Kati Mac florist cultivates smiles

Kate McNamara, owner of Kati Mac Floral Designs, smiles as she tells her favorite parts of the job. “[Kati Mac] is involved in weddings, baby showers, even funerals… very momentous occasions in people’s lives. It is a very special thing,” she says as we sit in the sunny storefront, surrounded by plants, flower arrangements, vases, design books, and artwork.

McNamara’s passion for flowers and design emerged at a young age. McNamara says, growing up, she used to garden at her parents’ house; designing and planting the garden was an outlet for her creativity. Similarly, during the Christmas season, she would beg her mother to let her decorate the house and Christmas tree. McNamara still uses design as a way to channel her creativity, and appreciates employing a staff who share her passion.

McNamara alludes that her whole business began organically. She began working in horticulture 16 years ago with Create a Scene, Inc. There, McNamara says, her first professional experience arranging cut flowers piqued her interest in floral design. She decided to pursue coursework at Longwood Gardens, where she earned her certification as a floral designer. Shortly after, “it just kind of materialized that the space became available [for rent].” Since McNamara lives on Walnut Street, in such close proximity to the shop, she took the opportunity and purchased the retail space. The shop had been a florist just prior to Kate’s purchase, so conversion was simpler than it may have been, says McNamara.

McNamara’s shop is located at 36 S. High St., right in the central hub of downtown West Chester. It is a great location for a florist, says McNamara. The section of High Street has high-volume foot traffic and several loyal clients, including residents, local businesses, and country clubs. The location is also close to King of Prussia and Philadelphia, both prime event destinations. Year round, McNamara keeps busy with seasonal projects, events, and clientele. Kati Mac is a full-service florist that does weddings, parties, events, gardening, and home decoration, as well as everyday vase arrangements. The shop has been open for five and half years, and will celebrate its sixth anniversary this October.

Kati Mac has become a profitable local business, but not without some growing pains, says McNamara. Organization, scheduling, and staffing were all challenges McNamara faced as she grew her business. The ride has not been without turns, but “I think we’re getting better,” McNamara says as she knocks on wood. McNamara explains that she and her staff have figured out some organizational methods that work well during busy seasons. The trial-and-error process is important for learning what works and what does not, says McNamara.

Right now, Kati Mac is coming up on Mother’s Day, wedding, gardening, and prom seasons, says McNamara. “It’s a busy time of year!” she laughs. McNamara manages several employees who work together to carry out events and fulfill customer orders. Contract employees are key, McNamara says. Because Kati Mac is a small business, it cannot afford to keep a large volume of workers staffed at all times. However, certain days, weeks, and seasons require more help. Designers stay in the shop to handle daily orders, while other trained employees work on-site in the gardens, or at weddings and events. Contract employees will sometimes assist in large weddings, parties and events.

Gardening is an interesting aspect of McNamara’s business model, because not many florists are also gardeners, says McNamara. Currently, Kati Mac plants and maintains three area gardens: West Chester Country Club, where McNamara has been the horticulturalist for nearly 10 years, and two private client homes. McNamara’s experience as a horticulturalist is what enables her to plan gardens, train seasonal contract gardeners, and satisfy her gardening clients.

Weddings are also a fun and exciting part of the job, says McNamara. She says bringing the brides’ visions to life is one of the perks of the floral business. “I love seeing how happy the brides are!” McNamara expresses. It is very rewarding when “the brides and the moms call us afterwards and say, ‘everything was beautiful, thank you so much!’” But McNamara clarifies that it is not about the pat on the back – it is about taking part in creating a special day in someone’s life.

Though fun and rewarding, the floral business can also be exhausting. McNamara says that around holidays, she and her staff work sixty to seventy hour weeks in order to satisfy all the orders and clientele. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the busiest single holidays, according to McNamara, but high-volume seasons can be equally as daunting. Kati Mac becomes overrun with orders during summer and fall wedding season, spring prom season, and December holidays. During these holiday seasons, McNamara says it is not rare for her and her employees to be work until midnight or later, then get up by 9 a.m. to open shop the next day. The only downtime, says McNamara, are the few months – January to March – between busy seasons. However, even those months can become hectic with Valentine’s Day, cleaning, restocking, and networking.

McNamara, a mother of three, says her biggest challenge is balancing family and business. “It’s very demanding to own your own business, and your time is invaluable,” she says. McNamara has two young children, 7-year-old Jude and 5-year-old Lucy. She explains how difficult it is to even be home to make them dinner and help with homework each night, let alone accompany them on class trips and attend sporting events. McNamara jokes that her oldest son, Gage, 18, “probably doesn’t mind [when I am unable to attend]!” But McNamara says she tries to make time regardless of her busy schedule. However, if a major holiday, function, or wedding presents, she has to take responsibility for her business, which means being at Kati Mac to work and manage.

Even with all the challenges, McNamara says she enjoys owning her own business. The business provides “a creative outlet for all of us that work here,” which, McNamara says, is one of her favorite parts. Also, she says, “seeing the [clients] happy… That’s why we do it.”

A Renewable Future: Sustainable Thoughts with Intern Ben Chadwell at Thornbury Farms

On Saturday, July 21st, I met with Ben Chadwell, Thornbury Farm intern, for an inside look at sustainable agriculture.

Ben attends West Chester University for liberal studies, biology, Spanish, and economics. His optimism, energy, and intelligence give me high hopes for a renewable future. We walked the grounds with Farm Manager Chris Knoblauch, who helped me understand Thornbury’s role in the West Chester community.

As we walked the perimeter, it became clear that for Ben, working at Thornbury is more than just a resume-booster. Ben’s background in biology helps him analyze the toll our commercial agriculture system is taking on our environment, while his interest in philosophy helps him to realize its affect on our minds and bodies.

“Environmental issues have always been very near to my heart,” Ben said. “People who choose to grow food on small farms… are taking action to change the way we produce food…” Ben described our current monoculture methods of farming. As we spoke in the open-air and sunshine, I imagined a very different farm, hundreds of miles away, where bulky tractors sprayed pesticide across countless rows of crops, while chickens sat crammed, feather-to-feather, in a large warehouse, with clipped beaks and wings.

I thought about the long-term consequences of such methods: the contamination our land and water, and the production of foods that make us sick. “When we eat and drink, we are absorbing the world into our bodies. The land is our bodies,” said Ben. Under our current system, the soil will soon be too toxic to produce food, the water too toxic to irrigate it, and we will be too weak or sick to work in the fields.

As we chatted, we stopped at intervals to munch on bites of broccoli greens and purple carrots. “The very existence of Thornbury Farm advocates for land and open space preservation.”

After college, Ben wants to continue his learning at Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), a non-profit organization, based in Central America, which “supports farmers and the environment by tackling serious issues like hunger and deforestation.” SHI is focused on reducing slash-and-burn agriculture, a method of deforestation that is not sustainable, because without life-supporting trees, the land becomes barren and will not grow crops. At the same time, SHI seeks to address the hunger problem by adopting sustainable methods of agriculture – using every space, resource, and person to achieve a harvest that can provide for everyone. “Waste is the product of bad design, and bad design can be changed,” Ben explains.

He went on to describe a bio-gas digester, which sounds really technical, “but really, it’s like an underground composter.” The design is fairly simple. A chute at the surface carries food waste into an underground chamber. As food waste sits, the bacteria present begin metabolizing the food, which produces methane gas. The gas rises into a separate holding chamber, which can be controlled by a release valve and, Ben explains, “can be used for cooking!” Designs like the biogas digester show that, with careful planning, our method of food production can come full circle: from farm to table, and back again.

Thornbury is probably best known for its community-sustained agriculture program (CSA), through which members buy shares at the beginning of the grow season to help pay for the farm’s operation. In return, members can come to the farm’s on-site market and choose eight to ten items weekly or bi-weekly during the grow season. “[One item] is a big bunch of kale, a few tomatoes, a case of strawberries, or a watermelon,” Chris explains. “It adds up to a lot of food.” Local restaurants like Shoo Mama’s Farm Fresh Café and the Roots Café will buy several shares to fill their produce needs each week during the grow season.

You don’t have to buy a share to get your fresh produce at Thornbury. The market is open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Available products include seasonal, fresh produce grown in the Thornbury’s fields, plus a plethora of other locally-sourced goodies, including preserves, canned goods, chutney, spices, honey, farm-fresh eggs from Thornbury’s chickens, local milk, goat cheeses, and breads. Thornbury’s Pick-Your-Own herb garden is another fun, interactive feature that allows patrons to take part in the harvest.

Heirloom seeds and plants are also available at the Thornbury market. “The average plate of food travels 1,500 miles to get to you,” Ben explains. But heirlooms “have evolved to fit specific regions.” A region-specific crop means less need for chemical growing methods, a more bountiful harvest, and a tastier product.

Thornbury takes any chance it can to cut the chemicals. “We are non-certified organic,” Ben explains. Thornbury’s use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides is next-to-none. “When we do [use chemicals], we purchase as much of the organic, non-toxic varieties as we can afford…. Our customers know they are paying for produce untainted by the chemicals that have been proven to cause illness.”

Thornbury is increasing community involvement with upcoming events. How-to canning, bread baking, cooking, as well as an on-site documentary series will leave patrons’ brain and bellies full. Haunted tours are another popular attraction, where Thornbury reveals its rich history, and Battle of Brandywine roots. A farm-fresh pizza session for kids, where children will wood-fire their own pizzas in Thornbury’s on-site oven, will end with setting several garden-benefiting insects, like ladybugs, free in the fields. Year-round volunteers are also accepted at Thornbury, for anyone who wants to get involved in the sustainable movement, brush up on gardening skills, or just enjoys being outside.

Observing the type of community sustainable farming creates left me feeling energized and hopeful. “We must create a vision together,” says Ben. I saw the small-scale farm at work, while patrons pleasantly shopped the market for fresh produce. It’s about more than just growing plants to be eaten. It’s about forming relationships with your food, nature, yourself, and the people in your community. “I learn so much every time I work,” Ben says. “And it’s really rewarding to see the end product.”

© Kellyn McNamara, 2012.
Published in the West Chester Dish August 1, 2012. 

An "Off-Centered" Weekend with Dogfish Head Brewing Co.

A weekend retreat brought me to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where I snagged some brews and bites at the local Dogfish Head Brewery & Eats (seen to left), and even got to tour the Brewing Co. Headquarters in Milton, DE.

From what I gathered, Dogfish Head is not your average brewery. In fact, pretty much everything about it is out of the ordinary. Dogfish’s creative and, at times, ingenious approaches are what makes it unique. Dogfish Head was the first brewpub in Delaware, and began as the smallest microbrewery in the United States. The name comes from Dogfish Head, Maine, where Founder and President Sam Calagione spent his childhood summers.

Sam fell in love with craft beer while working at Nacho Mama’s Burritos in Manhattan, where he attended classes at Columbia University. Nacho Mama’s stocked craft sips like Sierra Nevada, the first real microbrew Sam had ever tasted. Sam left Columbia and relocated to Delaware to pursue his two loves: his wife Mariah, and brewing beer.

Sam began experimenting with a variety of spices and ingredients in brewing – anything he could find the in the kitchen. “Spices, other beers, and even foods like tomatoes,” said our brewery tour guide, Peter Olsen.

Years have not dulled Sam’s creativity. In fact, Dogfish Head’s current feature, Choc Lobster, may be Sam’s most creative brew to date: a porter made with dark cocoa, basil, and 40 whole lobsters. A taste of Choc Lobster starts earthy, develops into smooth chocolate, and finishes with a slight saltiness.

Dogfish Head was not always the massive Delaware brewery it is today. When the Rehoboth brewpub first opened in 1995, they brewed on a 12-gallon system that could not keep up with customer demand. In 2002, the brewery expanded to its current location in Milton, which is certainly equipped to meet the needs of patrons.

Driving up to the Milton brewery, I saw several large, central silos, which I later learned are where the grain is milled. After mashing, Dogfish Head sends the spent grain to feed local cows and pigs, which become main courses at the brewery’s Rehoboth location. “That’s why your burger might taste like your beer!” joked Peter.

Inside the factory, each process afforded its own area: mashing, boiling, cooling, fermenting, conditioning, and packaging. The conditioning room housed three wood-aging casks, the largest in the United States since prohibition. Two of the casks are made of American white oak, and are used to condition Immortale, Red and White ale, and, my personal favorite, Burton Baton. Oak-aging acts to subdue some of the harsh flavors generated by the brewing process. The casks’ interiors are cleaned annually with dry ice to expose fresh wood, and produce the same flavor, year after year. The third cask is made of Palo Santo wood, imported from Paraguay. Palo Santo wood is so dense that it took 17 diamond-tipped blades to chop down one tree for the cask. This cask is used to age only Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron, which Peter described as “Guinness on steroids.”

The tour concluded with a free taste of four Dogfish Head brews. But before I begin the taste summary, a word about DFH’s Ancient Ale Series. The Ancient Ale Series began in 1999 when Dogfish Head began working closely with Dr. Pat McGovern, a leading expert in ancient beverages. McGovern’s expertise allowed Dogfish Head to resurrect some of the brews enjoyed by the ancients.

Ta Henket, one of the Ancient Ales, is based on Egyptian brew formulas, decoded from hieroglyphs. Brewed with the same strain of wheat used by the ancients, along with chamomile, doum-palm fruit, Middle Eastern herbs, and whole loaves of hearth-baked bread, this brew is malty and smooth, with a tartness that is not overpowering, and a welcome sucker-punch of dry spice.

Next up was Theobroma, another Ancient Ale, inspired by the Mayans’ affinity for chocolate. We all love chocolate, but the Mayans loved it so much that they named it “Food of the Gods,” or, Theobroma. In the spirit of the Mayans, this ale is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, honey, chilies and annatto. The brew is a surprising amber color, and tastes almost like a pilsner, but with a spicy, chocolate middle, and a bitter finish.

The third pour was My Antonia, a continually-hopped imperial pilsner named after the novel by Willa Cather. This bottle-conditioned brew did not disappoint, with crisp, hoppy, and citrus flavors, and a clean, dry finish. “It’s a lager for ale-lovers,” Peter said about My Antonia.

Last was Dogfish Head’s most famous brew, the 90 min IPA. The 90 min’s claim to fame is its well-balanced, even-hopped taste. The taste comes from a process known as continual hopping, which, Peter explained, is when “hops are added over the entire duration of the boil.” Dogfish Head was the first brewery to continually-hop their beer, thanks to a vibrating-hop-dispenser product, developed by Sam Calagione, known as “Sir Hops-A-Lot.” Hops-A-Lot was replaced after Sam patented a new, more efficient machine, “Sofa King Hoppy.” If you’ve ever tasted a 90 min IPA, you know that the biting hop flavor lives up to the machine’s name.

If 90 min isn’t enough push for your palette, 120 min IPA might be more your pace. My boyfriend and I bought a 4-pack of 120 min at the Milton brewery’s gift shop, and decided to split one bottle between the two of us. We passed the pour of 120 back and forth in our hotel room, taking small sips of Dogfish Head’s most notorious IPA. The taste was exceptionally strong and hoppy, with a range of sweet and spicy flavors, almost like a port wine. For up to a minute after each swig, a whiskey-burn lingered in my chest. It was fabulous.

We topped off our night with bites and brews at the Rehoboth Dogfish Brewery & Eats. As we made our way into the packed pub, we squeezed our way past patrons to secure a seat at the bar. We chatted with our bartender, Teresa Anderson. She was a lively, bubbly lady who cracked a new joke each time she rounded the bar. “I give out tastes of beer, and I give out jokes, too!” she said, beaming. While at the bar, I tried the Limited Release Positive Contact, brewed with Fuji apple cider, and spiced with faro, cayenne, and cilantro. The taste was slightly sweet cider and flavorful hops, with a smooth finish. As we sipped our pours, I struck up a conversation with a passing busboy, pointing out that he looked busy. “Yeah,” he smirked, “some nights, I don’t stop moving after 4:00.”

Next I tried the Wit IPA, a collaborative effort between Dogfish Head and Iron Hill Wilmington. I think I struck gold with this one. It had flowery, punchy, alpha-hops at the beginning, but a smooth, malty finish, with citrus undertones all throughout.

The bites at Dogfish are equally tasty. We munched on fried calamari with spicy marinara and the “off-centered” hummus platter, both plates I would recommend. We ended our night at the on-site gift shop, where patrons can grab merchandise from stickers to dog collars, and beer-to-go. I grabbed a four-pack of the Burton Baton, a cask-conditioned ale with strong, aromatic flavors, a sweet, flowery beginning, and a smooth finish.

The end was bittersweet, like a good IPA, but there is life after Dogfish Head. The next morning, we made our way to ThePurple Parrot Grill on Rehoboth Avenue for breakfast and $2 Bloody Marys and Mimosas before 1:00 p.m. I’m of the belief that home fries make or break a breakfast, and Purple Parrot’s are exceptional. In fact, a Purple Parrot breakfast is proven to cure pounding headaches associated with hangovers, and get this: during the special, your first cocktail is included with your meal.

A return-visit to Rehoboth is definitely in order, to check out all the fabulous restaurants I missed this time, but no matter where I choose to go, I’ll be sure to stop by Dogfish Head, my new favorite brewpub.

© Kellyn McNamara, 2012.

Published by DishTrip on July 16, 2012.

Beer 101: Beer as an Art and Science with Victory Brewing Co. and Kildare’s

Last Wednesday, June 20, Kildare’s hosted local beer educator Chase Jones, and Chris DeMarco, a Victory Brewing Co. brewer, for an educational seminar and food pairing. The duo set out to show that beer is an art and a science, not a lowbrow chug. Attendees of the seminar included the WC Beer Ladiesand many other resident beer enthusiasts. Tickets were $20 a person, and included three flights and three snacky courses to pair.

Before the tasting began, Chase and Chris served up an informative summary of the brewing process.

First, they talked about some brewing basics. Beer contains four main ingredients: water, malted grain, hops, and yeast. In addition, brewers may use spices, flavors, or syrups to produce a more distinctive taste. “All of [the ingredients] contribute to flavor profile, appearance, and head retention,” said Chase. He then explained that brewing is a chemical process, so any contamination or variation of ingredients could completely change the end product.

Brewing is centered around the reaction of malt and yeast. First, brewers will germinate the grain to create simple sugars, then stop the germination and crush the malted grain to make the sugars accessible. Yeast is a fungus that consumes the simple sugars to produce energy. The malt-yeast energy reaction also produces CO2 and ethyl alcohol, “which is why we all drink beer,” Chase jokes. Other byproducts of the sugar-yeast reaction vary “depending on what type of yeast and malt you use, and they can affect the flavor and appearance.” Chase continued, “Many brewers will use three to four different kinds of grains in their beer. This can help make the beer aesthetically and aromatically more appealing.”

Yeast’s role in brew variability is a little different. The two basic categories of yeast are lager yeast and ale yeast. Lager yeasts are fermented and conditioned at lower temperatures, and for a longer period of time than ale yeasts. Lager varieties generally produce a cleaner, more earthy, and slightly grainy brew.

Ale yeasts, on the other hand, are fermented at warmer temperatures. The high-temperature fermentation process yields complex, fruity, and flowery flavors that are not found in lagers.

The body and aroma created by malt and yeast can be amped by the addition of hops. Hops are flower clusters available in over 1,000 varieties. “Orginally, people thought [the hop plant] was a weed!” Chase says. Luckily for us beer lovers, hops were discovered for their true potential, and have since been used in brewing to add flavor, bitterness, and spice. Popular hop varieties in craft brewing are Cascade, Amarillo and Tomahawk.

Hops can create different flavors depending on the type of hops, and when they are added to the boil. The two broad hop categories are high-alpha-acid hops, and high-beta-acid hops. “Think of a really strong IPA. You get that POW! bitterness at the beginning,” Chase says. That type of bitterness is produced by high-alpha-acid hops. Chris from Victory Brewing Co. adds, “The longer you boil [alpha-acid hops], the more bitter it’s going to get.” Anyone who has ever tried Dogfish Head 60 min IPA can attest that alpha-acids boiled for 60 minutes will produce a very bitter brew.

Beta-acid hops don’t produce bitterness, but instead, flavorful, spicy tones in beer. “Beta-acid hops are isomerizable, which means that heat can actually destroy them,” Chris said. Because their flavors can be destroyed at high temperatures, beta-acid hops are added at the end of the boiling process – anywhere from the last 5 to 15 minutes.

The last determining factor of a brew’s body is water. Hard and soft water can produce very different beers, even if everything else is the same. Hard water contains minerals and ions that can react with compounds in the brew to produce a variety of flavors. Chase provided the example of Germany and the Czech Republic: each country produced pilsners using the same malts, same yeasts, same temperatures, and same hops, yet the two brews tasted dramatically different. “Turned out, the soft water of the Czech Republic changed the entire profile of the pilsner,” Chase concluded.

After the lesson, it was time to taste! To help tasters describe their experiences, Victory Brewmasters devised a handy tool called the Victory Food and Beer Pairing Guide. The guide provides descriptors and linking words so tasters could put a word to their taste.

The first flight and bite: A pilsner flight paired with a cheese plate, and chips and hot salsa. Pairing the pils with cheese, it became easy to see how a round pilsner flavor, with a crisp start, bitter middle, and honey-sweet finish compliments a savory, pungent Munster cheese. The hot salsa and pilsner paired a different way. After a bite of hot salsa, a swig of pilsner would neutralize the hot, peppery oils.

Second came a flight of India Pale Ales. IPAs act oppositely of pilsners. Where pilsners cancel flavors, IPAs are better at enhancing. A hoppy, bitter IPA paired with a plate of hot, spicy Buffalo wings revealed one instance in which it may truly be best to fight fire with fire. The taste explosion that results is definitely worth experiencing.

Last was a dessert flight and bite: a dark chocolate and raspberry plate paired with three Belgian-style ales, and the famous Victory Storm King Stout. The sweet and savory tones of the Belgians harmonized with the raspberry, while contrasting with the chocolate. The chocolate was better paired with the smoky, bitter, and mineral flavors of the stout.

While a Miller Lite may pair with anything (or nothing, depending on who you ask), it was interesting to see the true pairing potential of popular brews. Beer may never be as coveted for food pairing as wine, but beer culture is growing. The increasing popularity of microbreweries and home brewing has fostered flavor experimentation, new techniques, and greater enthusiasm toward beer as viable food pair.

© Kellyn McNamara, 2012.
Article was featured in the West Chester Dish on Wednesday, June 27, 2012.

Wine, Dine and Blues at Black Walnut Winery’s 2nd Annual Blues Festival!

It was a stellar Memorial Day weekend at Black Walnut Winery, where folks gathered for the wine, and stayed for the pizza and tunes!

The historic Sadsburyville location at 3000 Lincoln Highway hosted its 2nd Annual Blues Festival, with local artists such as John Costello, Sister Blue, and the Deb Callahan Band. Refreshments included pizza from Forno Inferno Wood Fired Pizza & Catering, and plenty of wine.

For $6 a person, patrons could taste seven Black Walnut house wines. Tasters could decide their favorite flavor, buy a bottle, sit in the patio area out back, and enjoy a wood-fired pizza pie from Forno Inferno and the blues stylings of area talents. Popular whites, reds, seasonal, and port-style wines provide an array of options so that everyone can be sure to find one that suits their palette.

The Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is a light white wine with the perfect balance of citrus, floral, and fruit notes. Not too sweet and not too tart, the Sauvignon has a soft mouth-feel and a clean finish. And at just $17 a bottle, it’s quite a steal!

Another popular variety is the Pinot Gris (off-dry) 2008. At first pour, this press may be mistaken for a red wine – or even an ale – with its orangey amber hue. Grape skins, explains owner Karen Kuhn, are responsible for its color. These are typically removed during pressing, but in the Pinot Gris they are kept on for about twenty minutes, yielding a peachy complexion. At about .5 percent residual sugar, this press is not too sweet, but does possess a touch of tartness that is not overpowering.

The Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 is a dry, light, “just right” red wine, with notes of black cherry and a clean finish. This cab was not too tart and not too heavy – a perfect snag for any BYO event.

The Black Tie 2007 is an aromatic red composed of a unique blend of Cabernet Franc grapes and Merlot. This dry press had an interesting, though not overpowering, green pepper undertone.

The Chambourcin 2009 was a tasty variety with berry notes and a clean, earthy finish. This wine is for everyone – sweet and dry lovers alike – because it combines just the right amount of sweetness and flavor to please any palette.

Two seasonal wines currently offered are the Spiced Apple 2007 and the Smitten 2009. The Spiced Apple, made with 100 percent pasteurized apple juice, is the only non-grape wine by Black Walnut. This delicious wine is lightly oaked, and matured with a blend of cinnamon sticks and whole cloves for that perfect apple pie flavor, and just a touch of sweetness.

The Smitten seasonal is a hearty, winter favorite, best enjoyed around a cozy fire, or as a holiday dessert wine. Smitten combines a blend of vanilla, whole cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

Black Walnut’s Port-Style “More than ‘M’” 2008 is 100 percent Merlot infused with un-oaked, PA-distilled brandy. At 18.5 percent ABV, you may want to consume this variety with some discretion – and some dark chocolate! Black Walnut’s taste test includes this Port-Style wine with a square of dark chocolate for $1 up-charge of the tasting price. The extra buck is well worth a taste of this delicious port. An interesting note about the port: at the bottom of your empty port glass, you’ll notice what look like sugar crystals. Owner Karen Kuhn explains, they’re not sugar crystals, but tartrates, natural by-products of a chemical reaction involving grape skins during Port wine production. Turns out, tartrates are antioxidants and acid-regulators. Drink up, Port-lovers!

Outside at the Blues Festival, patrons sat at picnic tables enjoying the pizza, music, and sunshine. Forno Inferno Wood-Fired Pizza parked a pizza truck – complete with wood grill – outside the winery for easy service to fest-goers. To order, patrons could fill out a sheet indicating their preferred pie. Each customer received a number, and when their order was ready, it was hand-delivered to their table. An impressive system –second only to the pizza itself! My pizza was delicious: a veggie classic complete with mozzarella, pesto sauce, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, onion, and roasted red peppers. The crust was thin and crispy, with a satisfying smoky wood-fired flavor.

The 2nd Annual Blues Fest at Black Walnut was a swinging success! Check out Black Walnut at the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, June 9 at the Myrick Conservation Center. Tickets on sale now!

© Kellyn McNamara, 2012.

Article appeared in the Downingtown Dish on June 4, 2012.

See What’s Heady This Spring at Victory Brewing Company

Victory Brewing Company has tapped some fantastic options for spring and summer! The brewpub at 420 Acorn Lane in Downingtown is offering seasonal varieties and old favorites on tap so that everyone is sure to find the perfect pour.


Their featured seasonal for spring is the Whirlwind Witbier, a classic Belgian white ale brewed with imported German wheat, whole European hops, and imported Belgian yeast.  The taste is “both spicy and sublime,” and I can attest that it has a great flavor–a balance of full and sweet, with moderate body and mild finish. The pour is slightly cloudy, typical of Belgian whites, with an inviting orange color that will attract any loyal Witbier lover.

Summer Love, Victory’s seasonal summer ale, is new on tap this week. Brewed with German and American whole hop flowers and imported German malt, the pour is light yellow-orange, with moderate head separation. Flavor is mild, with a burst of refreshing lemony-citrus. Summer Love is the perfect refreshment after a hot day in the summer sun.

Another tap feature is the Eclat Cocoa Lager. This extra dark lager was created for Victory’s Sweet Sixteen birthday celebration back in February of this year. Flavor tones include Eclat’s rarest cocoa bean, the Peruvian Pure Nacional, and a touch of smoky sweetness. Though it looks and pours like a stout, with perfect head separation and extra dark color, its light finish reveals its true nature as a lager.

The draft list at Victory also includes old favorites such as Throwback Lager, Golden Monkey, HopDevil, and the Storm King Stout. Throwback Lager is light yellow in color with minimal head separation, and a mild flavor and finish. Golden Monkey combines flavors both sweet and bold into a complex Belgian ale. The pour is only slightly cloudy warm yellow-orange with moderate head separation and a smooth finish. HopDevil is certainly not for the light of heart – its biting hop flavor subsides to a smooth finish. The pour is clear and bright red in color, with moderate head separation. Storm King is an extra dark stout with distinct head separation, and a flavor that is both rich and complex.

A complete list of drafts includes: HopDevil Ale, Victory Lager, Prima Pils, Festbier, Mad King Weiss, Golden Monkey, Donnybrook Stout, Storm King Stout, Braumeister Pils, Eclat Cocoa Lager, Helles Fire, Whirlwind Witbeir, St. Boisterous Hellerbock, Throwback Lager, Saison Du Buff, Lizard Bock, Bavarian Mandarina Pale Ale, Bavarian Spalt Select IPA, Bavarian Polaris IPA, and Summer Love.

With all of these options available, any thirsty patron is likely to find what they need at the Victory Brewpub. Why not make a day of it? Victory’s extensive menu provides several healthy and vegetarian options (this coming from a fellow veggie), personal pizzas, and burgers and fries oh-my. Enjoy a delectable meal in good company, get your growler filled, or visit the in-house gift shop for a six-pack and some glasses to go!

© Kellyn McNamara, 2012. Article was published in the DowningtownDish on May 4, 2012.

New Café returns to its Roots

People are buzzing about Roots Cafe, a new bistro on West Gay Street that opened last July. On the surface, Roots is a cozy stop for breakfast and lunch, with everyday favorites, delicious daily specials, homemade soups, sauces, and sides. But something bigger is going on at Roots: they're building a model for sustainability that may be the wave of the future for foodservice.

On Monday, March 26, students from the WCU Food Lab visited Roots for a talk and cooking class with Head Chef and co-owner, Dan Cellucci. It was a tight fit, but the class of 20+ students listened intently as Dan described how Roots got started, their current practices, and plans for the future.

Roots Café essentially sprouted up out of nowhere. According to the owners, the whole process was very spontaneous. "I was actually surfing Craig's List late one night after work. I saw that Nick's Café was up for sale, and thought it wouldn't hurt to inquire the next morning. That set in motion me taking over about a month later," Dan explains. As the team started researching more options, all the pieces fell into place. "When I told my coworkers we were opening a café, they thought we were crazy!" Roots Café co-owner, and Dan's fiancée, Keyana explained.

The idea for Roots may have been spontaneous, but the daily routine is well-grounded. “Our philosophy is sustainability and supporting local farmers,” Dan explains. To that effect, Roots carefully selects its products. Everything from produce to meat, bread to honey - even the biodegradable to-go containers and cutlery are chosen with sustainability and organics in mind. “Its 24/7. Everyday, running to a different farm. But you build personal relationships with the farmers, and it gets easier,” Dan says.

Recently, Roots has teamed up with West Chester's own Thornbury Farms CSA program. Dan explains, “You buy shares, which allow the farmer to buy seeds, or to pay farm hands to help harvest. You’re rolling the dice a little bit, hoping for a good grow season, but it builds community and allows that farm to do better… by providing financial support.”

Organics are another cornerstone of the Roots Café philosophy. “[Organic farming] is good because you can farm the same land for a long, long time – not like some methods.” Commercial farming uses so many chemicals – fertilizers and pesticides – to ensure a bountiful harvest that, after a while, the soil becomes toxic. Growing food from toxic soil is not only hazardous to our ecosystem, but also our health, and the health of future generations. Plus, “without pesticides, it just tastes better!” Dan adds.

Roots is still evolving. “It’s a work in progress,” Dan explains. “Someday, [Roots] would like to use all local and organic products, but it’s tough.” During the spring and summer, Oak Shade Cheese, an Amish creamery out of Lancaster, provides Roots with homemade cheeses through the West Chester Grower’s Market. But in the winter, it’s too cold for the horse-and-buggy producers to travel. Last winter, Roots had to supplement their cheese with commercial distributor US Foods. Still, with less than a year under its belt, Roots has made significant strides toward a working model for local, sustainable foodservice.

Dan left us with a recipe for homemade mayonnaise. “It’s really simple… one egg yolk to one cup of oil.” First, Dan separated the egg yolk into a bowl, and added some secret ingredient. Then, he slowly whisked in canola oil, adding air. The egg and oil began to emulsify, and the familiar mayo texture began to emerge. I watched in amazement as something that, until now, I thought could only be purchased in jars from a supermarket, was made in less than five minutes, using only two common household ingredients. Dan also explained how you can spice up your mayo by infusing oils. “You can infuse oils with anything – herbs, peppers, spices.” For a spicy mayo, you can pour a cup of oil into a jar with a few chili peppers, and let it sit for a few days. The oil will take on the flavor of the chili peppers, and you can use that oil to make your mayonnaise.

You can bet the first thing I did when I got home was grab a friend and make a batch of mayo. Within five minutes we had fresh, delicious mayonnaise without dyes or preservatives. We paired the mayo with homemade, sweet potato French fries, and, from the first taste, agreed that it was the best we’d ever had.

© Kellyn McNamara, 2012. Article published April 4, 2012 in The WC Dish, and on April 6, 2012 in The Daily Local's Weekender.