Suddenly it's March. Because of the lingering effects of the snowstorm and a spate of colder than normal temps, February seemed to last longer than its 28 days. Now we look forward to the first push of the crocus and the turn to the new season.
As long as it took to get through February's 28 days, we are going to zip through March's 31. What a packed month. This Sunday, March 10th, is going to be the Huntington St. Patrick's Parade, which passes right by Reinwald's Bakery. Stop in for some of our famous Homemade Hot Cocoa. The following Sunday is St. Patrick's Day, closely followed the next two weeks by Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. All of us at the bakery are busy bunnies preparing shamrocks, soda bread, Easter eggs, and, ah, well, chocolate bunnies.
Carole and I have just returned from a trip to Seattle, primarily to visit our son Greg, but also to attend a weekend seminar and workshop. We picked up a couple of cute ideas that you will see in our showcase in the next few weeks. I also had a heated, perhaps better said, passionate, discussion on using high quality chocolate and the tempering process to get optimal results. I vigorously defended our use of premium chocolates like Callebaut, Guittard Gourmet, and Valrhona despite their higher cost. Others argued that our customers couldn't taste the difference. I vehemently disagreed. Help me prove my point; check out the details in the side panel.
Seattle is a beautiful city, vibrant and diverse. In a way it feels like a European city, say Barcelona. However, another incident occurred in Seattle that left me a bit befuddled. We went to a restaurant that featured a sustainable menu. The waiter proudly told us how all of the food came from within a 300 mile radius. And while it was good, I felt the restriction may have hurt. At the bakery we use hormone free butter with more milk solids. This comes from California. The best flour comes from wheat in Kansas and North Dakota. If we limited ourselves like this restaurant; we would only be able to have strawberry shortcakes 3 weeks of the year. Shouldn't we take advantage of the best modern life has to offer? Also it is a bit incongruous how it is greener to buy food within 300 miles; Seattle ranks close to last in public transportation. As most of our goods arrive by rail, there is less fuel being expended by a train for 2000 miles than a small truck for 300.
All that said, I do think it's good to economically and culturally to support the region where you live. Those in Seattle can see the result in their community by promoting Dungeness Crab or Columbia Valley wines. I guess what we need, like most everything else in life, is a sense of balance. We could say buy and try some Long Island wines, but I would not say don't buy at Costco because it is a Seattle company. I'd say look for balance. You decide what to buy. Buy what you like, buy the best and that is what we strive for at Reinwald's Bakery.
