When food and love collide...

We love this time of year. The excitement of the new and the love of the old all arriving on the docks soon. Pallets higher than your outstretched arm, filled to the brim with cases upon cases of Panettone.

Great panettone comes from time. Years, decades really, of history through the thoughtful care of generations of hands. Starter yeasts, like sourdough, are kept alive, decades over decades, creating the distinct flavor from one maker to another.

And it's the age old question; is panettone a cake or is panettone a bread? For us, panettone is love. It is, perhaps, something that eclipses all three definitions.

I asked someone today, "What food do you love?"

The answer was answered with a question.

"Do you mean a meal? Because there are many. And if it is not a meal, but a type, like Italian, or sushi, any fish; I live here (in the Northwest) because of all the seafood."

I asked but what about love?

"Hmmm...I don't really think about food that way. I love avocados because I can eat them anywhere. On, in, and around other foods. And I can eat them alone. I can make things with them...."

"They are complete, full of the good fats, not the bad LDLs, they have the fats you want to be with. And they are good for you, too!"

Then I asked, "Is your love of an avocado the same as your relationships?"

The answer was augmented with a laugh, "Maybe, maybe I do prefer my people to be like an avocado: Independent. Reliable. Flexible. Versatile. And full of the good fats!"

Romance. Love. Food.

This is why we have such a love of Panettone, the Romance of time, the love of the bread that is a cake, and good food that someone made.

All the things we need in life all wrapped up in holiday clothing. Share together or share as a gift. The panettone is live and ready for you to put your cakes on hold before they arrive in the warehouse.

One of the best ingredients in food is the people.

Why do we mention this so early? Because we have many people who order on October 1st as soon as we "release" the Panettone for pre-order. Remember you can cancel your order before we ship if you change your mind.

Click Here To See All 30+ Panettone options for this year!

I avoided making Panettone bread pudding for a long time. Why make it when you have Panettone? The panettone is already fabulous by the handful!

And Panettone French toast is like heaven, as well!

Well, I can tell you that bread pudding is in some ways an even better mouthful! Or, at least one more fantastic way to relish in the bread and cake of Panettone!

See the Simple ChefShop Panettone Bread Pudding Recipe here!

Our favorite along with all the others. Think of this as the gateway Panettone - always a winner and though you might pick another "flavor" as your favorite for the year, a little lemon is essential to complete the holiday season.

Unlike a traditional panettone that is studded with raisins and candied orange peel and citron, this ethereal panettone is made with lightly candied Sorrento lemons, and I swear that you can almost smell the heavenly scent right through the wrapping. Light and buttery, soft, it will melt in your mouth, and the aroma and flavor of the Sorrento lemon will drive you to distraction.

It is the perfect dessert for that holiday feast or open house. Serve it with some espresso or Vin Santo, and Buon Natale.

Pre-order now for Sorrento Lemon Panettone!

It is baking season! And having all the right stuff in the pantry makes life good!

This ground Saigon cinnamon powder packs a healthy vibrant punch!

Vietnamese cinnamon is invigoratingly potent, with a rich, spicy flavor. You may need less than you're accustomed to! Saigon cinnamon powder is an excellent choice for dishes sweet and savory, from cookies to pies to stews.

Saigon cinnamon (also known as Vietnamese cinnamon) is a variety of cinnamon that comes from the Cinnamomum loureiroi tree, which is primarily grown in Vietnam. It's one of the most popular and highly prized types of cinnamon in the world due to its bold, spicy flavor. It's often considered stronger and more intense than other varieties of cinnamon.

Saigon cinnamon is favored for its intense, spicy-sweet flavor, making it ideal for people who enjoy a strong cinnamon taste. It's particularly popular in baked goods, desserts, coffee, and hot beverages like chai or hot chocolate. However, it's best used in moderation, particularly because of its higher coumarin content.

Shop now for Cinnamon!

Pistachio cream panettone, iced with plain chocolate, decorated with pistachio grains and cocoa nibs. OMG—if you like pistachios and chocolate, you'll love this panettone. Very moist and luscious.

Pre-order now for Borsari Pistachio Cream Panettone here!

Marron Glace (candied chestnuts) is a traditional Italian treat around the holidays. But rarely do we see them in a panettone this good! Not what you would think...lightly leavened panettone bread with bits of sugared sweetness - there is nothing like it. Plus, this Italian Panettone dessert is so beautifully wrapped. Perfect for chestnut lovers everywhere.

Pre-order now for Flamigni Candied Chestnut Panettone here!

Flamigni does a wonderful job with chocolate in panettone and the chocolate is good!

Pre-order now for Flamigni Citron and Chocolate Panettone!

When we first took a squeeze and ripped a piece out of this panettone we were excited and a little fearful. Olive oil when added to a food you don't expect is often less than enjoyable or a nothing burger. In this case, the combo of Blood Orange and olive oil makes this Panettone a fun one! It is delicious, it is fun, it is different and it is special! We have sold out always, and this year we are offering it early before it arrives, so if it peaks your taste buds pre-order now!

Pre-order now for Bona Furtuna Blood Orange and Olive Oil Panettone!

This "wrap" is one of the favorites! It sells out well before Thanksgiving...so if you think it is for you we encourage you to pre-order today!

Producing fantastic, moist panettone fruit cakes since the 1930s, one taste and you will understand why G. Cova is one of the best.

This is G. Cova's Panettone Classico fruit cake delightfully hand wrapped with their vintage blue wrap and tied with twine. A delight to open at the Christmas table or before if you can't wait that long!

Pre-order now for Breramilano Panettone Classico - Traditional Blue Wrap here!

The first year we had this we thought a new world had arrived! It was so delicious and distinctly different!

This mixed-fruit has the perfect match of Pear, Apple, Peach and Apricot in the wonderful cake/bread of Flamigni Panettone. This Italian Panettone fruit cake has not too much of anything, just about perfect amounts of everything. I never pass up having a sample when no one is looking.

Pre-order Flamigni Contadino - Pear, Apple, Peach and Apricot - Panettone here!

Instead of the usual raisins and candied citron and orange peel, this wonderful panettone from Albertengo is studded with chunks of local apricots, whose slight tartness is the perfect complement to the rich sweet bread surrounding them.

Like all the wonderful panettone from Albertengo, this apricot panettone is light and buttery, has a soft texture (with no icing sugar) that will melt in your mouth. Just like the lemon, everyone loves the one fruit breads!

Perfect for the panettone lover in your life.

Pre-order now for Albertengo Panettone with Apricot!

Traditional low Milanese Panettone is ideal for those who wish to celebrate Christmas by presenting a Panettone with an old-time flavor. Elegant packaging made by hand, it distinguishes itself by its simplicity.

This Panettone Christmas cake uses an ancient recipe of butter, eggs, raisins, candied citron, with no icing.

Pre-order now for Albertengo Antica Ricetta Panettone!

The same amazing flavor as the cherry and chocolate panettone—but without the chocolate. Really delicious. We ordered more this year than last year—but not by much. So, if you like amarena cherries—don't wait to order this one.

Pre-order now for Breramilano Panettone with Fabbri Amarena Cherries!

The flavor of Sichuan peppercorns is characterized by a unique combination of citrusy, floral, and lemony notes.

They have a distinct aroma and taste that is not as pungent or spicy as black peppercorns.

Instead, they provide a tingling, numbing sensation on the tongue, which is their most notable characteristic.

This numbing effect, along with their citrusy flavor, adds a distinctive and refreshing element to dishes. This lemony flavor is what makes them particularly appealing for brightening up sauces and meat and chicken dishes.

It is truly a fun spice to add to your chocolate or your next stir fry.

Shop now for Red Sichuan Peppercorns!

Peanut butter and jelly. Most of us grew up with it. The go to sandwich made with Wonder bread for much of our grade school life until we hit puberty and high school where cool was not a peanut butter and jelly anything.

Today we skip the bread and the combination of peanut butter and jelly, split them apart, otherwise known in hip terms as "de-construction" and a term that is no longer cool either....

Add peanut butter to your milk shake and it is a "protein" shake and it makes the ice cream healthy for you. Or, for dinner when you are trying to cut your calories (and too lazy to make anything) peanut butter with an apple is easy.

And bread is now a delicacy when you bake it yourself, slathered in a couple of tablespoons of protein butter and made from an "exotic" flour called whole wheat that you got at the grocery store.

And jam is no longer jam or jelly. We know now that marmalade is different from jam or jelly or conserves or even a fruit spread.

And this is a good thing! There is no denying that there are a million great fruit-based spreads out there.

Finding ones you like is both easy and difficult. When you crave for a jam any one will often do.

If you have time, though, and you're not traveling, having one on hand that is outstanding is an important job to succeed at.

As many of you know that the Abricot (Apricot) jam we sold out a month or so back is divine. One giant spoonful and you are in a happy place. It takes on the apricot and makes it crazy delicious!

When it comes to strawberry there are a zillion of those. And these days they are often more jelly-like than jam smooth.

Some tout their big chunks of berry, which quite frankly ruins the spread-ability of the jam. It is like spreading jam with speed bumps. And many are sickly sweet, not in a happy sugar kind of way. More like a bad taffy that is stuck to your teeth way.

And then there is this Fraise (strawberry) jam from the same people who make the Abricot! It tastes like strawberry, like you want it to.

The morsels that are left are not visual chunks of bumps. Instead, they are like packets of strawberry explosions. Or, are they more like a bite of strawberry flesh you are eating?

In any case the jam is sweet, of course, with sugar, yet when you are done with a spoonful, it is the flavor of strawberry that remains.

This French Strawberry Jam is like what you remember and want it to be. It is worth always having on hand for the daytime and for the late night saltines, peanut butter and Fraise jam. Just like what I used to do in high school.

Shop now for La Trinquelinette Strawberry Jam!