Archives: Newsletter

Finca Pascualete is a family run business whose origins date back to the early 12th century.   In 1232 Don Fernan Ruiz Altamirano, after helping in the conquest of Trujillo, was given the land that is today Finca Pascualete. Countess Romanones arrived in Spain as a CIA employee during World War II.   A few years later,Continue Reading

Jamón ibérico, Iberian ham, also called pata negra (literally, black leg), is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain, but also in some Portuguese regions where it is called presunto ibérico.  According to Spain’s Denominación de Origen” Iberico production protocol” the jamón ibérico can be made from cross-bred pigs as long as theyContinue Reading

Andy Hatch makes the cheese at Uplands Dairy.  He has been working at the dairy since 2007 and Rush Creek is a cheese that he has developed from start to finish.  Inspired by the Swiss Vacherin d’Or, this cheese is made from autumnal raw cow’s milk and aged for just 60 days. Each 12-oz. wheelContinue Reading

Yes, it is August and finally we have local tomatoes in all of their splendor!  We are bringing in multiple pallets of fresh mozzarella and burrata each week to pair with these lovely summer fruits.  Yet, it is time to start planning for the winter holidays.  If you are looking for certain specialty product, sayContinue Reading

Cheese is Rolf Beelers passion. For 30 years customers have lined up at his market booth in Lucerne, Switzerland. Gastronomy guides like “Gault Millau” as well as the newspapers and magazines praise the quality of his products. The tabloids call him “The Swiss Cheese Pope” or the “Rambo of the Aged Cheese”. As  maître fromagerContinue Reading

Established in 1878 Huilerie J. Leblanc is still run by a Leblanc, Jean-Charles, the grandson of the founder.  The factory grounds are still located in the southern most village of Burgundy, Iguerande and continues to make high quality, small-batch, handcrafted nut oils and vinegars.  J. Leblanc has been doing business with the same farms forContinue Reading

Black truffles are dark brown to black at maturity with numerous white veins.  The intense aroma and flavor of the truffle totally captivate the palate, its aphrodisiac qualities add to its allure as a food that delights the senses.  To the nose they have the wholly unique smell of truffle, musky and mushroomy, and on the palateContinue Reading

Agrume means “citrus”.  In Abruzzo, on the Adriatic Sea, at the end of each harvest, farmers used to create a special oil for their family and friends.  In their “frantoio” (olive mill) on the farm, the farmers would crush and press small amounts of hand-harvested olives with fresh citrus fruit to create oils such asContinue Reading

Every aspect of olive production affects the quality of the oil: the growing region (climate, altitude, soil character), methods of growing, harvesting, and transporting the fruit, as well as extraction and storage methods. The care taken in each of these steps not only affects the taste and quality of the olive oil but its cost,Continue Reading

Summer is here and it is time to snack on olives, garnish with olives and celebrate the harvest and curing from last years harvest.  The olive tree boasts two prizes—the olive itself and the precious oil pressed from the fruit’s flesh.   A product like olives and olive oil is so unique and odd when you think about the magicalContinue Reading