Eat First

Caz Tortilla Company, Syracuse

Have you ever tried a food that rocked your world? I'm talking just-brewed, locally roasted coffee. Squeaky cheese curds fresh from a dairy farm. Sourdough bread made by master bakers. It’s the little things.

One local food that recently rocked my world – and makes me want to eat a breakfast taco every day – is the tortillas made by Caz Tortilla Company.

Caz Tortilla is owned by the husband-and-wife team of Casey and Katie Masters. Despite its name, the company is based in Syracuse.

The Masters’ served in the U.S. Air Force and moved to Central New York from the White Sands area of New Mexico. They found they missed the tortilleria in their local grocery store, where they purchased tortillas that were “never more than an hour old,’’ according to Casey. They started making tortillas at home in Cazenovia, and before long they decided to turn their home project into a business. They hoped to find a production space in or near Cazenovia, Casey said, but instead set up shop in Syracuse. The small tortilla production facility is on Burnet Avenue, between Kilian Manufacturing and Visual Technologies.

Casey Masters and Operations Manager Drew Merkel weren’t making tortillas when I visited on a recent weekday, but gave me a quick tour of the place. It features a storage room for ingredients like masa, flour, baking powder and salt, a mixing room, and a production room with separate lines for pressing out and baking corn and flour tortillas. With a handful of employees, they produce thousands of five- and six-inch tortillas weekly.

To see the production process, watch this report by Emily Kenny, who covers food production and agriculture for Spectrum News.

If your only experience with tortillas is grocery store tortillas, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The local tortillas taste fresh, contain no sugar or artificial ingredients and have more “heft” to them than flimsy (and tear-prone) mass-produced tortillas. I’ve mainly used them for breakfast tacos, heating one tortilla at a time over the slots of my toaster and filling them with pan-roasted pepper and onion, scrambled eggs, cheese and salsa for a weekend breakfast of champions. One of these days I’ll get more adventurous and use them in an enchilada casserole with roasted vegetables.

I purchased my tortillas (10 for $3) at the Central New York Regional Market in Syracuse, and love knowing they were produced the day before a couple miles away. Check the Caz Tortilla Company Facebook or Instagram page to see if they’ll be at the market on a given Saturday.

Want to taste tortillas from Caz Tortilla Company? Restaurants that use them include Alto Cinco, Decir Algo, Steve’s Cantina and Mamacitas in Syracuse, Madison County Distillery in Cazenovia and Mad Taco in Nelson. Retail locations include The Curd Nerd, Syracuse Cooperative Market, Thanos Market and Green Hills Farms, Syracuse; Natur-Tyme, DeWitt; and 20/East and Heartstone Artisan Bakery, Cazenovia.

Last but not least, you can purchase tortillas directly at Caz Tortilla Company HQ, 1622 Burnet Ave., Syracuse. Hours (approximate) are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. If you see the sandwich board out front, they’re open. The front entry has an honor box and a rack holding packages of tortillas. Bring cash.

Central New York local food gift guide 2022

Well, it happened again: The holiday season is here.

Where to shop is a no-brainer: Shop small and local Central New York businesses to find tasty gifts and stocking stuffers the food (and drink) lovers and cooks on your list will enjoy year-round. Following are 11 suggestions.

Hot Crispy Oil: This fiery and flavorful condiment, similar to chili crisp and other chili oils with crunch, is made in the Albany area by John Trimble, a former restaurant owner who created the oil in his home kitchen during the pandemic. The product is made with blended olive oil, fried garlic and shallots, and a “proprietary blend’’ of chili peppers. Try it on rice, noodles, eggs, pizza, tacos, stuffed peppers and everything else you can think of. Buy it at Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market, Lombardi’s Imports, Vince’s Gourmet Imports, Thanos Imports and other locations. Price: About $10. MORE INFO

The Curd Nerd: Grab a gift box or basket and head over to The Curd Nerd in Syracuse to fill it up with cheesy goodness for the cheese lover on your list. This small shop in Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood carries a wide selection of local, New York State and regional cheeses, and you’ll also find cheeses that need a passport to get here, like Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy, orange-hued mimolette from France, and goat cheese from Spain. (All cheeses are not available all of the time.) The Curd Nerd offers gift cards and carries things that go with cheese, like crackers, honey, jams, pickles and boards. MORE INFO

Old Home Distillers minis: ‘Tis the season to imbibe a little, and what’s not to like about a sampler pack of small-batch bourbon, whiskey, rye, and gin from Old Home Distillers in Madison County? Put together a custom box with five of your favorite Old Home craft spirits or pick up an already-assembled assortment of five (50ml) bottles at the tasting room in Lebanon or a local farmers market (Old Home is at the Central New York Regional Market most Saturdays). They’ve got several maple- and spice-infused options that are a natural for this time of year. Price: Varies. MORE INFO

Cheffrey’s Pickles: Sweet treats like cookies and candy canes get all the attention during the holiday season. How about something briny and a bit salty? Fulton-based business Cheffrey’s Pickle Pub specializes in homemade, hand-cut pickles and pickled vegetables (think dilly beans). Varieties include bread and butter, dill, garlic dill, spicy dill – you get the picture. Look for them at 20/East, Cazenovia, Ontario Orchards, Oswego, Nelson Farms Country Store, Nelson, and other locations. Price: $8-$23. MORE INFO

Winosaurs: No, that’s not a typo. Winosaurs are gummy candy dinosaurs made with wine – hence their name. That makes them candy for the 21-and-over crowd. The candies were created by a couple who got married at a winery and were looking for a wine-themed wedding favor. Eureka. They decided to create their own favors and Winosaurs were born. The candies come in flavors like sangria, Moscato, peach Bellini and Rose. Look for Winosaurs at stores like Metro Home Style in Syracuse. Shipping is available to some states. Price: About $7. MORE INFO

Salt City Coffee special holiday blend: Local roaster Salt City Coffee makes it a mission to partner with the Rescue Mission each holiday season. The goal is to spread joy and make a difference in the lives of others. For every purchase of a 12-ounce bag of Salt City’s Holiday Traditions blend, $4 will be donated to the Rescue Mission. Pick up a bag for the coffee lover on your list and grab one for yourself, too – Salt City Coffee’s goal is to raise $1,200 for the Rescue Mission. Salt City Coffee has three locations in Syracuse and one in Fayetteville (formerly Soleil Cafe). MORE INFO

Flour City Pasta: John Stadt uses local and organic ingredients and his own two hands to make the distinctive artisanal pastas Flour City Pasta is known for. The business based in the Rochester area is a regular at the Central New York Regional Market. You’ll find flavors like chili pepper fettuccine, sweet potato pappardelle, spinach garlic linguine, and Cabernet Franc pappardelle – as well as traditional pastas like shells, rigatoni, linguine and fettuccine. Price: About $10/package. MORE INFO

Nav’s Popcorn: You might have visited the seasonal Nav’s Popcorn store in Alexandria Bay to satisfy your gourmet popcorn fix. Did you know they pop up regularly (see what I did there?) at the Central New York Regional Market and have a year-round store in Syracuse (Eastwood)? Nav’s is known for its flavored popcorn, from classics like kettle and cheddar to more unusual flavors, like salt and vinegar, pickle, garlic Parmesan, and Buffalo blend (Buffalo wing and ranch). Grab a bag to stuff a stocking and one for yourself. Price: $4 and up.  MORE INFO 

Beeswax food wraps: OLSEN+OLSEN beeswax wraps are a stylish way to keep food fresh and help reduce the use of plastic wraps and bags in the kitchen. To use, warm the wraps in your hands and mold them over bowls and casseroles, sealing with your fingers. You can also use the wraps directly on food, like half an apple or lemon. The wraps come three to a pack (small, medium and large). They’re washable, reusable and compostable. Price: $16. Available at BeeKind, Syracuse. MORE INFO  

Farm Girl Juicery juices: The struggle to eat healthy during the holiday season is real. Farm Girl Juicery to the rescue. The juice stand, open daily at Salt City Market in Syracuse (and in season at Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center), features teas, tonics and multiple varieties of cold-pressed juices, which are rich in nutrients and also serve as an immunity boost. Options include green juices made with ingredients like cucumber and kale, and root juices made with things like apples, beets, carrots, oranges and sweet potatoes. My favorite is owner Abigail Henson's Tonic 42, made with alkaline water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne. Price: About $8. MORE INFO 

Bayside Wood cutting boards: Cheese boards and charcuterie boards are all the rage these days, and a new board makes a great gift for someone who likes to cook and/or entertain – or for yourself. Bayside Wood Products produces cutting boards in a variety of styles and sizes. Their signature products include multi-color baker’s boards for rolling dough (and for cutting and serving) and Syracuse skyline boards. Look for Bayside at the Central New York Regional Market on Saturdays and check their website for pop-up events. Price: Varies. MORE INFO  

Photo credits:

Hot Crispy Oil photo courtesy of Hot Crispy Oil

Old Home Distillers sampler pack photo courtesy of Old Home Distillers

Winosaurs photo courtesy of Metro Home Style

Salt City Coffee photo courtesy of Salt City Coffee

Farm Girl Juicery photo courtesy of Farm Girl Juicery

Bayside Wood cutting board photo courtesy of Bayside Wood Products

All other photos © Margaret McCormick 2022

Kriemhild Kupboard, Hamilton

It’s not every day you visit a farm stand filled with butter and cheese instead of fruits and vegetables.

Kriemhild Kupboard is a self-serve stand on state Route 12B, three miles from the village of Hamilton. It’s owned and operated by Kriemhild Dairy Farms, which uses milk from its own grass-fed herd and other grass-fed milk suppliers in Central New York to produce its full-fat and cultured dairy products. The name is pronounced CREAM-hild, fittingly enough.

Kriemhild’s flagship product is meadow butter, which is made by slowly churning fresh sweet cream the old-fashioned way – in barrel churns. The end result is a rich, creamy, flavorful butter with a butterfat content of 85%, similar to high-end European butters like Kerrygold and President. (For comparison, supermarket butters are about 80% butterfat. Here’s a good guide to the world of butters.)

Several varieties of Kriemhild butter are available: meadow butter, cultured meadow butter and baker’s butter. All are available unsalted or salted, and the salt used comes from Seneca Lake. Kriemhild also produces creme fraiche, which is similar to sour cream but not as tangy, to my tastebuds, anyway.

If you’ve never tasted small-batch, grass-fed butter, you’re in for a treat. To know my other half is to know he loves butter, and he loves the Kriemhild salted meadow butter on toast, potatoes and other vegetables.

Looking ahead to the holidays and holiday baking, I splurged on a couple rolls of Kriemhild unsalted baker’s butter to use in cut-outs, sables and shortbread-style cookies. The more butter at the holidays, the merrier, right? I cut the one-pound rolls in halves or quarters and freeze them double-wrapped. It’s a premium product (about $10 per pound), but in baked goods where buttery flavor really stands out, I’m willing to make the investment. I might break some of that holiday butter out early and make a pound cake.

Kriemhild Kupboard also carries goods from other local producers, including bread from HeartStone Artisan Bakery, milk, cheeses and yogurt from Stoltzfus Family Dairy, sauerkraut and other fermented foods from Food and Ferments, dried mushrooms from Fruit of the Fungi, and gelato from Jones Family Farm, to name a few.

The Kupboard is open daily from dawn to dusk. It’s at 1093 state Route 12B, Hamilton, a couple miles south of Good Nature Farm Brewery. We made our trip double the fun by stopping at the brewery for a beer and a bite. The stand operates on the honor system. There’s pencil and paper to add up your purchases and a cash box to make change. There’s also a credit card reader, in case you go on a butter-buying binge.

Product photo courtesy of Kriemhild Dairy Farms, on Facebook.

All other photos © Margaret McCormick.

A visit to Old Home Distillers, Lebanon

Adam Carvell in the tasting room at Old Home Distillers

Sure, visiting a winery is fun. But have you ever visited a distillery? That’s fun, too. And educational.

We hadn’t been to Old Home Distillers, a family-owned spirits operation tucked away in the Madison County countryside, since around the time of its opening in 2015. We visited again with a couple friends in August and found that it has grown considerably, both physically and in terms of production and distribution. That was nice to hear and to see.

Old Home is a small-batch craft distillery. Brothers Aaron and Adam Carvell, who own the business with their parents, personally mash, ferment and distill everything they make. They specialize in clear, unaged spirits (corn whiskey and gin); flavored spirits, like spiced whiskey and maple whiskey (their bestseller); aged spirits, like bourbon whiskey and a single-malt whiskey made with 100% New York State-grown barley; and limited-release spirits, like an apple brandy aged in maple-soaked bourbon barrels, and their version of absinthe, called LABsinthe.

Green-hued absinthe, sometimes called “the Green Fairy,’’ was once illegal in the U.S. It was said to cause hallucinations. LABsinthe is made with grain-based spirits and a blend of aromatic botanicals. Old Home did several trial runs of it last year and decided to bottle and sell the research batches. They sold out. The spirit was released earlier this month, and I’m looking forward to trying it the traditional way, mixed with water and melted sugar. 

I hadn’t had gin since that night in 1982 when … Well, let’s not go there, but I’ve been enjoying Old Home Distillers gin in gin and tonics all summer long (photo below). It has a nice crisp flavor, and the botanicals, including juniper, cardamom, coriander and star anise, really pop, making for a refreshing drink. We also came home with a bottle of Peppershine, a corn whiskey infused with locally grown chili peppers, which gives Bloody Marys a different twist. Peppershine packs some heat and is more flavor-forward than vodka.

We visited Old Home Distillers on a Friday and asked in advance if we could tour the distillery. It’s not every day that you get to see a copper still and sip spirits that are made by hand. Adam Carvell was a great host, answering all of our questions about ingredients, equipment, processes, and products with knowledge, enthusiasm and humor. We appreciate the time he spent with us. 

Old Home Distillers is at 964 Campbell Road, Lebanon. The distillery is open noon to 4 p.m. Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There is no charge for tastings. Adam Carvell told us that anyone who finds their way to the off-the-beaten-path location near the geographic center of New York State gets to sample for free. Consider a visit while the leaves are changing color. It’s a beautiful drive. 

You can also find Old Home Distillers at the Central New York Regional Market in Syracuse and at several other markets in Central New York. Visit the website or call 315-837-4123 for more information.

 

 

LABSinthe photo courtesy of Old Home Distillers, on Facebook

All others photos © Margaret McCormick

The Barn on the Farm Cafe at Navarino Orchard

It was lunchtime and I was hungry when I saw a sign on Route 20 between LaFayette and Marcellus for a cafe in a barn. You know I had to check it out. Burrell’s Navarino Orchard, a third-generation, family-owned U-pick farm noted for apples and strawberries (and a country store with pies, jams, jellies and other treats), now offers a dining option: The Barn on the Farm Cafe. It’s open for lunch and supper Thursday to Saturday and brunch and supper on Sundays. More hours are coming soon.

The menu is casual and includes starters, like hummus and charcuterie (with and without meat), sandwiches and wraps, burgers and salads, including several vegetarian/vegan options. The Sunday brunch menu features French toast made with breads from the orchard’s bakery, quiche, a breakfast sandwich, eggs Benedict, and brunch-y drinks, including bottomless mimosas and “loaded” Bloody Marys. The bar menu features the orchard’s own hard cider, along with local and regional beers and wines. New York State spirits are used in cocktails, like mules and martinis.

Bring some patience with you when you visit: The Barn on the Farm Cafe has only been open a few weeks and just two people were working when I visited on a Friday. They were busy but didn't miss a beat. The barn itself is a 200-year-old building with high ceilings, lots of natural light and strings of twinkly lights. It’s rustic, with plank floors and wooden tables in various seating configurations, plus about a dozen seats at the bar. The bartender presented food and drink menus and took my order, which he walked to a food truck outside. Everything is made to order, one order at a time.

As a newbie vegetarian, I was happy to see a roasted vegetable wrap and a vegan burger on the menu. I went with the burger ($14), a patty made with a mix of black beans, corn and other vegetables, served on a roll, with lettuce, tomato slice and red onion on the side. I’m not a vegan, so I ordered the veggie burger with American cheese. The pesto aioli mentioned on the menu was missing, but the veggie patty was hot off the grill and the French fries on the side were crisp and well browned -- fried potatoes, my favorite vegetable. Roasted vegetables and applesauce are also offered as sides. How nice is that? A glass of peach lemonade ($3) was refreshing on a warm day.

Navarino Orchard and The Barn on the Farm Cafe are sure to be buzzing with activity as apple season kicks into gear in Central New York. Since I visited in July, the owners have added a Friday fish fry that runs all day and they plan to offer brunch on Saturday as well as Sunday. For more information on the cafe, including menus, visit the Navarino Orchard Facebook page.

Navarino Orchard is at 3655 Cherry Valley Turnpike (Route 20), LaFayette. The Barn on the Farm Cafe is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The owners plan to have the cafe open seven days a week starting in September. Information: 315-673-9181.

Interior photo of The Barn on the Farm Cafe, courtesy of Navarino Orchard on Facebook.

All other photos © Margaret McCormick.

                         

Sweet Life of a Baker, Sherrill

Do you ever wonder what becomes of the contestants on competition shows like “The Great British Bake Off’’ and its stateside spinoff, “The Great American Baking Show,’’ after the cameras stop rolling and all the episodes have aired?

Andrea Maranville, of Sherrill (Oneida County), a self-taught home cook and baker who appeared on season four of “The Great American Baking Show’’ in 2018, has been immersed in both the art of baking and the hard work of getting a small business up and running.

She was named “star baker’’ on the first week of the show -- when she impressed the judges with her cinnamon blueberry coffee cake and great grandmother’s chocolate cake -- and after weeks of challenging "bakes'' finished as a runner-up. Four years later, she has transitioned to life as a professional baker in her hometown. In October of 2021, Maranville opened Sweet Life of a Baker, a boutique bakery and cafe in “the Silver City.’’ 

I’ve been following Andrea on social media since I heard her interviewed on the Eat Local New York podcast, and took a drive to Sherrill recently to have lunch at Sweet Life of a Baker. I had the opportunity to meet her – thanks to her mother, who was helping out at the bakery and facilitated an introduction. Andrea was coming off of a busy Mother's Day weekend that left the dessert case empty and said she was gearing up for graduations, weddings and other special events.

Lunch did not disappoint. I was immediately drawn to the bakery case and cake servers filled with muffins, scones, cookies, cakes, macarons, brownies, biscotti, creme brulee, panna cotta and other treats, but knew I’d be getting a dessert to take home and enjoy later. So I went somewhat light for lunch with a spinach and Gruyere quiche for one, which is built on the all-butter, flaky crust Andrea perfected during pie week on “The Great American Baking Show.”  The quiches are served with your choice of mixed greens (with citrus or balsamic vinaigrette) or a cup of mixed berries. If you’re dining in, like I did, a server will heat up the quiche and bring it to you.

Other lunch offerings include a soup of the day, several salads (including a wedge salad and panzanella salad) and gourmet deli sandwiches, like ham off-the-bone with Hornbacher cheese from Callee 1945, a cheese shop in Oneida, served on bread from Salt City Bread in Manlius. Nothing too fancy or froufrou – Andrea’s approach is to serve high-quality foods she and her family love and to support other small businesses. The housemade chips served with sandwiches are from Crust Kitchen and Bar in Rome. And the coffee served at Sweet Life of a Baker is a special “baker’s blend” roasted for the cafe by Cracked Bean Roastery in Syracuse (where you can also find Andrea's baked goods). Click here for the lunch menu.

I brought my planner with me and got some work done from the seating area. Andrea has given the small space, with seating for about 20 people, the ambiance of a home dining room, with wooden tables, upholstered chairs and area rugs. Now that it’s warming up, there’s also patio seating.

As for dessert: I brought home a sweet little four-inch cheesecake. It was dense and rich, with a graham cracker crust on the bottom and berries and swirls of whipped cream on top. It was the perfect size for sharing.

Sweet Life of a Baker takes its name from the food blog Andrea launched in 2015. She’s a wife and mom of four children and was looking for a creative outlet and a place to share recipes. Look how far she’s come in that time. When your travels take you to the Oneida area, be sure to check her place out.

Sweet Life of a Baker is at 552 Sherrill Road, Sherrill. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Custom orders are available. Information: 315-280-4975

All photos © Margaret McCormick unless otherwise indicated.

 

Eden Fresh Network food hub

Leah de Rosa and Mark Pawliw inside the future home of the Eden Fresh Network food hub

Join Mark Pawliw for a visit to the Central New York Regional Market on a Saturday and you’re going to be there for a while. He knows the market inside-out and has cultivated relationships with many of the farmers and producers who set up shop there each week. “It’s my happy place,’’ Pawliw says.

“He’s like the mayor of the market,’’ adds Leah de Rosa, Pawliw’s partner in a new start-up, the Eden Fresh Network hybrid food hub.

Pawliw’s and de Rosa’s connections extend beyond the weekly market and deep into the food community. The hub will bring under its umbrella a consortium of more than a dozen Central New York farms, including Common Thread Farm, Grindstone Farm, Wyllie Fox Farm, Farm Girl Greens, New York Mushroom Company (Fruit of the Funghi) and others. Its base of operations will be a 6,000-square-foot warehouse space in the former Strathmore Paint Building at 1970 W. Fayette St., on Syracuse’s West Side.

The hub is currently in the funding and development stages. The partners hope to launch it in June, starting with an online farmers market, distribution of locally grown produce to restaurants, and education programs and other events to help consumers learn about where their food comes from. They eventually plan to open for retail business in the neighborhood under-served by fresh food and grocery stores and grow their distribution to include schools and other institutions.

Pawliw (pronounced Paul-Lou) is the founder of Farm to Fork 101, a series of dining experiences designed to connect farmers and consumers, usually over meals at local restaurants and farms. De Rosa’s background is in health care and health care management.

Together, they share a vision of supporting local farms and supplying urban and suburban areas of Central New York with direct access to locally grown and produced foods. They see themselves – and the food hub – as a bridge between farmers and consumers and farmers and restaurants. Their goal is to strengthen the local food system.

They’re asking members of the community for help, in the form of investments starting at $100. Their debt-based crowdfunding campaign through Honeycomb Credit seeks to raise a minimum of $50,000. Funds raised will be used for refrigeration equipment, a refrigerated truck and an Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) machine that will allow them to flash-freeze fruits and vegetables at their peak freshness for off-season use. 

The campaign has resulted in investments totaling more than $32,000 so far, with less than two weeks to go. The partners stress that investments are loans that will be paid back at an interest rate of 10% within five years. “I don’t like to ask people for something with no return,’’ Pawliw says. “If we don’t make it to $50,000, we get zero.’’

No investment isn’t without risk, “but we believe this is a risk worth taking,’’ de Rosa adds. “We want to support small farms.’’

The Eden Fresh Network food hub is not affiliated with Eden restaurant in downtown Syracuse. It is a separate business. CLICK HERE for more information.

For more information on investing in the Eden Fresh Network food hub, including a short video, CLICK HERE.

A BUILDING WITH A COLORFUL PAST

The former Strathmore Paints building stands proud at the intersection of West Fayette Street and Erie Boulevard West. It has a rich and colorful history.

The building was erected by the Gere family in 1874 and originally was known as the Gere Block, according to David Haas, creator of the popular Syracuse History account on Instagram (@Syracusehistory). The Erie Canal ran behind the building – you can still see a section of canal wall, shrouded by trees and brush – and it is believed the structure was originally used as a canal warehouse. It later became the home of the Sanford Motor Truck Company, a manufacturer of fire trucks, before eventually becoming the longtime headquarters of Strathmore Paints (1942-2018). Paint color samples and the occasional painter's cap can still be seen inside the building.

The building was sold in 2021 and the new owners plan to renovate it into a mixed-use building with a variety of tenants, according to Scott Dumas of Papyrus Real Estate Solutions, a partner in the project.

The Eden Fresh Network food hub will occupy the first floor. The upper floors will be occupied by a co-working space, a non-profit brain education center and an organization that provides support to people struggling with mental health issues. Dumas also hopes to attract a coffee shop, restaurant and other businesses that synergize with the food hub and its focus on local, sustainable foods.

The former Strathmore Paints building, as seen from Erie Boulevard West

Section of Erie Canal wall behind the former Strathmore Paints building

All photos © Margaret McCormick

 

The Curd Nerd, Syracuse

Here’s some grate news: The Eastwood neighborhood of Syracuse now has a cheese shop. That cheese shop is The Curd Nerd.

For months, Sarah Starace and her fiance, Matthew Simiele, have been renovating the wedge-shaped storefront at the corner of James Street and Collingwood Avenue into a bright and welcoming space. The walls are painted a buttery yellow and the space is filled with greenery from Found Things Co., a plant shop that has taken root a couple doors down Collingwood. 

One of Sarah’s goals with her shop is to stock as many local cheeses as possible and support local cheesemaking. That makes me happy on so many levels. 

The shop is in the “soft open’’ stage, with a grand opening planned for later in the month. Early offerings include chevre, feta and other goat cheeses from Lively Run Goat Dairy and cheddars and blue cheese from Muranda Cheese Company, both in the Finger Lakes.

Do you like spreadable cheeses? Then Sarah recommends the everything bagel-seasoned Quark cheese from Shults Family Farm in the Mohawk Valley. Quark is a soft farmers cheese that’s perfect for schmearing on crackers, toast and bagels and used as a dip for vegetables. Another soft cheese Sarah recommends is the Harbison from Jasper Hill Creamery in Vermont. It’s an oozy, bloomy-rind cheese that’s wrapped in spruce bark, which gives the cheese an earthy flavor. You might want a baguette to go with this cheese.

Other local/regional cheeses include Jake’s original gouda and Jake’s smoked gouda from Oneida County, Alpine-style cheeses from East Hill Creamery in Perry, and offerings from Old Chatham Creamery, which started out in the Hudson Valley and is now based in Groton. Selections in the case will change regularly, as Sarah figures out what her customers want.

Why cheese? Why Eastwood? And why now?

Sarah is a native of Queens who started out at Binghamton University on a pre-med track thinking she would become a doctor. For fun, she helped to establish the Binghamton University Cheese Club, a group of students who sampled different cheeses every week and spread their love for cheese on campus through activities and events. Sarah ended up getting a degree in cell and molecular biology and told her family and friends she planned to become a cheesemonger. She considers cheese her calling and is working to become a Certified Cheese Professional through the American Cheese Society.

Sarah met Matthew at Binghamton and they moved to Syracuse after graduation (he’s an electrical engineer). She worked at Wegmans for a time and considered working as a farmhand to learn more about the dairy industry. Then the pandemic happened. They bought a house in Eastwood and eventually met Realtor Stephen Skinner, who connected them to their space. A year later, they took down the paper covering the front of the shop and quietly opened for business.     

Sarah sees The Curd Nerd as a specialty grocery store as much as a cheese shop. You’ll find locally sourced bread, yogurt, honey, salad greens, mushrooms, apples, Clean Slate Farm oils and vinegars, salts from Syracuse Salt Company and everything that partners with cheese: crackers, dried fruits, nuts, olives, cured meats and more.

In a nod to the lactose intolerant, the shop sells packs of lactase, an enzyme that aids in the digestion of lactose. I hope I never become lactose intolerant. I love cheese too much.

I left The Curd Nerd with a fat wedge of Muranda Blue from Muranda Cheese Company, a container of feta (my new favorite cheese to have on hand) from Lively Run and a personal cheese box ($6; shown below) curated by Sarah. It contained slices of Shire (a cow’s milk cheese collaboration between Lively Run and Hopshire Farm and Brewery), a wedge of Nancy’s Camembert from Old Chatham, two kinds of crackers, dried apricots, strawberries, HoBe Honey, marcona almonds and toasted corn nuts. It was the perfect lunch – not too big, not too small, just right.

All cheese/charcuterie boxes, boards and trays are made to order. Visit the website, call 315-299-7006 or email [email protected] for more information.

The Curd Nerd is at 2800 James St. Hours (subject to change) are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Visit their website and social media for more information.

All photos © Margaret McCormick

Hot Crispy Oil: a love story

Do you have a favorite condiment? My favorite condiment of late is Hot Crispy Oil, a combination of olive oil and fried garlic, shallots and hot chili peppers. I’m kind of obsessed with it and keep exploring new ways to use it.

Hot Crispy Oil is produced in the Albany area. It’s a pandemic project turned entrepreneurial success story for chef and former restaurant owner John Trimble. Trimble created Hot Crispy Oil in his home kitchen when his family’s restaurant, La Serre, was shuttered and he was home cooking for his family, according to the website.

When the Trimble family decided not to reopen their restaurant, John Trimble pushed forward with making and marketing Hot Crispy Oil. He says it’s inspired by Asian crunchy garlic and chili oils, Mexican chili oils, Vietnamese chili sauce and Turkish and Calabrian chili paste.

I picked up my first jar of Hot Crispy Oil last summer and have been using it regularly ever since. Open the jar, give the contents a stir and drizzle it on eggs and avocado toast. Toss it with spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Dab it on cheese for grilled cheese – go easy, the oil packs a lot of flavor. One of my go-to lunches and suppers is basmati rice garnished with Hot Crispy Oil, topped with scallions and sometimes a fried egg (see above).

The crispy ingredients give the oil a bit of “chew,” which makes it fun to eat. An extra hot version of Hot Crispy Oil is available, but I haven’t tried it. The original is plenty hot – to my taste buds, anyway. When the jar runs low, stir in a little olive oil to use up all the crunchy bits.

In the Syracuse area, Hot Crispy Oil is available at stores like BeeKind, Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center (in season), Lombardi’s Imports, Vince’s Gourmet Imports, Thanos Imports and others. It retails for about $10.

Good news for those outside of Central New York: You can order Hot Crispy Oil online. For more information, including shipping details, store locator, and recipes, CLICK HERE.

Top image: © Margaret McCormick

Product shot: © Crispy Hot Oil

 

What's for dinner? Almost-instant ramen from Kasai Ramen

Staying in for dinner tonight -- and most every night? Join the club. The pandemic has caused major, lasting changes in how we eat. More people than ever are cooking at home. And an estimated 70% of American adults are now more likely to order takeout from restaurants than they were prior to the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. We're not talking just the usual suspects, like pizza, wings and subs (not that there's anything wrong with those things). We're talking more "elevated'' restaurant food.

Kasai Ramen, a fusion restaurant in Syracuse's Armory Square known for its ramen bowls, kimchi salt potatoes, steam buns and other Japanese-influenced fare, has always offered ramen for takeout and delivery. With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 surging and dining at home on the upswing, the restaurant has started offering take-home ramen kits. Again.

What are ramen kits and how are they different from a takeout order of ramen? The kits include all the ingredients and toppings for a delicious bowl, but assembly is required. If you're a DIYer in the kitchen, you'll have fun putting your meal together.

I ordered a shoyu ramen kit ($13.35 plus tip) on a recent weekday when I knew I'd be dining solo and wouldn't want to bother with cooking for myself. I called ahead and my order was ready in 15 minutes. A brown bag was packed with several containers: pork and chicken broth, a nest of homemade noodles, braised pork, six-minute egg, enoki mushrooms, bok choy and scallions. I set a place at the table, boiled unsalted water for the noodles, heated the broth on the stove and warmed the pork in the microwave. I had already left the six-minute egg and vegetable toppings on the counter to take the chill off them.

In a matter of minutes, I sat down to a warming, comforting and filling bowl that was almost too pretty to eat. The kit included chopsticks, which I used along with a spoon and fork to get every bit and drop. 

Note: Instructions are supposed to come with the ramen kits (in this case they were omitted), but if you've had ramen bowls before, cooking the noodles, heating the broth and garnishing the bowl is pretty self explanatory. I overcooked the noodles somewhat. Next time I'll know they need just 30 seconds to a minute in boiling water.

Kasai Ramen is at 218 Walton St., Syracuse. Information: 315-310-8500

Main photo courtesy of Kasai Ramen

Finished bowl photo: Margaret McCormick

 

Buy local: Ten food gifts with Central New York flavor

Are you looking ahead to the holidays? One of the best ways to enhance your gift-giving is to think local and shop small for memorable, one-of-a-kind gifts. Besides, when you buy local, you keep dollars in the community and support someone’s business and dream.

Following is a list of 10 local “foodie” things that make great gifts for family, friends and party hosts. Enjoy the holiday season!

P.S.: My monthly local food newsletter, coming out soon, will focus on local places to shop for items like this. To subscribe, leave a comment below. Your email address is required to leave a comment, but it will be visible only to me.

Sweet on Chocolate specialty bars: Artisan chocolate shop Sweet on Chocolate is known for its truffles, turtles, creams, clusters and barks (specifically salted caramel pretzel bark, OH MY!), but have you tried their chocolate bars? They’re a treat, available in flavor combinations like 72% dark chocolate with dried cherries and almonds, 52% dark chocolate with candied orange, pistachios and cardamom and 32% milk chocolate with caramel and toasted sesame seeds. $7. CLICK HERE for more information.

Photo courtesy of Sweet on Chocolate 

Angry Garlic salad dressings: Everything at the Angry Garlic restaurant in Baldwinsville contains an element of garlic. Salad dressings are no exception. Slip a taste of the restaurant into someone’s stocking in the form of sweet roasted garlic dressing and/or garlic balsamic dressing. We all could use a nice green salad this time of year. About $9. Available at the restaurant and at stores like Abbott Farms in Baldwinsville and Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center in North Syracuse. CLICK HERE for more information.


Weekday Whiskey: KROCK (WKRL 100.9) morning radio host Josh Grosvent has a side hustle: making and selling whiskey. He calls it Weekday Whiskey. His motto: Why should weekends have all the fun? Weekday Whiskey is an 80-proof, “easy drinking” wheat blend packaged in slim 200 ml bottles and more substantial 375 ml bottles. The small size fits in purses, pockets, fanny packs and Christmas stockings. Prices start around $16. CLICK HERE for more information, retail locations.

Photo courtesy of Weekday Whiskey


Syracuse Salt Co. vanilla cinnamon flake salt: Syracuse Salt Co. owners David Iannicello and Libby Croom have created a flake salt that's both sweet and savory. I've tried it on chocolate chip cookies (a hit!) and there's a place for it on top of brownies, in or on top of holiday cookies like Snickerdoodles and in hot cocoa. Use your imagination. Fun fact: Flake salt is harvested from a brine well 280 feet below the ground in Syracuse’s Inner Harbor area. About $7. CLICK HERE for more information, retail locations.

 

210 Teas: You might have encountered 210 Teas at pop-events around Syracuse, like the annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair. It’s a loose-leaf tea company offering black tea, white tea, green tea, tea blends, herbal teas and tea accessories, like mugs, tea infusers and reusable tea bags. 210 Teas owner Kahs Hills is in the process of opening a tearoom at 108 Washington St. in downtown Syracuse, in the space that once housed Roji Tea Lounge. CLICK HERE for more information, online ordering.

Stock photo, Pixabay

Hot Stuff hot sauces: Turn up the heat on the holidays with a quartet of hot sauces produced by Syracuse restaurant XO Taco. In order of hotness, the sauces are: Chihuahua (made with fresno peppers), Holla-peno (made with jalapeno peppers), Jab-anero (made with habanero peppers) and Guava Ghost (made with guava and ghost peppers). The sauces are available at stores like Metro Home Style in Franklin Square, BeeKind Syracuse on Tipperary Hill, at several Byrne Dairy stores and at Kinney Drugs. $5 and up. CLICK HERE for more information, online ordering.


Goodway Gourmet rum cakes: Troy-based Goodway Gourmet Bakery is known for its Caribbean rum cakes, available in flavors like ripe banana, pineapple, coconut and chocolate. Goodway is a regular vendor at the Central New York Regional Market on Saturdays, setting up in the F Shed. Market shoppers rave about the rich and flavorful cakes. Once open, they say, the cakes disappear in a flash. About $14. Gluten-free options available. CLICK HERE for more information, online ordering.

Photo courtesy of Goodway Gourmet, on Facebook

Unite Spice Company spices: Ithaca-based United Spice Company connects customers with ethically sourced spices from around the world. Offerings from the woman-owned start-up include curry powder, 7 Sisters Chile Salt, turmeric, whole nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and more. In the Syracuse area, find a selection of Unite spices at Chuck Hafner’s Garden Center in North Syracuse. CLICK HERE for more information, online ordering.

Photo courtesy of Chuck Hafner’s, on Facebook


Ayvaco extra virgin olive oil: Ayvaco is a single-source, cold-pressed, unrefined olive oil from Turkey. Umut Birklik, a native of Turkey now living in Central New York (with his wife, Erin), produces and sells extra-virgin olive oil from his hometown of Ayvalik, on Turkey's northwestern Aegean coast. Ayvaco tastes smooth, mild, fresh and bright. Use it any way olive oil shines: in salad dressings, as a bread dipping oil, as a finishing oil on vegetables, meat and fish, etc. Look for Ayvaco at the CNY Regional Market on Saturdays (F Shed). $15 and up. CLICK HERE for more information, online ordering.

Photo courtesy of Ayvaco, on Facebook


Market Money, Salt City Market: Market Money is Salt City Market's own form of currency: gift certificates that can be used at any of the market’s vendors. Market Money was designed for the market by local artist Cayetano Valenzuela. It comes in $5 denominations. For example, 10 bills equal $50. Salt City Market opened in January in downtown Syracuse. It’s a food hall and incubator for eight small food businesses offering a variety of cuisines. CLICK HERE to order online. Market Money is also available at The Life, a retail space within the market.

Photo courtesy of Salt City Market