Tuesday, April 30, 2013

VERONICA FOODS SIGNITURE COLLECTION

Meet our exclusive oil & vinegar vendor that’s been in the business for over 3 generations.


With oils and vinegars from Chile, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, California, Cypress, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Syria and Tunisia the Veronica Foods Company continues to uphold its original mission of bringing the finest and freshest products to the homes of Americans. The company was founded by Salvatore Esposito, an Italian immigrant in 1924 and passed down through the family. Today Veronica (granddaughter of Salvatore Esposito) is CEO of the company, traveling around the world tasting all products before purchase. This unique family owned company formed exclusive international alliances with small regional mills all around the world, making Veronica Foods the first supplier of its kind in the United States.

“Our goal is to make the finest, freshest, most broad selection of extra virgin olive oil in the world accessible to the serious consumer at prices that are both reasonable and affordable.”
-Veronica Foods Company

Today Veronica Foods imports over one million gallons of the finest and freshest extra virgin olive oil every year. Veronica herself travels the world tasting all oils before purchase and also assisted Tom Mueller with his research for the book Extra Virginity, which explains how to find the true “extra virgin” olive oil.


Veronica & Husband Michael Bradley 

So why did we choose to represent Veronica Foods? Susan Hanegan Burdorf, owner of Gourmet Oil and Vinegar explains that the Veronica Foods company is the only one of its kind that holds exclusive contracts with the best balsamic suppliers in Italy. Not only that but these contracts have been held for over 3 generations making it a very strong product. Sue also explains that another important factor to the Veronica Foods company is the fact that Veronica herself tastes all the extra virgin olive oils before purchase, making sure it is up to her company standards. For example one of the company standards to keeping a very tasteful product is making sure the olives are harvested earlier then most other suppliers to avoid olive plumping. This preserves the olive taste, as most of the plumping is just water.

 “Understanding how much pride Veronica has in her products, makes me very honored to supply these oils and vinegars from all around the world that would be very difficult for the average consumer to come across.” 
-Sue Hanegan Burdorf, Owner of Gourmet Oil & Vinegar

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A CRAVING FOR LACEY SUE Z. COOKIES

Radio and TV personality, Sue Zelickson offers up her scrumptious cookie mix


oh the squeals, the squeals that echo throughout our store as we offer samples of these wonderful Minnesota made cookies. Sue Zelickson has without a doubt created an amazingly unique and flavorful cookie mix. At one time only available at Fancy Food Shows, this mix is now available in small retail stores like Gourmet Oil & Vinegar.

Our very own Twin Cities food editor and radio personality, Sue Zelikson created this recipe years ago. Pulling them out of the oven for the first time, they were surprisingly very flat with almost with a stained glass effect, but had an AMAZING flavor.

This flavorful treat has a delicate texture while also being laced with tiny bits of chocolate that is simply scrumptious. Sue herself explains that if your looking for even more flavor try adding finely chopped pecans, almonds, walnuts, craisins or even butter brickle chips to the mix.



“I used them as the grand topper for our ice cream sundaes over the weekend.  The vanilla ice cream with pieces of the Lacey Sue Z. cookies mixed added a delicious crunch that we all enjoyed.”



 
What makes these cookies even sweeter is that all proceeds go into helping kids. By purchasing this tasty cookie mix, you’re not only filling your tummy but also at-risk families in Minnesota. All the proceeds are donated to the Kids Café at the Perspective Family Center in St. Louis Park Minnesota. This wonderful program allows children to work with chefs as they learn about team building, leadership and hygiene skills. The education and mentoring is all geared toward nutrition as they get the opportunity to work together to prepare a meal, set the table and even clean up afterwards. To learn even more about the Kids Café or any of the other Perspectives programs Click Here, and make sure to enjoy a batch of Lacey Sue Z. Cookies.

Monday, April 8, 2013

A GOOD PAIR

A playful peek at flavor selections

 
Visiting our store at the shops of Excelsior and Grand you may notice the many flavors and pairings we have to offer.  Offering over 50 different varieties of oils and vinegars gives endless options for different tastes when combining the two products. Our friendly staff will find the perfect pairing for any event! Give a try to the Strawberry & Basil, Juniper Berry & Herbs De Provence, Ripe Peach & Persian Lime, or the Sicilian Lemon & Tuscan.

 Options are endless; In store we supply pairing sheets, and on our website under ‘Related Products’ our favorite pairings for each product. Although of course we encourage you to visit the store to taste before you buy.

Happy Tasting!!