April 2014 Customer Newsletter
The New Header

"Orchards are a kind of church... You walk under limbs that meet in graceful flying arches, filling up with blossoms and birds and rain in the spring and then grateful heavy fruit  

in the fall." - Memoirist Chrisann Brennan   

Family-owned Trivelli's sub shop moves up by moving three doors down

THE SCOOP: By moving just three doors north, Trivelli's Hoagies has grown ten sizes bigger. The 38-year old family-owned sub shop celebrated the momentous move with a huge grand re-opening bash in mid-March. It was a family affair. Owner Steve Trivelli was assisted by his wife, Lori; son, Steve Jr (holding son Tyler, in photo collage at right) and daughter, Allana, along with his mom Barbara, who founded the shop with the late John Sr. (Steve's two brothers Tony and John also came by.) Local crooner Randy Rodriguez provided entertainment.

UP NEXT: After spending nearly four decades shoehorned into a cubby-hole on North Nevada, Steve jokes, "like a typical Italian family, we just overstayed our welcome." Making the move to 2819 (north of the Navajo Hogan) allowed him to add significantly more dining space as well as several new menu options, including fries and hot wings, to go along with the locally beloved Callicrate Beef Philly-style cheese steaks, meatball subs and sausage grinders. Already well-known as a lunch spot, Steve wants to get the word out he's open for dinner, as well, offering big plates of spaghetti, chicken, steak and more.

This summer he'll offer patio dining, and he hopes to get his liquor license soon. A big family photo, prominently displayed in the dining area, says it all. "The name on the sign means a lot to me. It's about carrying on my parent's legacy," Steve says.

CLICK HERE to view the article and photo collage, shown above right.
The full Restaurant Association Expo recap

Jake Topakas, owner of Jake and Telly's Greek Taverna described it like this: "This is our 19th annual hospitality expo, one of our most important fundraising events of the year. As chefs, we want to help out our community and our industry, and this is one of the ways we do it..." Ranch Foods Direct caught up with several of our partner-restaurants that were among the 80 exhibitors participating in the huge trade show at the Broadmoor in early March, including Greg Howard and his crew from McCabe's Tavern, below.

CLICK HERE to see all of the interviews and photos from our restaurant expo recap in our April newsletter.

Her griddle cakes taste of authentic El Savador

THE SCOOP: After moving to the Springs - a city she loves for its collective determination to support local  - Montserrat "Monse" Hines (above) decided to share a culinary tradition of her native El Salvador. "This is the food of our country, the food that represents us, like the taco in Mexico," she says of her pupusas, which are similar to a stuffed quesadilla. "In my country, you will find these selling 24 hours a day. They can be breakfast, lunch or dinner." Her version is handmade from organic corn masa flour and includes local ingredients (such as roasted green chilies from Milberger Farms.) Fully cooked and frozen, the pupusas simply need to be reheated on an electric griddle, a hot grill or in the oven. (Cost is $5.99 for a 10-oz bag; look for them in the freezer section.)  

BACK STORY: Back in her tiny hometown, Monse' mom was the first generation of her family to have an oven, electric heater or a car. But Monse looks back on her simple childhood with great fondness. "I really appreciate the way I was raised. It makes you appreciate things more"... including good food.

Pueblo Market signs on

Jodi Metzger, owner of Brinks Meat Market, 2029 S. Pueblo Blvd (south of downtown, 719-242-1928) now carries Callicrate Beef, individually cut or by the bundle. "I wanted something as local and fresh as possible. My customers can tell the difference. I'm getting a lot of positive feedback," she says. Fifteen months ago Jodi purchased the market, known locally for specialty items like pinwheels and poppers, beef pot pie and 24 different sausages, all made in-house. She's part of a revival of interest in old-style neighborhood meat shops: "It seems like more people are searching for that, educating themselves and asking questions about their food. It's really exciting."

It's high time to order your spring CSA

Greenhorn Acres of Fowler makes convenient deliveries of fresh produce throughout the growing season directly to Ranch Foods Direct as part of their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Pay upfront and pick up a generous weekly portion of whatever is being harvested at the farm by Marcy Nameth and her four hard-working sons. (Family-sized shares are $550; half-shares are $350. Payment plans are available.) Sign-up at GreenhornAcres.com or pick up an application at the store. Irrigation water is flowing again in the Arkansas Valley this year, so Marcy expects to be growing all of your old favorites along with some new ones too! (Ever tried flower sprouts?) Deliveries could start as early as mid-May, depending on the weather.