimited appreciation for food, but not so much for beer, I expected to find the lunch more attractive than the alcohol.  I had to revise my opinions however, because, just as traditional Guinness Stout is not particularly hoppy, so many of the products offered followed that style.

I found the Belgian-style Apricot Pale Ale to be excellent, very fruit-forward and just barely hoppy.  Beer for people who don’t like beer, and I mean that in a good way, because I’m talking about myself.

My second-favorite was the White Ale, complex with herbs and citrus.  The tasting notes cite “grains of paradise, lemon peel and sweet and bitter orange peels…surprisingly low bitterness.”  Right in my wheelhouse.

I also enjoyed the Cherry Stout, and although I tasted less cherry than I had hoped for, it was still a good version of the iconic Guinness stout style.

Barry (the beer-lover in the family) enjoyed Crosslands Pale Ale, made with Maryland-grown malted barley and hops, which will be the signature brew of Maryland Guinness.  “Is there such a thing as terroir in a beer?” asks the description in the tasting sheet.  It goes on to answer itself, “yes.”  Time will tell.

The last thing to do was join one of the tours led by a cheerful guide with beer in hand.  Our group saw the historical artifacts from old Guinness brewing processes, and a display of advertising art over the years (including the iconic toucan and other animals in the “menagerie.”)

Tour, Accompanied by Beer

Tour, Accompanied by Beer

Toucans Suspended

Toucans Suspended

But the Unisex Can Hold More Than His Bellycan

But the Unisex Can Hold More Than His Bellycan

We learned about the plans for this site.  They expect 300,000 visitors a year.  It can only be good for this rather bleak corner of the south Baltimore area.  As the New Guinness Brewery website states, “Aside from making world-class, top quality beer and hosting curious visitors, a big aim of this project is to help develop and grow the local economy and enrich the local community.”  All the unfailingly cheerful employees I met that day, and all the visitors, would undoubtedly agree.

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Life’s Just A Bowl of Wineberries

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Judy

Spring brought so much rain this year, I was worried that all the good foraging in my yard would be washed out.  The pokeweed harvest was thin, which was surprising, since the stems are normally so full of moisture one would think they would love wet weather.  And no edible mushrooms to speak of, either (again, go figure!)   But it’s been a pretty good year for wild berries.

First came the black raspberries, which were plentiful enough to enjoy on my morning cereal for a couple of weeks.

Ultra-local Black Raspberries for Breakfast

Ultra-local Black Raspberries for Breakfast

Then, in July, the wineberries started ripening.  I had to pick them every morning to stay ahead of the deer and birds, but then they were delicious with yogurt and granola.

Wineberries with Homemade Yogurt and (Store-bought) Granola

Wineberries with Homemade Yogurt and (Store-bought) Granola

Wineberries are an underappreciated fruit.  They’re too fragile to ship, more delicate even than raspberries, and very seedy, but they have a nice tang to complement their native sweetness.  They are considered invasive, but as far as I’m concerned, they are welcome in the untamed corners of my yard.

I was asked recently if they were for sale anywhere.  I’ve never seen them commercially, even in farmers markets.  Foraging is the only source, or hoping the birds will be kind and sow them for you.

Once, I was walking down a road near my house towards a newly-built development, marveling that the silver lining behind the farm field’s disappearance was an actual sidewalk for my walking pleasure, when I noticed that the road was lined, a few feet back from the verge, by a row of wineberry bushes.  I came back with a basket and began picking, when a woman stopped her car to tell me that she had seen men spraying there with herbicide the day before.  Paradise lost!   Moral: be careful where you pick.

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Who Eats, Who Dines, Who Tells Your Story – Review

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Judy

The Hamilton Cookbook: Cooking, Eating, & Entertaining in Hamilton’s World by Laura Kumin

The Hamilton Cookbook

The Hamilton Cookbook

At the time of this writing, I have failed to win the ticket lottery to the Washington, DC production of Hamilton for about a week now.  This book may be the closest I, and so many others, will ever get to the room where it happens.  Still, for a historic food aficionado, it must suffice.

It’s hard to write a book about Alexander Hamilton’s eating habits.  Laura Kumin reveals that there is no direct historic evidence of any particular interest in food by the great man, including what he actually ate and drank, apart from some documented menus of dinners given by George Washington which Hamilton attended.  It took some sleuthing work to infer what his wife would have eaten as a girl in upstate New York, with her family’s Dutch heritage, which she might have instructed her cooks to prepare for her husband and children.  Ms. Kumin might also have found some recipes from Hamilton’s upbringing in the West Indies, adding a little spice to the otherwise rather stogy mid-Atlantic Coast diet of the time.

But only one “Dutch-style” recipe is included in the collection of 22, and one from the West Indies.  All are culled from British or North American sources, most from Hannah Glasse’s Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, and Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery.  One exceptional gem reproduces Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten recipe for vanilla ice cream.  Ms. Kumin has interpreted these recipes for the modern reader, and reproduced photocopied pages from the source material on facing pages.

None of the recipes would scare off even the most timid of modern cooks.  Indeed, one need not be worried that any exotic ingredients or equipment is needed; Ms. Kumin goes so far as to rename old recipes with reference to modern appliances (“Toaster Oven English Rabbit,” “Slow Cooker Corned Beef.”)  There is one recipe which may have been prepared in Eliza Hamilton’s household, based on her family background: “Dutch-Style Red Cabbage,” from Glasse.

But, on the whole, she has done an admirable job rendering the recipes fit for modern palates.  For “Baked Whole Whitefish,” adapted from Glasse’s “To bake a Turbot,” for instance, she wisely reduces the whole large grated nutmeg called for to ¼ teaspoon.

Although sometimes she goes too far.  I cooked the Lamb Stew, adapted from Glasse’s “A Harrico of Mutton.”  It was delicious, and the modern recipe was very easy to follow.  A touch of mace gave it an exotic, unfamiliar but pleasing flavor.  My only quibble was that Ms. Kumin adapted the “Bundle of Sweet Herbs” in the original to 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried; and one bay leaf.  Surely we moderns can stand a little more herbal seasoning than that for three pounds of lamb!

Lamb Stew

Lamb Stew

All the recipes are simple enough to be contained on a single page, so no Dreaded Overleaf problem.  Cook them, and you may be young and scrappy, but you won’t be hungry.

 

 

The Hamilton Cookbook: Cooking, Eating, & Entertaining in Hamilton’s World by Laura Kumin, Post Hill Press, New York, 2017.

 

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Kids, Queens and Ice Cream: The Governor’s Buy-Local Cookout, 2017 Edition

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Judy

Another terrific iteration of the summer’s showcase of local products!  There were some changes and some good old reliables at the 2017 Governor’s Buy-Local Cookout.  This year’s innovation: the invitation to present a dish was extended to include not just professional chefs, but culinary programs in local colleges.  The result was a welcome expansion of the menu to include imaginative, exotic dishes.

For instance, the team from University of Maryland Eastern Shore at the Universities at Shady Grove campus presented Tandoori Style Rabbit.

Tandoori Rabbit, with Chef Susan Callahan on right

Tandoori Rabbit, with Chef Susan Callahan on right

The First Lady of Maryland made a point of posing with as many teams as possible.  Here she is with Anne Arundel Community College’s crew.  One of the AACC bunch’s dishes was responsible for the Worst Pun of the Night Award.  It was fried oysters, so it was also delicious.

AACC Team, with Mrs. Yumi Hogan

AACC Team, with Mrs. Yumi Hogan

Edger Allan Po' Boys

Edger Allan Po’ Boys

Here’s another unusual entry from academia, this one from Bon Appetit Management,  which services lots of college food programs: Grilled Persian-style Kofta BBQ.

Persian BBQ

Persian BBQ

Then there was the contingent from the Future Farmers of America.  They weren’t cooking, but one got the feeling that our farms will be in good hands in times to come.

Future Farmers of America

Future Farmers of America

Mrs. Hogan served from the Government House booth.  In a change from bulgogi, there was chicken BBQ.

Mrs. Hogan Serves

Mrs. Hogan Serves

I notice I seem to have been picturing a lot of BBQ, but rest assured there were plenty of delectable seafood- and plant-based bites as well.  Of course, there was my favorite dessert, ice cream.

We All Scream

We All Scream

Three artisanal creameries were dishing their finest: Prigel Family Creamery, Keyes Creamery, and Kilby Cream.

Which leads right into the mention of the Maryland Dairy Princess.  Yes, these events always have some agricultural royalty hobnobbing with the proletariat, and this one was graced by both the Dairy Princess and the Mar-Del Watermelon Queen.  They both graciously posed for photos.

Maryland Dairy Princess

Maryland Dairy Princess

Mar-Del Watermelon Queen

Mar-Del Watermelon Queen

 

I noticed the Watermelon Queen was carrying the same style of clutch purse that last year’s WQ was carrying.  Is it an heirloom, passed down from Queen to Queen, I asked her?  No. Each Queen buys her own.

There were weather-appropriate handouts.

I am a Fan of These

I am a Fan of These

Governor Hogan proclaimed, together with the Secretary of Agriculture.  The band played. Folks schmoozed.

A Proclaimation

A Proclamation

The Band

The Band

Schmoozing While Eating

Schmoozing While Eating

Selfies were taken.

Garden Selfie

Garden Selfie

And More Selfies

And More Selfies

 

And there was dancing!  In the heat!  Ah, youth!

Humid Dancing

Humid Dancing

 

 

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She Deserves a Big Tip: Waitress, the Musical

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Judy

Waitress at the National Theatre is the touring version of the Broadway musical, from the 2007 film of the same name.  As the play’s plot is identical to the movie’s, it’s no spoiler to reveal that this feel-good show has a happy ending.  Getting there is an exercise in wild mood swings, and since this is the story of the pregnancy of Jenna the waitress (Desi Oakley), that seems wholly appropriate.

Waitress in the Rain

Waitress in the Rain

The songs and music are jazz-tinged, some bluesy, none traditional “show tunes.”  The band, onstage throughout the play, is allowed to interact with the action.  This adds depth to the setting of a small-town Southern diner (the piano doubling as a pie stand).  The band members are free to move about the stage, and combinations of instrumentalists accompany the singers, matching the mood of each piece.  The singing is uniformly strong, with an outstanding performance by Charity Angel Dawson as Becky, a fellow waitress.

The play is full of clever bits of stage business, and the dancing is spirited – together with the interlocking sets and creative lighting, it’s a true visual feast, a match for the aural one.

Jenna’s pregnancy is unexpected and unwanted, trapping her in her roles as server in Joe’s Pie Diner and wife to the abusive Earl (Nick Bailey).  Her main pleasure in life is creating pies, with such metaphorical names as Betrayed-By-My-Eggs Pie and White-Knuckle-Cream Pie, each reflecting her frustrations and expectations of life in the moment of conception.   Her emotions are tangled up in sugary creation; her mother, also in an abusive relationship, taught her to bake as an escape from her own misery.

The audience’s strongest reaction is provoked by the arrival of Ogie (Jeremy Morse), another waitress’ boyfriend.  He ignites the stage with his exponentially-higher level of energy, stealing every scene he’s in.  It’s a shame he doesn’t appear until just before the intermission, but then, he contributes a great deal to keeping the show lively during the second act.

We watch as Jenna pins her hopes of leaving town and starting a new life to winning a pie contest.  She takes to hiding part of her wages (which she must daily turn over to Evil Earl) to finance her trip and entry fee.  She begins an affair with her gynecologist (leading to a sketchy visual of her legs akimbo, straddling a pie held by the good doctor – a metaphor too far!)  But Earl finds her stash, and the minute she enters a scene nine months pregnant with the contest still a week away, everyone can see where this plot is headed.  And sure enough, the baby comes before the Hope-Pinned-Upon Pie.

But, guess what?  One bonding look at her baby and Jenna finds the agency to tell the vile Earl to take a hike, and, with a little encouragement from her friends, he does!  Apparently,  Magical Motherhood still works as a plot point in the 21st Century.  And another creaky old device, the deus ex machina, in the form of an unexpected gift, finds our heroine in possession of the feel-good, pie-in-the-sky ending to which every musical aspires.

Lobby Retail Opportunities

Lobby Retail Opportunities

Waitress, the Musical at the National Theatre thru June 3. Original music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarro, directed by Diane Paulus.

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It Never Gets Old 3: The Fancy Food Show, 2017 Edition Part 3: Levitation

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Judy

New this year, the Level Up program presented a selection of exhibits and talks addressing the Future of Food.  It was both literally and figuratively elevated – upstairs from the exhibit floor and filled with blue-sky notions.  I caught a few of the talks and visited the exhibits.  Here are some highlights.

FreshDirect runs a food delivery service.  One of their concerns is maintaining and improving the speed of their delivery, so they are exploring cutting-edge methods of getting food into the hands of their customers in the most efficient ways possible.  Jason Lopes described innovations such as “dark stores” with no actual produce on the premises, for ordering only; drone delivery; urban agriculture; augmented and virtual reality for virtual merchandising, and other technologies that seem outlandish now but could be just around the corner.

And speaking of technology, Francisco Migoya discoursed about Modernist Bread, the latest publication from the folks who produced Modernist Cuisine and is no less exhaustive in its treatment of all grains fermented.  In five volumes (plus a kitchen manual) which took three years, 40 tons of flour, a scanning electron microscope, and a saw capable of cutting appliances in half to produce.

Francisco Migoya and Canned Bread

Francisco Migoya and Canned Bread

To what end?  This set of books appeals to the geek-foodies and professionals for sure, but what about the rest of us dilettantes?  No fear – some things of use to the home cook: producing a levain (a.k.a. sourdough starter), techniques for preserving that levain in a home freezer, and the best way to proof it (in a $70 wine fridge set to 55°).  Also, baking bread in a canning jar will preserve it for six months.  This was presented as a brand new thing! – which will be news to everyone in New England who has ever bought Boston brown bread in a can.

In response to an audience query, Mr. Migoya admitted to addressing gluten-free bread “because we had to.”  That’s just about how I feel about that whole question.

Another part of the floor contained exhibits from projects on the leading (bleeding?) edge included one from Drexel University’s Food Institute, which, oh, no! displayed a plate of gluten-fee chocolate croissant samples!  And yet, they were strangely edible.  Probably the presence of chocolate mitigated the absence of gluten.

Alexandra Zeitz of Drexel

Alexandra Zeitz of Drexel

Meanwhile, Alexandra Zeitz filled me in on the programs Drexel is working on for food recovery, to reduce food waste and repurpose excess produce.  An excellent enterprise!  More power to them, and all other programs working to that end.

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It Never Gets Old 2: The Fancy Food Show, 2017 Edition Part 2: The Parties

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Judy

Off-site parties are a fixture of the Show.  We attended two outstanding ones: the French Pavilion cocktail party, and the wonderful Urbani truffle cruise.

There were many delicious tidbits at the French party, including jambon de Bayonne, with jolly jambonniers who even let me take a turn slicing the leg!

Jolly Jambon Slicers

Jolly Jambon Slicers

Some excellent caviar was guarded by a glowering caviarista (rightly, too, or it would have been gone, gone, gone); and a rather fierce bartender portioning out a variety of French cidre.

Tight Rein on the Caviar

Tight Rein on the Caviar

But They Were Not Discouraged

But They Were Not Discouraged

Fierce French Bartender

Fierce French Bartender

There was a bespoke cocktail of cidre garnished with Perlan elaborees au rhum – little pearls of encapsulated rum, very Modernist Cuisine, which burst intriguingly in the mouth.

Pearls in Cidre

Pearls in Cidre

Much Cidre

Much Cidre

Also much mustard,

Ring of Mustard

Ring of Mustard

Fruit, pastries, cheese, and an entertaining cake.

French Liberty Cake

French Liberty Cake

All tres jolie, but upstaged by the Urbani cruise.  It was very similar to last year, but alas, this time we couldn’t stay for the whole event, but departed before the boat left the pier.  Still, we managed to experience the abbondanza of goodies to be sampled.

We were greeted at the gangplank by a wonderful antique gelato cart.

Gelato for Show

Gelato for Show

On the covered deck, there were tables holding such tidbits as burrata con tartufo and truffle maccheroni pie,

Burrata and Pie

Burrata and Pie

then a pig becoming porchetta,

Whole Pig Being Served

Whole Pig Being Served

and yet another haunch of ham (not that I’m complaining), and another caviar maven.  This time we got to eat it off our thumbs!

Caviar and Ham Station

Caviar and Ham Station

There was more food, a lovely view,  several bars, and a band.

Lots of Food

Lots of Food

View from Boat

View from Boat

One of the Bars

One of the Bars

The Band

The Band

And finally, a working gelato cart!  It made having to leave before sailing time all the more bittersweet.

Gelato, Again

Gelato, Again

And lastly, Part 3: The Future of Food

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It Never Gets Old: The Fancy Food Show, 2017 Edition Part 1: The Show Floor

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Judy

There were many new things to write about at this year’s show, as well as lots of those tried-and-true features which I look for from years past.

A View of the Exhibit Floor

A View of the Exhibit Floor

I once again found myself spending lots of time in the Italian pavilion.  It’s the most passionately food-obsessed country at the show, and many of the exhibitors are delighted to share that enthusiasm.  There were several chefs cooking on the floor, including at the booth of the Italian Trade Agency,

Italians on Film

Italians on Film

La Gramigna products’ chefs cooking their excellent Ragu Bolognese,

Graphic Ragu

Graphic Ragu

a chef from Pastificio Bacchini extolling his product,

The Chef Through the Hole

The Chef Through the Hole

And Discoursing to His Audience

And Discoursing to His Audience

and the famous Italian chef Rosanna Di Michele at La Pasta di Camerino’s booth.

Rosanna Cooks

Rosanna Cooks

Assisted by Frederico Maccari

Assisted by Frederico Maccari

She had a very attractive assistant to help her serve, but I’m afraid he still couldn’t beat that Italian fox who comes every year to represent San Nicola Prosciutto.

The Fox of San Nicola

The Fox of San Nicola

And so much more in the Italian Pavilion!  Espresso machines,

Espresso Machine

Espresso Machine

Many wheels of Parmesan, many more haunches of ham, and some lovely gelato in the Buon Italia distributors pavilion.

Gelato!

Gelato!

There was chocolate there too, and so many other good things to try!  But maybe the most eye-catching exhibit was the creche carved in the center of a Fiasconaro panettone.

The Creche in the Cake

The Creche in the Cake

So hard to extract myself from those food-loving hedonists!  I performed a gradual Ital-ectomy by finding the Italian-adjacent booth of Rao’s Homemade.  Frank Pellegrino Jr. proved just as ebullient as anyone from the old country.  He signed a copy of his cookbook, Rao’s Classics, for me and offered me some samples from their cooking demo.  The book is a history and collection of recipes from the legendary restaurant.

Rao's Frank Pellegrino, Jr.

Rao’s Frank Pellegrino, Jr.

The German chefs were there, affable as ever, cooking up their specialties.

Jolly German Chefs

Jolly German Chefs

And at the Peru pavilion, a chef was being filmed as he cooked.  Who was this handsome devil? He’s Emmanuel Piqueras, host and co-producer of “Sabor y Fusion,” a popular Peruvian cooking show on Latin America’s largest international cable network.  No wonder he was so used to being on camera!

Chef Emmanuel Piqueras

Chef Emmanuel Piqueras

Closer to home, the Oregon booth was hosting Janie Hibler, author of The Berry Bible.  It’s full of excellent information about every variety of berry you can think of, and many you have never heard of.  Really: blue honeysuckle berry, buffalo berry, jostaberry?  Most of these obscure berries are not raised commercially, but used locally where they grow.  There are some terrific recipes as well, savory as well as sweet.

She's the Berries!

She’s the Berries!

From Brooklyn (where else?) comes the Matzo Project, two millennials who have a modern take on an old staple.  They have actually made the old, dry cracker tasty by reinventing it with new flavors (everything! chocolate buttercrunch!) and graphics that manage to just barely not upstage the product.  Their mascot reminds me of my Aunt Shirley.

Ashley and Kevin. Kinahera!

Ashley and Kevin. Kinahera!

And here’s a mini-trend: stroopwafels.  These caramel-filled wafers, long imported from Europe, are now produced in Lancaster, PA, providing employment to new, resettling refugees.  Tom Daly, the Daelmans rep, was not worried about the competition.  I think the edge in taste went to the Stroopies product, but only because they were hot off the griddle.

The European Original

The European Original

The New World Upstart

The New World Upstart

I can’t close without mentioning two moving attractions.  The Moose, promoting Moose Munch, and his attractive female companion (lumberjackette?), and the SOFI Man, who looked a little uncomfortable covered in gilt, but was gamely posing next to the monumental version of himself.

The Moose Is In the House

The Moose Is In the House

SOFI Man

SOFI Man

 

Stay tuned for Part 2: The Parties

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