4 LEAF ORGANIC BALSAMIC VINEGAR
New Ariston line of organic balsamic vinegars are characterized by a perfect balance between sweet and sour. The product is made
exclusively with organically farmed grapes with no pesticides. The entire production process is certified in order to guarantee consumers compliance
with highest organic farming stnadards, guaranteed by the CCPB certifying body.
The grape must simmers slowly while cooking over a direct heat in an open vessel, and is concentrated until it is reduced to about one third of its original volume.
It is then placed in the attic, in a series of casks of oak wood. Here, the balsamic vinegar passes through the years acidifying, aging antil it has reached a balance that only the alchemy
of time can mater, prodded along by the masterful hands of artisans. This balsamic is naturally dark and dense, with a 5% acidity content.
RAYE’S MUSTARD, MAINE
In 1900, J. Wesley Raye, the 20-year-old son of a sea captain, founded the business in the family smokehouse to produce mustard for Maine’s burgeoning sardine industry.
In 1903, Wes moved The Mill to its current location, enabling Raye’s Mustard to be shipped out by both rail and steamship.
Today, the trains, steamships and Maine’s sardine canneries are only a memory. But Raye’s Historic Old Stone Mill, now a working museum, stands as a lasting testament to the quality and authenticity of a bygone era.
4 generations strong! The Raye’s Mustard brand has been meticulously maintained by each succeeding generation of the Raye family. Today, Kevin and Karen Raye handle the stewardship; they have carefully protected the Raye’s brand essence, the quality and authenticity, all the while adapting to the preferences of today’s consumers.
Small batch crafted - While most modern mustards are either cooked or ground by high-speed technology, only Raye’s maintains the traditional cold grind process using the original stones from France and made in the same mill since 1900. No one else can make that claim.
The cold grind process preserves the volatile taste qualities of the whole seeds, enhanced by the flavor sensations of natural herbs and spices. The resulting flavor experience comes in part from the heightened awareness of taste, each flavor a testament to the pride that goes into every jar. Raye’s award winning small batch blends are hand crafted for the true artisanal condiment connoisseur.
Today, Raye’s Mustard is known for its array of Award-Winning Gourmet and Specialty Mustards. Raye’s trademark Down East Schooner Mustard won the Gold Medal in the Classic Yellow Mustard division in 8 World-Wide Mustard Competitions in Napa Valley, California.
WINDING DRIVE GOURMET SPECIALTIES, CT
Fran and Ron founded Winding Drive in the summer of 2008, specializing in gourmet jams, jellies and marmalades. The product is made by hand in small batches and is characterized by unique flavor combinations, as well as traditional fruit flavors. When selecting fruit for their gourmet specialties, Fran Adams and Ron Pinto, a husband and wife team, place an emphasis on seasonally fresh Connecticut grown fruit.
And how did they get started? Ron’s job in sales and marketing was eliminated in the spring of 2008. “Idleness is not part of his makeup, he needs to be busy,” said Ms. Adams. A self-taught cook, she saw on opportunity to sell homemade jam and help Ron stay busy. They registered for the Woodbury Farmers Market and within the first hour, all the jam had been sold! Customers loved the locally grown, no preservative, jam.
While working full time in the insurance industry, Ms. Adams continued to make several batches each week. The customers continued to buy. As they say, the rest is history. Today, their company continues to grow and their varieties expand; flavor combinations are always being developed; a commercial kitchen was installed and retail distribution is a reality. Ron and Fran are very busy!
The difference between jam, jelly and marmalade!
JAM – is a fruit preserve consisting of fruit pieces and pulp.
JELLY – is the juice of the fruit, combined with sugar, and cooked until set.
MARMALADE – is a jelly with clearly defined pieces of fruit, usually citrus, suspended in it.
SUGAR MAPLE FARMS, CT
Sugar Maple Farms has been making maple syrup in Connecticut for over 30 years. "I like to think I've made most of my mistakes by now" says Jim. A few years ago he gained a partner, Chuck, who keeps things rolling. Together they work Sugar Maple Farms. They work hard to make only high quality maple and honey products. Jim has owned bees on and off since the 1950's. We take great pride in our company, and the Connecticut Grown products we offer.
CALIFORNIA SIGNATURE FLAVORS, CA
At California Signature Flavors we are passionate about wine, and anything to do with wine. That’s why we created our wine jelly with high quality premium wines as the main ingredient. Our diverse gourmet line of wine jellies is sure to please anyone who enjoys the flavors and aromas of fine wines. The amount of time spent in making each individual batch is really what sets California Signature Flavors apart from the rest. Each flavorful jelly is made in small batches to ensure the best tasting result per jar. We are proud of our products and we hope that you will enjoy our wine jellies with your friends and family. Take time to indulge, taste and appreciate the best wine jelly nature can offer!
DEBBYE ROSEN, POTTER, CT
Debbye mastered making functional pottery pieces that allow us to have art to enjoy and use in our home. Her pieces are made by hand and are one of a kind items. She is always looking at new ways to develop her products like different colors, impressions, shapes and sizes. The pieces are absolutely wonderful!
REBECCA ZHUKOV, PROVIDENCE ART GLASS, RI
Rebecca graduated from Alfred University College of Ceramics in 1990 where she concentrated on Ceramics and Glass. Her other glass education took place at
Pilchuck School of Glass, Penland School of Crafts, New York Experimental Glass Workshop and best of all,
her apprenticeship with Glass Sculptor, Richard Jolley.
Rebecca is a professional full time glass artist and is currently working on a new series of interior home lighting.
She worked with famous NYC architect David Rockwell, and has been featured in many publications including Country Living Gardner,
Femail Creations, The NY Times, Cuddledown of Maine, and The Smithsonian Catalogue. Her
work has been featured in galleries and museum shop nationwide including The Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery,
The American Craft Gallery, Nordstrom, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Chicago Art Institute and the Detroit Institute of Art, to name a few.
She has owned and operated 3 studios in New York and has also instructed many glassblowing classes and sponsored programs
to help wayward teens find there way through artistic expression in glass.
Each piece is signed and dated.
KEN ROWE, WOODWORK, CT
Ken has been producing exquisite one of a kind wood art for many years. He has made shop furniture, house furniture, display tables, cabinets, tool chests, scroll saw puzzles, elegant wood boxes from a combination of domestic and exotic woods and turned bowls and vases. Ken shares his passion and talents with many by teaching woodworking skills in his shop. He calls it "The Krowe's Nest". Ken enjoys helping others make something they want out of wood and seeing the delight in their accomplishments.
BRIAN D. FLYNN, METAL & WOOD WORK CT
Brian has always enjoyed making creations. He took classes in sculpture and learned the basics of blacksmithing. He combined what he learned in metallurgy with past woodworking knowledge to begin making creations. Brian is trained in civil engineering and focuses on making long-lasting functional creations – simple designs and functional. Wherever possible Brian recycles old building materials and brings them back to life. Recycled materials bring their own unique imperfections that only time can create. Brian most enjoys communicating with clients to make custom products that will be meaningful and cherished. If you can think it, Brian can find a way to make it.
SWOON LIVING, IL
Swoon Living by Patrick Fitzpatrick from Chicago, IL. Patrick Fitzpatrick is designer and prototype engineer. Patrick received his BFA at the University of Illinois and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Following college, he worked for the architecture firm Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill LLP as a model builder. Patrick designed these glasses and decanters sets - the glasses and trays are all hand-made. In conversation with Patrick, he mentioned that he used to be a waiter at restaurants and noticed how people drank and swirled their drinks. That gave him the idea to design a glass that did this motion naturally. The revolving glasses help aerate wine, prevent the likelihood of tipping over, and make drinking even more fun. They are fun and functional.
HENRIETTA GLASS, RI
Jill Henrietta Davis is the owner and designer of Henrietta Glass. In 1988, after experimenting with many different materials and art forms, she was first exposed to the wonders of molten glass and immediately fell under its spell. Sixteen years, a BFA and an MFA later she remains as smitten as ever. Glass can do things that would be impossible with any other material, and although the learning process is quite difficult, once you gain a little fluency, blowing glass is just plain fun. She tries to convey this fun by blending humor with fine craftsmanship in my designs.
FIRE & LIGHT, CA
Fire & Light hand-poured colored glass tableware has a way of drawing the eye, enchanting the viewer with the unique play of light that filters through its rich spectrum of colors and textures. This enchantment is not simply a quality of the glass or its pigmentation, but of the very way in which it is made, the very hands that pour and press it, the beliefs and spirit that drive the people who craft the product, and the community from which it originates.
Fire & Light Originals has a noteworthy heritage, formed in 1995 as a partnership between the Arcata Community Recycling Center in Humboldt County, California, and a group of local investors who wanted to develop an innovative plan for using crushed, recycled glass. Our founders decided to turn their recycled glass into a raw material, manufacturing distinctive products for sale in and out of the immediate area. After careful consideration, the group decided upon a distinctive line of colored glass dinnerware, which would be created by melting crushed glass in furnaces, adding pigment, and pressing the molten glass into bowls, plates, and glasses.
In December, 1995, the first glass products were poured and pressed from the Fire & Light furnaces, and the world became a bit more luminous, slightly more colorful. John and Natali McClurg purchased the company in 1999. Together with a team of 20 people, Fire & Light Originals is handcrafting the beautiful giftware and colored glass dinnerware that is now shipped to specialty stores and galleries throughout the country. The enlightened practices that gave rise to the company continue to inform everything we do.
Fire & Light still strives to find new ways to incorporate recycling into our production process, like using recycled beer kegs from local microbreweries as vats to cool our ladles. Fire & Light colored glassware is a product whose history is a kind of future, where age-old craftsmanship meets innovative manufacturing, utilizing post consumer glass as a resource. But it's the beauty that will get you, the twinkle of light on the surface of a watery blue bowl, and the knowledge that we get as much happiness out of making the colored glass bowl as you will from having it on your table.