Posts Tagged ‘Fancifull’

Diet Terms Made Simple

Here are some very short and sweet definitions to help understand some of the diet terms used these days.

Vegan/Vegetarian

The difference is Vegetarians don’t eat meat, fish, or any animal. Vegans go a bit further and eat no animal products such as eggs, dairy or honey.

Gluten Free

Gluten is a mixture of proteins that occur naturally in wheat, rye, barley and crossbreeds of these grains.  The FDA defines gluten free  as having a gluten limit of less than 20 parts per million of gluten in foods carrying that label. We are careful with the products we put in our gluten free gift baskets.  Luckily there is a world of good food to use: Nuts, Cheese, Fruit, Tea and Coffee, Chocolates, Chips and so much more.

Kosher

Kosher is an adaptation of the Hebrew word meaning “fit” or “proper.” Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of kashrut.  These will carry the symbol of the rabbinical council that approved the item. Fruit is naturally kosher. The best known rules are:  no pork, no mixing of dairy and meat, and the term pareve which means it is a neutral food that can be eaten with meat or dairy.  This is a very short abridged definition.  There is much more to be found in research and among those who keep kosher (many who have been very helpful with advice).  We have an array of kosher products in our shop including wine, cheese, chocolates, cookies and more.  We also carry Kosher for Passover during that holiday. You can call and check the symbols on the foods we have if you have any questions.

Note:  These definitions above are by no means complete as each diet has complexities that we don’t have the space to go into here; and it varies by individual. For more data please research or ask the people you know who adhere to one of these diets to find out how they adapt it for themselves.

Creating Memories With Gift Baskets – The Scavenger Hunt Anniversary

Because of our personalized service at Fancifull we seem to become intertwined in our client’s lives. We help create memories.

This week one of our gift baskets was part of a scavenger hunt a woman devised for her boyfriend on their anniversary.

They had attended our Valentine’s tasting where Wally was wearing a top hat. The top hat and our shop on Melrose were part of the 3rd clue.

Kristin was the one who greeted him when he arrived and quizzically said “I’m here on a scavenger hunt?” Wouldn’t you know, we had a gift basket for him and, on the card, the clue for his next destination.

Have we mentioned how much we love our job?

Video: Yam Good Cookies

Award Winning Cheeses at Fancifull

We are really happy that several of our favorite cheese makers won big awards at the American Cheese Society Meeting and Contest held recently in Montreal, Canada. We’ve been championing and selling their cheeses for years, so it’s really fun to see them getting the accolades they deserve for their delicious products and dedication to their craft.

Among the winners was Point Reyes Toma cheese for Best Original Cheese. We’ve been including this in our gift baskets for some time now as well as sampling and selling it at our local Farmers Markets. Their fabulous Mozzarella, which we got to taste last week when we visited their creamery, won a second place award. Unfortunately it’s currently only available at the creamery in Point Reyes, CA. We’ll let you know if that changes. (Meaning we’re going to get it if we can!). Their Original Blue cheese also won a big award recently when it was awarded the title of Best Dairy or Cheese Product of the Year at the Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC. Go Point Reyes!

Another big winner at The America Cheese Society was Beehive Cheese which is located in Utah. They won awards for their Barely Buzzed, Seahive and Promontory Cheddars, all of which have been included in our gourmet gift baskets. You can read more about their cheeses in an earlier blog we wrote on Beehive Cheese.

Flavio DeCastilhos of Tumalo Farms in Bend, Oregon also won awards. His Classico, a Gouda style Goat Cheese, is simply amazing. Just this morning I greated some of it very finely and cooked in in with some scrambled eggs with fresh basil and some chopped Jeaune Flamme tomatos from my garden. Ooh la la la la, I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it. I published the recipe in a previous blog on Tumalo Cheese.

And then there’s Beechers Handmade Cheese of Seattle which won awards for three or four of their Cheddars. We carry their Flagship cheese – rich, full flavored, creamy, and extremely popular with everyone who tastes it. I’d recommend this in any of our beer gift baskets. It also makes for a killer macaroni and cheese.

Haven’t yet tried any of these cheese yourself? Call and order some from us – you’ll be very, very, very happy!
Is there some cheese you know of that we should try? Please let us know! If there’s good food involved, we’re interested.
See you at the table!

People Love us on Yelp!

Recently Yelp, a local business review web site, honored us with a sticker which says “People Love Us On Yelp.” While a sticker may not be as glorious as a trophy, it is none the less a sticker reserved only for the most renowned and best reviewed businesses in the city. By earning an average of 5 out of 5 stars, we have proven our dedication to top-notch quality and supurb service. We are certainly proud of our sticker, but we take more pride in the satisfaction we bring to our customers.