Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/The Candy Store, San Francisco — Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/15/the-candy-store-san-francisco-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/15/the-candy-store-san-francisco-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/15/the-candy-store-san-francisco-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Candy StorePhoto: The Candy Store


Diane Campbell wore many hats before donning the metaphorical purple stovepipe to become the Willy Wonka of San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood: She was a cook, a fundraiser, and a marketer for a dot-com, among other things. Her passion, however, has always been candy. As a little girl growing up on Long Island, she used to buy big sacks of the sweet stuff from the supermarket, carry her haul home on her bike, and repackage the candy into goodie bags for her family and friends. She turned this lifelong love of candy into a career five years ago when she and her husband opened what has since become the city's premier sweet shop, known simply as The Candy Store.

Read more about Diane and The Candy Store after the jump...

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]]>candycaramelssan franciscothe candy storeChris DudleyWed, 15 Dec 2010 14:00:00 ESTClear River Pecan Company, Fredericksburg, TX - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/18/clear-river-pecan-company-fredericksburg-tx-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/18/clear-river-pecan-company-fredericksburg-tx-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/18/clear-river-pecan-company-fredericksburg-tx-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: ,

Clear River Pecan Company StorePhoto: Stuck in Customs, Flickr


Don't be fooled by the name; there's more to Clear River Pecan Company than nuts. Sure, owner John Dubea started out selling the rich, buttery bounty of the Texas state tree, but that was twenty-one years ago. Today, his business is a multifaceted dessert emporium, offering ice cream, pastries, fudge and whatever else your sweet tooth aches for, all made fresh daily. But this evolution hasn't altered Clear River's decidedly small town feel. From its 50's soda shoppe decor to its Main Street address, John Dubea has created a delicious sliver of bygone Americana deep in the heart of Texas.

Read on about John Zubea and his time warp treats after the jump.

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]]>Clear River Pecan CompanydessertFredericksburgIceCreampecanstexasChris DudleyWed, 18 Aug 2010 11:00:00 ESTMatsumoto Shave Ice, Oahu - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/04/matsumoto-shave-ice-oahu-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/04/matsumoto-shave-ice-oahu-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/04/matsumoto-shave-ice-oahu-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Kanaka Menehune, Flickr


Japanesse expats Mamoru Matsumoto and his wife Helen dreamed of opening their own business in Hawaii. It was a long, hard journey -- he started out peddling goods on a bicycle while Helen labored as a seamstress -- but it eventually happened. They opened their own grocery, M. Matsumoto Store Inc., in the historic town of Haleiwa in 1951. Following the birth of their three children, the couple decided it was time to expand. They settled on shave ice, which they believed would appeal to the growing number of hotrodders, surfers and hippies invading the North Shore. Their "snow cones" cascading with homemade syrups were instant hits, and the couple become local celebrities. They were living the American dream.

Following Mamoru's death in 1994, his son Stanley and wife Noriko took the reigns. This new guard ditched the groceries for T-shirts and souvenirs (to cater to the growing number of tourists), but kept the shave ice. And business is better than ever. Just ask Roxanne Lloyd, a loyal employee trusted to run the store on a day-to-day basis. We recently caught up with her to talk about shave ice and its many tangents, including David Hasselhoff, sumo wrestlers and the problem with paradise.

Read all about island girl Roxanne Lloyd and her frozen life after the jump.

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]]>hawaiimom and popMomAndPopnorth shoreNorthShoreoahushaved iceShavedIceChris DudleyWed, 04 Aug 2010 14:00:00 ESTCaviar & Bananas, Charleston - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/21/caviar-and-bananas-charleston-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/21/caviar-and-bananas-charleston-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/21/caviar-and-bananas-charleston-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Caviar & Bananas


Kris Furniss can pinpoint the exact moment he metamorphosed from Morgan Stanley money man to aspiring food world impresario. It was the week of 9/11. The Long Island bred boy had always loved food -- he confesses to reading Gourmet when he should have had his nose in the Wall Street Journal -- and was already looking for a career change. Furniss had worked in the Towers, and when they fell, he acted. Three days after the attack, he enrolled in culinary school. Today, Furniss owns and operates one of the Low Country's premier food retail boutiques with his wife Margaret in her native Charleston.

Read more about Kris Furniss and his South Carolina culinary creation after the jump.

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]]>caviarandbananascharlestonCharlestonSouthCarolinafeaturedlowcountrylowcountry foodChris DudleyWed, 21 Jul 2010 11:00:00 ESTOzark Forest Mushrooms, Missouri Ozarks - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/07/ozark-forest-mushrooms-missouri-ozarks-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/07/ozark-forest-mushrooms-missouri-ozarks-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/07/ozark-forest-mushrooms-missouri-ozarks-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Photo: gynti_46, Flickr


The Big Springs region of the Missouri Ozarks has been designated as one of the "Last Great Places" by the Nature Conservancy, thanks in no small part to people like Nicola MacPherson. As owner of Ozark Forest Mushrooms, she's doing her part to preserve the unique ecology of the region while at the same time bringing its best culinary offerings to the masses. Her operation, run from a family-owned farm located along a picturesque, limestone ridge detour of Sinking Creek, grows shiitakes as nature intended: on logs, in the forest.

Read more about Ms. MacPherson's adventures in fungal farming after the jump.

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]]>missourimushroomsorganic foodsOrganicFoodsozarksshiitakeshiitake mushroomsst. louisChris DudleyWed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:00 ESTHarbor Fish Market, Portland, Maine - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/23/harbor-fish-market-portland-maine-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/23/harbor-fish-market-portland-maine-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/23/harbor-fish-market-portland-maine-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Harbor Fish Market

You probably don't realize it, but you're already familiar with Harbor Fish Market. It's picturesque, historic storefront has served as a backdrop for numerous print and television advertisements, and it's the subject of countless paintings, photographs, and post cards. If you still can't see it, just close your eyes and imagine your ideal New England seafood shop: family-owned, rustic and quaint, packed full of uber-fresh maritime varieties, all lurking sleepily over a concrete floor, under wooden beams, and behind an unimposing facade that hasn't changed in forty years, free of all that is chic and fashionable. That is Harbor Fish Market -- the ideal shop for the salty sea dog that values quality above all else.

We recently caught up with Ben Alfiero who, along with his wife and two brothers, runs the business his father opened in 1969.

Read more about the family and fish market after the jump.

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]]>harbor fish marketHarborFishMarketlobsterPortland MainePortlandMaineseafoodChris DudleyWed, 23 Jun 2010 11:00:00 ESTSeventh Street Wine Company, Ft. Lauderdale - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/09/seventh-street-wine-company-ft-lauderdale-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/09/seventh-street-wine-company-ft-lauderdale-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/09/seventh-street-wine-company-ft-lauderdale-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Seventh Street Wine Company


Chris Skillicorn, owner of Seventh Street Wine Company, should've been a character in a Hemingway story. He's a man of the sea with a passion for the bottle. Skillicorn grew up on the Isle of Man, smack in middle of the Irish Sea. As an adult, he sailed off to warmer climates, becoming an on-board food and beverage officer for a major cruise line. When it came time to settle down, Skillicorn chose Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the widely acknowledged yachting capital of the world. In 2005, he and his partners opened Seventh Street Wine Company. Five years later, customers come from all over South Florida to shop from a selection 1,500 wines, many of which can be sampled using state of the art, computerized dispensing machines.

More from Skillicorn on what it's like to be the wine man of the sea, after the jump.

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]]>enomaticft. lauderdaleFt.Lauderdaleseventh street wine compnaysouth floridaSouthFloridawineChris DudleyWed, 09 Jun 2010 14:00:00 ESTAster Coffee Lounge, Ballard, Wash. - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/26/aster-coffee-lounge-ballard-wa-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/26/aster-coffee-lounge-ballard-wa-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/26/aster-coffee-lounge-ballard-wa-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: sean oliver, Flickr


Owner Beth Scribner's atmospheric little shop is quickly and quietly carving out a niche in the Seattle corporate-dominated coffee culture. Barely two years-old, her Aster Coffee Lounge is using a house blend of quality and quirkiness to set itself apart from the other area indie darlings as well as that ubiquitous green monster.

More from Aster Coffee Lounge owner, Beth Scribner, after the jump.

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]]>Aster Coffee Loungeballardbeth scribnerBethScribnerpacific northwestseattleChris DudleyWed, 26 May 2010 17:00:00 ESTLes Madeleines, Salt Lake City - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/12/les-madeleines-salt-lake-city-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/12/les-madeleines-salt-lake-city-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/12/les-madeleines-salt-lake-city-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Romina Rasmussen, Les Madeleines


Gary Martinez, manager of Utah's hottest patisserie, hates it when you use the word "foodie" to describe Les Madeleines's customers. He and chef/owner Romina Rasmussen believe that people don't need to know the difference between pâte à choux and pâte sucrée to appreciate their shop's travel-inspired, made-from-scratch goodies, particularly their ultra-popular kouing amans (traditionally spelled kouign amann). Not familiar with these pastries? They're buttery, sugary, slow-baked round layer cakes that originated in Brittany, France in the 19th century and the name literally means "butter cake."

We recently caught up with Martinez and got his feelings on everything from the SLC food scene to Les Madeleines's growing cult status.

More from Martinez after the jump...

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]]>bakeriesbakingkouign amannKouignAmannles madeleinesLesMadeleinessalt lake cityChris DudleyWed, 12 May 2010 15:00:00 ESTZingerman's, Ann Arbor - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/29/zingermans-ann-arbor-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/29/zingermans-ann-arbor-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/29/zingermans-ann-arbor-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Zingerman's

Gastronomically speaking, Ann Arbor, Mich. isn't your typical college town. The home of the maize and blue plays host to a surprisingly vibrant culinary counterculture; sure, there are the requisite pizza parlors and all-night diners, but there's also a bustling farmers' market, an uber-successful food coop, and a myriad of top-shelf, culture-crossing restaurants offering everything from bibimbop to a chipati. However, the unrivaled valedictorian of the wolverine food scene for nearly 30 years has been Zingerman's. A virtual empire with nine businesses -- including a creamery, a bakehouse, and a candy factory -- under its umbrella, Zingerman's is an Ann Arbor institution, right up there with the marching band and hating Ohio State.

We caught up with Assistant Retail Manager Vanessa Sly, a veteran of the dry goods department, and got the lowdown on a day in the trenches at Zingerman's.

More from Vanessa Sly of Zingerman's, after the jump.

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]]>ann arborAnnArborfeaturedmichiganzingermanszingermans bakehouseZingermansBakehouseZingermansMailOrderChris DudleyThu, 29 Apr 2010 16:00:00 ESTThe Cocoa Tree, Nashville - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/14/the-cocoa-tree-nashville-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/14/the-cocoa-tree-nashville-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/04/14/the-cocoa-tree-nashville-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Scott Schrecker Photography


Bethany Thouin came to Nashville for the music, but stayed for the chocolate. Tired of struggling as a songwriter, the self-taught chocolatier -- she says she went to pastry school at Google University -- decided to dive headfirst into the world of confectionery arts. The mother of five opened her shop, The Cocoa Tree, in Nashville's historic Germantown district, and at first struggled to balance family and food, business and the home front. Seven years later, she's obviously got the hang of it; she's a burgeoning culinary celebrity with the awards, press clippings, television appearances, celebrity clientele and her own book to prove it.

Read on about Bethany's sweet life at the The Cocoa Tree after the jump.

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]]>chocolatechocolatiercocoa treeCocoaTreenashvilletrufflesChris DudleyWed, 14 Apr 2010 13:00:00 ESTSouthport Grocery and Cafe, Chicago - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/04/southport-grocery-and-cafe-chicago-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/04/southport-grocery-and-cafe-chicago-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/04/southport-grocery-and-cafe-chicago-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under:

Lisa Santos, owner and chef at Southport grocery. Photo: Southport Grocery

Known for its diverse, homespun menu and easy-going atmosphere, Southport Grocery and Cafe is the ideal hangout for the no-fuss foodie. Assistant manager Jay Majetich has worked at Chicago's beloved grocery/bakery/cafe for just over two years now. We recently caught up with him and got a little insight into the comfort-food business:

Working here is truly a team effort. All of the employees rotate duties, so no one gets stuck doing the more menial tasks for too long. One day I'm a server, the next I'm busing tables or running the register, so there's no proverbial rut to get stuck in. It's also a big reason that the atmosphere here is so relaxed. Everyone does everything, so there's not really any competition for the plum duties.

More from Jay Majetich, Assistant Manager at Chicago's Southport Grocery and Cafe, after the jump.

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]]>chicagosouthport grocerysouthport grocery and cafeSouthportGrocerySouthportGroceryAndCafeChris DudleyThu, 04 Mar 2010 12:00:00 ESTCoolhaus, Los Angeles - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/25/coolhaus-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/25/coolhaus-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/25/coolhaus-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Coolhaus


Natasha Case has worked in some of L.A.'s most prestigious architecture and design offices. She's also been a Walt Disney Imagineer. Fortunately for SoCal foodies, Natasha has traded in her drafting boards and graphing paper for baking sheets and ice-cream makers. She and her business partner, Freya Estreller, are the two "Principal Farchitects" for Coolhaus -- a pimped-out, find-us-on-Twitter truck that offers a variety of architecturally-inspired ice-cream sandwiches. Their menu is full of treats with names that are puns on terms from the world of design -- you can order the Frank Behry, strawberry ice cream pressed between two sugar cookies, for example.

We caught up with Natasha to get the lowdown on Coolhaus and the future of Farchitecture.

More from Natasha Case, Principal Farchitect of Coolhaus, after the jump.

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]]>coolhausfeaturedfood truckice cream sandwichesice cream trucklos angelesstreet foodChris DudleyThu, 25 Feb 2010 11:00:00 ESTBoccalone - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/27/boccalone-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/27/boccalone-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/27/boccalone-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: urbanfoodie33, Flickr.


You won't find many titles that contain both the words "vice president" and "shop manager," and you won't find many salumi shops like Boccalone either. The salumeria in San Francisco's Ferry Building is one of the best places in the country to experience the sheer joy of chowing down on high-quality, slow-cured pork. We recently caught up with Executive Vice President Tatiana Graf and asked her about her day-to-day routine working in a pig lover's paradise.

One day about a month after we had opened the shop, an older woman came in and started looking around. When I greeted her, she asked in a slightly gruff way, "You don't make head cheese, do you?" I said, "Of course we do. We call it Coppa di Testa. Would you like to try some?" She was surprised and said "Sure." I could tell she wasn't convinced that I knew what I was talking about. I got a sample and brought it over for her to try. While she tasted it, I explained a little about our company and how we make make everything in the traditional, old-world style. She considered for a minute and then a smile grew across her face. She looked me in the eye and told me she hadn't tasted any head cheese that good since her father, who was a butcher, had made it when she was a kid. She said the flavor took her right back to her childhood. All the gruffness in her voice was gone. She was happy and so was I.

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]]>boccalonepigsalamisalumisan franciscoChris DudleyWed, 27 Jan 2010 13:00:00 ESTFormaggio Kitchen - Ask a Shopkeeperhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/18/formaggio-kitchen-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/18/formaggio-kitchen-ask-a-shopkeeper/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/01/18/formaggio-kitchen-ask-a-shopkeeper/#commentsFiled under:

Formaggio Kitchen


When Formaggio Kitchen, a "gourmand's paradise doubling as a neighborhood grocer" opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1978, no one predicted that it would grow into the importing powerhouse (now with locations in Boston and New York and historical footnote (Julia Child was a loyal customer) that it is today. We caught up with Tim Bucciarelli, one of the men tasked with overseeing the day-to-day of the empire, and asked him about the journey that brought him-and took him away and brought him back again-to Formaggio Kitchen.

I wear many hats here-I manage the website, buy the dry-good imports, and handle our mail order business, among other things. Sometimes I even get to help out at the cheese counter.

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]]>bostoncheeseformaggio kitchenFormaggioKitchenChris DudleyMon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST