One of my favourite parts of every week is when Marco from Solo Italia delivers his incredible pizza and pasta. His passion for his outstanding product is remarkable – but it is actually his parting words that I enjoy the most.
When Marco leaves our warehouse he always says, “Enjoy your work!”, instead of “goodbye”.
That has always struck me as profound, and puts a smile on my face every time.
When you love what you do, it is not work. It is a joy.
We have the distinct pleasure of working with local producers who love what they do. And it shows in the food they produce. This week we have a selection of new products from our existing producers and a few new ones that we hope you will enjoy as much as we do.
More Ravioli!
Marco’s love of his work shows in his pizza and pasta. Originally from Naples, he fell in love with a woman from Ogema, and together they create some of the best authentic Italian pasta right here on the prairies. We have two new kinds of ravioli to the store this week: a four cheese and the blue cheese-pear-walnut ravioli. These 1kg packages are a really handy supper in a hurry. Just a few minutes in the pot is all that is stands between the freezer and the plate.
Wild West Steelhead Trout
We have local fish! We are thrilled to be adding Wild West Steelhead Trout from Lake Diefenbaker to the store this week. The 6 oz boneless, skinless filets are a great way to eat fish and still eat local. Try them in the pan, en papillote or on the BBQ. In addition to being delicious, these fillets are a great source of Omega 3’s. Learn more about Wild West Steelhead.
New Soup from Soup Simply
We have a new vegetarian option from Soup Simply – but the even carnivores can enjoy the new Split Green Pea soup in the 500ml and the family size 850ml.
New Caliber Coffee
The freshness of locally roasted coffee almost makes that alarm clock a welcome sound each morning. We have added even more variety in the locally roasted coffee category with a House Light Espresso, a new Kenyan and a certified fair trade and organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
Big Splash!
We’ve added a new size for Over the Hill Orchard’s fantastic Prairie Cherry Splash. This has become a staple in our house as a drink-box/soda replacement. Now it is available at Local & Fresh in a 950ml bottle as well as the 300ml. Did you know that drinking tart cherry juice can help you get better sleep? Check out a story about it here:
Stacey’s Kitchen Stock Box
We have been enjoying photos of the beautiful creations from Stacey’s Kitchen (made with L & F ingredients) on Instagram and Facebook so much we asked her to share one of her recipes. We’ve put the Maple Mustard Chicken Thigh recipe up in a Stock Box for one-click convenience.
Don’t forget your vegetables!
Another highlight of the work week is when we get our delivery from Campbell Greenhouses. I am not sure how long it will be before I am not amazed that we are getting local, fresh grown greens in the middle of a frozen Saskatchewan winter. Mary has two new products to add this week: a Black Dragon Kale (a super food that is great for juicing) and a beautiful fresh dill.
As always, thank you for helping us build a stronger local food network!
Andrew Rathwell – Owner, Local & Fresh
P.S. ICYMI Global News did a story on Local & Fresh and a few our our producers last week that focused on the growing price competitiveness of local food.