Meet Michele Barnes of Mrs. B’s Focaccia:

Who are YOU?

I am Mrs B. I have always had a passion for sharing and creating great food. My background is diverse and goes from many years in the medical field, to art (sculpting), to singing, to catering, to teaching cooking, to being a mom and now a nona. These have all led me to my great love of producing this great Focaccia bread.

What is Mrs. B’s Focaccia?

My business is all things Focaccia. My mission is to take this simple Italian classic food and share it with you. It is so much more than what is commonly known.. I want to make its versatility and uniqueness known as I have developed this product to be a star rather than just another flatbread without flavor.

What do you make?

My products range from sandwiches, to sweets to breadsticks. The vegetarian sandwich is made with available local produce , filled with great cheese, fresh herbs, seasoning and made with my focaccia. It is baked together so the first introduction you would have to this is its wonderful aroma. The breadsticks are a crunchy cracker with salt, pepper, and available seasonings if preferred. I also have a sweet breadstick that is hard to resist. It is great snack food.

“The Finley” – an all-vegetable focaccia sandwich
“The Emory” – a simple sea salt & pepper cracker that takes you by surprise
“The Maggie” – a sweet cinnamon biscotti
“The Cecile” – a fruit & nut dessert focaccia

What is the story behind your business name?

The name, MrsB’s, was accidentally taken from a stained glass window I bought that was imported from an English pub. I bought it several years ago and always thought it had a destiny for me. As my business started to develop it was the perfect logo, name , and definitely fits my products as if it was made for me.

What prompted you to start your business?

This was as natural as breathing to me. My large Italian family always enjoyed our culinary heritage, as my grandmother emigrated from Calabria, Italy and brought her wealth of cooking knowledge with her. My mother was my personal inspiration as she always encouraged us to share our food fortunes with our friends and she gave us her gift of eating for enjoyment. Mrs B’s was officially started earlier this year after relocating to Grand Rapids and much support from my family.

Who taught you how to bake?

I love everything about food. I am happy from start to finish, and especially when I have family involved cooking in the kitchen with me. My 3 sisters and 4 brothers spent many hours in the kitchen, laughing, cooking , singing, but always shared this great love of our food together.

Why are you excited to share Mrs. B’s Focaccia?

My food is fresh, local and tastes delicious. It brings many years of ideas and passion for food to the present and takes it to the people of Grand Rapids first.

Where can we find Mrs. B’s Focaccia?

You can find Mrs. B’s Focaccia on Facebook and the WM Coop. The focaccia will be available at Tree Huggers very soon! You can also order direct by phone (616-719-0077) or email.

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If you didn’t get a chance to attend this past weekend’s Room with a Vue event, you missed out! We had a lot of fun partnering with Vue Design to host this one-of-a-kind ultra-local bridal event. The event was sponsored by Women’s Lifestyle Magazine, and we got to work with a handful of unique & creative local businesses!

Friday night kicked off with a strolling wine dinner and mixer with the participating vendors. Guests mingled with Bradley Productions, DJ John Scherer, Lief Design, Two Foot Creative, Afendoulis Cleaners and Tuxedos, All-Inclusive Travel, Capelli Salon, Jonathan Stoner Photography, Stiletto Sweets, Tantalizing Tastes, The Silver Spork and Art of the Table. What a great group!

Amy brought in a fun selection of wine from Art of the Table. Guests sampled a fall candy bar, stuffed mushrooms, fruit salsa, crab balls, tomato and basil skewers from Tantalizing Tastes and a bruschetta, veggie and dip spread and apple cinnamon chips from the Silver Spork.

And then the fashion show began! Guests got a first look at Vue Design’s new Start Garden funded project, Design-A-Dream (TM). Think mix-and-match to create your own unique gown. Over 30 muslin pieces make up the line, and brides and put together the pieces to create a gown made just for their shape and size. Shannon then works to pick fabric and details to create the finished product. Afendoulis showed off the latest in tuxedo trends and all of the hair and makeup was done by Capelli Salon.

And who can forget the swag bags! Guests picked them up on their way out. The swag bags were filled with padded hangars, emergency kits, handmade cards, flower clips, discounts and product samples from all of the vendors.

Overall, it was a fun night! Thanks to everyone who participated!

Additional photos can be viewed on Facebook:

Jonathan Stoner Photography

Women’s Lifestyle Magazine

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The better part of last week was spent eating bolani, chilequiles & elote, wandering the streets of San Francisco, and learning from some of the city’s most innovative food entrepreneurs.

The week started out at the first ever La Cocina Night Market Fundraiser. Twenty-seven vendors and 2,000 guests gathered at Almany Farmers Market to eat and drink the night away in celebration and support of La Cocina. The mission of La Cocina is to cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their businesses by providing affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance and access to market  and capital opportunities.  They focus primarily on women from communities of color and immigrant communities. Their vision is that entrepreneurs will become economically self-sufficient and contribute to a vibrant economy doing what they love to do.

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Heading to San Francisco!

There is this amazing place there called La Cocina. It is SF’s first incubator kitchen. They happen to be hosting a full slate of events this weekend … what better time to go check it out!

“The mission of La Cocina is tocultivate low-income food entrepreneursas they formalize and grow their businesses by providing affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance and access to market  and capital opportunities. We focus primarily on women from communities of color and immigrant communities.Our vision is that entrepreneurs will become economically self-sufficient and contribute to a vibrant economy doing what they love to do.”

Uptown Kitchen will be checking out the Night Market, Street Food Festival, and the Food and Entreprenership Conference. More than ready to try some good food and check out the food entrepreneurship scene in SF. Watch out Grand Rapids, we’re bringing it back with us!

Stay updated on the SF food adventure by following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. #SFSFF #UKinSF

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BLOOMferments has been working on their business all year and is getting close to going to market! Read the interview below to learn a little more about their business, or check out their website for more information. And most importantly, stay tuned for more information as they get closer to opening up for sales!

So what exactly is BLOOMferments?

We are BLOOMferments and sell lacto-fermented eats + drinks. We strive to stay true to the ancient traditional methods of fermentation, to use most ethical ingredients we can find, and be loyal to local farms and businesses. This means supporting local farms for our fresh ingredients and local suppliers of herbs and spices for dry ingredients that don’t necessarily grow in West Michigan. Staying small is important to us so that we can stand by our values.

Our four main products are traditionally made sauerkraut, kimchi (Korean seasoned kraut), kefir (similar to a drinkable yogurt), and kombucha (fermented tea).

Meet Emily & Amber (the “we” of BLOOMferments)

Hi, I’m Emily Helmus. I grew up in Chicago’s Western suburbs and have always felt like I was born in the wrong century. My childhood love of food, farming, and following traditional methods of working with my hands has grown from hobby into lifestyle. While I lived in Chicago, I spent two summers volunteering at an 1890’s living history farm where I learned about old-fashioned techniques of gardening and preserving. After moving to Grand Rapids, I started my own backyard homestead, tending to a wide variety of vegetables and herbs as well as taking care of a small flock of laying hens. I was also manager of Calvin College’s Community Garden and have spent the past two summers tending to Eastown’s Barefoot Victory Garden. Wherever the garden was, I took care to apply traditional methods of growing and eliminating pest problems whenever possible.

I first became interested in lacto-fermented foods in January of 2011 when I received a kombucha culture from my friend and business partner Amber Sackett. I fell head-over-heels in love with fermentation and devoted many hours each week to learning more about this traditional process of preserving food. Shortly after brewing my first batch of kombucha, I experimented with making other ferments, from sourdough bread to yogurt. Kombucha produces a new culture at the end of each brewed batch and I started bartering these away on Craigslist for fresh eggs, quarts of beer, medicinal herb plants, artwork, reiki sessions and homemade grape juice. I even made a few friends from these trades! It seems that I am destined for a business selling fermented goodies.

And I am Amber Sackett, hello! I grew up in the metro Detroit suburbs. I too felt as though I was born in the wrong culture, and in the wrong century. I became fascinated with food at a very young age, raiding cupboards and refrigerators, and making very interesting combinations to eat. I learned shortly after that ingredients had their own unique personalities and once they were understood, you could use them liberally. I seldom use recipes.

Once I graduated high school, I became fascinated with alternative medicine. I began carrying a small book about herbal remedies in my bag, and would reference it often. This path led me to attend Irene’s Myomassology Institute in September 2009, and haven’t been the same since. I learned how sacred and infinite the body is. I fell in love with muscles and their complexity and developed a passion for helping people heal in replace of pain medication or surgery. At Irene’s I was introduced to the concepts of Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine and I was smitten.

My journey with medicinal food led me to the ancient art of lacto-fermentation. I was given a kombucha culture and the book, “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Elix-Katz and the rest was history. I fermented everything. Lacto-fermented foods made my body feel better, function better and were absolutely delicious. I then read “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon and truly believe that we need journey back to food the way our ancestors prepared it. I believe fully that healthy whole foods lead to a longer, happier life.

What prompted you to start BLOOMferments?

Emily: I started making fermented foods in January of 2011 and quickly developed a deep passion for them. I’ve been using my ferments to barter with my naturopath since last June. For his services, I make an amount of sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha that is equal to the total he charges. Earlier this year, he sat me down at the beginning of an appointment and convinced me to sell them at the Fulton Market. I took his advice to heart and sat down with Sarah Geurkink at Uptown Kitchen. My idea for a tiny cottage industry business suddenly turned into a real deal small business. It was then that I asked Amber for help. (I needed it!)

Amber: I feel as though Emily and I make great partners. We started fermenting virtually at the same time, so we learned a lot from each other. We are also equally obsessed with it – to the point that we make fermented food jokes that no one else thinks are funny.

Why did you choose the name BLOOMferments?

Emily: One Sunday in April, I was driving down Plymouth Avenue contemplating the business name. I was soaking in the beauty of the trees in full bloom that lined the street and it dawned on me. BLOOM! The business is named after the friendly bacterial bloom in our ferments and the blooming trees on Plymouth in the springtime.

Amber: Well, I have always wanted to work with food. People tell me I should start a food business all the time, but I was too overwhelmed with where to start. When Emily told me about her idea, I was instantly committed and insanely excited.

What makes BLOOMferments unique?

We are dedicated to supporting local farms and businesses as much as we possibly can. If we can’t get ingredients locally, we will be purchasing organic ones from responsible companies and farms. For example, some of the herbs in our kombucha are from Mountain Rose Herbs, which we will be buying from Global Infusion on Diamond Ave. We also will be putting out herbal kombucha blends, and are working with local herbalist Lisa Rose Starner to concoct the perfect combinations.

Where can customers find your products? How should they contact you?

We don’t have any products out yet as we are still working on the logistics of the business, but we have talked to many stores in and around downtown and Eastown who are excited about the prospect of selling at their locations. Many businesses have approached us about buying our ferments, which is exciting because we haven’t begun selling our ferments yet! If you would like more information on our products or would like to sell them in your restaurant or store, visit our website. Feel free to e-mail us with questions and please like us on Facebook for regular updates!

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Wondering where to find the items made by the tenants of Uptown Kitchen? Search no longer .. here’s a list that will get you everything from salsa, to cheesecake to sausage.

Art’s Hot Salsa

(MARKETS) Friday Fulton Street Farmers Market

(STORES) Art of the Table, Kingma’s Market, The Crushed Grape, Ken’s Fruit Market, Matha’s Vineyard, Ric’s Food Center, Kelly’s Marketplace, Fortino’s, Frank’s Market, Orchard Market, Tiffany’s Wine and Spirit Shop, Sawall Health Foods, Natural Health Center, Park Street Market, Summertime Market, Irving’s Deli and Market

(RESTAURANTS) Ottawa Tavern, Blue Water Grill, Flat River Grill, Rose’s on Reeds

Big C’s Salsa

Tuesday Fulton Street Farmers Market

BLOOMferments

Coming Soon!

Cookies & Hostas

Friday Fulton Street Farmers Market

Deliciosity

Harvest Health (Cascade)

Bartertown

Link Love

Tuesday Ada Farmers Market (12-6)

Wednesday Fulton Street Famers Market (4-7:30)

Friday Village Farmers Market (1-7)

(and direct orders, of course!)

Mrs. B’s Gourmet

Coming Soon!

Metro Cupcakes

Art of the Table

RoChelle’s

Wednesday Fulton Street Farmers Market (4-7:30)

Cafe Stella

Scoville Farms

Direct Order via email

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Scoville Farms is the latest addition to the Uptown Kitchen family. Dominic Sorenson, creator of Scoville Farms, came to Grand Rapids to study at GVSU. He started cooking at an early age, and has spent the past 16 years working in food service and manufacturing. He’s owned a catering service, taught cooking classes, and given food demonstrations. The other half of Scoville Farms, specializing in digital media & production, is Charles Anderson. He is a Kentwood native and self-taught freelance photographer with a love for everything food.

Meet Dominic from Scoville Farms:

What does Scoville Farms specialize in?

Every tasty spread, dip, sauce, glaze or chutney we make will include fresh or dried peppers as the main ingredient, some spicy, some not.

What is the story behind your business or name?

The Scoville Scale is used to quantify the level of spiciness sensed when eating peppers and other spicy foods. Since we produce pepper products like a farm produces peppers, we call ourselves Scoville Farms.

What prompted you to start your business?

My parents not only taught me to cook, but also the value of a job done well. They have played a major role in the development of my passion and with their continued support I was able to take the leap into ownership when the timing was right. We will be ready for sales of our first line in mid-July

What will your first line of products be?

The first in our line of multipurpose condiments is called Everidae Sweet Habanero Sauce. We are taking pre-orders and hope to have our online store open by mid-July at www.scoville-farms.com. Also watch for it to appear on local specialty store shelves

Take an entrepreneur chef with a passion for food an enthusiasm for peppers, mix in some fresh local ingredients, a touch of artistic flare & a bunch of passion-filled hard work and you get products that never fail to impress.

Keep an eye out for more news on where to find Everidae Sweet Habenero Sauce, we’ll keep you updated! If you are interested in learning more, check out Facebook for more  information on Scoville Farms and their Everidae Sweet Habanero Sauce.

http://www.facebook.com/EveridaeSweetHabaneroSauce

http://www.facebook.com/Scoville.Farms

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It’s common to hear this time of year “It’s grilling season!” and while that is true for many, why not grill year round? It’s not all that difficult to brush off a little snow and fire up the grill. There is nothing like the flavor of food kissed by the grill, so don’t deprive yourself! Occasionally I’ll use the indoor charcoal grill that is built into the wall of my kitchen. It’s fabulous, but of course it takes longer to prepare and it has a small surface area. Nonetheless, I wanted to share some tips about how to achieve that ever elusive perfectly grilled chicken breast so that maybe this summer, you can practice and perfect the art. The key is to not overcook it. I like to buy the chicken whole and break it down into parts, but buying the individual pieces can be more convenient. Regardless, buy your chicken from a reputable local farmer practicing humane treatment and providing wholesome medicine-free feed for the chickens. I like Crane Dance and Creswick Farms.

Chicken as we know is a versatile meat that takes on marinade flavors well. One of my favorite marinades is made by combining olive oil with fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped fresh rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper. Maybe a few drops of sriracha or a pinch of red chili flake for a hint of heat. Often I’ll add a splash of tamari as well (pure soy sauce, provides umami and salt, so be careful not to over salt). Put the ingredients in a zip top bag along with the chicken breast, shake it well to coat and leave it for 2-6 hours in the fridge. The lemon will overpower if you marinate overnight. Remember you can reuse zip top bags, just wash them out well with some dish soap and hot water, prop it up and let it dry!

If you don’t have time or simply want a plain grilled breast, skip the marinade. I’ll always grill extra and have some on hand in the fridge for easy meals later in the week – toss with a salad, pasta or on a sandwich. Easy protein, great flavor, fast prep.

Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breast

• Heat your grill to high and make sure it’s brushed well. A clean grill helps the food not to stick and will get you better grill marks.
• Place a chicken breast between a long piece of plastic wrap, folded in half. Using a flat meat mallet, carefully pound the chicken to an even thickness, somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. It’s easy to damage the meat, so be firm but don’t go crazy with the pounding. The more even the better because it will cook more evenly.
• Next, coat the chicken in a little oil (organic canola or olive) and then season with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. It does help to brush the grates with a little high temp oil like canola before putting the meat on, especially if the surface is not really clean. I use the tongs and a paper towel soaked in oil to accomplish this and when you have a line of fat on your cut of meat like a ribeye or pork chop, using it to oil the grates is easiest and works the best, just rub that fat cap directly on the hot grates.
• Place the chicken on the grill at a 45 degree angle to the grates (not parallel or perpendicular to) and close the lid. I like to lay a sprig of rosemary on each breast while grilling. After 2.5 – 3 minutes, check to see if the chicken will release from the grates. If it does, lift it up and turn it 90 degrees so it’s on the grates 45 degrees now in the opposite way. This will give you gorgeous hash marks. Give it another a minute or two and then flip your chicken. If you keep the cover on most of the time, you’ll get the most consistent heat and it will cook faster…with the lid open, you’ll need to factor in an extra minute or so per side. Another 3 – 4 minutes of cooking and your chicken should be ready. Remove it onto a heat-safe platter and cover with a plate or foil. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, taste a little bit and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. and then serve. The chicken should be just cooked through. If you want to be certain, you can check with an instant read thermometer for 155 degrees F. I avoid this since it causes the juices to run out, but the first few times you are working on perfecting your technique, it may be helpful to check.

One little secret I’ll share is that on things like steak, chicken, and fish often I’ll dab a little butter from the stick on top right after I take them off the grill. Not much, just a smidge. You don’t want to brush off any seasonings, so you can also place very thin pats on to pats well. This adds a glossy coat, a little added flavor and richness, and really adds a great finishing touch.

There you have it. Quick and painless. I occasionally will cook the chicken using a quick sear on high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly roast it for 10 – 15 minutes which can produce the juiciest chicken but it’s a little more difficult to nail. Using the method above is a fairly foolproof way to grill chicken perfectly.

-Chris  & Molly (Grand Rapids Cooking School)

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Summer is around the corner and the city of Grand Rapids is pulsing with outdoor activity. Here’s our short list of must-do activities for the week to celebrate local food and local art.

• Tonight is the first evening market at Fulton Street Farmers Market. While you’re there, pick up some fresh asparagus or strawberries!
• Stop by the Local First Street Party this weekend for some local music, drinks and food. Entrance is FREE! Chez Olga (an Eastown neighbor) and The Silver Spork will be there too.
• The Market presented by The Avenue for the Arts will feature local and regional artisans and performers as well as businesses and restaurants along South Division. Another great way to support our community!

Most of all, enjoy Pure Michigan this week!

-Kelly

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