A Facebook status update on Saturday from the goodly state Senator Chris Marr says it all — giving proper credit for the bill (to himself) and name-checking the bill’s primary area stakeholder, completely doing our job for us:
“Chris Marr SB 6485, my bill to allow craft distilleries to triple their capacity to 60,000 gallons, just passed the Senate on a 43-3 vote. Let’s hoist a shot of Dry Fly Washington Wheat Whiskey to celebrate! (After I get off the Senate floor, of course.)” — LUKE BAUMGARTEN
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Small Planet Goes West
Small Planet Tofu’s final day of production at its Newport, Wash., location was Monday. “Tofu Phil” Spiegel has packed up his belongings and left his home of 28 years, moving his 17-year-old company to the greener soy-based pastures of Vashon Island.
Why? “Survival,” Phil says. “Small businesses are struggling and I’m one of them … And plus, it’s tofu.” Small Planet is well loved here, but Seattle is a much friendlier place for soy. But it’s more than that. He has a new partner over there to help shoulder the burden. Small Planet, which will retain its brand name, will now share production facilities with another small organic tofu concern, Island Spring Organics. In addition to splitting rent, he’s looking forward to put more effort into growing the business. “I’ll be able to focus on promotion, sales and marketing — become that tofu celebrity I’ve been striving for years to be,” he says.
Because Small Planet will continue to use all the same distributors (Spokane Produce, Charlies, FSA, etc.), which all have presences in both Spokane and Seattle, Phil says the move shouldn’t translate into a price difference once the product hits shelves.
Spiegel left town on Wednesday and is probably settling in his new digs as we speak, “so we can go into production next week.” Take some solace, then, that while they’ll be coming from 300 miles and a large body of water away, your tofu supply chain remains unbroken. — LUKE BAUMGARTEN
Why? “Survival,” Phil says. “Small businesses are struggling and I’m one of them … And plus, it’s tofu.” Small Planet is well loved here, but Seattle is a much friendlier place for soy. But it’s more than that. He has a new partner over there to help shoulder the burden. Small Planet, which will retain its brand name, will now share production facilities with another small organic tofu concern, Island Spring Organics. In addition to splitting rent, he’s looking forward to put more effort into growing the business. “I’ll be able to focus on promotion, sales and marketing — become that tofu celebrity I’ve been striving for years to be,” he says.
Because Small Planet will continue to use all the same distributors (Spokane Produce, Charlies, FSA, etc.), which all have presences in both Spokane and Seattle, Phil says the move shouldn’t translate into a price difference once the product hits shelves.
Spiegel left town on Wednesday and is probably settling in his new digs as we speak, “so we can go into production next week.” Take some solace, then, that while they’ll be coming from 300 miles and a large body of water away, your tofu supply chain remains unbroken. — LUKE BAUMGARTEN
Well, I eat a little chicken
Pilgrim’s Natural Market in Coeur d’Alene is nothing if not egalitarian. This Sunday, at 5:30 pm, they’re hosting an informational seminar on “the benefits of a plant food diet.” The following week, they’d like to make us all a little better at “cooking with whole chickens.” The place already has a vegetarian club and it seems like an eating-every-damn-bit-of-meat-on-that-bone club might be on the horizon. Details about all seminars and classes can be found at pilgrimsmarket.com or by calling (208) 676-9730. — LUKE BAUMGARTEN
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Keep those beans a-roastin'
“We wanted to go in the direction of relationships,” says Deborah DiBernardo, owner of ROAST HOUSE COFFEE. With the expertise of roast master Dave Rier, this new north Spokane roasting company is focused on helping people make the connection from farm to cup. If you visit Roast House, you’ll see pictures of the farmers who grew the coffee and learn about their families.
Roast House specializes in high-quality “socially conscious” coffee, meaning it’s Fair Trade, shade grown, organic or relationship coffee, which is produced by family farms or small co-ops.
DiBernardo, active in the Slow Food movement, encourages people to apply Slow Food ethics to coffee: Do you know where it comes from? Is it good for you?
Roast House supplies private-label coffee to coffee houses and retail grocery stores. The Main Market carries a unique Roast House Colombian coffee. After visiting the farm in Colombia, Rier liked the coffee so much he bought the entire crop for the Market. Look for Roast House coffee education classes in the future, possibly at the Main Market.
Latah Valley’s newly established TOM SAWYER COUNTRY COFFEE is part coffee roasting facility, part museum: Along its walls are coffee pots, tins and grinders dating back to the early 1800s.
Gary Thomas Sawyer — yes, he goes by “Tom” — encourages his customers to be involved in blending coffees to suit their needs. Although he focuses on coffee service to businesses and restaurants, you might just leave with a special coffee blend for your next dinner party and dessert recipes in hand if you visit. Keeping his business small and roasting 10-pound batches allows Sawyer to be creative. “I can’t do what the big guys do — and they can’t do what I do,” he says.
Sawyer also offers home coffee roasters, green beans and the training to get you started on making your own “legal, very addicting drink.” He’s so excited to share his passion about coffee that he might even deliver it all to your house. But only if you invite him in for a cup of coffee. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON
Visit www.roasthouse.net and www.tomsawyercountrycoffee.com.
Roast House specializes in high-quality “socially conscious” coffee, meaning it’s Fair Trade, shade grown, organic or relationship coffee, which is produced by family farms or small co-ops.
DiBernardo, active in the Slow Food movement, encourages people to apply Slow Food ethics to coffee: Do you know where it comes from? Is it good for you?
Roast House supplies private-label coffee to coffee houses and retail grocery stores. The Main Market carries a unique Roast House Colombian coffee. After visiting the farm in Colombia, Rier liked the coffee so much he bought the entire crop for the Market. Look for Roast House coffee education classes in the future, possibly at the Main Market.
Latah Valley’s newly established TOM SAWYER COUNTRY COFFEE is part coffee roasting facility, part museum: Along its walls are coffee pots, tins and grinders dating back to the early 1800s.
Gary Thomas Sawyer — yes, he goes by “Tom” — encourages his customers to be involved in blending coffees to suit their needs. Although he focuses on coffee service to businesses and restaurants, you might just leave with a special coffee blend for your next dinner party and dessert recipes in hand if you visit. Keeping his business small and roasting 10-pound batches allows Sawyer to be creative. “I can’t do what the big guys do — and they can’t do what I do,” he says.
Sawyer also offers home coffee roasters, green beans and the training to get you started on making your own “legal, very addicting drink.” He’s so excited to share his passion about coffee that he might even deliver it all to your house. But only if you invite him in for a cup of coffee. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON
Visit www.roasthouse.net and www.tomsawyercountrycoffee.com.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pasta for Judy
Judy Garland’s favorite food is kidney pie. “It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet,” says Tina-Marie Schultz, chuckling.
Schultz owns ROSA’S ITALIAN MARKET AND DELI, located in Post Falls just a short walk (if they had a brick road it’d be yellow, right?) from the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center. When Schultz heard JACC was doing a Valentine’s concert in honor of Judy Garland, she cooked up the idea of offering a pre-concert dinner at Rosa’s.
Figuring there wouldn’t be too many fans of kidney pie (a British meat pastry that makes us think of Sweeney Todd), Schultz went with Garland’s favorite drink — vodka — for penne pasta sauce (a much better choice, we concur). The soup is a fire-roasted tomato ancho (red to match you-know-whose ruby slippers), while dessert is red velvet cupcakes, which Garland supposedly ate at the Waldorf Hotel (which is not in Kansas).
JACC has also snared musicians Ruth Pratt (of the Eclectics), Tom Shager, Bruce Pennell, Steven King and Dick Hubbard for the evening.
Although JACC has done concerts in the past — including a similar tribute to Rosemary Clooney last year — this is the first time they’ve teamed up with a restaurant. The music and food will be so good, they might send you somewhere over the rainbow. — CARRIE SCOZZARO
Pre-concert Valentine’s Day seating Sunday, Feb. 14, at 5 pm. Rosa’s Italian Market and Deli, 120 E. Fourth St., Post Falls, Idaho. Cost: $24.95, reservations required by Feb. 11. Rosa’s is open Mon-Fri 7 am–6 pm, Sat 8 am-5 pm. Call (208) 777-7400.
“A Tribute to Judy Garland,” Sunday, Feb. 14, 6:30 pm, at Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 405 N. Williams St., Post Falls, Idaho. Tickets: $20. Limited seating. Call (208) 457-8950 or visit www.jacklincenter.org.
Valentine’s Day Events
A Celebration of Love
Feb. 13
Join Bank Left Bistro in Palouse, Wash., on Feb. 13, from 6-9 pm for music, wine and food. The event is $35 per person. Call (509) 878-1000 or e-mail bankleft@visitpalouse.com.
Love’s Holiday
Feb. 13
Visit CenterPlace (Spokane Valley) on Valentine’s Day eve, 7-10 pm, for dinner and jazz featuring Sessionz. Couples are $25; singles $15. Call Sandi McMillan at 362-3218.
One World for Lovers
Feb. 14
This seven-course dinner will feature food varieties for seafood lovers, vegetarians and vegans. If don’t like eating animals and are looking for a place to take your significant other, this elegant dinner is for you. Cost: $60. Includes a rose. Reservations required. One World Spokane. Call 270-1608.
Dinner at Greenbriar
Feb. 13-14
A four-course meal with your choice of pork loin, seafood over risotto, ribs, chicken or fettucine will be on Feb. 13-14 from 5:30-9:30 pm. Cost: $70 per couple. Greenbriar Inn, 315 Wallace Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Call (208) 667-9660
Marron on Valentine’s
Feb. 14
You and your honey can share eight courses at Café Marron, in Browne’s Addition, on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, from 5-10 pm. Cost is $75 per couple; $100, if you add on the wine pairings. Call 456-8660.
Schultz owns ROSA’S ITALIAN MARKET AND DELI, located in Post Falls just a short walk (if they had a brick road it’d be yellow, right?) from the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center. When Schultz heard JACC was doing a Valentine’s concert in honor of Judy Garland, she cooked up the idea of offering a pre-concert dinner at Rosa’s.
Figuring there wouldn’t be too many fans of kidney pie (a British meat pastry that makes us think of Sweeney Todd), Schultz went with Garland’s favorite drink — vodka — for penne pasta sauce (a much better choice, we concur). The soup is a fire-roasted tomato ancho (red to match you-know-whose ruby slippers), while dessert is red velvet cupcakes, which Garland supposedly ate at the Waldorf Hotel (which is not in Kansas).
JACC has also snared musicians Ruth Pratt (of the Eclectics), Tom Shager, Bruce Pennell, Steven King and Dick Hubbard for the evening.
Although JACC has done concerts in the past — including a similar tribute to Rosemary Clooney last year — this is the first time they’ve teamed up with a restaurant. The music and food will be so good, they might send you somewhere over the rainbow. — CARRIE SCOZZARO
Pre-concert Valentine’s Day seating Sunday, Feb. 14, at 5 pm. Rosa’s Italian Market and Deli, 120 E. Fourth St., Post Falls, Idaho. Cost: $24.95, reservations required by Feb. 11. Rosa’s is open Mon-Fri 7 am–6 pm, Sat 8 am-5 pm. Call (208) 777-7400.
“A Tribute to Judy Garland,” Sunday, Feb. 14, 6:30 pm, at Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 405 N. Williams St., Post Falls, Idaho. Tickets: $20. Limited seating. Call (208) 457-8950 or visit www.jacklincenter.org.
Valentine’s Day Events
A Celebration of Love
Feb. 13
Join Bank Left Bistro in Palouse, Wash., on Feb. 13, from 6-9 pm for music, wine and food. The event is $35 per person. Call (509) 878-1000 or e-mail bankleft@visitpalouse.com.
Love’s Holiday
Feb. 13
Visit CenterPlace (Spokane Valley) on Valentine’s Day eve, 7-10 pm, for dinner and jazz featuring Sessionz. Couples are $25; singles $15. Call Sandi McMillan at 362-3218.
One World for Lovers
Feb. 14
This seven-course dinner will feature food varieties for seafood lovers, vegetarians and vegans. If don’t like eating animals and are looking for a place to take your significant other, this elegant dinner is for you. Cost: $60. Includes a rose. Reservations required. One World Spokane. Call 270-1608.
Dinner at Greenbriar
Feb. 13-14
A four-course meal with your choice of pork loin, seafood over risotto, ribs, chicken or fettucine will be on Feb. 13-14 from 5:30-9:30 pm. Cost: $70 per couple. Greenbriar Inn, 315 Wallace Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Call (208) 667-9660
Marron on Valentine’s
Feb. 14
You and your honey can share eight courses at Café Marron, in Browne’s Addition, on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, from 5-10 pm. Cost is $75 per couple; $100, if you add on the wine pairings. Call 456-8660.
Make more gin
Sometimes, Spokane produces heroes. For instance, Spokane’s state Sen. Chris Marr gave us the state’s first craft distillery law in 2007. That law defined a craft distillery as one that uses Washington-grown materials for at least half of the ingredients used to make the liquor. That law gave us Spokane’s very own Dry Fly Distilling. That law’s awesome.
Which is why Marr’s a hero.
But even heroes have faults. The same law that gave us Dry Fly (as well as Ellensburg Distillery and Soft Tail Spirits in Woodinville) limits the amount of alcohol the stills can produce to 20,000 gallons a year.
Recognizing this flaw, Marr has set out to improve his two-year-old law this legislative session with Senate Bill 6485, which would raise the allowable annual limit to 60,000 gallons. That would make about 5.1 million shots — more than one shot for every man, woman and child in the state.
“In the next couple of years, we’re probably going to push that number,” says Pat Donovan, distiller at Dry Fly. “We don’t want that [limit] to be the only restriction on us.”
In 2008, Dry Fly produced about 2,500 cases of spirits, or about 5,000 gallons. Last year, they doubled that.
“We probably won’t double it again this year,” Donovan says. “But you never know.”
But Donovan is happy to have the law clarified a little. When the original 20,000-gallon limit was decided upon, it was mainly to appease the guideline-thirsty state liquor control board. Another number Donovan would like changed is the 51 percent benchmark for state-grown ingredients.
“We’re about 99 percent Washington grown,” he says. “We actually wanted [the percentage in the law] to be much higher.” — NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Which is why Marr’s a hero.
But even heroes have faults. The same law that gave us Dry Fly (as well as Ellensburg Distillery and Soft Tail Spirits in Woodinville) limits the amount of alcohol the stills can produce to 20,000 gallons a year.
Recognizing this flaw, Marr has set out to improve his two-year-old law this legislative session with Senate Bill 6485, which would raise the allowable annual limit to 60,000 gallons. That would make about 5.1 million shots — more than one shot for every man, woman and child in the state.
“In the next couple of years, we’re probably going to push that number,” says Pat Donovan, distiller at Dry Fly. “We don’t want that [limit] to be the only restriction on us.”
In 2008, Dry Fly produced about 2,500 cases of spirits, or about 5,000 gallons. Last year, they doubled that.
“We probably won’t double it again this year,” Donovan says. “But you never know.”
But Donovan is happy to have the law clarified a little. When the original 20,000-gallon limit was decided upon, it was mainly to appease the guideline-thirsty state liquor control board. Another number Donovan would like changed is the 51 percent benchmark for state-grown ingredients.
“We’re about 99 percent Washington grown,” he says. “We actually wanted [the percentage in the law] to be much higher.” — NICHOLAS DESHAIS
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