September 2014 Customer Newsletter
The New Header

"When money is allied with taste - that is, with sensitivity to what is good and beautiful as well as true to our rather inartiulate needs - very good results can follow, in areas from food to housing to media."

 
- British author and philosopher Alain de Botton       


Bingo! It's here! Pueblo's best burger opens branch downtown 
 
Local ingredients include Callicrate Beef 
 
 

THE SCOOP: After months of anticipation, Pueblo's best burger shop has opened an outpost in downtown Colorado Springs! "Bingo Burger 2.0" opened August 21 at 132 N. Tejon.

THE BACKSTORY: Richard Warner and his wife Mary Oreskovich (above) are long-time locavore luminaries in Southern Colorado, operating the beloved foodie mecca Steel City Diner from 1999 to 2006. After they closed that restaurant, each decided to pursue a more casual and fun business concept but remained committed as ever to local sourcing. Paying homage to their favorite childhood games, Mary launched Hopscotch Bakery and Richard opened Bingo Burger, both anchors of the revitalized Pueblo downtown river-walk district. The two businesses cross-pollinate, with Mary's bakeshop providing the scratch-made buns for Bingo's burgers and the ice cream for the diner's malts and shakes.

WHY GO: Local food critics have noted that Colorado Springs is turning into something of a burger city, in no small part thanks to Ranch Foods Direct distributorships with dozens of local restaurants. Great burger choices abound. What Bingo Burger brings to the table (so-to-speak) is a cooked-to-order gourmet sandwich that's local, local, local.

Exhibit A: roasted chopped Pueblo chilies blended directly into Ranch Foods Direct-supplied ground beef. The hand-cut fries are another highlight, sourced from potato farmers in the nearby San Luis Valley. On down the list, Bingo boasts of farm fresh eggs, local cheese provided by Springside Cheese (also sold at Ranch Foods Direct) and Colorado craft beers. "I wanted to eat a mouth-watering, handcrafted, slow-cooked burger in Pueblo," Richard says. "I wanted that burger to be served up by smiling, courteous folks who made me feel welcome." Those goals culminated with Bingo Burger opening its doors for the first time back in 2009. And now the doors have finally swung open for a second time with version 2.0.

  

Bingo Burger � 132 N. Tejon � (719) 418-6223 � BingoBurger.com and on Facebook � Open daily 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.  

 

 

  

Check out these two new Ranch Foods Direct bundle specials!

  

Colorado Beef Bundle

  

4  8-10 oz. Skirt Steaks 
4  8-10 oz. Chuck Eye Steaks 
4  8-10 oz. Top Sirloin Steaks 
2  3-lb Chuck Roasts 
15  1-lb pkgs. 80/20 Ground Beef

Only $149.99/case 
Pre-order now for pick up on Sept. 19th & 20th

 

  

(Limited supply - No rain checks)


Breakfast Sample Bundle

 

5  1-lb pkgs Applewood Smoked Bacon 
5  1-lb pkgs Torpedo Breakfast Sausage (bulk) 
5  1-lb pkgs Torpedo Blueberry Breakfast Sausage (bulk) 
3 1-lb pkgs Boneless Center Cut Thin Pork Chops  

ON SALE! $99.99/case

 

 

Plus, in-store NOW:

 Garlic Bacon Burgers!

  

Garlic grown by Pikes Peak Urban Gardens

(Director Larry Stebbins, below)   

  
 

  

Made with Torpedo Farms bacon and Callicrate Beef   

 

These burgers will be served during the Fifth Annual PPUG Garlic and Chili Fest at Summerland Gardens 

Saturday, Sept. 13. ($10 per person) 

  

CLICK HERE for more details.      

 

 
 
Coming soon... Local Food Week!

THE SCOOP: Ranch Foods Direct is joining together with local farmers, businesses and organizations (including the Colorado Springs Public Market project, Seeds Community Cafe, the Green Cities Coalition, Pikes Peak Permaculture and many, many more) to host a local food extravaganza throughout the city Sept. 13-21. The 2014 rendition of Local Food Week will consist of multiple events in multiple venues, offering fun and diverse ways to learn about locally produced food and its importance to the local community.
(Check back frequently for details and updates; the early schedule is subject to change.)

FAIR TRADE FOCUS OF FOOD WEEK "FOOD TALKS" SEPT. 18-20 

Investigative journalist Christopher Leonard provides a riveting overview of the modern meat industry in The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business. Reviewing the book for the Wall Street Journal, Moira Hodgson called it "gripping," adding "the picture Mr. Leonard paints is a disturbing one," revealing a system that "keeps farmers in a state of indebted servitude, living like modern-day sharecroppers on the ragged edge of bankruptcy."

Distinguished authors and academics who share Leonard's concerns will gather in Colorado Springs Sept. 18-20 to discuss marketing and trade issues at the behest of Ranch Foods Direct owner Mike Callicrate. As current president of the Organization for Competitive Markets, Mike is playing host to the group's annual meeting. Many of the proceedings are open to the community in conjunction with Local Food Week, including a series of food and agriculture-related talks being held on the Colorado College campus. OCM is a nonprofit group working for "open and competitive markets and fair trade for American food producers, consumers and rural communities." It includes many of the nation's brightest minds currently engaged in the study and advancement of ethical trade practices. 
 
CLICK HERE for the full convention schedule!
 
 

 
Find Callicrate Beef
at these farmers market locations...
 
Old Colorado City Market, Saturdays 7 a.m to 1:30 p.m. at Bancroft Park in the Old Colorado City neighborhood;
 
Sunday Downtown Market, runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Acacia Park, downtown Colorado Springs
 
 
 Stop by and say Hi!
PLEASE NOTE: the store will be closed
Monday, Sept. 1, for the Labor Day holiday