Like a kid in a ….. gourmet shop?

As part of my own personal Moveable Feast my darling and I ventured north to celebrate food and wine in Napa Valley. In the cool of a mild but unpredictable winter we wandered, tasted and shopped divinely in Mill Valley, Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and finally San Francisco. Glorious puffs of cumulus clouds from darkest grey to whitest whites blew scattered showers across the clear blue skies and brilliant green hills. Leisurely we drove along Highway 29 and the Silverado trail. Criss-crossing the ladder roads as we visit small and large wineries, eateries and food shops.

And there, in the midst of this glorious verdant valley sits Dean & Deluca. I must have been living under a rock, but I’d never had heard of ’em. Granted this is an east coast based luxury gourmet concern, but they do have both an online and catalog presence. And that, may be the crux of it. I don’t normally shop lux, gourmet.  Not in my budget, nor my lifestyle. But like a kid in the candy store I can shop the heck out of a few dollars and come out with my penny candy bags and think I have something pretty special. Link arms with me friend as we peruse the aisle dedicated to all things culinary. “Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca traipsed around the world to find artisan-produced foods that pleased their customers, not to mention themselves. They wanted products that fired their imaginations, challenged their tastes and turned dinner into a creative exercise.” 

I was in the store well over an hour picking out little treasures of this and that, items chosen to inspire and extend my moveable feast before my darling dear “hinted’ we should be moving on. From fresh produce, cheeses, cured meats, deli, confections — my eyes were as big as saucers as I tried to soak it all in. It would be easy to drop a bundle here, but I think I did pretty well with my selected treasures.

Want to peek in my shopping bag?

White Soy Sauce, Spanish Olive Oil, Blue Poppy Seeds, Chimchurri Sauce, Peruvian Peppers and Mushrooms!

Another treasure found was Whole Spice in the Oxbow Market in Napa. Walls lined with gallon glass jars with both common and exotic herbs and spices. Each to be sampled an ounce at at time. I came out with a trio of smoked sea salts and a Moroccan Lamb Melange. I’ve already tried the Yakima Applewood Smoked sea salt in a vegetable soup. Delicious!

Spices from Whole Spice, Oxbow Market, Napa.

Links
Dean & Deluca www.deandeluca.com
Whole Spice wholespice.com