Terrapin Ridge Farms - Oser Communications Group

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SHOW NEWS www.gourmetnews.com ■ JANUARY 2011 ■ GOURMET NEWS
Columbia Cheese Presents
Award-Winning Cheeses From Europe
Sarah Zaborowski , Vice President of Sales
and Marketing at Columbia Cheese, talks
about their efforts in sourcing original
European cheeses.
GN: How do you find these cheeses?
SZ: There is a long history to it, and it has
taken a lot of effort to build our relationships.
Columbia Cheese has been working with our
European counterparts since the 1940s when
regular importing was still novel, so we have
very close ties to both the producers and
exporters from many countries.
GN: So you don’t just scour the awards
results from various cheese competitions?
SZ: That would be easy, but it’s not the way
we work. Actually, even before all the awards
from recent years, these cheeses were already
the most popular ones with our customers in
the U.S. It’s really just great cheese that we
are after, and we turn down a lot of cheese to
maintain quality in the selection we represent.
Of course, the awards are additional ‘outsider’
proof of their quality too.
GN: And what are these top scoring cheeses?
SZ: From CHÄS in Switzerland, Chällerhocker
is an amazing, incredibly well aged
raw cow’s milk cheese, so buttery and nutty,
just full of umami. There’s also Försterkäse,
a pudgy, spruce-wrapped cheese that is
lightly washed.
GN: Were there any surprises?
SZ: Definitely. Most surprisingly last year at
the World Championship Cheese Contest, a
little-known cheese from us, Andeerer
Traum, took overall second place. It was the
same way with Mycella from our Denmark’s
Tradition, which came in at the
top of its blue cheese category. It’s
pretty new for the U.S. and with a
completely unique recipe than
what people think about in a blue
cheese from Denmark.
GN: These names are pretty
unfamiliar. Do you only look for
unusual cheeses?
SZ: Not at all, our longstanding relationship
with Ciresa in Lombardy, Italy is proof of
that, as our primary cheeses from that country
are Taleggio and varieties of Gorgonzola,
which sell very well all across the country.
GN: What is on the horizon for 2011?
SZ: Even as recently as last month we were
in Switzerland with CHÄS and also Austria
and Bavaria for our Kaeskuche line of
cheeses. We visited some cheesemakers from
our current range like Walter Rass, who we
finally convinced to take a coffee break, sit
down and give us the extended story about
how his Chällerhocker was born and
evolved. And also in Switzerland,
from the producer of one of our
favorite cheeses, Scharfe Maxx,
we concluded negotiations to
begin working with two more
new cheeses from him, which we
will be debuting at the Fancy
Food Show in San Francisco.
We’ve also been working closely with a
small producer of pastas as they cautiously
grow their capacity in their mill in southern
Switzerland. It’s very close to the Italian border,
so in that part of the country you find
different influences on the culture such as
these deliciously toothy and beautiful pastas.
Overall, we’ve been patiently working on so
many things to come together since the beginning
of the year, and we’re thrilled it is
all finally happening for 2011.
Visit Columbia Cheese at booth 2614 at the
Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.
For more information, contact Sarah
Zaborowski at 718-937-7452, e-mail
sarah@columbiacheese.com or visit
www.columbiacheese.com.
Taste The Rich Flavor Of A Blenheim
Apricot From B & R Farms
Do you know about Blenheim Apricots? Jim
and Mari Rossi, the owners of B & R Farms
in Hollister, Calif., sure do. Their family
farm has grown and processed this
“Cadillac” of apricots for more than three
generations. “These apricots are different
from all the rest you’ll see in the stores, especially
the Mediterranean variety, which are
a pale yellow and lacks full flavor,” said
Mari. She continued, “Our Blenheim apricots
are hand-picked and dried immediately to
capture their beautiful deep orange color and
intense, sweet-tart flavor.”
The Blenheim apricot is becoming a
rare delicacy because they are very laborintensive,
but the Rossis are adamant
about keeping this varietal available to all
those who want to enjoy this wonderful
California fruit. Their popularity is growing
due to word-of-mouth and website
testimonials, but also from recently developing
a Facebook page and increasing
their exposure through events such as the
Fancy Food Shows, where one can sample
the silky texture and rich-tasting fruit
in person! Visit them at booth number
303A at the Winter Fancy Food Show in
San Francisco and find out for yourself
why these apricots are so good.
Their 7-acre dry yard has capacity for
about 12,000 trays of drying apricots,
which can turn over two to three times on
any given year. The mid-summer harvest
results in enough fruit to produce not only
various grades of dried apricots, but
also their line of products created from
time-tested family recipes. There are the
traditional toppings, preserves and
chocolate-covered apricots to unique “no
sugar added” cinnamon spread and their
savory line of red pepper topping, chutney
and chili preserves.
These apricots are cholesterol and fat
free, making them a perfect snack for kids
and kids at heart. They are full of healthy
nutrients including vitamin A, potassium,
iron and fiber with just 240 calories for
3.5 ounces! Dried apricots are great to
pack in lunch boxes and for picnics as
they are an instant healthy dessert. They
can be used in a variety of recipes including
appetizers, entrees, salads and
desserts! Mari said with a smile, “American
Grilled Cheese Kitchen Restaurant in
San Francisco is one of our recent wholesale
accounts, and they developed an awesome
sandwich called the ‘Jalapeno
Popper’ using our diced apricots.”
You can purchase B & R Farms products
at several retail stores nationwide and
at their gift shop and website. The website
includes more than 200 recipes like Apricot
Citrus Shrimp Skewers, Apricot
Braised Lamb Shanks and Apricot
Spinach Salad. Fast and convenient
worldwide shipping is available and all
purchases include complimentary recipes.
Shop at www.brfarms.com, visit the gift
shop located at 5280 Fairview Road, Hollister,
CA, call 800-930-9168 and drop by
booth 303A. And, remember their motto:
“We dry our best at B & R Farms.”