From hot sauce to ice cream
Items from my artisanal taste testing binge
I love food. Wholesome fresh food, with simple ingredients. Most of my best times revolve around sharing meals with family, learning new ways to cook old traditions and listening to tales from friends as they relay happy memories peppered with their favorite foods.
What some people may not know, is that I keep a small food diary of foods I’ve eaten and foods I can’t wait to try. I’ll be traveling to the U.S. soon and going to the U.S. always means I get to check some things off the “to try” list in my diary.
This trip I’ll be trying great artisanal goodies in New York, Indianapolis and anything I can get delivered via the United States Postal Service. Here’s a short list of a few I am looking forward to trying.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Shop
www.vanleeuwenicecream.com
I think ice cream is the best thing on earth. When I’m down it makes me happy. When I’m happy, it makes me Mike Tyson ecstatic! So I can’t wait to try #Brooklyn creamery, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Shop. First on my list is their Vegan Honeycomb because only ice cream made from coconut milk can actually beat regular ice cream in a taste test.
Van Leeuwen has shops in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Los Angeles. Check their website for locations. Not local? A limited selection of flavors are available for online ordering at vanleeuwenicecream.goldbely.com.
Look for an upcoming post dedicated to my favorite cold, creamy treat!
The Food Sermon Kitchen
www.thefoodsermon.com
On my last visit to Brooklyn, friends treated me to dinner at The Food Sermon. A family-owned, West Indian-inspired eatery, I didn’t expect to fall in love with their simple menu. However from the first bite, the fresh, easy ingredients from their build–your-own bowl menu made a lover.
This time it won’t be their bowls I’ll be hunting. Instead I’ll be trying to get a few bottles of their small batch hot sauce, which is always sold out. With both spicy and sweet flavors it’s not hard to sample the Caribbean influence from their special blend of peppers, ginger and island fruits like tamarind, mango and pineapple.
The Food Sermon, 355 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11225. Open Sunday 2pm-9pm, Monday-Thursday 5pm-10:30pm and Friday 12pm-4pm (depending on sunset). Closed Saturday. Call them at +1 718 484 7555.
Basbaas Somali Foods
www.basbaassauce.com
I’ve been waiting a while to try these spicy condiments from Basbaas Somali Foods that combine traditional culture with locally sourced, all-natural ingredients from upstate New York. Available in two flavors, Tamarind Date Sauce and Coconut Cilantro Chutney, Basbaas donates a portion of all sales to the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation, a human rights organization building sustainable institutions in Somalia.
Basbaas can be found in the U.S. at select Whole Food Market and Dean & DeLuca stores, Brooklyn’s Madiba Restaurant or ordered online at www.basbaassauce.com/shop/.
Just a small sample of all the goods I’ll be rushing to try when I hit the States, stay tuned to learn what else is on my “to try” list, including pickles, chips, restaurants and, of course, more ice cream.
“Nice Eating You” is a journal of all the good food I find from artisanal foodpreneurs, innovative chefs, new restaurants, and epicureans that join me in celebrating the “best of” in the culinary world.
