California Artisan Foods Online

[ludja]

Has anyone else tasted Dr. Bob's ice cream's? link

Dr. Bob's HandCrafted IceCreams is a high butterfat, intensely flavored ice cream created by Dr. Robert Small, a professor at Cal Poly University in Pomona, California. Dr. Bob has had a love affair with ice cream since he was five. He finally couldn't resist the opportunity to create what he believes is the best ice cream available anywhere. Dr. Bob has sought out the highest quality ingredients available, including Scharffen Berger chocolates, to create his incredibly flavored ice creams; no expense is spared. In his first year of operation, Dr. Bob won nine medals (5 gold, 4 silver) at the Los Angeles County Fair, the largest county fair in the country. In the past three competitions that Dr. Bob has entered, his ice cream has won 30 gold medals.

The ice cream is mainly available for retail in CA and also in AZ, but is also available for purchase on line.

We were enticed to try them b/c he uses Scharffen Berger for the chocolate ice creams. We had the "Scharffenberger Works" (a very dark chocolate ice cream studded w/cacao nibs) and the "Strawberries, Sour Cream & Brown Sugar". The nibs are excellent in the ice cream and the strawberry is also very good--no icy strawberry chunks, rather the strawberries are pureed into the cream and there are some swirls of strawberry that are almost a jam consistency.

Here are some of the flavors:

Black Raspberry

Pistachio

Strawberries, Sour Cream & Brown Sugar

Vanilla Peanut Butter Chunk

Tahitian Vanilla

Caramel (Dulce de Leche)

Cappuccino Crunch

Brown Sugar Pecan

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Chip

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Chocolate Chip

Scharffen Berger Vanilla w/ Nibs

Scharffen Berger Black Raspberry Chip

Scharffen Berger “Works”

Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate

Schaffren Berger Mint Chip

Scharffen Berger Really Dark Chocolate

Vanilla w/ Scharffen Berger Nibs

[crosparantoux]

Anybody have exotic poultry resources? e.g., varieties of duck, blue foot chickens, partridge, etc.

[fiftydollars]

My favorite olive oil is Stonehouse Olive Oil. Their silver medal oil is just damned good and it's replaced almost every other cooking fat in my kitchen. I regularly pour this over anything I eat before, during, and after cooking.

[CC and C]

Has anyone else tasted Dr. Bob's ice cream's? link

Ludja,

After reading your post last week, I was inspired to go pick up some of Dr Bob's ice cream. I was visiting my mother last weekend, and she just happens to live right next to CSU Pomona, and so I managed to get some right at the source.

I really like Scharffen Berger's 41% Milk bar, so I decided to try one of the chocolate flavors. I picked the Really Dark Chocolate and it was spectacular. It tasted like an cold, creamy version of the perfect brownie...not too sweet, with a luscious cocoa richness to the flavor and aftertaste.

Definitely an ice cream for the dark chocolate lovers out there.

[ludja]

Has anyone else tasted Dr. Bob's ice cream's? link

Ludja,

After reading your post last week, I was inspired to go pick up some of Dr Bob's ice cream. I was visiting my mother last weekend, and she just happens to live right next to CSU Pomona, and so I managed to get some right at the source.

I really like Scharffen Berger's 41% Milk bar, so I decided to try one of the chocolate flavors. I picked the Really Dark Chocolate and it was spectacular. It tasted like an cold, creamy version of the perfect brownie...not too sweet, with a luscious cocoa richness to the flavor and aftertaste.

Definitely an ice cream for the dark chocolate lovers out there.

←

Glad that you found it good!

I think the chocolate ice cream was the best I have ever had. I'm also lookng forward to incorporating Scharffen Berger Nibs into some home made ice cream as well.

[ludja]

GiftedGourmet recently linked to a nice Newsweek article that talked about the upsurge in artisanal products available around the country and featured 15 of their top choices here.

Five of the fifteen purveyors were from California, including June Taylor jams already mentioned above. The other four were:

CHINABLUE, SAUSALITO, CALIF.

Richard Wong's intensely flavored Asian sauces (like sesame soy), glazes (spicy chili bean), dressings (ginger splash) and oils (sweet scallion) can make a meal.

chinablue.com

PHILO APPLE FARM, PHILO, CALIF.

In the heart of northern California's Anderson Valley lives a family dedicated to superb food. Sally and Don Schmitt, their son, John, daughter, Karen, and son-in-law, Tim Bates, give cooking classes, raise organic apples and tend a farmstand featuring jams, syrups and our favorite, Bates & Schmitt Apple Balsamic Vinegar.

philoapplefarm.com

LALOO'S GOATS MILK ICE CREAM, PETALUMA, CALIF.

They ship, but to buy in stores you need to be on the west coast for now. I'm interested to see how these taste. They could also be a good option for lactose intolerant folks (like my sister, who can handle goat and sheep milk products).

Some flavors are: Black Mission Fig, Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Cabernet. Nice website at:

goatmilkicecream.com

Anyone familiar with these products?

They also gave a preview of Paul Bertolli's upcoming (slated for next spring) Sulumeri which will be selling cured meats such as smoked and sweet sausage, fennel salame, bresola, and mortadella.

FRA' MANI HANDCRAFTED SALUMI, OAKLAND, CALIF.

framani.com

[Nancy Berry]

Some of my favorites:

Da Vero Olive Oil -- These folks produce a fabulous extra virgin olive oil. They also have a terrific Meyer lemon olive oil -- the lemons are pressed with the olives.

Tierra Vegetables (Chiles) -- Some of the best chipotles I've ever tasted -- not just jalapenos, but all sorts of farm-smoked chiles and excellent nonsmoked dried chiles.

Phipp's Ranch -- Excellent source for an incredible array of dried beans. Many of the beans are organically grown at Phipp's -- they identify them.

Gonzales Orchards -- Blenheim apricots are, by far, the most succulent apricots and these folks have one of the few remaining Blenheim apricot orchards left in California. Their dried apricots are wonderful, as are their apricot jams and syrups -- some spicy, some not.

[Rebel Rose]

Thanks, Nancy. Tierra Vegetables was mentioned upthread, but it certainly helps to give them more than one vote! I am nuts for their chipotle jam.

I will have to check out Gonzales Orchards for the apricot jams, especially if they are spicy. We had a grill-rotisseried pork tenderloin last night, and I was wishing I had some good apricot preserves for an apricot, ginger, hot pepper salsa. I settled for a bruschetta of cherry tomatoes and basil from our garden, and baked tomatoes. It was good, but I'd had pork drippings and spicy apricots on my mind all day.

[rancho_gordo]

I can't believe we've forgotten Local Harvest! A lot of their farms are now selling online and many are from California. They are really small farmers in many cases so you're really getting something different. I sell there too but the majority are very sweet, small growers with some unusual offerings. (Some are pretty awful but that's part of the fun, too).

[jayolins]

Anybody have exotic poultry resources? e.g., varieties of duck, blue foot chickens, partridge, etc.

←

David Rosengarten's Report says that www.grimaud.com has great duck.

[Rebel Rose]

I hadn't even looked at the November issue of Food & Wine until today. What a nice surprise:

California Strikes Oil

Featuring my friends and neighbors at Willow Creek Olive Ranch, which came in first in their tasting. Happy dance! (The weblink does not include all the gorgeous photos in the magazine.)

Also Cris Cherry's restaurant, Villa Creek, and a slew of good recipes from chef Tom Fundaro.

[Rebel Rose]

Congratulations to eGullet member rancho gordo! The January 2006 issue of Sunset Magazine lists Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans as a "must have" pantry staple.

I ordered a selection a few months ago, and couldn't get my SO interested at first. "No one eats beans in summer. I'm cutting back on carbs . . ." but as soon as he tried one type with ham hocks, he was hooked. Now he insists that he wants to choose the next selection!

[rancho_gordo]

Thanks! It's only been out a few days and the response has been pretty wild. Luckily we just finished shipping all the Christmas orders (hopefully without mishap) and with luck, now we'll get a whole new wave of interest.

Mail order sure beats getting up at 4:30am to do the farmers market!

[memesuze]

yeah, and you get to go downtown to the office just like the rest of us instead of hanging out in your jammies rocking out to Bob Wills

Edited December 23, 2005 by memesuze (log)

[esperanza]

Three cheers for Rancho Gordo, our favorite bean purveyor. ¡Cuánto le gusta!

Accept no substitutes.

[robert40]

Let me also add that not only are his beans the best available you could not know a nicer guy.

Bravo Rancho Gordo!!

[rjwong]

In the 8 February 2006 edition of the LA Times Food Section Digest, there's an article on California artisan chocolates by Betty Hallock. Below are the California confectioniers that were included in the taste test (all but two have known website):

Woodhouse Chocolate

Donnelly Chocolates

Boule

Michael Mischer Chocolates in Oakland

Jin Patisserie

Recchiuti Confections

XOX Truffles

La Dolce V

L'Artisan du Chocolat

Chuao Chocolatier

Frances in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles

Charles Chocolates

Comparte's

[ludja]

La Tourangelle: California Gourmet Oils producing walnut, hazelnut, almond, grapeseed and sesame oils.

The production of gourmet oils is a time-honored tradition in France. Originally, each village had a mill which roasted and extracted the oil from nuts gathered by local farmers. These delicious oils were used in hearty rustic fare and were also found in Paris’ finest restaurants.

La Tourangelle is one of just a handful of these remaining mills that keep this tradition alive. Through a partnership between one of the oldest and most respected French artisanal oil mills, Les Huileries de la Croix Verte et la Tourangelle, based in Saumur, France, and California Oils Corporation, La Tourangelle has succeeded in recreating the spirit of a traditional french oil mill in America.

Located in Woodland, California, La Tourangelle produces and distributes an exclusive line of hand-crafted premium quality oils, supplying high-quality product at a reasonable price.

A review from SFGate last June: click

The walnut oil started showing up in local markets about two years ago, coinciding with a surge of interest in foods containing walnuts because of their healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

"Great oil, good flavor of roasted walnut. The best," said one chef on the tasting panel. "Toasty flavor -- the best of the lot; the finish is pure and nutty," said another taster, who gave it a perfect score. "Smooth," said a third.

Another chef thought the oil tasted as though the walnuts were "a little overroasted," but he still thought it was very good and gave it a near-perfect score. All five tasters would buy this oil.

None of the other oils, even the most expensive ones, came close, the tasters said. The oils made from roasted nuts tended to have stronger flavors; the rest were more neutral, though most still had some walnut taste.

[BSK]

When I researched for my California visit I found this website:

http://www.eatwild.com/products/california.html

According to their site (which gives products for each state), Eatwild.com is your source for safe, healthy, natural and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry and dairy products. The website's goals are:

• To provide comprehensive, science-based information about the benefits of raising animals on pasture.

• To support farmers who raise their livestock on pasture from birth to market and who actively promote the welfare of their animals and the health of the land.

• To help consumers find reliable sources of all-natural, delicious, grass-fed products.

I haven't tried any of their products yet - has anyone? I'd love to hear from you.

[Jensen]

I haven't tried any of their products yet - has anyone?  I'd love to hear from you.

←

I have tried some of the chevon from Copeland Family Farms (listed on that site) and have been very happy with it. They also offer meats from other farmers in the area (lamb, buffalo, beef) but I haven't had a chance to try any of those cuts.

[ludja]

I routinely buy sausages and other goodies from representatives of Fabrique Delices at the Mountain View or Sunnyvale Farmer's markets. Their production facility is in Hayward, CA and they described themselves as an "Artisan Charcutier since 1985".

Great stuff; some of my favorites that I have tried so far are their: Merguez, Boudin Blanc and Boudin Noir and a variety of their pates.

They also have things like rillettes, foie gras preparations, galantines, confit, smoked duck breast, duck salami and proscuitto, game sausages (rabbit, wild boar, venison and duck), saucisse de Toulouse and Andouiettes, saucisson a l'Ail, ...

I just noticed that you can order their products from their website as well so I thought I would post the info here: click

From whole duck foie gras with Armagnac to all natural, pork-free truffle mousse, Fabrique Délices, a traditional French charcuterie company in Hayward, CA, has been preparing time-honored classics alongside innovative new products for the past 15 years. With an extensive product line that includes blood sausage, duck confit and country pâtés, Fabrique Délices produces over 2,000 pounds a day. "We're still traditional, artisanal," said Sebastien Espinasse, vice president of sales and marketing. "We have some equipment to grind product, but then everything is made by hand." Marc Poinsignon, president, and Antonio Pinheiro, co-owner, vice president and chef, came to California 15 years ago when Sapar, the French company they worked for, bought the San Mateo charcuterie plant. Poinsignon and Pinheiro bought out the company in 1996 and retained the name for brand recognition.

[Jensen]

A few weeks ago, I ordered the "Winter Warmers" package from Tawanda Farms; it included one cross-rib roast (~3 lbs), short ribs (~2 lbs), and cross-cut shanks (~2 lbs). Along with some other cuts I ordered and including shipping, it worked out to around $6.00/lb.

The meat was absolutely fabulous.

On the business end, the service has been incredible...personal and yet professional. Tawanda's farmer, Carol Pasheilich, has a sig file on her emails that reads: KNOW YOUR PRODUCER!

As far as I can tell, she lives by that credo. I've had a two or three phone conversations with her now and I feel like I'm getting to know her. And I like her!

[ludja]

...

They also gave a preview of Paul Bertolli's upcoming (slated for next spring) Sulumeri which will be selling cured meats such as smoked and sweet sausage, fennel salame, bresola, and mortadella.

FRA' MANI HANDCRAFTED SALUMI, OAKLAND, CALIF.

framani.com

←

Here's a link to Fra' Mani's website: click and a thread on the products started by artisanbaker: Bertolli Charcuterie