My gourmet products up for bid at auction

I have donated a gourmet gift basket containing several of my scrumptious international goodies to an online auction in support of a local business.

The online auction is a fundraiser of the High Meadow School which is located in Stone Ridge, NY. The online auction will begin on November 1st and end November 14th at 8PM EST. The online auction will feature many goods, services and unique experiences donated by local individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses.

If you've been planning to gift my gourmet products this holiday season, why not visit High Meadow School's online auction and submit a bid on my Caribbean Delectables Gourmet Gift Basket. It can be found in the "food and gourmet items" section. Be sure to browse the other categories too. You might just find the perfect holiday gift for your special someone this season- perhaps a unique experience that they'll treasure and remember long after the holidays have passed.

I'm happy to be supporting this local business for a 2nd year. I hope you'll join me in offering your support to the High Meadow School by submitting an online bid for one of the many unique items in their auction fundraiser. It's simple and you can do it from the comfort of your home, anytime- day or night.
 
Let the bidding begin!

Terry

My gourmet products are now available at Cheese Louise

My gourmet products are now available at Cheese Louise located on Rt 28 in Hurley, NY.

This new, gourmet hot spot located between the Wine Hutch and Gourmet Bistro on Rt 28 in Hurley, NY is a culinary retreat offering a variety of tantalizing specialty goodies. At Cheese Louise, you'll find -- cheese, of course! Over 75 different varieties of fine cheeses in fact- from the ever popular Organic Sharp Gouda to the hard-to-find Cahill's Irish Porter. Feel free to sample anything that tempts your taste buds.

Cheese Louise also serves a wide variety of high end, all natural comfort foods and soup all made fresh daily. Their ready to go meals are prepared using only the finest and freshest ingredients and I know you won't be able to resist the culinary creations by Sam- Owner Rick's right hand woman. There's indoor seating so you can stay a while and enjoy your meal in a beautiful and comfortable space then top it off with a serving of Jane's Ice Cream- a popular, locally produced favorite. It's a tasty way to wrap up any meal. I highly recommend getting on Cheese Louise's lunch menu fax list so you can find out what delectable dishes Sam has prepared each day.

...and in addition, you'll also find a variety of dry goods and peasant pantry items at Cheese Louise that showcase the very best from local gourmet and specialty foods companies.

Visit the new Cheese Louise located on Rt. 28 in Hurley, NY 11:30 - 7 PM, Mon - Thurs & Sat, Friday till 9 PM and while you're there, remember to try a sample! Rick and Sam will take great care of you with a warm and inviting welcome that will make you feel like an old friend, right at home.

Here's to new experiences!

Terry

PS- I'm looking forward to reaching the milestone of adding the 25th store! Why not come along for the ride by clicking the link to follow my blog.

Celebrate Fall at Gil's Farm Market

Get out there and celebrate Fall in true New England style at Gil's Farm Market located on Rt. 209 in Hurley, NY.

In addition to a variety of beautiful plants you can buy farm fresh produce that was grown right on Gil's farm. While you're there, pick up a Halloween pumpkin- there's a whole field to choose from whether you're looking for large or small sizes. There's also a pumpkin cannon if you decide to shoot that pumpkin rather than take it home.

Fall Fest weekends at Gil's Farm Market are from 11 AM - 4 PM. Gil's Farm Market is open from 9 AM - 6 PM daily. I appreciate your patronage of Gil's Farm Market- a local business with wonderful people and a valued Baron's International Kitchen partner.

Here's to local businesses helping local businesses!
Terry

How the production test runs at Nelson's Farms went

So, a couple of weeks ago I did production test runs at Nelson's Farms in Cazenovia, NY. The process worked well- I made a very small amount (maybe the volume equivalent of 2 - 4 cups of each of the products) in Nelson's Farms test kitchen. From that, Amanda and Sue were able to quote me a price to perform production of my gourmet sauces and condiments.

I'm going to take a look at their ingredient price list- I may be able to get some of the more expensive ingredients cheaper at a different source and then I'll know where I'm at. A colleague, Johnny McLaughlin who owns Heartbreaking Dawns recommended a source for one of my most expensive ingredients so I'm gonna give them a call and check out their pricing. Thanks, Johnny!!

I suspect that Baron's International Kitchen is at an in-between stage of growth right now such that though I can't afford the time to continue to make all my gourmet products myself, by myself, Baron's International Kitchen is just not quite ready for a co-packer. I'm going to resume my journey towards the 25th store and get back out meeting and talking with other business owners. I have really been enjoying that part of my job.

So, I guess the outcome is that I don't really know what the outcome is yet. I'll keep you posted...

I met Johnny McLaughlin of Heartbreaking Dawns at the Rosendale Street Fair in Rosendale NY this past summer- nice guy. Heartbreaking Dawns sells a variety of gourmet spicy products including hot sauce. I'm glad to have met both Johnny McLaughlin of Heartbreaking Dawns and Marty Fabian of Beechwood House Sauces there actually- these guys both rock! They've demonstrated a real collaborative spirit- letting me pick their brains, offering advice, sharing lessons learned. Their knowledge and real world experiences while building and growing their businesses have been invaluable to helping me grow Baron's International Kitchen. Thanks, guys!

Here's to local businesses helping local businesses!

Terry

My Gourmet Products Restocked at Local Stores

Many local stores were out of stock but have purchased more of my gourmet products. This means you can continue to enjoy the convenience of purchasing my gourmet products at your favorite local retailers such as Fleisher's Meats, Emmanuel's Marketplace, The Blue Cashew Kitchen Pharmacy, The Emerson Country Store, Gill's Farm Market and Davenport Farms.

Keep in mind that dinners to go are also available at Davenport Farms- Noel prepares the delicious menu Monday through Friday and meals are ready by 4PM. You've just got to try the Jerk Chicken dinner which is made with the mild variety of my gourmet Caribbean Jerk Sauce Marinade. YUM! I hope you'll patronize Davenport Farms for dinner-to-go next time you need to prepare a wholesome meal but have no time to make it yourself. You won't be disappointed. Tell Noel that Terry sent you.

Would you like your favorite retailer to start carrying my gourmet products? Ask them to contact me so you can conveniently purchase my gourmet products close to home. If you send me a note via the website contact form, I'll be sure to follow-up. Thanks in advance for your support.

Make An Authentic International Meal Tonight!

Terry

Production test runs at Nelson Farms Co-Packers

So, I was up in Cazenovia, NY yesterday at Nelson Farms- a co-packing facility where I had production test runs scheduled. It was a very long day. I headed out at 6:30AM and got back at 6 PM and cooked all day.

The day went well, the test runs went fine and there were no problems. I was nervous that Nelson Farms would have difficulty processing my gourmet Caribbean Jerk Sauces (the hot and mild marinades) because of the fresh thyme but they have a machine that can easily process that so hand chopping the thyme which is labor intensive is unnecessary- whew!

The Caribbean Hot Sauce is also straightforward and would not present any production challenges. The Portuguese Repolho Relish may present some challenges but not in terms of processing the ingredients actually. It turns out that cabbage is available pre-processed so that would not need to be hand chopped which would save a lot of time and the rest of the ingredients are pretty straightforward. Nah, it turns out that bottling this gourmet product may be a bit of a challenge because of the shape of the jar. If you're considering bottling a product, it is worth spending some time thinking about the size & shape of the jar. I recommend talking with a co-packer for input before settling on any particular shape or size. This will help eliminate any problem issues in the future.

Amanda, the Production Development Manager's experience really shone through. She made me feel very comfortable and was great about recommending ways to save time on the processing of certain ingredients which made me feel comfortable about Nelson Farms' expertise and knowledge. Now comes the hard part...waiting to receive the cost per jar quote from Sue Evans, the Associate Director at Nelson Farms. I expect to receive that sometime next week then I'll know if I can move on to the next level of growing Baron's International Kitchen or if I'm back to the drawing board.

More to follow...

Terry

Getting ready for another production test run

Well, I've been out all weekend buying ingredients for my production test run with Nelson Farms in Cazenovia, NY scheduled for Monday the 27th.

Given my previous experience with Farm to Table Co-Packers, it's been hard to get too excited about the prospect of working with the folks at Nelson Farms so I guess I'm guardedly optimistic that Nelson Farms will be able to produce my gourmet products at a price within my budget. We'll soon find out.

More to follow,

Terry