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Edge of Seattle Cooking Newsletter
Coffee For Thought
May 2006
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Master Chef Andre Mercier will be teaching a hands-on Seasonal Dinner Class this coming Saturday May 20th. from 3:00-9:00 PM. Only A few seats remain! Have great fun being with like minded food enthusiast in a non-threatening class setting while enjoying an evening complete with fine china, crystal, embroidered linen tablecloth, sterling silver settings making this a truly exquisite experience. All classes come with folder including Chef bio, menu, recipe, kitchen etiquette and currant newsletter.

A La Francaise Cooking Class
 
Discover French Normandy Cuisine
Minda&ChefAndre

Explore the cuisine of Normandy with us and learn that French food is not just about the south of France region called Provence. Each geographic region of France has it's own distinctive style of cooking and Normandy is no different. Food from Normandy reflects the diet of it's people: farmers and fisherman. This region is full of lush pastures, orchards and miles of beaches producing pungent soft cheeses, cider and fresh bounty from the ocean. Expect to taste recipes using cream, cider, fish and plenty of farm vegetables.

Hands-On Seasonal Dinner Class Menu $99.00 (425) 844-4102

  • moules mariniere
  • Blanquette de veaux with rice pilaf and spinach mousse
  • Salad Greens, Endives, Watercress with Normandy Cheese
  • Tarte Tatin

Coffee For Thought
 
Coffee Workshop Coming in June with David Adler
Coffee for thought

Have you noticed the reinvention of coffee? This is not like an old dish soap or hand cream, warmed over with stale slogans (?new and improved?) the new thing brewing in America in the coffee trade is no gimmick, no hype and worth waking up to.

    There?s now a silent coffee movement that is consistent with the morals of the consumers. This seems to be the perfect opportunity for the little guy to step up and make a difference in the world. Fortunately, with a little prodding, socially responsible corporations are providing the consumer with the opportunity to make a choice and to make a difference. The consumer is talking with his pocket book and at the same time making a moral statement about whom he is and who we are as a nation.
This silent coffee movement is currently buying more Fair Trade Certified Coffee then ever before. This certification supports that the coffee beans may be, but not necessarily Organically Grown, Shade Grown, or Bird Friendly. This label certification does however, insure that the grower and the farm worker receive a fair market price for their coffee and that no child labor has been used in growing their coffee. To participate the farm grower has to sign a five-year contract to sell his green coffee beans directly to a cooperative to get a fair market price for his coffee, which is currently $1.41 per pound.
    Fair Trade Certified Coffee is now the fastest- growing segment of the US specialty coffee market. Interestingly, socially responsible corporations are providing us with an ever-growing number of coffee choices with the Fair Trade Certification. These coffees still come from third world countries but now we from a first world country can choose to buy a product that is knowingly more expensive and know that the extra expense will go directly to help the third world farmer, his family and the environment that he lives in.
Last month when I was waiting in line at the airport to buy a coffee at Starbucks, I noticed that they offered a choice to the consumer between the regular ?less expensive? coffee and the ?more expensive? fair trade coffee. They had a display to educate the buyer and explaining about their fair trade products. Due to it?s contradiction in practices Starbucks has been the focus of intense campaigns in the United States regarding the conditions of the people who grow their beans and the knowledge Starbucks provides it?s consumers about it?s products. Leading activist such as the not-for-profit Transfair USA and smaller ones, such as Bainbridge- Ometepe Sister Islands Association (www.bosia.org), right here on Bainbridge Island, are working to promote positive fair trade practices.
    In 2003 ?Less than one percent of the coffee that Starbucks purchased was bought at a fair trade price.? According to Starbuck?s Corporate Social Responsibility fiscal annual report for 2005 they now buy "3.7% of their total coffee purchases? at a far trade price . Starbucks calculate that for 2006 it will nudge this figure to 3.84% of their overall coffee purchases . Starbucks? critics argue that they want them to practice corporate honesty, make ethical decisions and set positive examples for others to follow by switching all of their coffee products to fair trade coffee. They argue this should be accomplished through participating in positive labor policies, fair prices and other pertinent issues involved in the production, distribution and advertising of coffee.
While corporate politics is lost on the majority of consumers, the consumer is buying more of the expensive coffee because he wants to make a difference and do some good for his fellow man. It is a strong possibility that through educating consumers and advertising about fair trade, sales could skyrocket, enabling Starbuck to make more profit than before on the fair trade system. This social conscious movement in the American coffee and food industry is noteworthy. Americans these days, are not looked upon kindly by the rest of the world at large, but rather viewed as bullies and aggressors, part of the evil empire. Critics mistakenly assume that the average person shares in the politics behind the war in Iraq. Our detractors fail to see the genuine American heart. They may not understand, for example, that while most citizens support our troops in Iraq, they may not support the reasoning behind their presence there. This silent movement to buy Fair Trade Certified Coffee reflects a heartfelt desire to do good. No one is forcing Americans to spend more money by buying Fair Trade Certified Coffee. People are individually, one by one, stepping up to the cash register, spending more of their disposable income to buy these products because they want to, because they want to make a difference. These actions are a statement to the rest of the world, and against everything that ?evil empire? stands for.
    Coffee maven, David Adler of Bainbridge- Ometepe Sister Island Association, will be teaching a class in June ?Fair Trade Certified Coffee comparison workshop? at L?Auberge at The Edge of Seattle Cooking.

  1. Luxner,Larry. "Starbucks Raises Some Eyebrows in Latin America" 26 Nov. 03, found at www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/1 315.html.06
  2. Starbucks Fiscal Annual Report 2005, Pg. 23
  3. Starbucks Fiscal Annual Report 2005, Pg. 23
  4. Douglas, Nannette. "Practicing Corporate Honesty" Feb. 06, Pg. 3

L'Auberge at The Edge of Seattle is a small four unit B & B Inn located on the Eastside of Seattle, hidden away on five acres in a forest of evergreen. Our B&B Inn is especially enticing for lovers of all ages who desire a quiet retreat like setting for the weekend or longer.

We sell Chocolate Bonbons, jams and gourmet cookies. We specialize in Seasonal Dinner Cooking Classes, Weddings Receptions, Wedding Rehearsal Dinners, Afternoon Tea Parties, Wedding Showers, Birthday and Bachelorette Parties. We also offer corporate events such as Teambuilding Cooking Classes, New Product Introductions and Cocktail Receptions. Call (425) 844-4102 for reservations.

A Bientot et Merci,

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Nancy Douglas; Proprietress
Edge of Seattle Cooking
Phone: (425) 260-6213
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