Cheese Bread

Wally and Terry in Italy

If there is just one thing I love about my husband (and there are many) it is his attention to detail. This trait of his is one reason he is known for his Cheese Bread. He’s made it ever since I’ve known him. Even when on the road with his band in the 70s, Wally had an electric skillet in the bus so he could make it.

Yes it is simple, but the taste is in the details. He toasts the bread (sourdough) just so, fits the cheese like a tile layer putting together a mosaic, then the salt… I’ll let him give you the full rundown, if he will indulge.

If every chef has their star dish, this would be Wally’s. It has been his staple for breakfast for many a year. Our kids grew up on it. Today I watched him as he grabbed the Point Reyes Toma, like an artist with new paint. “Ahhh…Toma and my fresh tomatoes….”

Cheese Bread. I like the fact that it still excites him after more than 35 years of making it.

But that is another thing I love about him…

Wally: How I Do It.

Ah, so much hoopla about so little.
The first and most important thing is to start with good ingredients.

Bread: No light, airy, squishy breads, please. I generally like a good sourdough although a bit of the fig bread from the Breadbar is also a wonderful choice.
(The Fig Bread is also available at Fancifull and is finding its way into many of our gift baskets.)

A good cheese: Almost any kind of cheese works – but nothing pre-sliced! Cheddar, Brie, Goat Cheese – and today’s choice Toma, are all great.

Options: Fresh tomatoes from your garden are a great addition. Fresh herbs if you like. Slices of hard boiled egg would be great, too.

Toma Cheese Bread

1) Slice the cheese thinly – 1/8th inch. Could be grated but it’s easier to use slices.
2) Slice the tomatoes, chop the herbs and have ready any other ingredients you might want.
Tomatoes need to be at room temperature. (They should never be refrigerated anyway.)
3) Turn on the broiler or toaster oven to 400 degrees.
4) Toast the bread lightly in a toaster. For a richer version you can pan fry the bread in butter lightly on each side. Mmmmmm… Today I just used the toaster.
5) Lay out the cheese slices on the bread. I try not to leave any gaps. Don’t let the cheese hang over the edge – it will melt off and fall into the oven. Cover the bread
completely with the cheese.
6) Place the bred in the oven – you can put it on a piece of foil to catch drippings.
7) Let broil for 2 – 4 minutes. Time will vary depending on the type of cheese! Watch it. When it’s melting over the entire surface it’s ready.
8) Pull the rack out and add the tomatoes.
9) continue to broil for up to 1 minute.
10) Add fresh basil if desired. A pinch of salt if desired.
11) Enjoy the aroma while the cheese cools enough to eat!

You remembered to make your tea or espresso, right?

By the way, it was delicious! And my tomatoes this year are absolutely mahvelous.

Quit Wining and Enjoy Life

I’ve been on forums and read many a discussion regarding fine wine and “cheap” wine. One recent discussion revolved around what is the lowest cost wine you are willing to drink if you have a fine palate.
It is funny, because even though I sell wine for a living and have tasted thousands of wines from all regions of the world, I am intent on not becoming a wine snob. As I read about the pain people go through drinking “lesser” wines it made me think. I certainly love a good white burgundy, which is rarely a bargain, but I’ve also had $10 bottles of wine that are fine. I have no desire to go through life wearing blinders, closing myself off to whole categories of things and people. Here is what I realized: traveling is what can really make the difference in your palate and sensibility.

Recently, in Umbria, we bought many a bottle of local red wine at under 7 euro a bottle, some as little as 3 euro. When you are sitting on a porch in the hills, looking over Lake Trasimeno surrounded by herbs and olive trees, eating wild boar salami, peccorino cheese, focaccia and the like this wine is fine. I can’t imagine lamenting the quality of the wine – and some were better than others, and noted for the next trip to the store. It opens my taste buds to a greater variety of wines and food when I get home as well as how to enjoy them. This “far niente” is contagious. I grab a bottle of red, create a cheese plate and sit in my backyard with friends and enjoy the day, bringing a bit of Italy to them. For my formal Christmas dinner with prime rib I may opt for a better Bordeaux or perhaps a burgundy, it just seems to go with that particular flow and meal. Pairing food, wine, and atmosphere is one of my passions, so I indulge at every opportunity.

The impact traveling has had on our relationship with food and life is significant. I am thankful that it has taught me to relax and enjoy what is in front of us and take it as a whole rather than pick it apart. While attending a seminar on Italian wines I heard a famous restaurateur speak who had a wine cellar of tremendous renown. Tasting a simple wine from Sicily, he explained its virtues: it was a well made wine yet you don’t expect too much from it but it would be great with Pizza Margherita. He said it isn’t a “meditation wine,” meaning one of those big complex wines that you sip in front of a fire and marvel at the depth and textures in the wine – and possibly your life.
Isn’t that true of so many things we enjoy? There are movies you see to just relax and laugh and those that shift your viewpoints, books to read on the beach and those that require more time and attention, art that is playful and that which has a message to impart. Wine is no different. You still want well-made wine with balance and a degree of complexity, just as when I read a light book I still want good story telling.

The secret is to always find the good in life, relax and drink it in.

Fancy Food Show 2010

Attending the Fancy Food Show in New York is not for the weak of mind, heart or stomach. It fills a cavernous 675,000 sq ft jammed with over 180,000 products from 2500 exhibitors representing 81 countries. Whew! You have 3 days to explore and find the lucky ones that will make it back to your shop. You either want to run out screaming or sigh and take a toothpick and start tasting, regretting those reservations you made for dinner because, let’s face it, you won’t be hungry for hours after the convention floor closes.

Exhausting as it is, I do get the chance to meet vendors, see new product and compare products through tasting. This is a godsend when trying to determine which is good enough to make it onto the shelves of Fancifull or be designed into one of our gift baskets. I once was sold on a cherry in liquer that had good packaging. Two rows over there was another manufacturer, with a simple label, but oh my, they were so much better. There was no contest.

I really am a bit crazy about tasting and finding the best. I found a fantastic cheese from Utah that is rubbed with espersso beans giving it a slightly sharp flavor that melts as you hit the more mellow cheese. Next booth over was the guy from Colorado who made wild boar sausage better than what I ate recently in Italy. Sampling, comparing and talking gives me an opportunity to get to the heart and soul of the food, rather than buying due to convenience, marketing or a glitzy package.

The number of artisan producers who had booths at the show surprised and thrilled me. This is an industry ruled by the big boys, who mass produce with often more care to the bottom line than the quality of the product. (I do have to say there are some big companies who do it right, I don’t want to slight them or anyone making a great tasting product). I am proud of the number of American Craftsmen out there who are creating cheese as good if not better than Europe and the chocolate makers sourcing fair and good chocolate as well as the many women I met starting their own baking companies. The good ones really stand out – small doesn’t always mean better which is why tasting the product is an imperitive. Their passion and dedication is contagious and I can’t wait to share their products with you. I delight in introducing you to new artisans and delicious food, it is a mission with me, and one which we can all savor.

Everything is Butterful…

I look at the shopping list for the dinner I am preparing for friends and see butter scribbled just under bread and above asparagus. Simple enough, go to the dairy section and grab a pound. Ah yes, for the uninitiated that may be fine. But I have a good crusty bread in my cart and would love the Vermont butter with coarse salt that comes in this cute wooden basket with blue gingham paper. I will be reducing a sauce with butter for the fish so I have to think, what do I want that flavor to be? I hate to admit this, but I love butter. I don’t dream of it, or think about it all the time, just when I need to cook with it, or when I walk by the refrigerator section of a grocery store , or am traveling to a country that specializes in dairy, or am eating toast, or …there are so many times to think about butter. Some people can’t pass by a shoe shop for danger of being lured in by footwear. My obsession is butter.

I blame England for my addiction. Okay, it isn’t completely responsible. I do remember sitting at a holiday meal with my sister-in-law – long before English butter entered my life – loading our baked potatoes with pats from the silver dish and laughing that the potato was just a delivery vehicle for the butter. It is something I’ve enjoyed since I was a child, when we had “real butter” on Sunday and margarine during the week. Living on my own meant “real butter” daily.

But it was mid 1990′s, while vacationing in the Lakes District of England that I first ate farm fresh butter. We sat around the kitchen table of our little cottage, eating the scones we had picked up that morning. I remember biting into it and the flavor jumping out at me. It was so light yet had so much flavor, not just fattiness, it was like eating fresh cream only better. I shouldn’t have been surprised. This is the country known for shortbread ,which is just butter held together with some flour and sugar. My favorite cookie.

We slathered butter on everything we ate in England and Scotland. When we returned home, the poor American butter felt inadequate and we’d sit at the dinner table and sigh over the English version. But we got on with our lives and the British butter became a faded memory.

Come the year 2000 we made a trip to France. We bought some butter at a local farmers’ market and as we were biting into the baguette laden with it, my daughter and I both looked at each other and exclaimed, “Oh my God, the butter.” Yes French butter was just as good, sometimes better, than the English.

Jean Yves Bordier Offering Butter

It has everything to with where and what the cows are fed as well as the hand of the producer. I read about the famous Brittany butter maker Jean Yves Bordier. When asked why his butter is so good he said, “I haven’t invented anything new, I use old methods that respect the land, the animals, and tradition.” That respect is what makes his cow’s milk churn into such a creamy delight.

I was now on a mission to learn more. When I went to the Fancy Food shows trade shows for people in the gourmet industry, I found myself in the dairy aisles talking to the artisan butter makers. This is how I found the stuff not carried in the big chain stores: Vermont Butter and Cheese company , Sierra Nevada, and Meyenberg Goat Butter. I learned about cultured butter (the cream is slightly fermented adding depth of flavor) more popular in Europe, and sweet cream butter (made with pasteurized milk).

One day I was waiting in the checkout line at my local grocery store and there was Saveur Magazine with a whole issue devoted to butter. I had hit the mother load. I bought several copies, certain that everyone would want to enrich their knowledge of this golden goodness. Isn’t it funny that when you are intensely interested in something you assume everyone shares your enthusiasm?

An article in the magazine lead to me to Restaurant Jean in Paris. They serve the Brodier butter from Brittany. I had to try it. Yes it was worth the trip. I was in a local French market and noticed their huge assortment of butter from around the world. I filled my basket with Anchor from New Zealand, Pamplie from the French Coast and at least thirty dollars worth of other butters from all parts of the globe. Oh the decadence, the joy of being able to sample such an array all in one sitting.

Maybe it isn’t just the butter that captivates me. It is the fascination of where products come from, how they are made, what makes each different, much to the boredom of my friends sometimes. I don’t want to eat something just because it is touted by the latest gourmet magazine or blog. I need to see for myself, form my own opinion. My shop feeds this obsession by allowing me to taste five different english toffees before deciding which I’ll carry. Recently we opened four different bags of potato chips to determine which had the best potato flavor. Today I listened to the man behind the counter at Canter’s Deli as he explained how to reheat the pastrami I had just bought to bring out the best flavor. It is the pride he had in his pastrami that delighted me. Artisan product is crafted by someone who wants to bring out the best in the material he is working with, whether that be stone, fabric, or cream.

It comes down to the search for truth in every aspect of life; my true passion. They say curiosity killed the cat. It won’t kill me, but it certainly contributes to the fifteen pounds I chronically want to lose.

Kitchen Meditation

About to hit the frying pan

Down comes the knife, it glides seamlessly through the fennel. First I cut it lengthwise, along the green veins; four long slices, then I hold that together as I cut along the width, making nice small bites. The 8 inch chef’s knife I am using, one of the few possessions I care for lovingly, was picked up after a knife skills class at Sur La Table. The teacher emphasized the need for a good one, that it was a personal decision, it had to feel good in your hand. Mine fits me perfectly. I can’t wait to get into the kitchen and start slicing.
I hear the leeks sizzling on the stove, and Etta James wailing At Last as the orchestral strings swell in the background. I feel all the worries of the morning slip away as I cut nice even squares of fennel. I breathe deeply, sway a bit to the blues coming from the cd, and concentrate on making small uniform pieces. This is where I relax, in the kitchen. A few minutes earlier I was thinking, thinking, thinking – making arrangements to meet my sister in Italy, who will get over to help grandma with her lunch, organizing the fundraiser at my shop tonight, which flight do I put Rene on, I need to make hotel reservations for New York , oh I forgot to answer Gary’s email, a client is coming at 9 am, can Wally handle it or should I be there…and so on and so on and so on.
But now I have asparagus on the counter behind me and it needs tending . I add a little lavender salt to the mixture of leeks, fennel , celery and garlic I have in my treasured oval copper skillet that used to be my mom’s. I remember the day in the early seventies when we were at the store buying it, another one for her collection of Revereware. She loved looking through the catalog to decide which would be next, hung them on the wall of the kitchen, but rarely used them. “I don’t want to get them dirty,” she would explain. As a teenager I used them as a mirror, loving the copper tone they gave my skin. I’d put my hair in braids and pretend I was Native American, vogue in the mid seventies – this was the era of Cher and songs like Half-Breed. It is the skillet I use the most, partially as a connection to my mom.
The music has shifted to the funkier horns of Tell Mama and I pick up my dance moves as I watch the spinach curl up as it hits the heat. Luckily I am alone so I can do all the very jive dance moves I want – that is part of the therapy. My IPod has playlists for most of life’s activities including cooking. Sometimes it is the jazz/blues styling of Ella and Etta, but then Dean Martin is always a good cooking companion. My guilty pleasure is pure 80s with Footloose, Kung Foo Fighting and some Wham thrown in. That’s when my dancing is at its best – sliding across the floor, hands in the air, maybe a twirl or two.
I know some people unwind in a bath, candles lit with a glass of wine, or maybe a good massage. My sister loves the sense of running, running away from her house and all the responsibilities therein. But for me, it is the rhythmic chopping of vegetables, Wusthof knife in hand, with my favorite music playing. Give me a counter full of washed vegetables and a good knife and my blood pressure drops.
I look at the pan admiring the comingling of the different shades of green and add in chopped tomatoes. The bright red just pops. I sigh, both for the visual appeal and how good this is going to taste. Food for the body and the soul.

Goat Cheese and Drill Bits

I am standing in the dusty windowless basement of BHV, a huge department store in the heart of Paris and trying to figure out how in the hell I say the word drill, and even worse, screws, in French.
The employees at hardware stores don’t generally speak another language. This isn’t your typical tourist stop after all. There are French contractors in the aisles and Parisian homeowners checking out the rows upon rows of door locks to choose from – it seems the French are very adamant about keeping people out of their houses, their lives, their country…. We receive the occasional stare or raised eyebrow. Two Americans trying to figure out not only where the drills are but what kind we need is a rare sight. I didn’t realize how many different kinds of drills there were.
It seems we can get drills to go through all sorts of materials: stone, wood, and one that had the word water on it, but I still haven’t figured that out. Of course there doesn’t seem to be an all purpose one, but there is an abundant assortment. My husband is gallantly trying to find a salesperson and then use his best French to ask questions. These aren’t the type of conversations you have in French 1. Excuse me sir, could you tell me where I might find a drill that will go through stone so I can hang a towel rack? This is a far cry from, “where is the train station?”

I am not a home repair type by nature, even in my homeland of America. So what am I doing here? Yesterday I was walking in the steps of my idol, Julia Child, buying goat cheese and lunching on salade nicoise on Rue Cler. That is why I come to Paris, not to hang out among rows of light bulbs. Then it dawns on me, we have moved beyond merely tourists, we are now owners of a Paris apartment.

Somehow when we decided to purchase our small one bedroom pied a terre near the Seine, I didn’t imagine that I was going to have to do minor repairs. Needing a tool kit never entered my mind. Buying a wine opener, yes. And of course vases to hold all the flowers I would buy at the local market. But reality sets in, and we are somehow missing a few handles for the kitchen cabinets we installed. I guess I should say the kitchen we installed because when we bought the apartment the kitchen consisted of a metal sink, a microwave, a hot plate, a washing matching (laundry not dishes), and a bright peach colored storage closet Just having matching cabinets and an actual oven makes it a deluxe kitchen by Paris standards.
We also are in desperate need of a heater since the one that came with the apartment is feeble at best and it is February with temperatures in the 30s. I happily find a heater I love amid the display in aisle 24 and hug it like a lost child who has found her mother. It is slim like so many things french, and from what I gather from my fractured understanding of the language is it puts out a lot of heat. Luckily the box is well illustrated, so I can see the waves of heat coming out of the grill work, and the fact that it has higher numbers next to what seems like electronic measurements than the other ones must mean it is more capable than those other underachievers next to it.
When I get it to the apt, the contractor looks at me as I display my proud purchase and informs me that the heater I bought will blow all the circuits in my apt. The handles I’ve bought are all about 5 cm too short.
Now that I know how to buy household items in France, I get to learn how to return them
C’est la vie.

The Kitchen before reno

Kitchen After

The Beauty of Community

About a month ago I volunteered to host an Eat-In at my shop, Fancifull, in Hollywood. It was part of a Slow Food U.S.A. Campaign to bring attention to the deficient Child Nutrition Act that is coming up for renewal before Congress this year. The plan was to have a string of Potlucks across the U.S. all happening on Labor Day. We wanted to show Washington that there was a movement, that people cared about childhood nutrition.

Monday, Sept. 7th, 3:30pm:
The dining tables were draped in burgundy and beige fabric and lined with bowls of sunflowers. Other tables stood nearby ready to be loaded with food from the guests. The computers were up and ready for people to sign our Child Nutrition Act petition, Sting was singing Brand New Day via my Ipod, a station for writing letters to legislators was readied with paper and pens and phones lined the end of the table with phone numbers of all the legislators from all the districts. We had posters made of some of the alarming facts: Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 20 yrs, Diabetes is becoming epidemic, The Child Nutrition Act as it stands now does not protect children from too much fat, sodium and sugar in their diets.
Now we just needed people to show up.

Show up they did, a steady stream throughout the three hour event. Vegetable Chili, quinoa with corn and feta, potato salad, vegan dip, tomato salad, just some of the savories that were so generous we had to spill out to more tables. Z Pizza sent up six organic pizzas and salad. The Village restaurant down the street made a huge tray of seafood salad along with an equally big tray of custard in phyllo. We drank lemonade from the Larchmont Larder. Wow. We could eat for days.

The joint was jumpin!

There is a beauty to a community coming together to support a cause. This was a disparate group, not just my friends or clients, or friends of volunteers. No, these were people who received a flier at the Farmer’s Market, mom’s with kids who knew too well that school children need better nutrition, local business people, individuals who were seeking a group; who were willing to belong and contribute.

Veggie People!

Children and adults made “veggie” people and wrote letters. Laughter and good conversation bounced off the walls. It was thoroughly delightful.

We discussed the alarming statistics. But more importantly we offered solutions. We had Chef E from the Farmer’s Kitchen who is setting up organic food programs for schools in Los Angeles. Home Girl Cafe was represented. They not only have their own organic gardens that they use for many of their dishes, but with the motto, “Jobs not Jail” are giving kids a better game to play and more importantly a future. Then we had my favorite renegade, Megan, from Root Down L.A. She brought her DVD showing the Root Down and other programs that not only get kids out to the farms so they can actually see what whole foods are, but then filmed them cooking it and learning how good broccoli can be when it is blanched and a little salt is added. She worked the crowd up with her enthusiasm. We had several showings of her film in our “theater” which elicited cheers and applause each time. A representative from Senator Curren Price’s office showed up and was grilled by the attendees.

On The Phone

When Slow Food U.S.A proposed this idea just a few months ago, I don’t think anyone thought it would transpire into over 300 events across the U.S. on Labor Day. That is one big community. And we are all the better for it.

Go to www.slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch to sign the petition
Slow Food is having a membership drive this month, September only. You can join for whatever you can afford. The normal membership is normally $60, but pay what you can.
In order to affect change, we need members. Take advantage of this great opportunity.

Zucchini and Asparagus Melange

With summer, and asparagus season, slipping away I thought I should get this out right away. I’ve been meaning to post it for months now. I began making this a few months ago, trying to add variation to my veggies. It was so good, I’ve been making it weekly in big batches. I, and Wally, never get tired of it.

As with most of my recipes, especially sautés like this one, it is wildly variable.
I put down some guidelines, the rest is up to you.

This could be great done on a BBQ as well, in one of those grilling baskets (without the shredded cauliflower variation)

This takes about 15 minutes from start to finish – it is so easy yet so delicious, the perfect recipe!

Basic Ingredients:
Zucchini
Asparagus
Tomato (red pepper is good too, but there are so many options)
Olive Oil or Butter
Fennel Seed
Salt, Pepper, Basil (fresh or dried) and whatever else tickles your fancy.
I have a lavender salt from Sonoma (I carry it in my shop) that I love in this recipe.
The lavender adds a hint of sharpness
Touch of Balsamic

Add ins:
Leek or onion (sauté first and then add zucchini)
Red Pepper
Shredded Cauliflower (I put my in the Cuisinart and do a whole head and use it all week in various things – great sautéed with an egg in the morning, just like hash browns)
Fennel
Once again, I will let you tickle your fancy on this one. Go for it.

Optional, but delicious
Pecorino Cheese or Vella or Manchego or Parmesan or any cheese you like

Here’s what I do:

Cut up the zucchini in strips, a julienne if you will
If using leeks I do those as well now
I also cut up the asparagus – I use the tips and part of the stem
Cut your tomato – or do it as your zucchini is cooking

Get a good frying pan and put in olive oil or butter and melt over medium to medium high heat.
When hot add in leeks if using or just add in zucchini.
Sauté until soft, add seasoning (the lavender salt is good here).

Take out of the pan.

Add in Asparagus (may need a bit more oil, I like butter with asparagus but that is me)
Add in Fennel seed – just a touch and season as you like it.
After just a minute or so, add in the tomatoes. You just want to heat them.

Don’t overcook the Asparagus. It takes just a few minutes, they turn bright green and should be a bit crisp.

Splash the asparagus with a dash of Balsamic Vinegar.

Put all the vegetables in a bowl and if you want, grate a bit of cheese over it.
The Vella (an aged jack from Sonoma) is wonderful as is the pecorino, but I’ve used various cheese. I once added a little of the amazing Crave Brothers Mascarpone to this and it made it rich and decadent.

If you like the cauliflower idea, you can sauté that first and take it out or add the zucchini to it.
Shredded cauliflower has a rice like consistency and adds a nice texture, as well as lots of nutrients.

Be sure to cook everything lightly – undercook veggies rather than overcook.

I have added this mixture to the Trader Joe’s cooked lentils mixed with rice to lighten them up – delicious and a complete meal.

Of course this could be served with pasta.
And so on and so on….

Go ahead, get chopping and creative!

Party On!

Earlier this year I made the decision to have the front doors of Fancifull be the portal to meeting new people, promoting worthy causes, and gastronomic exploration. So I guess I have no one but myself to blame for the non stop events within the world of Fancifull.

Two weeks ago when the Green Drinks group called and said they needed a place to hold a mixer that week, we said, “Sure come on down.” On Thursday, July 16, We got to play host to forty or so green minded individuals and check out one of the prototype hydrogen cell cars one of our clients is testing.

The following night was the inauguration of Flights of Fancifull Wine Classes. This was an intimate sit down affair, but was far from stuffy. Wally lead the class admirably, bringing in fresh herbs for our participants to smell in order to recognize the scents in the wine. It was all from the Languedoc region of France, known for its dry climate and an abundance of herbs everywhere. We all exchanged opinions, questions, wine, food, and then ended with a focused chocolate tasting. It was so much fun we are continuing these sessions with a Pinot Noir Class on Thursday July 30th and another on Sparkling Wines on Friday August 21st.
Check out our schedule www.fancifullgiftbaskets.com

The parties continued on Wednesday the 22nd as the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants held their monthly meeting at our shop on Melrose. A fun group to be sure, we ate, drank and laughed until way past 10 pm. Patricia Heaton came and spoke on behalf of the Westside Pregnancy Clinic , which is a counseling and support center with the purpose of bringing resources to those wanting to make informed decisions regarding unexpected pregnancies.

We couldn’t put away our party shoes yet, because on Thursday we were off to L.A.’s Biggest Mixer at the Shrine. We mixed and mingled with companies from all over the Southland, requainting ourselves with many people as well as making new friends.
Whew! Being a social butterfly can be exhausting, so much wing flapping to do.

We love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. We may not look like much on the outside, but once you come in, you enter the world of Fancifull. Wally and I will continue to make Fancifull a place where people can come and enjoy some of the best life has to offer, whether it be food, wine, information, or new friendships.

Note: Sorry there are no photos, my camera refuses to speak to my computer. What did my computer say this time to make my camera so mad?
A counseling session is imminent

Sensory Overload-All In A Day’s Work

Terry and Wally before heading into Tate's

Eating cookies in South Hampton, sampling cheese from all over the world in Manhattan, walking up and down an aisle in the Los Angeles Convention Center diligently sniffing each candle that is on display – these are just a few of my favorite things. At least they are a few of the items listed in my job description as the buyer for Fancifull.

Cheese and Charcuterie

It means that vacations are often spent hunting down a vendor in their native land to see how they make their cookies – like Tate’s Bake Shop in South Hampton. or Jacky Blot wine in the Loire Valley of France. I put in days at Trade Shows eating cheese from France, Italy, Northern California, Holland, and anywhere they make cheese – which is just about everywhere except parts of Asia and Africa. Not happy just to find a nice looking candle line, I have to smell all the ones offered to be sure I am buying the one that has the best aroma, doesn’t make me sneeze, is environmentally sound, and looks good. Don’t get me started on the number of lotions I smeared on my hands and arms, as well as labels I read, looking for a new bath line to bring into Fancifull.

Goat Cheese at the show

One of the owners of Point Reyes Blue Cheese

I know, I could just sit back and look at the catalogs I get sent, or go on web sites. But really, can you tell a cookie is going to be good by reading about it? Also there is the comparison factor, this is good, but suppose there is something better? It is a constant search. I want to meet the person making that product such as Sara from Sara’s Snackers, which I found recently at the Fancy Food show in New York. Turns out Sara was a client of ours when she worked at an agency in Hollywood and is now in New York making delicious cookies with potato chips. Yes, they are addicting – the crunch of the chips make a great texture for the cookie. Look for those in our shop in the next month or so (may need to wait for cooler weather as they have a chocolate coating, whet your appetite yet?)

French Cheese

Italian Cheese

Going to Tate’s was a delight because they have been our best selling cookies for years.
I’m afraid to ask how they get the cookies tasting so fresh out of box, I’m sure there is some deal with the devil or something of the sort. I can report the chocolate chip cookies we ate in the bakery-in the name of science-did taste like the ones we carry in our shop. I probably didn’t need to try the cherry cobbler or coconut cupcake, but I wanted to be sure they kept their standards up in all areas – at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Long Island Goats, We had their cheese for dinner - yum!

We didn't eat cheese directly from this cow, I hope

New Items Coming Soon to Fancifull:
Sara’s Snacker’s Cookies
Lulu Soy Candles
Burgundy Blue Baby Clothes
An even greater variety of cheese
Long Island Wine
Baskets made from magazines (they look great)
Better Stainless Water Bottles
Malibu Lotion

Any Suggestions?