Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Mon, 12 May 2008 13:49:00 GMT
In the June 2008 issue of Food & Wine, Jeni Britton was featured in the magazine’s “Master Cook” section. For those of you who don’t know Jeni, she makes gourmet ice cream in Ohio. Her business is Jeni’s Ice Creams. I’m really glad to have seen her in this prestigious magazine, but not because of its notoriety and her potential fame. Instead because the article, and her recipes included in the article, epitomize the crisis we have currently in the food industry: a crisis of industrial food and sadly, some gourmet as well. It’s the use of unnecessary ingredients, like corn-based sugars, starches, etc. It’s Food Fakery, as Julia might say. Using an ingredient not intended in the use of ice cream, to replicate the smooth texture that real ingredients are meant to provide is sad. We should be angry, or at the very least, upset about this.
In the article, which briefly discusses Jeni’s use of “in-season” produce and “locally pasteurized milk,”* there are included a number of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet recipes that, according to Food & Wine, took Jeni 75 tries to get right. Hmmmm….I guess she’s been producing her ice creams in massive quantities lately, because if Food & Wine asked me for a recipe for the home cook, I’d just use the one I use now.
In Jeni’s recipes I found the material that really got me heated. She suggests using ingredients like cornstarch, gelatin, and corn syrup in her creations because she doesn’t like the taste of eggs in her ice creams, and also because the gelatin “gives an appealing whipped texture” to the yogurt. Stop the bus! Since when did gourmet belong in the same sentence as factory food??? I am here to prove to all of you that you need none of the above to make incredible, dare I say, healthy ice cream and sorbet. How do I get around the great puzzle that is ice cream making?
Easy. I use real ingredients and let them speak for themselves. In fact, my recipe for french custard contains the same ingredients as Thomas Jefferson’s. He was, after all, the person who introduced ice cream, the ice cream maker, and the vanilla bean to America. As for corn syrup? Yes, there are recipes that I use that call for corn syrup…my solution? I use my homemade simple syrup instead. I combine organic evaporated cane juice and water to form a pure, unadulterated syrup that works as a perfect substitute. Check out my recipe for simple syrup, as well as my recipe for strawberry rhubarb sorbet. I just made some today and it was the best one yet!
Lynsie’s Simple Syrup (use, by weight, as a substitute for corn syrup in any recipe)
2 cups water
1 ½ cups organic cane sugar
optional: a vanilla bean, scraped. (All parts-the caviar (black tiny dots) and the shell-can be added.)
Bring the water and sugar to a boil, whisking occasionally. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Cool and place in an airtight container. The syrup will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
–note: this recipe can be doubled, tripled, whatever you like. Just remember, it’s two parts water, 1 ½ parts sugar. To tone down the sweetness of the sugar while maintaining the syrup’s viscosity, add fresh rhubarb juice, 1 tablespoon at a time. To make rhubarb juice, which is much better for the environment than lemons shipped from across the country and world, simply macerate chopped rhubarb with 1 tablespoon salt and three tablespoons sugar. Let sit in the fridge for at least one day and up to three. Remove, blend and strain. Leave the pulp behind and take the juice.
In-season AND Local Virginia Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet
2 ½ cups strawberries, hulled and halved
2 ½ cups fresh rhubarb, chopped
Simple Syrup recipe (yields approximately 2 cups)
Combine all and let sit overnight in the fridge. The next day, blend in a blender or food processor, strain, and freeze juice according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, freeze this sorbet in popsicle molds, or pour unfrozen sorbet in a container, cover and repeat this process until frozen: freeze for one hour, remove from container and blend, refreeze for one hour, remove from container and blend. Repeat until lighter in color and mostly frozen.
*As an aside, Jeni neither sticks to the use of local, in-season produce nor is she really capable of controlling the pasteurization process of her milk. I know she’s not using in-season, local produce because I receive her email newsletter and in December, her customers were encouraged to purchase ice creams with ingredients like strawberries, figs and cherries, none of which are in-season in Ohio at this time.
Also, regarding her mandate that her milk be “gently pasteurized” according to the article, I really don’t see how she can have any say into how her milk gets pasteurized. We pasteurize our own at Perfect Flavor, which means we know and understand the rules and regulations regarding pasteurization in the state of VA backwards and forwards. Pasteurization is pasteurization. The only difference is what kind of machine is used. At Perfect Flavor, we have a batch pasteurizer, which pasteurizes our milk in small 15 gallon batches for 30 minutes at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The alternative would be a flash pasteurizer, which pasteurizes milk for two minutes at a temperature of 175 degrees or more. This, in our opinion, damages the milk, so we don’t do it this way, not to mention the fact that using a machine this large would be cost prohibitive to us. For Jeni or anyone else to say, however, that their product is “gently pasteurized” is bending the truth, because what they really mean is that they’re using a batch pasteurizer instead of a flash. Doesn’t it seem unfair as a consumer to be fibbed to?
On one more note of worth, my guess as to the reason why Jeni does not use eggs in her recipe for ice cream is simply because she would have to pasteurize them, and she doesn’t have a pasteurizer. Interestingly enough, in her press kit for the last two or more years she has stated her imminent purchase of a pasteurizer as “news” for the business. Somehow I have a feeling we shouldn’t hold our breaths. It costs A LOT to do things the right way, but for Perfect Flavor, the right way is the only way.
Posted in Business, Ice Cream, Recipes | Tags cream, food, gourmet, ice, industrial, recipe, wine | 2 comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:12:00 GMT
A good friend of mine, and a wonderful competitor scout just recently sent me one of famed celeb gossip blogger Perez Hilton’s latest posts.
You’ve Been Warned
It’s about Pinkberry, the very popular froyo (frozen yogurt) chain in Hollywood and beyond. For those of you who know about Perfect Flavor, and most importantly who follow my blogs, you know off the bat that what I’m about to tell you will not come as a surpise.
I do hope, however, to derive some form of shock from those of you who are not quite yet at the Enlightenment stage of the ice cream industry. Perez states that Pinkberry’s product, which was prior to its testing thought to be the healthiest guilty pleasure on the market, has in fact now been found to contain just as many (if not more) hazardous chemicals, corn syrups, and emulsifiers as every other ice cream or "frozen dessert" on the market, that is if you exclude Perfect Flavor, of course.
I guess I’ll just keep on saying it until everyone starts to believe it, but neither ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt nor anything in between needs to have fake stuff in it. Why then, is Perfect Flavor (with its ingredient list of: local cream, local milk, local egg yolks from Polyface Farm’s pastured hens, and organic evaporated cane juice) an oddity, a rarity in the ice cream world?
The answer is simple. Real ingredients cost more. I crack 224 eggs for each batch of ice cream base. The process of pasteurizing the milk within two hours of picking it up at the farm, separating the cream from the skim milk, cracking 200 eggs and creating a custard with all of the above takes no less than two days of work. The labor alone brings our ice cream up to a cost that most ice cream businesses would find prohibitive. But we don’t. We know that the ice creams and sorbets that we offer to the public come with a heaping dose of integrity. We are proud to use four major ingredients and nothing more. So, if you know someone who is searching for real health food, send them to us, because yes, our ice cream is health food!
Posted in Business, Ice Cream | Tags glueberry, pinkberry, pooberry, yuckberry | no comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:01:00 GMT
Last night Colin and I visited a Charlottesville restaurant (amazing food & atmosphere!) that we often frequent. This time, the visit was for both pleasure and business. Last week the restaurant had shown interest in our ice cream, so last night we brought them an assortment of different flavors to try out. Flavors that I just can’t seem to keep on the shelf these days, like: Salty Caramel, Hint-o-Mint Chocolate Sorbet, Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla, and my current favorite, Hibiscus Ginger Sorbet. As always, it was tough for me to so willingly hand over my little creations. I do realize that I’m in the business of making food, which by definition means that I both give it away and that its existence is fleeting. However, the way I create my ice cream is much the same as the way an artist creates art. A part of me goes into what I make. I remember the smell and smoothness of the caramel, the freshly toasted almonds, and the warm snuggly aroma of the vanilla beans as they steep in custard.
Let’s be honest: I was nervous. Upon finishing our dinner, we approached the staff and owner, asking them what they thought. I was surprised, relieved, confused, and ecstatic by their response. They rejected our ice cream, but not for the reason you might think. It was too good. They were flattered to have been given the chance to sample it, but they were adament about the fact that it just wasn’t a good fit for them. The price is too high for what they’re accustomed to paying, and the quality of the ingredients were a dream…that they couldn’t afford. Did they want to carry our ice cream? Most definitely, they just couldn’t do it.
I was bummed, until I heard their next bit of advice…
The owner said, matter-of-factly, that we were shooting way too low. Instead, we should skip all the bs and go straight to The Inn at Little Washington, The Greenbrier Hotel, and Citronelle in DC. That’s where our ice cream belongs. I agree. It’s nice (and scary) to know that something you make is just as good to someone else as it is to its creator. I am proud to make very fine ice cream, and I can’t wait to make more. Hibiscus Ginger Sorbet, here I come. Watch me on the webcam today, as I make this sorbet, chocolate covered bon bons, and homemade marshmallows…
Posted in Business, Ice Cream | Tags cream, ice, rejection, wholesale | no comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:18:00 GMT
Thanks, Martha.
Today, I had a wonderful experience with a woman who visited my store for the first time. Before she even walked through the door, I had the feeling that I was about to meet an exceptional person. Upon her arrival at my pastry counter, I knew I was right. She was wistful, wise, and at peace with herself and her surroundings.
She told me right away that she had come directly from Charlottesville (where she works as a nurse) to make her pilgrimage to Perfect Flavor. She had read many of our recent articles and wanted to come see for herself just how real this little ice cream shop was. I do believe we lived up to her high expectations.
In fact, before her visit was over, she teared up during a discussion about what it is we're doing here at Perfect Flavor. She finds our mission for sustainability very admirable, and she respects greatly how we choose to support our local farmers, economy and people. It was wonderful to get that kind of affirmation. It makes me feel really good about what we're doing here. I'm proud to operate a business that is full of integrity, especially in a time when most businesses are not.
Dare I say it, but I do have a feeling that this doesn't happen to Ben & Jerry's very often.
Posted in Business | Tags love, martha, tears | no comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:18:00 GMT
"We make our ice cream completely from scratch. We bake our pastries fresh every morning. Everything that comes out of this kitchen is homemade. I crack 200 eggs for each full batch of ice cream."
These are the phrases that I use every day at Perfect Flavor to describe to customers just how authentic our product is. What do I get in return? Sometimes a knowing nod (thank god!), but most of the time a glazed been-there-done-that seen-it-all-before nod. It's taken me awhile to realize that the reason most people don't kiss the ground that I walk on when I tell them this bit of information is because they hear it ALL THE TIME. It's all around them. It's on the jam packaging in the grocery store, it's on the organic box of crackers from Whole Foods, and it's even popping up in new McDonald's commercials.
Fresh. From Scratch. Homemade. Prepared just for you!
You can understand why I get so bothered once you accept the fact that none of these words are regulated by the government, and they are so overused that they have no real meaning anymore. Anyone can print these claims on their packaging! In fact, they know it's to their benefit to do so. Velveeta Cheese can print "all-natural" on it's pretty little box and everyone oohs and ahhhs over it. But when I say, with honesty and much integrity, that yes, the ice cream you're eating is made from scratch, and YES, it took me two years to get the point where I feel good saying that, all I get in return (from most) is a..."and your point is?"
Unfortunately, as some of you may have already guessed, I've come to this point in my food life, with the great amount of integrity that I have toward the food I serve people, because I've witnessed first-hand what NOT to do. What does it look like on the other side? I'd like to share...
I've worked for big family-dining corporations, small chains, and mom and pop establishments. I'd like to say that I've seen it all-but that would sadly not be true. I'm sure there's plenty more out there, here are just some examples to whet the appetite.
My first job was working for the big family-dining corporation. We served mainly burgers, fries, salads; American cuisine-right?? I remember once we were offering a promotion for BBQ ribs. The picture on the promo card that sat on the table looked decadent. Rich BBQ sauce, juicy and tender ribs. The copy (or written description) on the brochure, or table tent as we called it, used attractive language like "Hot off the grill," "Succulent honey BBQ sauce made fresh" and "Choice cut grade A meat." The truth, if you dare to know, is that these ribs actually came to us frozen in a prepackaged plastic bag. The "ribs" were sealed in their own "juices" and when an order came up, the bag was microwaved and then thrown haphazardly on the plate. I remember the cooks cursing as they burned their fingers on the hot, melty plastic. I also remember lying straight to a customer because I didn't know what else to do. I was 16, naive, and following the "codes" of my corporation. For some odd reason I had a great amount of allegiance to a company that could barely keep my name straight.
My customer asked me how we cooked our ribs, and I hesitantly replied that we grilled them slowly over an open fire-just what I was told to say by my managers. Impressive, huh? I've never forgotten the experience.
Next was a job I took in desperation after having recently moved to Charlottesville, broke and in need of anything anywhere. I took a job as a "baker" for a coffee shop in town. My job was to "bake" the items that were to be sold in our bakery case each day. While I was fully capable of making everything from scratch...really...instead, my job was to in all reality thaw and warm the products that were sold as "freshly baked" and "from scratch." I literally took frozen tubes of muffin batter, thawed it in the refrigerator overnight, and squirted it into a muffin tin, which I then baked for the required amount of time, and served. Many times I was asked for the recipe, which of course I could not give away since I did not HAVE it. Since having learned from my mistake at job #1, I began simply telling people the truth. "What's your secret for the cinnamon scones?" a customer would ask. "Oh, they come from Sysco in frozen blocks and I merely cut them up and bake them!" I would respond. This was never met with much favor, but at least it was the truth. I constantly offered my baking services to the owners, who constantly denied them. In the end, the bottom line mattered most. They could have cared less for the health of the customers. All they wanted was money, and they weren't afraid to break all hope of keeping their integrity to get there. I learned a lot from them.
And finally, my favorite of all: I waited a long time for this job. It was, according to many, the place to learn about gourmet food and get the true training and experience I needed to become a professional in my field. I was hired as a pastry chef, but I did very little pastry. It started out rather innocent. Cheap commercial yeast, flour and sugar from Sam's Club. I even tried to dismiss the fact that the owner thought it was a genius idea of hers to substitute what she called her "secret ingredient" for the real deal. One day while making soup, she needed to thicken it. But instead of doing what would be instinctive (making a roux-a simple mixture of butter and flour), she began to gleefully add dried potato flakes from a cardboard box. I noticed and said, "Oh, potato soup, huh?" It was French Onion. Oh, but wait...there's more. Her "fresh baked artisanal rolls" on the menu were actually frozen loaves that came to us half-baked. She would simply "bake them off" for 5 minutes in the oven before serving. No one ever questioned it because their sandwich arrived piping hot. Her "avocado-crema" was frozen guacamole from Sam's mixed with sour cream. (She served this along with Pace salsa, canned beans, and pre-shredded cheddar cheese as a catering party dish. The going rate was $60.)
My favorite tale to tell was the time she went to a well-known Charlottesville food festival. Normally, behind closed doors of course, we used pre-made pesto that came to us frozen (fresh from the manufacturer, as I like to say). But for the festival, five minutes before leaving, she asked me to quickly spoon all of the slushy pesto from its labeled container into a clear, unlabeled container, so that no one else would know that she didn't make it from scratch. When someone came up to me at the table where I was dishing it out and asked me what was in our pesto, I told them I didn't know because I hadn't made it. I quit my job shortly thereafter.
When I say that what I make, all that I make is handmade, it's a loaded statement. I am so lucky to finally be in charge, from beginning to end, of what goes into the food that I make. Why aren't others like this? The answers are endless. But I think mainly it's because they've been getting away with it for so long due to the fact that the customer has not held any vendor accountable.
Feel empowered to ask what is in the food that is served to you. When you don't get a response, you've got plenty more than the answer you were looking for. It is our right to not only know what goes into our bodies, but to be in charge of it.
For more information regarding what we put into the food we make, check my blog or just ask me. I'm always happy to share every recipe I use. If you stop by, you might just catch me in action through the huge window that peers into my bakery!
Posted in Business | 4 comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:59:00 GMT
It's funny. We always thought it would be a good idea to create a company that was serious about sustainability, but really FUN when it came to giving our customers free range to choose the perfect gift themselves! It turns out other people think so, too.
From start to finish, base to mix-ins, our customers are part of every aspect of their ice cream design process. After designing their very own batch of chocolate almond toffee ice cream, they can even name it anything they want.
Such is the story of a woman named Erika, who came in just last week, a few months pregnant, searching for the perfect favor to hand out at her baby shower in May. She's pregnant with her first baby and is so excited! What she wants is a gift that says thank you to her friends and family, but in a truly personal way. And that's what she got. She chose two different flavors of sorbet, a gallon each, and split them up into small 4 oz. serving size portions. Erika wants to name each flavor something different, and since she knows she's having a boy, she's going to put a personalized sticker on the lid of each sorbet container. Each of her guests will get a little cup of sorbet, flavored with fresh local produce that's in full growing season by mid-May.
It was such a thrill and accomplishment after all our hard work to be a part of this celebration in her life! I'm sure her guests will love her personalized flavors and gifts, and I look forward to many more of her celebrations.
Posted in Business, Sustainability | no comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:08:00 GMT
Imagine that! Can something be short in duration, size, quantity, but be sweet, enjoyable, and worth living for, too? Of course it can.
I've had some amazing people walk into my shop over the last two weeks since opening my doors. People like Elizabeth Massie, whose enthusiasm at the prospect of supporting art and culture through the act of eating is hopefully as contagious as the black plague! Yes, the ice cream I make is expensive compared to all other brands. Could the reason for this be that it is also different from everything else out there? Is it possible that my ice cream's sole purpose of existence is to educate, or re-educate people, rather, on the act of enjoyment in simple, deluxe pleasures?
A lot of people walk through my doors and gasp literally out loud at the relatively small serving sizes I offer and their related prices. How much is it worth to be fulfilled physically and mentally by something as simple as food?
In France, Italy and especially India food is seen as a healing resource. Something to be celebrated, enjoyed, and worshiped. It is well worth the price for a high quality/high cost food delicacy. For some sad reason, we have lost that idea here. It shouldn't be about how big, how much. It should be about what, where, when, how, why. What is it I'm about to eat, where did it come from, when was it made, how was it created, and most importantly: why?
I make my ice cream because I want desperately to offer something that is simple, pure, healthy, delicious and good for everything and everyone it involves. So, is it worth spending your money on something that feeds your body, soul, and the earth? I think so.
Besides, what could be better than sitting outside on a warm Spring day, savoring a delightfully sized portion of bittersweet chocolate gelato? mmmmmm.....
Posted in Business, Ice Cream, Sustainability | no comments
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:21:00 GMT
...or rather their farmers, that is.
Message reads: "HELP! We at Perfect Flavor are searching this great state of Virginia for dairy farmers who have got extra milk to supply to us. Can you help?" End message.
That's right. We get our milk locally, and only locally. We get our milk from small farms, unpasteurized, the natural, and not to mention, good ol' way. As I was told just last week from a colleague,
"What you're doing at Perfect Flavor is new. To my knowledge, it's never been done this way before. You're blazing a trail for everyone else, so just remember this: it's going to be difficult, but NOT impossible."
He's right, and more and more I'm beginning to realize this. What we're doing is not easy. We're not calling up Sysco or Shenandoah's Pride to get our ingredients and milk. We're contacting farmers. Farmers whose office phone number is the same as their home number. What does this mean? It means that when we call to speak with them during our business hours, they're out on the farm! It's hard to reach them sometimes, which means that we have resorted back to the ancient methods of our ancestors: snail mail=). Life's tough when you're trying to start a business that's based on sustainability and good livin'.
At Perfect Flavor, our goal is to get everything that we can possibly get locally, no exceptions. What we can't get locally, like vanilla beans, we get organically. One of the things I hear over and over again ringing through my ears is an expression Colin used at the onset of our planning for this business: "Do well by doing good." It's easy...why go to a big dairy distributor for our "ultra-pasteurized vitamin-enriched milk" when we can get it straight from the source? Sure, that means a few extra steps for us to take, like pasteurizing the milk ourselves, but when you've got the big picture in mind, it's well worth the effort.
When we first introduced the concept of Perfect Flavor and our goal to make every item from scratch, we found Colin's kids asking questions like "Is this homemade?" at the beginning of every meal. Now that we're buying produce from the very same local farms for our own family that we're using for the business, I predict the kids will start asking..."Did this come from Polyface Farm or Best of What's Around Farm?" (ya know, the one Dave Matthews dreamt up).
Besides supplying our business with healthy, fantastic ingredients that benefit our environment, our economy, our agriculture, and ourselves, we do have another goal in mind. We hope that by offering a list of all of our local suppliers with their contact information, that you the consumer will take action to become more active in your community, through your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program or just by picking up the phone and calling a farm near you, or better yet, walking up to the doorstep of that farm you pass by all the time on your way home from work, and asking if they'd be interested in supplying YOU. Visit your local farmers' markets, shop locally owned and operated restaurants and food stores. Know not only what you're eating, but where it came from.
It's easy, healthy, and productive. Remember: if you do well by doing good, you'll be joining our team in the fight for sustainability, and we're not such a bad team to be on!
Posted in Business, Sustainability
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Mon, 04 Dec 2006 20:07:00 GMT
As I lay in bed, mostly horizontal save my neck and head, which are uncomfortably poised upward by two large pillows, I am arduously attempting to read a book that has taken me eight months to open. Trying to read between the small gray legs and occasional tail swivel of my wonderfully nosy cat, Annabelle, I'm finding myself caught deeper and deeper in the realization that my life has quite remarkably mirrored the life of Ruth Reichl, at least up to this point, anyway.
I'm reading Reichl's 1998 book (memoirs more like) "Tender at the Bone." Colin bought it when we first met, perhaps as a way to emphasize his love for cooking to me. However, his great enthusiasm, and talent, became blatantly clear upon our very first rendez-vous in the kitchen. I, of course, only used the book (that Colin managed to get half-way through) as a means for leaving discreet love notes for him. And, might I add, it did come in quite handy. Little did I know that while sick in bed, recovering from 20 Thanksgiving house guests and a bad cold, I would sit down to finally read Reichl's work myself, and by doing so would unlock the mind of yet another food-genius, and what's more, discover a kindred spirit.
I, too, had a Queen (and King) of Mold. I lived and studied in France, and I, too, have had my fair share of close-calls and risky coming-of-age experiences. But most of all, I too garnered my cooking ability and appreciation from an environment that desperately needed a culinary change. From everything stew (everything left-over, that is) to canisters of food years past their due date. I, too, saw a need for change and took the initiative to takeover. Both Reichl's and my motivations stemmed from observing an era of cooks whose repertoire contained any dish that could be made with a can of condensed mushroom soup. I grew up seeing cookbooks like "How to make five-minute meals." In today's world, tacking on an extra 25 minutes doesn't exactly scream, "We've come a long way, baby!" but I guess it's progress, right Ms. Ray?
What happened to our parents? The war? Most likely. When sugar and butter were scarcely being rationed out, industrial food found its loophole and went right through. Now it's taking a lot of us to patch that hole back up. Sitting next to those five-minute meals cookbooks were most likely Betty Crocker, Country Cooking, and Southern Living (at least from where I was looking). But the real question is, why weren't they used? It's because the food of our mother's and father's came from the beginning of the industrial food revolution. Most people, Reichl aside, are still inspired by this dried food from a box mentality. However, it's no surprise that Reichl had the foresight to see food as a gateway to many other things in life. Reichl, now the Editor-In-Chief of Gourmet Magazine is helping to lead and make way for the real food revolution, and I am proud both to understand her background and move forward with her in our future.
Posted in Business, Ice Cream, Paris
Posted by Lynsie Watkins
Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:40:00 GMT
Et Voila! Tout peut arriver (anything can happen) as the French so lovingly chant! One year, and many ice cream and pastry samples later, you find me now in present day Charlottesville. My goals as an ice-cream heroine are finally coming into form, and thus we begin on this journey, from now on: together. This is the story of Perfect Flavor, both past and present. As the company grows, so too will my experience, my ideas, and most hopefully, my state of mind regarding sustainability. Ah, Sustainability. If it weren't for ice cream, I fear I would never have found an outlet for this battle. But, thankfully, I have, and now it is my job to share with all of you why I am doing what I'm doing, and more importantly, what influenced me to run my business in a way that is economically, environmentally, and humanely sustainable.
As I often like to say, our ice cream is merely a byproduct (no pun intended) of what we actually do here at Perfect Flavor. Ice cream is fun. It brings joy and comfort to many people. It stirs up memories of childhood, of the good old days, of excitement, laughter, summer. That's why I chose to make it in the first place. But I wanted to be a responsible producer. As of a year ago, I thought that meant being responsible to my customers, to my integrity, and to human health in general. At that point, I was under the notion that the best way for me to help spread my ideas of good food habits learned in France was to simply preach about these good habits to those who purchased my ice cream. I still, just as many caterers and small restaurant owners, shopped at the grocery store and at one of those huge bulk food depots we've got floating, or rather squatting, around.
Everything changed upon my move to Charlottesville. Once in the full throws of chefdom, I began to learn that there was much more to one's health than what they consumed physically, or what they digested rather. Charlottesville, a food haven surrounded by vineyards, farms, and subsequently, impeccable restaurants, is a city which has an incredible amount of progressive food knowledge to offer. In its existence, a good part of it preaches sustainability through action. While we still have a Sam's Club, a Wal-Mart, and a Pizza Hut, unlike other cities, you won't find anyone serious about food inside, perhaps outside protesting, yes, but inside? Never. What we have in this city are farmers who care about the land. Citizens who care about their farmers. And Humans who care about the health of those around them. This is what I like to call the sustainability cycle, and I invite you to get on for the long haul.
Sustainability means making choices and actions that strive to be kind to our environment. By being healthy physically, Charlottesvillians practicing sustainable lifestyles choose fresh produce. Fresh produce not from the local gorcery store, but from a local producer at the weekly Farmer's Market. If you were to ask someone in Gulfport, MS what they would reach for if practicing a healthy lifestyle, they would march straight into the frozen foods section and pick a Lean Cuisine! You can't blame them. Asked again if they practiced a sustainable lifestyle, they would question the meaning of the word. We can't poke fingers at our own ignorance. Only, ironically, once an economy is in sturdy standing, can its residents begin to focus on sustainability, even though that's just the reason why the economy became unstable to begin with. Most of us can't afford organic foods. And believe it or not, there are parts of this country that don't carry any organic produce. Now that's not to say that they don't practice sustainability. They just may not be aware of it. In Gulfport, Jimmy may go once a week to the Piggly Wiggly to buy fresh tomatoes. He may buy them because they taste the best, however he doesn't know why. Perhaps a local tomato farmer's cousin manages the store, and therefore buys a portion of his tomato produce from this local farmer. Well-this ain't nothin' new-as Jimmy would say. It doesn't need a certification from the USDA Organic organization to be deemed higher quality. What Jimmy has done is discerned with his very own tastebuds and wallet what we expect organic producers and grocers to do for us. It's almost like: "Don't speak until spoken to." Only, "Don't eat unless told what to." Love that impeccable grammar=)
My point, while at times muddled, is simple. I began to think about the choices I was making everyday. I moved from frozen foods to fresh produce. I then moved from fresh produce to strictly organic produce. And finally, I am transitioning into local produce when possible, and then organic when necessary. My awareness has increasingly become keener and keener. As in Micheal Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," the question of what to eat for dinner has increasingly become more complex. My solution in surpassing this literal food crisis is simply to learn as much as I can about what I consume. By doing this, I begin to support local farmers more and more, and therefore act in a way that is conscious and positively effective sustainably speaking. Just by choosing to eat an apple from the Farmer's Market, I have helped strengthen myself, my environment, and my economy.
If I can do all of this just by small and simple actions, I thought to myself, why not try to find other ways to take larger steps forward. So, with this new agenda, the real reason behind Perfect Flavor comes to the surface: Use only local ingredients. When ingredients are needed that cannot be grown locally, then buy from other private distributors and local businesses. If an ingredient still cannot be attained using this method, find the nearest source. Second adendum: Use only biodegradable packaging made from corn, sugar cane, or soy. And thirdly: Keep my promise to the consumer to deliver fresh, handmade, small batch, and healthy ice cream from order #1 to order #100,000 and on.
This is my promise, for if I sacrifice my promise for the sake of profit, I lose not only my battle, but the battle of everyone around me.
Posted in Business, Ice Cream
