FREE STUFF!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, now that I have your attention.

What are you doing this friday? Most folks are getting a day off from work. Cool.

Are you going to be grilling food this weekend? Check.

Do you shake your head and nod every time someone mentions how we need to start eating amazing, flavorful foodstuffs that are raised by sustainable, local farmers? Check.

Well, do I have an event for you. AND YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES!!!! You're off of work. You're grilling this weekend. You want flavorful foods that have a story. So, here you go.

This friday, July 3rd, I'll be grilling free samples of Sheppard Mansion Farms Highland Beef burgers and Rettland Farms sausage at The Outlet Shops at Gettysburg from 10am-noon. This awesome display of grilling prowess will be part of the amazing Friday's Farm Fresh Market, so in addition to being able to buy beef and pork products, you'll be able to pick up produce, fruits(hello, it's cherry time!!!) baked goods and flowers for the table.



Bring the kids, bring the whole family....get some great food for the weekend.(bring a cooler and stock up) AND........Here's the kicker. Sheppard Mansion Farms will be debuting a new product made from our Highland beef this friday. All I can tell you is that the first piece of this product I put in my mouth made me smile from ear to ear. It's that good.

I expect to see all of you this friday. Remember, you vote for great food every time you open up your wallet. If you keep buying cheap, flavorless, chemical laden products then our buddies at Big Ag will certainly keep producing it with big smiles on their faces. Take a stand for flavor this friday. See the folks who produce the food. Talk to them, hang out with them. I can't imagine a better way to kick off July 4th weekend.

How sharp are your knives????

I ride the asses of the guys in my kitchen. One of my favorite topics for 'discussion' is tardiness.(early is on time, on time is late) Really, no one is spared. No one. Last year, my good friend, Rich Matosky came out to spend a weekend cooking in our kitchen. He was late. He heard about it. HE WASN'T EVEN ON THE PAYROLL. Anyhow, insert whatever obsessive compulsive term you want here :____________

My overall favorite topic for 'discussion' is how sharp our knives are. You see, it's important to have sharp knives. It's important to have properly cared for tools. My dad always tells me 'a craftsman NEVER blames his tools'. He's 100% right. We've all heard people say how it's easier to get cut with a dull knife than a sharp one. OK, that's the basics. Here's the thing. Ease of work aside; it's all about respect. We spend a lot of time sourcing amazing ingredients. The farmers that we work with spend their lives working to get us the most amazing products this side of NYC. So......why the hell would we rip through them with a dull freakin' knife? Answer: we don't. We work hard to keep our knives as sharp as possible and below you'll see a pic of the table that helps us do so.



My dad just finished sanding and refinishing this table which is dedicated entirely to sharpening our knives. Yes, we have a table just for sharpening our knives. I don't want to get too over the top flowery, but I've gotta tell you that there is something very special and centering about running your knives over a stone first thing in the morning. Some folks out there have yoga; I have knife sharpening. It's the beginning of what we do every day. If you don't have a sharp knife. Don't start the day. You're already behind the 8 ball. Sort of along the lines of 'you can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit.' No sharp knife? Don't bother cutting anything. Period.

Check this out.....

Pics only, folks. Enjoy.