At the beginning of November I attended a food show sponsored by La Ferme.  They specialize in distributing meats and cheeses produced by farm families here in Canada and in Europe. The Plaisirs Gourmets booth offered a wide array of cheeses from Quebec, a number of which I hope to have available at our store very soon.  La Madelaine is especially exceptional…brie like in texture and creaminess but without the bloomy rind that some people don’t like. Marie-Chantal Houde on the right is the genius behind la Madelaine as well as Zacharie Cloutier and award winning ripened sheep’s cheese.

On the meat end of the spectrum, I enjoyed sampling the offerings of Paganelli’s.  We already have been selling their wild boar cacciatore. Chef Paganelli explained how he makes his sausages without the use of artificial nitrates. I also sampled duck breast, tender and moist beyond belief and bison shaved thin and wrapped around a horseradish cream. But most exciting of all was the obvious commitment of these producers to ethical food production… that is, of course, the whole point of farm to plate. Thank you La Ferme for giving us opportunity of meeting the people who grow our food and the ability to choose food from ethical and healthy sources.