“So noble a confection, more than nectar and ambrosia, the true food of the gods.”
- Dr. Bachot, 1662

We love Chocolate!

Cakes, cookies, brownies, bars, dark, white, milk chocolate…you can find it all here at Cook’s Fresh Market. Below are some facts you may not have known about this delectable bean…

The cocoa bean was discovered over 2000 years ago, in the tropical rainforests of Mesoamerica. It played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

In 1521 with their conquest of Mexico, the Spaniards discovered the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. When the Spanish brought cacao home, they doctored up the bitter brew with cinnamon and other spices and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing.

Sweetened chocolate soon became the latest and greatest fad to hit the continent. Because cocoa and sugar were expensive, chocolate became the symbol of wealth and power. By the 1800′s, solid chocolate candy was being mass produced and more affordable to the general public.

In 1894, Milton Hershey founded the Hershey Chocolate Company in Lancaster, PA. And the rest, as they say, is history! America’s (and the world’s) love affair with chocolate continues to grow with every generation!

Next blog…our favorite chocolate bars!

Cook’s Fresh Market has a well-kept secret….Bill Roehl, our butcher. (But please….DON’T keep the secret! Spread the word!)

He can be found on a daily basis behind the meat counter or in the refrigerated meat processing room…scraping, sawing, cutting, and slicing.  To pull him out of his “meat cave” to get him to answer some questions was quite the feat, but I managed!  Hope you enjoy the interview:

Q:  What is the strangest request you have received…more than once?  A:  Kangaroo Meat!  We used to be able to get it more easily, but now Australia has limited the export of it.

Q:  If you are making your wife dinner, what is it?  A:  Cheerios

Q:  Beef, pork, lamb or poultry?  A:  Sausage

Q:  Favorite activity after work?  A:  Camping, working in yard/garden, hanging with wife and dog, drinking cold ones.

Finally!  We are excited to get our blog up and running because we’ve got lots to say!  We will be posting several times a month, highlighting what’s new in the culinary world and our market, how-to’s and recipes, health related information, contests, special coupons, bios of outstanding employees, customers and more!

Today’s topic…catering!  Did you know that Cook’s Fresh Market is a one-stop catering shop?  Not only do we do fantastic boxed lunches with our delicious salads and sandwiches, we also offer breakfast deliveries, hot entrees, and OF COURSE, our delicious bake shop items!

Celebrate Summer Birthdays witha Fresh Strawberry Tart!

There are many reasons why you should consider Cook’s Fresh Market over other “corporate” caterers. First…do you know we bake our own bread for sandwiches?  No preservatives!  Secondly, we use Boar’s Head Deli Meat and Red Bird All Natural Chicken.  Put our bread and these high quality fillings together and you’ve got yourself a might tasty sandwich!  We also make if very convenient to place your order…you can either call, fax or email your order to us.  See our website for details.  We are happy to take last minute orders and do our best to fill them as quickly as possible. It’s still best to call ahead 24 hours, but we are happy to take any orders the day you need them.

In addition to downtown ‘corporate’ catering, we have a large selection of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and bountiful appetizer platters.  Have you tried our House Smoked Salmon? What about our Spicy Chorizo Stuffed Dates?  You will “WOW” your guests with these items…and have them asking for them time and time again!

Many of our clients have a standing order for Birthday Celebrations.  They order either a large cake or a variety of desserts for delivery on or near the 1st of each month to celebrate the birthday’s of the month in the office.  Great idea!

It is always nice to prepare food for your guests…if you have the time.  If not, give us a call and we’ll put a menu together that will please everyone’s palate!  You can find our catering menu here:  http://cooksfreshmarket.com/catering.html, but don’t let that limit your imagination.  Our professional chefs can accommodate most requests, with enough notice!  Here’s to hosting tasty events!