Seattle / Washington / United States
ChefShop.com Searching the World for the Best Artisan-Produced, Sustainable Foods and Ingredients Located in the Interbay area of Seattle, Washington, ChefShop.com was started in 1997 by a small group of passionate food-lovers with a very big mission: To change the way people think and feel about the foods that they eat. We were going to do that by finding the very best-tasting foods from small farmers and artisan producers from around the world especially from growers and craftspeople who see the connection between the way the land is maintained and the quality of the food they produce and make these products available to customers, wherever they live. We felt that the industrialization of food production and mass market dominance of food distribution here in the U.S. had led to a noticeable degradation in the quality of food available in this country, most noticeable by its lack of flavor and potential healthiness. We recognized that this sorry state of culinary affairs was due, in significant part, to the breakdown in the traditional, sustainable methods of growing and producing foods. In 1995, Tim Mar and food promoter, Mauny Kaseburg, produced a video for children called Earth to Table. The idea was to help children feel more connected to the food they eat, and understand where their food came from ; highlighting local farmers and producers who work hard to grow, harvest and deliver the food that we buy at local farmers markets and grocery stores worldwide. There is more awareness now, but in 1997 no one really knew or thought about where their food came from. Because our focus is on traditions, both old or new, and on hand crafted foods and ingredients, our producers are often extremely small, located in remote places, and do not have mainstream distribution or modern brand management. This can create a bit of a bind for inventory, as often a producer is out of product until the next harvest. But we try to roll with the seasonal punches. It is, after all, how real food is and how real food should be eaten. Our customers are food lovers who realize that there is more to food than what they see on their supermarket shelves. To help their local customers learn more about the products that we sell, we opened a brick-and-mortar retail store in late 1999 that included an olive oil, balsamic and wine vinegar tasting bar, as well as separate tasting stations for honeys, sea salts and jams. expanding on the traditional production concept: In 2002, we started offering a small selection of artisan-produced fresh foods, such as tree-ripened fruit from Central Washington, smoked-to-order free-range, naturally raised turkey, and seasonal Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from Italy. What sets ChefShop.com apart from other retailers is that they work directly with the grower to get the absolute freshest, most flavorful products possible. Every piece of fruit we sell is left on the tree until it is actually ripe. It is picked at its peak, and then packed and shipped the next day. No early harvest or long-term cold storage for our fruit. Its like eating fruit right off the tree! In 2003, we added sustainable Alaskan and Hawaiian seafood to their list of fresh products. The fish is line-caught, properly processed on the boat ( so that the fish is not stressed ), then packed and shipped to our customer within 24 hours. Not only do we support sustainable fishing practices, our fish arrives far fresher than anything one could get in the typical grocery store, even in ChefShop.coms native Seattle. ChefShop.com offers a seasonal selection of the very best artisan-produced foods and fresh products from around the world. The majority of the products are handmade using pure, natural ingredients, and traditional, often centuries-old, techniques and recipes. Products include a broad selection of domestic and imported estate olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and exotic and hard-to-find spices and herbs. They also offer a growing list of fresh f
