Web page coming soon

We are really close to launching our first ever web page, which is being designed by some amazing folks out of Portland, Oregon. NeedMoreDesigns to be sure. 15th of November to be exact. Keep posted.

Farmer's Market and Food & Wine

Wow!? and a little bit of wheeeww!? This has been an intense week. First, we were in this months Food & Wine magazine (Nov2007) with a nice little write-up from Amanda over at Metrocurean, and a beautiful photo from Josh Cogan, a dead-on photographer here in DC. Then, we were in our first ever farmer's market at Penn Quarter this Thursday. There were the likes of Wolfgang Puck and Nora Pouillon browsing the market. Lots of people came out, along with lots of wind. We borrowed bags and buckets of stones to keep the tent from blowing away like a little kite. The market was one of the most amazing experiences we have had since opening our doors 3 years ago. Just to be around these folks, the farmers, the organizers, the chefs and people who give a hoot about where their food comes from (by the way, in this months Harper's magazine, it reads, 'a leading health expert has stated that humans are not fit for human consumption' - just something to think about). We were excited, nervous, honored and in denial that we were actually there, alongside these farmers, from whom we have been buying our produce and dairy from for the last 3 years. It is nothing more than art to be able to interpret these beautiful and fresh ingredients, trying to capture their muse and subtleties. We will be at the Penn Quarter Farmer's Market every Thursday until November 15, which is the date the market closes for the winter. We will be spinnng about 6 to 10 flavors, in pint and half-pint sizes. This Thursday we will be making our first small batch of pumpkin gelato, compliments of the fine folks at Toigo Orchards, who hooked us up with an enormous crate of big, small, twisted and bizarre pumpkins and squashes. We're going to bake them sweet and blend together fresh ginger root, ceylon cinnamon, fresh ground nutmeg, a touch of clove, brown sugar and a bit of Lewe's Dairy cream, just enough to add a little body.
To add to the week, Counter Culture Coffee just installed our new 2 group La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine. To the non-geek, that translates to the creamiest bit of espresso and the finest frothed milk in the immediate area.
So see you, or be square, we will be there.

Querido Mejico

Well, we have returned back state-side from the beautiful, rich and mysterious country of Mejico. We were able to get away, un-plug and somewhat forget about our crazy city dwelling life we have here in DC. We were waking up everyday drinking cafe con leche, going to the beach, surfing, eating at taco stands, being around our wonderful friends, Delfina and Adam, and of course, searching out the best mexican vanilla beans we could find. The vanilla beans we brought back are from Veracruz, Mejico, and, in my humble opinion, are the best vanilla beans on the planet. We brought back enough for probably a couple of months worth of Mexican Vanilla gelato, which we will start spinning in a couple of weeks. Also, now that we are back, we will fully roll into the fall menu, which means Bartlett Pear, Bosc Pear with Bourbon, Honey Crisp Apple, Apple gelato with a homemade crumble folded into it, Apple Cider with Clove, Virginia Peanut Butter, Georgia Butter Pecan and a huge medley of Pumpkins, Squash & Sweet Potatoes. We will be selling our goods at the Penn Quarter Farmer's Market starting this Thursday from 3pm to 7pm, both in half-pint and pint containers.
We brought back several ideas for new flavors that we will start playing around with soon, like Mole de Almendra, Cafe de Olla, and Chocolate Mexicano. So, now that we are rested and ready to get back to the kitchen, we can't wait to roll into the new season, menu and local fruits and vegetables. It is such a rich experience to follow the seasons with our local farmers and interpret their produce to create true hand-made gelato and sorbetto, the way it used to be made, with care, attention and the best local ingredients that one has around. So, although it may be getting cooler soon, we will not stop spinning and eating our gelato over here at Dolcezza. Hopefully, we will see you around, too.