Posted in New Year's, Wine, tagged bubbly, Champagne, I Clivi, sparkling wine, Wine on December 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Wondering how to ring in the New Year? Our Cambridge wine buyer, Gemma, recommends welcoming 2013 with Az. Agr. I Clivi Spumante, a bubbly made from the native varietal Ribolla Gialla, cultivated in Italy’s prestigious Collio growing appellation. The grapes are 100% organically farmed and no sugars are added. (more…)
Posted in Christmas, Wine, tagged Christmas, I Clivi, Roagna, vineyards, Wine on December 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
The holidays are in full swing – the season of festive gatherings and dinners with friends and family! These occasions often require a few different approaches when deciding what to uncork. Larger parties call for versatile, inexpensive wines to appease a broader range of palates and cuisines. For these purposes, our Cambridge store offers a good selection on the “$15.95 and Under” shelf. For more intimate gatherings this weekend and next week, Gemma, wine buyer for our Cambridge shop, weighs in with two special suggestions - one white and one red – both from Italy. (more…)
Posted in About Us, Cheese, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Grains, Rice, Flours & Beans, Hanukkah, Herbs, Spices, Salts & Peppers, Holiday, Jams & Preserves, Meats & Charcuterie, Olive Oil & Specialty Oils, Pasta, Staff Profiles, Wine, tagged Arraya, Bleu des Basques, Comté, food, food gifts, gift ideas, Ihsan Gurdal, rillettes, robiola, Sainte-Maure Belgique, Saveur du Maquis, Vacherin Mont d'Or, Valerie Gurdal on December 12, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Ihsan and Valerie own and run the Formaggio Kitchen family of stores. As is true of any folks passionate about their jobs, work intertwines throughout all aspects of their lives. Their travels – frequent and far-flung – are largely dictated by the food producers they want to meet or to revisit, by rumors of new and exciting foodstuffs and/or food conferences such as “Cheese,” the biennial Slow Food festival held in Bra, Italy. Their larder and wine cellar are stocked with favorite items they have imported or new items they are testing out. Even when on holiday, they are in direct communication with all three stores, coordinating deliveries from Europe and generally checking to make sure everything is on track. (more…)
Posted in About Us, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Hanukkah, Recipes, Salads & Sides, Staff Profiles, tagged Comté Grand Cru, Dario Pozzolo, EH Chocolatier, food, Gruyère Vieux, Jean-Marie Cornille, La Vecchia Dispensa, macarons, Marcel Petite, Melata di Bosco del Roero, Mothais Feuille, olive oil, Raphaël, recipe, Robiola di Capra in Fico, San Giacomo on December 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Many of you may be familiar with Tyler as part of the two-man team behind our BBQ grill this past summer. Some of you may also know him as an instructor in our classroom where he teaches classes such as “Cheese 101″ or “Brave the Caves.” Not many though, will be familiar with his behind-the-scenes role as Cave Manager. On a weekly basis, Tyler maintains the cheeses in our caves – flipping them, rubbing them down to get rid of excess mold or cheese mites and patching cracks as needed (among many other tasks). This is no mean feat when you are handling 80-100lb. wheels of Comté, Gouda, Gruyère, cheddar and Parmigiano Reggiano! (more…)
Posted in About Us, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Hanukkah, Holiday, Staff Profiles, tagged Arraya, Cheese, chicken liver mousse, Christmas, Fieschi, food, Goat Tomme, jam, Jean-Marie Cornille, Mostarda di Cremona, olive oil, Pâté Forestier, Pio Tosini prosciutto, Rush Creek Reserve, Stilton, Twig Farm on December 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Many of you may know Tripp as the jolly presence behind our BBQ grill this past summer. Others may be familiar with his stellar work on the cheese counter and in developing our domestic cheese program.
Tripp grew up in apple country – namely, Harvard, MA. He crossed the country to attend the University of Montana and, returning to New England after college, Tripp’s passion for food (particularly cheese) and his curiosity to learn more about food production brought him to Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge. (more…)
Posted in About Us, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Hanukkah, Staff Profiles, tagged Christmas, Cole's fish, Dammann Frères, food, food gifts, gift ideas, Hanukkah, La Guinelle, Mas de Bories, Mast Brothers, Mulino Marino, Ortiz, pepper, Rancho Gordo, Rogue Chocolatier, Taza on November 29, 2012 | 5 Comments »
Julia is affectionately known in the shop as “Little Red” because of her lovely red hair. She has worked at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge for 5 years and wears many hats – from cheesemonger, to classroom instructor, to buyer of chocolate, jam, honey, spices and tea.
Julia’s interest in food began early, as a young girl growing up on a small farm in eastern Oregon. It was on the farm that she learned about food in its most basic forms – between picking blackberries and making jam with her mom and sister, fishing for trout in the backyard, caring for their 30 bantam hens, or tending her own small vegetable garden next to her mother’s much larger one. In the evenings, her parents would cook everything from braised elk, to grilled whole salmon, to freshly baked bread. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Chocolate, Christmas, Coffee, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Grains, Rice, Flours & Beans, Hanukkah, Meats & Charcuterie, tagged charcuterie, Cheese of the Month, cheese of the month club, Chocolate, coffee, fondue, food, gift guide, gift ideas, grilled cheese, presents, truffles on November 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
We know that shopping for friends and family isn’t always easy. So, we put our thinking caps on, brainstormed, debated and created some exciting new bundles of goodies! We think there’s something for most every kind of foodie on your list:
Truffle Kerfuffle – Many customers come to us for all manner of truffle products, so this bundle was a no-brainer. While we don’t include an actual fresh truffle, this selection of products delivers the gorgeous, earthy truffle flavor in a variety of ways. (more…)
Posted in Thanksgiving, Wine, tagged Beaujolais, Domaine Dubost, Domaine Terrebrun, Le Piane, organic wine, Thanksgiving, Wine on November 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
As tradition goes, Pinot Noir or Beaujolais are typically served with turkey and its many accompaniments. That said, it’s not always so easy to predict what will appear at the Thanksgiving feast, whether it’s Aunt Liz’s sweet potatoes with marshmallows, Uncle Mike’s maple-bacon Brussels sprouts, or Zia Della’s baked ziti. Such varied cuisine calls for Zelig-like wines. They must accommodate the potential for sweet, salty, savory, and bitter all in the same bite and therefore require plenty of freshness and acidity with the ability to cleanse the palate. However, they must also show enough ripeness to work with sweetness.
The following are a few selections that meet the above criteria and will drink well alongside your Thanksgiving dinner. A discount of 10% will be offered on six or twelve bottles of these featured wines. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Local, Pairings, Thanksgiving, tagged 3-Corner Field Farm, Andy Kehler, Blue Ledge Farm, Brebis Blanche, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Cheese, David Major, Emily Sunderman, food, Gregory Bernhardt, Hannah Sessions, Jasper Hill Farm, Karen Weinberg, Mateo Kehler, Michael Lee, Middlebury Blue, Northstone, Paul Borghard, Thanksgiving, Twig Farm, Twig Square, Verano, Vermont Shepherd, Yesenia Major on November 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
We love Thanksgiving. It may mean a variety of things to a variety of people but there are many common threads – turkey, family, friends, cranberries, football, a full stomach and, in many cases, an afternoon nap or walk. This year, we checked in with our domestic cheese buyer, Tripp, who has put together a wonderful Thanksgiving cheese board, incorporating a cross-section of milk types and textures. He draws on some old favorites but also includes a couple of newer cheeses that we think are destined to become classics in their own right! (more…)
Posted in Honey, United States, Rosh Hashanah, tagged Ames Farm, apiary, bees, Brian Frederickson, buckwheat, buckwheat honey, cheese pairings, Don Smiley, hive, Honey, Rosh Hashanah, tupelo, tupelo honey, Volcano Island on September 10, 2012 | 5 Comments »
L-R in back: Ames Buckwheat, Hawaiian Winter and Smiley’s Tupelo. In front is an open, mini jar of the Ames Buckwheat honey.
Although we are known for having a vast international honey selection at the shop, I think that this year’s selection of domestic honey particularly stands out. Over the years, I have gotten to know our domestic honey producers quite well and, while the stories behind their passions are different, they each strive to produce beautiful, unique and delicious honey. Here are a few that will knock your socks off! (more…)
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