Yesterday morning I braved the winter cold and drove to Formaggio Kitchen, an institution in Cambridge and a foodie's paradise. In my research to find the area's best grocer and specialty food store, Formaggio Kitchen's name came up again and again. It was only a matter of time before I visited it myself. I am not much of a cook myself, but I have embraced the food movements of the past ten years as much as anyone (one of my favorite articles on the subject: "How Food Replaced Art as High Culture"). Moreover, I love nothing more than smart packaging. So it was a real treat to visit Formaggio Kitchen and take notice of its wonderfully curated selection of items. The tea in the last picture, for example, is made by a company I have followed since their beginning, but never had the opportunity to try (they are based in New York). I cannot tell you how delightful it was to stumble upon their goods and have the chance to purchase them. In addition to my Bellocq tea, I left with a beer vinegar from Italy, a pair of raspberry french macaroons, hot chocolate from France and honey from Napa Valley. All in all a good start! They are first and foremost a cheese store, but I was too in awe of their specialty goods to give my full attention to their artisan cheese. A reason to quickly return...
Formaggio Kitchen also offers a number of classes and serves as a true community center. A sampling of their classes includes:
-The Science of Cheese
-Beer and Cheese 101
-Hands-on Pasta Workshop
-The Art + Science of Salami
-Brave the Caves: An Underground Cheese Lesson
-Feeling Sheepish: Brebis, Pecorino, and Beyond
I should mention that most of their classes for the next two months area already sold out...
For those who do not live in the area, they have a full shop online where you can purchase any of their items as well as baskets and gift certificates. You can even purchase a Mac and Cheese Bundle, which includes Cabot Clothbound Cheddar cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano and Marcel Petite Comte (and pasta too!).
Sounds perfect for a cold winter's evening....!
Can't wait to go there! It photographed beautifully and your prose is great.
ReplyDeleteWhat a dream! Love love Bellocq teas <3
ReplyDeleteit's divine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a nice post! We're glad you had a chance to visit. Your photos capture a few of my (Tim) personal favorite things around the shop! The Dram bitters are new for us and they are some of the best bitters we've had in a number of years (we've tasted a lot of bitters recently). The Belloq teas are also new for us and the beautiful packaging is a perfect representation of the quality of the tea inside. The citrus that is in season now comes to us from small farms in CA and this is important because there's no comparison between the flavor (and aroma) you get from this citrus vs what you find on typical produce shelves. The macarons are French in style, but are made by our baker Alice. These are a labor of love as they are challenging to get just right (watch the humidity!) and they must be made in small batches and sold quickly to keep them super fresh (luckily we don't have any problem there). Thanks again and we hope to see you soon!
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