Adam's on Saddle Road, for me, is synonymous with bagels, pastry, soup or sandwich. But there are several shelves of condiments around the establishment which have grabbed my attention for sometime now. Salt from the Mediterranean Sea, European vinegar, French jams, to name a few, and above all the largest jar of the largest olives I have ever seen.
I started reading labels and got to talking with Jackie Aboud, the curator, as she calls herself, of the Gourmet Shoppe. Did people really buy these items which are definitely a little higher in price than those in the ordinary supermarkets. Before we could set a mutually agreeable time for a full discussion on the originality of the items, Jackie's Christmas shelves were going up, so we combined the discussion.
Olives I love. These super-colossal olives from Cerignola in Italy are also sold retail for those of us who neither need nor can afford the gigantic bottle. They were delicious and when sprinkled with virgin olive oil and seasoned with either pepper or paprika, make a delicious 'cutter' for the drinkers.
The salt in the pretty blue tin had also caught my eye. The 100% natural Alessi Sea Salt did not come from the small Caribbean islands but from the cool, blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea by the oldest method of evaporation. Sea water, says the label, is transferred through a series of evaporation ponds which successively eliminate other elements. The hot, dry climate and gentle breezes hasten the evaporation process leaving behind only pure white crystals and other valuable trace minerals not found in regulat salt. Alessi Sea Salt is said to add a new dimension to your cooking.
And hear this, the label further explained that salt is a precious mineral, once traded ounce per ounce for gold and had even been used as currency in Roman times. The word "salary" has its meaning based on the important role salt (sa-le in Italian) has played throughout history, either mined from the ground or obtained through evaporated sea water.
Other specialty items include Italian balsamic vinegar made from the boiled down musts of grapes; sherry and red wine vinegars made in Spain; and Bordeaux wine vinegar; and of course the vinegar we all use for health purposes -apple cider vinegar - made in France. The curator has chosen gourmet products made with the highest quality ingredients and 90% preservative free. Having lived in Milan, Italy, for four and a half years where she studied fashion design, Jackie is sure "it was there my outlook became totally different and I learned quality was better than quantity and that is my Italian motto."
Most of the olive oil in the Shoppe comes from Italy, extra virgin oil at varying prices, according to the 'press' number, and this has nothing to do with the media, it relates to what number of times the oil was pressed. Walnut and Almond Oil come from England.
A line of salad dressings, again all natural without MSG, made in small batches and blended with the purest, natural oils and spices, include original Caesar, blue cheese, honey mustard, lemon herb, and poppy seed.
"Salt and pepper grinders are becoming very popular because they promote a fresh taste and I even have a nutmeg grinder" says Jackie, who never re-stocks anything that does not sell so that every item in the shoppe is a best seller.
In addition to a line of excellent quality Italian pasta, there is rice pasta for those allergic to wheat; French crisptoast and Finnish rye crispbread for the weight conscious; Swedish Thins ginger based tea biscuits- made in chocolate, almond, orange, lemon and ginger, are popular; Dijon mustards; horse radish and seafood Tartar Sauce; and French fruit preserves with no sugar, artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. I have tried the strawberry and it is delicious.