Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Christmas’ Category

Christmas Wines: Two Special Bottles from Italy

Posted in Christmas, Wine, tagged , , , , on December 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Roagna Barbaresco Pajè

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…)

Read Full Post »

Introducing Ihsan and Valerie: Owners of Formaggio Kitchen

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 12, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Ihsan and Valerie Gurdal

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…)

Read Full Post »

Introducing Tyler: Cheesemonger, Teacher and Cave Manager!

Posted in About Us, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Hanukkah, Recipes, Salads & Sides, Staff Profiles, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Tyler

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…)

Read Full Post »

Introducing Tripp: Cheesemonger, Teacher, Grillmaster and Domestic Cheese Buyer!

Posted in About Us, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Hanukkah, Holiday, Staff Profiles, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Tripp

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…)

Read Full Post »

Introducing Julia: Cheesemonger, Teacher and Buyer of Chocolate, Tea, Jam, Honey and Spices!

Posted in About Us, Christmas, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Hanukkah, Staff Profiles, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 29, 2012 | 5 Comments »

Julia

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…)

Read Full Post »

Our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Cheese, Truffles, Chocolate and More!

Posted in Cheese, Chocolate, Christmas, Coffee, Gift Giving, Gifts & Wares, Grains, Rice, Flours & Beans, Hanukkah, Meats & Charcuterie, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Still Life with Bread, Ham, Cheese, and Vegetables - Luis Egidio Meléndez

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…)

Read Full Post »

Four Sparkling Wines For the Holidays

Posted in Beverages, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, Wine, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

A Glass of Bubbly

South End wine buyer, Julie Cappellano, and Cambridge wine buyer, Gemma Iannoni, offer their top picks for bubbly to celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year! Their selections subscribe to our philosophy of selecting authentic, terroir-driven wines from producers using organic, sustainable, or biodynamic viticultural practices. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano: Italian Confectioner

Posted in Candy & Confections, Christmas, Hanukkah, Italy, Producer Profile, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Storefront of Pietro Romanengo in Genova

In the list of wonderful, accidental finds we have made for the shop, few rival the discovery of Italian confectioners, Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano. On a trip to northern Italy, Ihsan and Valerie were strolling the labyrinthine streets of old Genova when they stumbled across a fantastical, gem-like little shop.

Romanengo Candied Tangerine

Candied Tangerine

Since 1780, the Romanengo family has been dispensing handmade candies from this beautiful shop with its marble walls, glass shelves and rich wooden cases. Crystal receptacles are filled with confetti-colored candied fennel seeds, threads of sugar-coated cinnamon, sweet fruit fondants, chewy rosewater marshmallows and tiny pastiglie. On his first visit, Ihsan bought some treats to take home and each parcel was painstaking wrapped in dark blue tissue-like paper and tied with a Genovese sailors knot. Since that trip, we have been importing directly from Romanengo and several staff members have made the pilgrimage to Genova themselves! (more…)

Read Full Post »

Pasticceria Perbellini Panettone: An Italian Holiday Tradition

Posted in Breads, Crackers & Snacks, Cakes & Cookies, Christmas, Italy, Producer Profile, tagged , , , , on December 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Pasticceria Perbellini PanettoneEvery year, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of panettone from Pasticceria Perbellini. And, every year, we order as much as we can, filling the shop to the brim! Piled high on our shelves, chock-a-block with torrone and candied fruits, staff members are thrilled to see these delicious Italian breads again. Panettone is fantastic with a steaming cup of hot coffee or a freshly pulled shot of espresso. Gemma, expert wine buyer in our Cambridge shop, recommends panettone with a glass of Vin Santo or the classic pairing of Moscato d’Asti.

What is Panettone?

Panettone is a traditional Milanese holiday bread. Traditional (and we think the best) panettone are yeasted breads that are allowed to ferment for a lengthy period of time. (more…)

Read Full Post »

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: For Food Lovers

Posted in Christmas, Gift Giving, Hanukkah, tagged , , , on November 28, 2011 | 2 Comments »

A Selection of CheesesHere at the shop, we recently had a very difficult brainstorming session. The task? To narrow down our products to a few select items that would be perfect gifts for the holiday season. Our lead cheese buyer advised on the cheese, our olive oil buyer came up with the olive oil and vinegar pairing and, in the end, the list was a team effort. We tried to find something for everyone and hope you find it helpful!

For the Cheese Lover

Cheese of the Month Club – Enroll your favorite cheese devotee in our Cheese of the Month Club. They receive a monthly delivery of hand-selected artisan cheese along with full descriptions, pairing suggestions and where appropriate, recipes. Subscriptions are available for 3 months, 6 months or 1 year at the entry or connoisseur levels. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 236 other followers

%d bloggers like this: