Inside The Hills Market

Indoor Street Fair

Tomorrow is our Indoor Street Fair at The Hills Market. We spent a month or so rallying up some of our favorite local vendors and asked them to come in to sample their wares from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The result? A veritible buffet of amazing foods, all for free. When we do things like this, we ask the people who actually make and work with the products to come in, instead of hiring a person to stand in front of the tables to pass out samples of things they know nothing about. This gives you an opportunity to meet and talk to the people who make things like Boy Howdy Barbeque Sauce, Misty Mountain Herb Blends, Velvet Ice Cream, Robert Rothschild Dips, and so on. You can ask questions, share recipes and talk directly to our vendors, letting them know what you want to see them do. We're lucky to be in a state that has so many food companies creating new and delicious takes on old favorites.

As an extra treat, our friends at Boar's Head are giving away free hot dogs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. So in the very least, come in for a free lunch. Try the Gerber Chicken, the fresh salad dressings, the samples of Dietsch's chocolate covered pretzels. Taste why we love these items.

As an aside, I'll let you in on a little secret. On Saturday, April 7th, during our Annual Bunny Romp (a community Easter Egg hunt that we host every year) we'll be lucky to be next to the World's Smallest Pony, only nineteen inches tall decked in bunny ears. I realize that ponies have absolutely nothing to do with food, but we're hoping that the kids - and adults - will enjoy the spectacle. The pony will be at the store from 12.15 to 1.15 p.m. My job is never boring.

Tasty Wheat Free Treats

Mandy brought in these gluten free and wheat free desserts from Moondance, a new company based in Cincinnati. She chose to carry them because they're both gluten free and delicious. These desserts are truly gourmet. We carry a few varieties of their brownies - perfect to split - and the chocolate chip cheesecake shown in the picture.

Allergen free products are something that we've seen more interest in here at Hills. You can expect us to carry more, and the demand increases. Meanwhile, even if you can eat every wonderful ingredient available in the food world, I recommend trying the Fudge Brownie with a scoop of Graeter's vanilla ice cream. Amazing.

I'm Thinking Brunch.

So Spring is just about here. Ignore the cold weather outside and think about earlier this week, when we were able to open our windows for the first time this season. As the clean sunlight poured in over my (dirty) counters, I found myself dayreaming about brunch. It's a rite of Spring, having a brunch with friends and family. I went through the store yesterday, planning out my first brunch of 2007. Now I'm just waiting for a warm weekend morning.

You always need fresh flowers.

Delicious on top of toasted english muffins.

Treat yourself.

So good, so easy.


Imagine these mussels in a broth of wine, butter and shallots.

Joe "Woody" Woodruff, Produce Director

Joe Woodruff - Hardly Bashful

Woody does not like to cooperate with certain photographers. He made sure, through several minutes of photographs, to keep his face covered by the pricing gun. This is to be expected by our goofy Produce Director, Joe "Woody" Woodruff. He'd definitely rather hang out with his precious fruits and vegetables than make life easy for the Marketing Department. There's no hard feelings, though, because not only is Woody great with produce, he's great with customers. And he knows his stuff. With decades in the field, he is truly an expert with produce.

Keeping a produce department running well is an art and a science. He knows how to tell when a fruit will turn, whether an apple is good enough to put on our floor, and just how much sweet corn we're going to sell on a Saturday in August. He's been with various forms of The Hills Market and the families that have owned it since high school.

“Good produce people adapt like chameleons,” says Woody. Woody knows how to adapt.                                            

The Hills has a much larger selection of high quality produce items than a typical grocery would carry. “We only carry tree-ripened fruit,” Woody says. “This means it isn’t picked until it is ripe and ready,  rather than when it’s convenient.” Woody also makes sure we have a wide variety of specialty items that people request, such as the assortment of seasonal  organic fruit. His favorite seasonal item is the winter radish, just one of the unique items that The Hills Market carries. 

                     

Feeling Blue

Blueberries are on sale this week.

Pretty plates in front of the Floral Shoppe.

Hummingbird feeder for sale in the front of the store.

It's almost that time of year.

A late evening treat.

Bring the beach to you.

So delicious.

Here's a recipe. I tried this about a month ago, and it was amazing.

Blueberry Pudding Cake

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
10 oz blueberries (2 cups)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.

Stir together 1/3 cup sugar with water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan, then stir in blueberries. Bring to a simmer, then simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl.

Whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl, then add flour mixture, whisking until just combined.

Spoon batter into baking pan, spreading evenly, then pour blueberry mixture evenly over batter (berries will sink). Bake until a knife inserted into center of cake portion comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

Cooks' note:
Cake can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept, wrapped well in foil, at room temperature.

    Makes 6 to 8 breakfast or dessert servings.
    Borrowed from Epicurious and Gourmet, July 2005

Kent Rand, Cheese Director

Kent Rand - Chalking It Up

Kent Rand, Cheese Director, found The Hills Market in September of 2003, when he responded to an ad looking for delicatessen help in a local paper. What a treat for us, when we found out that not only is he completely charismatic and great with our customers, but he's an actual bona fide Foodie. This man is absolutely passionate about food and wine, and he has an incredible drive to learn more.

It wasn't long before we realized that Kent would better be utilized as our Cheese Director. We offered the job and he accepted. His background as the Maître d’ at a French restaurant called La Chardonnay in Texas, and as an associate at a specialty delicatessen in Maine gave him the strengths The Hills Market needed to head up the Cheese Department.

Kent has an artistic side, too. There isn't any project that he can't master in a creative way. He's been given the task of creating all of our chalkboard art at Hills, and has managed to organize the cheese case in a beautiful and informative way with signs, flags and descriptions.

He spends some of his time at Hills searching for new fantastic cheeses, both local and international. For those customers who aren’t so familiar with different varieties of cheese, Kent says “don’t be afraid to ask. I’m more than happy to cut off a sample of any cheese you are uncertain about. I want you to love cheese as much as I do.”