Markets, Artisan Producers and Wineries
Every city and village I go to is an excuse to find something special and new (or old!), a kitchen shop, a wine boutique, a goat dairy, or an outdoor market where I can find something to taste and take home as a reminder of my visit. Plus I have to admit, I love to shop! Whether hand-painted majolica plates in Deruta, flan molds in Paris, table linens in Provence, saffron from Spain, Gianduia from Torino, or fragrant teas from India, I am always scouting.
Of course my travels are never complete without a visit to local wineries and tasting rooms. I've included a few links to producers of delicious wines I’ve tasted in wine regions around the world - my list keeps growing!
Here are just a few of the places I always have to stop at whether at home or traveling:
United States
CALIFORNIAOakville Grocery
Saint Helena Highway, Napa, CA 94558
1.707.944.8802
www.oakvillegrocery.com
Best place to pick up everything for the ultimate Napa Valley picnic from mustard to wine, sandwiches, salads, potato chips, and olives!
Biondivino Wine Boutique
1415 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
415-673-2320
www.biondivino.com
Ceri Smith has an incredible selection of indigenous wines from small producers throughout Italy. I love going to the tastings at her store – they are a blast!
Bryan's Meat, Fish, Poultry
3473 California St., San Francisco, CA 94118
415.752.3430
Best meat in San Francisco. Love the veal chops, veal shanks, and the fish is the freshest!
San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market
Ferry Building at Market/Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA
707.224.3300
www.ferryplazafarmersmarket.com
A must for any visitor to San Francisco or anyone who lives in the bay area!
Navarro Vineyards & Winery
5601 Hwy 128, Philo, CA
1.800.537.WINE or 707.895.3686
www.navarrowine.com
I have been a member of the Navarro wine club for almost 20 years! I am a huge fan of their Riesling which I also use in the vinaigrette for one of my favorite salads - Toasted Goat Cheese with Stone Fruit!
OHIO
Lake Erie Creamery
3167 Fulton Road, Suite 109, Cleveland, OH 44109
216.961.9222
www.lakeeriecreamery.com
I discovered the wonderful artisan goat cheese produced by Lake Erie Creamery while judging for the Gallo Family Gold Medal Awards. They won the Grand Prize for Dairy and were the overall Artisanal Award Winner in 2008! Their fresh chèvre is so delicious - order some and make my Toasted Goat Cheese Salad with Smoked Bacon!
National
Dean & Deluca
www.deandeluca.com
Love the cookbook selection, the array of olive oils, vinegars, chocolate, rice, cheese.... The list goes on and on!
Sur la Table
1.800.243.0852
www.surlatable.com
This is the store for the serious cook. If you can't get it here, it probably isn't available.
A.G. Ferrari Foods
www.agferrari.com
Great for anything Italian. Paul Ferrari scours Italy for the best and we all get to take advantage. You can order online.
Australia and New Zealand
Accoutrement Cooking School
611 Military Rd., Mosman, Sydney, NSW 2088, Australia
Cooking classes and great table-top accessories.
Heilala Vanilla
P O Box 16-078, Bethlehem,Tauranga 3147,New Zealand
Family run and their vanilla paste is amazing!
Simon Johnson
Australia
www.simonjohnson.com
Simon has style and fantastic taste. When in Sydney, take a walk to the top of Paddington and check out his store!
Italy
Deruta
Grazia
Umbria, Italy
I am addicted to majolica hand-painted dishes from Umbria and this is the ultimate place for collectors. It is generations old and the level of artistry is unsurpassed.
Radda in Chianti
Ceramiche Rampini
Casa Beretone di Vistarenni
Radda in Chianti - Siena
+39 0577.738043
www.rampiniceramics.com
If you like ceramics, next time you are in Tuscany stop by the Rampini’s to look at what they are making. Sets of dishes can individually designed and ordered. Say “Hi” to Romano and his Dad, Giuseppe, for me.
Spain
Bodegas Protos
24-28. E-47300 Peñafiel (Valladolid) Spain
Tel. (+34) 983 878011 Fax. (+34) 983 878012.
www.bodegasprotos.com
I had a chance to taste the wines from Bodegas Protos when I taught in Seville, Spain this year and was blown away. I especially loved their Protos Crianza 2004 and their Protos Riserva 2002. The Protos wines pair magnificently with meat and game, but are also versatile enough to stand up to seafood, aged cheeses, and legumes. We loved them with bites of fresh jamon serrano!
Bodega Dominio Buenavista
Carretera de Almería, s/n
18480 Ugíjar (Granada) - Spain
Tel. (+34) 958 767254 and Tel. 937-434-0012 (USA)
www.dominiobuenavista.com
I am a huge fan of the Veleta award-winning wines produced in Andalusia. I also love to cook with their sherry vinegar and delicious olive oil! We were so lucky to taste their wines and use their olive oil during my week-long culinary journey to Seville recently. The students also fell in love with the wines and the oil - and went home to order it!
