As I set holed up with only a view of the empire state building and the Summit One Vanderbilt tower, I can only feel sorry for myself as I look at my splinted leg after surgery to repair my detached achilles.

Below on the streets, I see taxi’s and buses, and people merrily walking in full stride (something I cannot do) off to some fabulous lunch at a chosen place for some exquisite food.

I on the other hand ponder what place that I know that has something I really want to try. Virtually everything here is take-out-able, quite a wonderful option, just not for every single day. Even great food delivered starts to feel like food prison.

And this is the dilemma. I really don’t feel hungry. Great food from a favorite place makes my mouth happy, but my heart is sad. It is just not the same as being in the ambiance of it all. The candlelight romance of a cloth napkin or the clanking dishes and yelling of orders, that is the part that I am missing. The one thing we can share as humans.

What seems like an eternity, I am on day 4 of 14 waiting to get the prognosis that I can start to be out and about, still on crutches, and smell the air of life.

I hope by then I will crave food, the foods I desire to enjoy and to sit at the table with friends to break gf bread.

Update: I am at day 10 and I have woken to a cup of ok coffee (which is glorious) and an everything bagel, toasted and smothered in cream cheese. How glorious is that!

I am looking forward to something other than good to ok takeout. That is still days away, maybe even longer, but something to look forward to.

The other very important taste that has changed is liquid. First the desire is just water, then something full of electrolytes, then coke and then ginger ale mixed with tangerine juice, and today all that sweet stuff is not appealing.

Instead I am truly enjoying water that is fully iced and with a splash of Sudachi extract. A very in focus sharp taste, without any of the sickly sweet soda pop’ish remains.

And, thankfully I have Yuzu no Megumi syrup with me. (I never travel without it. That and chocolate)

This is the most satisfying “sweet” drink you can have.

Add a splash of Yuzu no Megumi to a glass of ice and pour over bubbly water and you have a treat that is - “not tooo sweet, a cool refreshing treat!” It really can “Cool you down, picks you up”. (Do you know what tennis star said this?)

I am thinking about making a salad dressing wth this! Maybe a Yuzu No Megumi Citrus Salad Dressing.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Yuzu no Megumi
1 tablespoon rice vinegar — just enough additional acidity
3 tablespoons mild olive oil or rice bran oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Whisk the Yuzu no Megumi, rice vinegar, Dijon, soy sauce, and pepper together.

2. Slowly whisk in the oil.

The places to drizzle…

Citrus + avocado + shaved fennel + toasted sesame + Yuzu no Megumi dressing

No greens necessary.

Use a combination of orange, grapefruit and/or mandarin, shaved fennel, avocado, toasted sesame seeds and perhaps a little fresh mint or shiso. Spoon the dressing over it just before serving.

Make the dressing using a little less oil than a conventional vinaigrette. The syrup has enough body and sweetness that you don't need the usual 3:1 oil-to-acid ratio. You can preserve the lovely progression —sweet citrus → tartness → lingering citrus.

Arugula + avocado + orange or tangerine + fennel + toasted hazelnuts

The bitter pepperiness of arugula, creamy avocado, crisp fennel, juicy citrus and the toasted nuttiness give the dressing things to play against. The Yuzu no Megumi becomes the connecting flavor rather than just another acidic ingredient.

Consider radicchio instead of some of the arugula. The bitterness is fantastic with the sweet citrus.

Yuzu is particularly good when paired with contrasting bitter or savory flavors rather than surrounded by sweetness.

Iio Jozo was established in 1893 in Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, the 26th year of the Meiji era. The founders were originally rice farmers who began making rice vinegar as a side business, who eventually turned it into their main trade.

The first generation, Iio Chozo, set out with a focused ambition: to create the best rice vinegar in Japan.

Today, Iio Jozo is the last artisanal rice vinegar maker in Kyoto Prefecture. Fifth-generation brewer Akihiro Iio runs the operation alongside just 19 employees, producing between 250,000 and 300,000 liters of vinegar a year.

The company's defining philosophy took shape in the 1930s, when third-generation brewer Terunosuke watched pesticides, including DDT, eliminate every living thing from the surrounding rice paddies.

Convinced that vinegar made from such rice wasn't right, and he then spent two years knocking on doors to persuade local farmers to change their practices. It took another three years before the first pesticide-free rice was ready.

Today, Iio Jozo works with 15 local farms to grow the rice that goes into every bottle.

The production process is labor-intensive and unchanged from traditional methods. Pesticide-free rice from the mountainous Tango District of Kyoto is combined with clear mountain spring water. The rice is inoculated with koji mold, requiring attention every 3–4 hours for three full days and then it is pressed using a hand-powered wooden press.

After 45 days, the sake is ready.

That sake is then converted to vinegar through "static fermentation," allowing acetic acid bacteria to naturally develop on the surface of the tank over 100 days. Industrial producers pump air through their tanks and finish the process in as little as 8 hours.

After fermentation, the vinegar is aged for another 8 months. From start to finish, the process takes roughly one year — compared to a single day for large commercial producers.

What Makes It Special

Iio Jozo uses 200g of rice per liter, five times Japan's legal requirement for rice vinegar, ultimately producing a richer, fuller complex flavor.

Where ordinary rice vinegar is 99% acetic acid, Fujisu's ratio is just 86%, with the balance made up of mild non-volatile acids including lactic, succinic, and malic acid. The result is a vinegar with no harsh bite!

Fujisu Premium earned a place in Japan's government-sponsored "Wonder 500" program, which celebrates the country's finest local products, and has become a trusted ingredient for Michelin-starred chefs worldwide.

The Moutarde à la Provençale itself reflects a sunnier, more southern take on the classic Dijon base.

It's built around red peppers, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil, along with paprika and a touch of turmeric, giving it a warm, orange hue rather than the pale beige-yellow of standard Dijon.

The flavor leans more towards a roasted bell pepper and garlic, with a faint tomato-like sweetness underneath the mustard's characteristic heat — more savory and rounded than sharp.

It's particularly happy to be paired with grilled meats, fish, and dishes cooked en papillote, where its flavors can bloom into the dish as it steams.

Nitto Jozo is a small, traditional fermentation producer based in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, founded in 1938.

The company is known for its careful, small-batch brewing of tamari-style soy sauces, with a focus on wheat, salt, water, and koji, and a long respect for time as the defining ingredient.

Their white tamari (shiro tamari) reflects this approach in one of its most delicate expressions.

Brewed using locally grown wheat, Japanese sea salt, mountain spring water, and koji, it is a pale, gently aromatic seasoning that sits outside the more common commercial soy sauce spectrum. Rather than intensity or weight, it leans toward clarity, balance, and the quiet layering that comes from slow fermentation.

The flavor is distinct from standard soy sauces: instead of depth through darkness and density, it offers a clean interplay of saltiness, soft sweetness, and umami. It works best as a finishing accent—something that lifts and sharpens rather than dominates a dish.

“Tamari” comes from the Japanese verb tamaru (たまる), meaning “to accumulate” or “to gather.” The term originally referred to liquid that gathers naturally during fermentation, as enzymes slowly break down grains and proteins into concentrated flavor.

Within the broader tradition of Japanese soy sauce brewing, tamari refers to a style that tends to be deeper and more umami-driven, shaped by fermentation that emphasizes roundness and concentration.

White tamari, by contrast, is a lighter expression—paler in color, softer in aroma, and defined more by wheat-forward fermentation than soy-dominant formulations.

A wonderful soup that brings the bounty of the end of summer and beginning of fall garden. It is a recipe that can grow with more vegetables or shrink with less.

Remove the plastic ring, then pull up and you get a little spout which works perfectly. If you have a small apartment or a yacht, this is the right size can for you.

To the nose, you can smell the ripe olives inside.

To the eyes, it's a rich olive green. It's a rich, yellow olive green.

To the dip of the tongue there's lots of flavor and taste: artichoke, banana, a classic taste of a full bodied olive oil. It is a very inviting olive oil.

The first sip emphasizes the same flavors, but comes across rounder and in some ways fuller.

There is an ever light presence of pepper in the back of the throat. The pepper is a very broad point with the classic bitterness on the edge of the tongue. The sharpness is more muted than usual.

Very nicely rounded oil very, very enjoyable.

What's Happening in the Store

Thursday, October 1 – Meet the Makers Chocolate Tasting

Don't miss our 4th annual Meet the Makers event, where we welcome bean-to-bar chocolate makers into the shop to share their chocolate and their stories. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

September, 2026
Friday & Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm
ChefShop Retail Shop, 1425 Elliott Ave West, Seattle

Heirloom French flageolet beans are actually immature, green kidney beans. When cooked, they become tender and extraordinarily creamy, while retaining their shape and delicate color.

Dried Flageolet beans are excellent served simply, with a nice vinaigrette; in a salad dressed with lemon, olive oil, and creme fraiche or warm with herbs like sage or thyme and a little bacon for flavor, if desired. In France, they are typically served in soups, gratins, and especially with roast lamb.

Equally easy with either turkey or chicken. Our favorite way to use some of those Thanksgiving left-overs. This turkey or chicken pot pie recipe is adapted from Marian Burros' cookbook, Cooking for Comfort

Iyokan is a Japanese citrus hybrid, generally classified as Citrus × iyo. It looks somewhat like a large, heavy mandarin, but the flavor is different: very aromatic, juicy, sweet-tart and distinctly citrusy, with considerably more fragrance than you might expect from looking at it.

The fruit is fairly large—roughly 200–280 grams—and has a thick, bright orange peel that is easy to remove. The inner membrane, however, is relatively substantial, so in Japan people commonly peel the individual segments before eating them.

The harvest in January–February fruit has a firm, juicy texture and good sweet-acid balance, while fruit harvested later and allowed to mature develops a softer, gentler, less acidic character.

It is typically eaten as a fresh fruit.

That's important because Iyokan isn't one of those Japanese citrus varieties that was developed primarily as a flavoring ingredient. In Japan it is a seasonal eating citrus, generally appearing from January through March.

And that is what makes the peel so appealing! With its strong aromatic tint, juicy, sweet-tart and distinctly citrusy flavor.

Iyokan isn't yuzu. Yuzu is aromatic, very tart and often used more as a seasoning. Iyokan is much more of an eating citrus—juicy, fragrant, sweet and sour, perfect for the plane, the purse, the camera bag and the glove box!

White rice flour is a fine, powdery substance made from polished white rice. It has a neutral flavor and smooth texture, making it a versatile ingredient in both savory and sweet dishes. White rice flour is particularly popular in gluten-free baking, as it provides structure and lightness to baked goods without the use of wheat flour.

Additionally, it serves as an effective thickening agent for sauces, soups, and gravies, and is a key ingredient in many Asian dishes, such as rice noodles and rice cakes.

In Thailand, white rice flour is a fundamental ingredient used in a variety of traditional dishes, both sweet and savory.

Thai desserts such as Khanom Chan, a multi-layered steamed dessert made with rice flour, coconut milk, and flavored with pandan.

Another popular dessert is Khanom Krok, small coconut-filled rice cakes with a crispy exterior and creamy interior, made from a batter of rice flour and coconut milk.

Additionally, Lod Chong, a dessert featuring green jelly noodles made from rice flour and served in sweet coconut milk.

On the savory side, white rice flour is essential in making rice noodles. Noodles come in various forms, such as the wide, flat sen yai and the thin sen lek, and are used in famous dishes like Pad Thai and Pad See Ew.

Rice flour is also employed as a thickening agent in soups, curries, and sauces, ensuring a smooth texture without altering the flavor.

Rice flour is also used in pandan pancakes and the delicate wrappers for fresh spring rolls.

Wild Burgundy Snails are a timeless French delicacy. The finest purveyor in Paris, La Maison de lâ Escargot, has been satisfying the most discriminating palates in France since 1894.

Whether in three-star Michelin-starred restaurants like Paris’ Taillevent, Chez Lasserre, or Alain Ducasse’s Grande Cascade, Helix Pomatia Linne snails have graced the finest tables in France.

Similarly, consumers who frequent La Maison de lâ Escargot’s shop in the 15th or the fashionable right-bank shops of Galeries Lafayette Gourmet serve only the best in their homes.

The formula is quite simple, frankly. As with all gastronomic delicacies, French Escargots exhibit varying levels of quality. La Maison’s snails have maintained an unwavering reputation for incomparable products amid the demands of the culinary capital of the world, because they start with purely wild Burgundy snails - Helix Pomatia Linne - delivered live.

These savory delights from Potironne Company are then hand-sorted by size, washed, and cooked in an aromatic bouillon according to the same ancestral standards used in 1894.

How do you serve l'escargots without the shell?

Well, you certainly can use mushroom caps, and they can be delicious that way. Tradition, it's snail shells and herbed garlic butter all the way. We've got 12 reusable snail shells for cooking here, and that's the perfect number for 2.

My first encounter with this salt was just one crystal on a pat of butter on its own little plate for the bread in a spectacular outdoor patio restaurant on the big island. It was simply gorgeous!

Hiwa Kai starts with pure Pacific Ocean water, which is evaporated naturally using the sun and wind to form clean sea salt crystals.

The black comes from activated charcoal made from coconut shells. The shells are heated at high temperatures without oxygen, creating a highly absorbent form of carbon. The finished charcoal is then blended with the sea salt crystals, giving them their deep, glossy black color.

The black crystals make a natural contrast against so many things—eggs, fish, vegetables, butter, even something as simple as sliced avocado.

Perfect for show, as it looks good on food. A natural contrast to many foods, Hiwa Kai Black Hawaiian Sea Salt might even provide a safety net if you add it to chili!

The cows eat the green grasses and natural flora and fauna all summer long. Then the milk turns into cheese. And, in this case ages 36 months before it will arrive on our shores.

The Summer Mountain Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP cheese is very special. And really like no other parm out there.

We are taking pre-orders with an anticipated "cut-the-cheese" party sometime in September or October.

SHARE THE LOVE Give the Gift of Love Through Food Gift Certificates available for any amount you choose. Get Gift Certificate →