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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2016 n GOURMET NEWS 5 4 Sustainable Family Farming, Local Products, Natural Ingredients Columbia Valley Family Farms Inc., pro- ducer of Foster's pickled asparagus and pickled green beans, is located in the heart of the Columbia Basin in Washington State. Owners Kevin Filbrun and Bryan Lynch have a passion for agriculture and are family-oriented brothers who have been farming for almost three decades. They are active in the local community through coaching youth sporting teams, volunteering in community service, donat- ing time, talent and resources to charities and providing support for youth missions. Their success can be attributed to operat- ing with integrity and implementing sus- tainable farming programs. These definitive traits have brought a long line of farming to an eager fourth generation who are now learning what it means to bring a quality product to the market place. Through the careful implementation of intentional steps, it provides the excellence its customers have come to expect over the last 30 years. The hand harvested aspara- gus is precisely cut daily and immediately shipped from our fields to the fresh pack- ing lines or to the processing plant for pickling. With the processing plants a mere 10 miles from the asparagus fields, Fos- ter's guarantees a fresh product going into processing and ultimately on to the con- sumer. "Growing the raw product in our own fields gives us an advantage: The con- sumer can buy our asparagus and/or green beans knowing that it's been processed fresh or placed into the jar for pickling within 24 hours," said Kevin Filbrun, Pres- ident and Chief Executive Officer. A saying we have all heard a thousand times is 'The customer is always right.' Columbia Valley Family Farms takes the opinions of its customers to heart. The company has been asking for a new look, and it aims to please. It is excited to have rolled out a new, 'classier' label in 2015. Columbia Valley Family Farms is proud of its new label design, which still has the Foster's brand recognition but now allows the customer to view the product through the label. The feedback from the United States and Canada has been overwhelm- ingly positive; customers and vendors alike have expressed their delight in the new label design. Foster's Pickled Products are built on excellence, tradition and sustainability. Its asparagus and green beans are 100 percent natural, pro- viding you with ex- ceptional quality and a crisp, tangy taste. From its family farm in Eastern Washing- ton to your home, it insists on quality every step of the way. Fosters Pickled Products are packed with years of experi- ence and sealed with a vision for the fu- ture. For more information, stop by booth #1153. Clipperton – From France With Love For over 10 years, Clipperton has been an importer of fine products exclusively made in France. Based in British-Columbia and Quebec, it distributes throughout the United States and Canada. Its philosophy is to import the know-how of selected French artisans in order to offer gastronomic delights that tickle your taste buds. All of its products are handcrafted, and are all natural. It offers a wide selection of unique and fla- vorsome products ranging from: savory (olive oil, fruit vinegars, escargot caviar, black truffles, spreads); sweet with all kinds of French confections (pralines, guimauves, caramels, chocolates, nougats, candied fruits and crystalized flowers, hard candies, fruit pastes, calissons and more); spices and condiments (Espelette pepper, Provence Herbs, mustards, gherkins); teas (black, green, herbal). As many know, the final touch of a dish/pastry is what makes it not only de- lectable in the mouth but also provides a pleasure of the mind; thus it decided to top off the selection with a section named Beau- tifying, which includes edible gold and sil- ver! Clipperton would be very proud to bring you what you are dreaming of from France. Its customers are people with discriminating and refined taste who are knowledgeable in the craft and art of food. That is the reason why it enjoys working with you. For any French specialties that are not (yet) part of its catalogue, please send it your request and it will source it for you. It has been working with many chefs and fine grocery stores that are always look- ing for specifics. For more information, visit www.clipperton- delices.com, email info@clippertondelices. com or call 604.639.3220. Preparing for Grilling Season with The Spice Hunter An interview with Alison Eskridge, Assistant Product Development Manager. GN: What flavors do you think are trending for the upcoming grilling season? AE: A hint of sweet along with savory seems to be more and more popular every year. Adding a bit of fruit with grilling spices lends a unique burst of flavor. Trying out different combinations is the best way to find what you like best. A few flavors to try together are mango with chile pepper; raspberries with black pepper; cilantro, orange and cumin; pineapple and curry. GN: What is the difference between a rub and a marinade, and what are the benefits of each? AE: A rub is a blend of herbs and spices that you literally rub on meat, poultry or fish before grilling. Most of the time they are dry, but they could be made into a paste with a splash of fruit juice, oil or fresh garlic. A marinade is a liquid, usually made with oil, vinegar or citrus juice and spices that help tenderize and infuse flavor into the meat. Both have unique benefits and can actually be used together to really in- tensify the flavors. You can even make a mari- nade using a dry rub as the base. GN: What is the difference be- tween Grill Shakers and Salt Free Grilling Blends? AE: Grill Shakers and Salt Free Grilling Blends are both made with the same high quality gourmet herbs and spices as all of The Spice Hunter products. Grill Shakes are perfectly blended seasonings conveniently combined with pure sea salt for an all-in-one grilling blend. They come in handy plastic jars with shaker lids. Our Salt Free Grilling Blends are made for people who want salt free blends designed with grilling in mind. They offer the opportunity to have great grilling blends without the salt or the ability to add the amount of salt the consumer wants. We have something for everyone. GN: Do you think customers are embracing healthy grilling recipes? Which Spice Hunter products and recipes do you think best promote healthy grilling? AE: Grilling is becoming a year- round cooking style, so I think people are looking for ways to grill with health in mind. People are grilling everything these days, from traditional meat and poultry to tofu and veg- etables, and spices are a great way to add even more flavor to these foods. Whether it's our Grill Shakers, Salt Free Grilling Blends or our new line of Global Fusion Rubs, they give such a satisfying flavor to food; you don't miss any of the added oils and fats that tend to be used in traditional cooking methods. For more information, visit www.spicehunter.com or stop by booth #869. Cured Meat Producer Takes Inspiration from Wine Making The term "varietal" will be familiar to wine lovers, but who expects it to be applied to pork? La Quercia Cured Meats is develop- ing the concept of the prosciutto varietal – prosciutto made with breed-specific pork with specific standards for feeding and an- imal husbandry, analogous to grape vari- eties and terroir in wine making. When Herb and Kathy Eckhouse of La Quercia Cured Meats started making pro- sciutto in their basement 13 years ago, they noticed that some of the prosciutto tasted distinctly different and had a silkier texture, even though all the meat they were using came from animals raised in a similarly hu- mane manner and eating an almost identical diet. These especially delicious hams came from a few specific farmers who were rais- ing 50 percent heritage breed Berkshire pigs. They figured that the critical differ- ence must be the breeding. This observation has shaped their business ever since. Like fine wine, handcrafted dry cured pork relies entirely on the quality of its in- gredients and the skill of the producer. The ingredients are simple, so they must be carefully selected and attentively prepared. Traditionally, pigs were cultivated for spe- cific qualities – some for meat, others for lard, still others for their hardiness. While heritage breeds and farming techniques have mostly been replaced by industrial agriculture, La Quercia believes heritage pork offers extraordinary eating. Breeding influences muscle struc- ture, muscle fiber, water holding capacity, fat quality and internal meat characteristics – all of which influence and are expressed in the quality and flavor of the cured pork. When the Eckhouses opened their com- mercial prosciutto aging facility in 2005, they began curing prosciutto with hams from different heritage breed hogs, includ- ing Berkshire and Tamworth, both breeds originating in the U.K. that are considered threatened. The next year they released Her- itage Breed Berkshire, the first breed spe- cific prosciutto in the U.S. Over the years, they have added Heritage Breed Tamworth Prosciutto, acorn-fed Tamworth and Berk- shire meats, and most recently they've cir- cled back on their inspiration with Berkshire Cross Prosciutto (50 percent Berkshire), in addition to their blended breed Americano line. These breed specific lines constitute La Quercia's 'Varietal Program,' and are integral to their efforts to deepen the "field to fork" experience and expression of their cured meats. La Quercia varietal prosciuttos are avail- able at specialty grocers and distributors across the country, and online at laquercia.us/order_cured_la_quercia_meats. What's next? La Quercia has test batches of heritage breed Large Black, acorn-fed Cinta Senese and hazelnut-fed prosciutto aging at this moment, so keep your eyes open for new developments. For more information, visit www.laquercia. us or stop by booth #4836.