Last weekend, while shopping for Gingerbread House candy at Draeger’s in Menlo Park, my daughter and I enjoyed several of the sample stations at the front of the store. Many were for the usual holiday products – special cheeses, fancy hors d’ouevres. But one station in particular caught my attention. All because I liked the answers to my questions.
I am one of those annoying new shoppers – I like to ask where my food comes from. I start out with something somewhat innocuous, like “Where is this made?”, and then move onto the difficult stuff, like “Is this cheese from California?”, “Where does the puff pastry come from?”, “Did you make this yourself?” By the time I get to the last question, the food purveyor has usually mentally checked-out of this annoying conversation and moved onto the next customer.
Not Earth & Vine Provisions. Their representative stuck with me the entire time, telling me how the items are made in Loomis, California, using local and natural ingredients, and how the company is committed to supporting California agriculture. They had me at local.
We tasted the Caribbean Banana Caramel Culinary Sauce (lovely on a slice of pound cake), as well as the Honey Pear Vinaigrette (over a slice of pear and dab of blue cheese). Both were very tasty, without being overly sweet or obnoxious.
The website has many more items available, including three new preserves – Apricot Chili Pepper Jam, Meyer Lemon Pear Marmalade and Sour Cherry Lemon Jam. And if you have a hard time making up your mind, consider a ready-made Gift Pack.
Photos courtesy of Earth & Vine.
