The history of magical dust is a long and secret story that is rarely shared amongst mere mortals.

This secret is not in the history books, but is shared in code via the secret communicator called children’s stories.

Our story starts here in the ancient library of Britain. We had gone to look for Shakespeare, but instead we found a guy named Benedict, an actor in disguise as Hamlet, who knew of the origins we sought.

He spoke to us in iambic pentameter about fairy & pixie dust and the importance of the Leprechaun’s pot of gold.

He said that the original origins of the secret dust comes from Italy in Tuscany and that Gertrude had passed on the secret of capturing this pot of gold, known commonly as Fennel Pollen of the Wilds, with love to her son.

The secret lies in the gathering of the pollen, he continued. Selecting only the best and the brightest yellow amongst all the flora in the summer and carefully shaking the florets to relieve and capture just the pollen. It is then dried in the shade, away from the harshness of the God Helios. It is this attention to the process and detail that makes this the very best.

The process takes an enormous amount of time and patience is required. The result is indeed the fairy dust we seek. This Wild Tuscan Fennel Pollen is like no other on the planet. Its bright yellow coloring is created by microscopic little angels, mimicking a flower.  

And like the magical stories we have read it only takes a tiny dusting to change our palates forever!

Transforming fowl or fish, or a touch to a green vegetable, it is amazing what this secret mythical “dust" can do! You can feel the heartbeat of the pixie in every bite!

It can top almost everything you eat in the summer, from grilled veggies to fowl of any kind. Our stand-by standard is Fennel Pollen Chicken. With just olive oil, salt & pepper and fennel pollen. It’s that easy! And is magically better!

Shop here for the Magical fairy dust Fennel Pollen!

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This is the perfect way to welcome warm weather, return to cooking outdoors, or when one is so tired of either making the same old thing or if you are looking for something easy to make that is a surprise to the taste buds.

See the Fennel Pollen Chicken Recipe here!

I have been eating hard boiled eggs a lot lately these days. Mostly trying to find the best way make them so I can have consistent success. Actually, more like so I won’t have a failure.

These Deviled Eggs replace some of the traditional mayonnaise with olive oil, and the capers and fresh tarragon make for a lively flavor that’s a nice change from the classic mayo/mustard combination.

See the easy Deviled Eggs with Capers & Tarragon Recipe here!

This is a perfect ingredient to celebrate the harvesting of summer vegetables and the making of hot weather dishes!

This artisan Sorrento lemon infused olive oil is perfect for fish or oven-blasted vegetables, like asparagus.

It fills the nose with a wonderful lemon scent, without any bitter notes. To the eye, it has a nice yellow green color and darkens with depth.

To the mouth, it is pure joy. A sip is lemony. By the mouthful, it takes a moment for the lemon to evolve into a gentle wash that passes through.

This oil is so good you can just drizzle it on pasta and that’s all you need! Summer is better with artisan Sorrento lemon infused olive oil from Italy.

Shop here for Casina Rossa Sorrento Lemon Olive Oil!

Sometimes a simple creamy pasta sauce on the shapely Bowtie pasta is all you need. Like getting dressed up without having to go out.

See the easy Bowtie Goat Cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano Recipe here!

A shape that pleases all ages, from toddlers to centurions, this pasta will always make you smile!

Traditional Italian farfalle (bowtie-shaped) pasta is drawn through bronze so that the surface is rough and ready to take on whatever sauce you throw at it, just like when you were a kid, but way, way better. It is made only with locally grown, certified Italian Grown Durum wheat.

Shop here for Sgambaro Farfalle Bowtie Pasta!

Adapted from Paula Wolfert's cookbook "Cooking from the Eastern Mediterranean”.

“This is a Muhammara dip recipe I first learned from a Syrian woman named Nora who loved to tell off-color jokes as we delicately prepared the day's food.

I have adapted the recipe to use either prepared roasted bell peppers or piquillo peppers. Alternatively, you can roast the same number of red bell peppers yourself. To do so, oil the peppers and roast them at 450°F or broil them until they blister and turn black. Then, place them in a paper bag and let them cool. Finally, remove and seed, core, and skin them."

See the easy Muhammara - Walnut, Red Pepper & Pomegranate Dip Recipe here!

Long a favorite ingredient in Middle Eastern and Persian cuisine, pomegranate molasses (or paste) is starting to be recognized more and more here for its versatility and the rich, distinct sweet-tart flavors it brings to a wide range of dishes.

Sadaf pomegranate molasses is made from tart pomegranates with a little sugar added to balance the tartness. It is reduced to a thick, molasses-like consistency. Rather than the bright red of the fresh fruit, it's a dark, syrupy mahogany color, sometimes with a slightly grainy texture.

Traditionally, paste like this Sadaf pomegranate molasses appears more in savory dishes than sweet, adding a tangy, fruity note to dips, spreads, and main dishes of all kinds.

It's a great addition to stir-fries, thickening the sauce and adding its flavor notes. Sadaf pomegranate molasses makes a beautiful salad dressing, particularly when combined with walnut oil.

Page through Middle Eastern cookbooks, and you'll find a myriad of recipes for this wonderful elixir, or search our Recipes section for enticing treats like Pomegranate Cranberry Smoothies, Chicken Thighs Braised in Pomegranate Molasses, and more.

Tangy and Tasty!!
"I love this ingredient--I have drizzled it over quinoa, couscous, and rice. It also makes a delicious sauce for chicken or steak when sautéed with red wine, butter, and shallots. Sooo good and a little goes a long way! I've been getting into pomegranates this year!"
-- L K P

a unique product!
"Sadaf Pomegranate Paste has a complex and unique combination of tastes. I find it useful in desserts and as an ingredient in sauces for any number of dishes"
-- tony

Shop here for Sadaf Pomegranate Molasses!

Gomasio is a mix of sesame seeds (goma), kelp and nettle.

This mix is perfect for eating out-of-hand, and it is also perfect for topping broiled broccoli, asparagus, or a toasted cheese sandwich.

Add to a salad or top some freshly grilled fish. This is so versatile where the kelp adds the salty twist without adding salt to the mix!

Think furikake except made in the northwest!

Wonderful!
"This is my new favorite, I looooooove it. And I love that it's locally made. I basically inhaled the first bottle I purchased. Goes great with so many dishes, and it's a great healthy snack by itself. I am hoping I can talk ChefShop into carrying the larger size. YUM!"
-- leigh

Shop here for Landsea Gomasio Nutritious Sea Blend!

A recipe within a recipe. A Yuzu Ponzu Dressing to top a Noodle Salad with Kale.

This recipe has been taste tested in ChefShop.com cooking classes with Chef Pam Sawyer.

See the Kale Soba Noodle Salad with Ponzu Dressing Recipe here!

It's the subtle, umami difference that makes this organic Yuzu Ponzu sauce just plain amazing and irresistable! This gem has, in addition to the basic ingredients, kombu and shiitake added.

One taste and you know it's something special. To the nose, the shoyu (soy sauce) is the base of the "whiff," and on top is the delicate citrusy Yuzu. A tingly smell for sure. The first sip is similar to the mouth. The shoyu runs across the taste buds, attacking and spreading quickly, staying low, while the citrus Yuzu floats above, giving and sharing its tang.

It is this combination of shoyu and Yuzu tang, along with the kombu and shiitake, that makes this Japanese shoyu soy sauce tasty beyond belief! Zingy and zangy are great descriptions.

Think agro dolce (sour and sweet) with salty notes that wake up your tongue.

You can make it a dipping sauce for sashimi, a salad dressing, or toss it on some rice to add some spark! A dash on steak or even on your next Baywater Sweet oyster! This shoyu soy sauce has a versatile food personality to take you across the world or just change up your next bite!

Shop now for Organic Yuzu Ponzu Sauce!

This elevated quality Ponzu doesn't have just one or two citrus fruits; it has four different citruses, making it more round, fragrant, surprising, and just more! The blend brings a combination of flavor notes that are complex yet gentle.

To the nose, it has a wonderful sweet combo-citrus whiff. Yuzu is the upfront aroma, Daidai gives it the sweetness, and if you inhale long enough and let it sit in your nostrils for a moment, you get a touch of acidity, present but not bold, from the Sudachi. It must be the Yukou that adds the gentleness and floral notes.

When poured into a spoon, the aroma fills the air with a less pronounced citrus and more of a woodsy and not quite smoky note. The taste is an unmistakable base of shoyu with complexity and a lightness of being that doesn't overpower your taste sensors like shoyu can. The color is like a medium shoyu.

This combination of flavors is clearly well-considered, brought together just as you might bring three olives together to make olive oil, tasted until it is perfectly correct, and then tasted again and again just to be sure.

Because it is so palatable on the spoon, you can imagine how you might use this to dip sushi, sashimi, vegetables or drizzle over some soba noodles. It has just the right amount of umami flavor, emphasized by the Ma Konbu dashi that Suehiro has added.

This is the kind of flavorful ingredient you will add today to what you didn't think of yesterday. A touch of this Ponzu can make your day better.

Shop now for Suehiro Ponzu Sauce here!

Though we automatically pop these particular prunes into our mouths right away because they are such a treat, prunes are a special way to naturally sweeten your recipes.

Prunes do especially well with pork in savory dishes. Even simple ones like bacon-wrapped sausages with prunes are super easy to make and celebrate the prune.

California is the source of most of the prunes in this country, but France is the home of the most splendid prune of all – Pruneaux D’Agen from Agen, France.

When you try one of these pitted sun dried plums for the first time, you realize that not all prunes are the same. Those dried, wrinkly, chewy ones I grew up with are nothing like these, which are a totally different eating experience.

Shop now for Favols Pitted Agen Prunes here!

Delicately placed anchovies in a jar in olive oil. Pleasant, pleasing, perfection...the anchovy.

This little fish is a small, warm water relative of the herring, a Northern European staple. And just as the peoples of the north salted their herring to preserve them, the anchovy has long been salted by fishermen and packers in the Mediterranean, where it is a staple.

Shop now for Scalia Anchovy Fillet in Olive Oil!

You don't have to choose - buy an entire Season and get all three - for a total of 15 pounds of fresh red cherries delivered to your door.

Bing Fresh Cherries - 5 pounds: Currently estimated to ship in late JUNE

Fresh Lapins Cherries - 5 Pounds: Currently estimated to ship in early JULY

Sweethearts Fresh Sweet Cherries - 5 Pounds: Currently estimated to ship in mid JULY

Shop now for Season of Sweet Red Cherries here!