So long, 2020 and HELLO 2021!
We’re pretty sure that you are SO OVER 2020 – and we are too, so why not celebrate in foodie-fashion with some of the best eats of the New Year? In this week’s Iconic Market Box, we brought back some of our most popular items and vendors over the last 9 months of box life to give 2020 the ultimate send-off. Plus, flowers are back! Thanks to our friends at Alm Hill Gardens, each box – both classic and the works sizes – will include a bouquet of 9 tulip stems. Ready to find out more about our featured partners? Read on!
Frank’s Quality Produce
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, there is no better place than Frank’s Quality Produce, located at the Corner Market Building of Pike Place Market. Three generations of the Genzale family have had a presence in the Pike Place Market, starting with Frank “Cheech” Genzale in 1928, and now Frank Jr., the current owner and operator of Franks’s Quality Produce. Locals choose this stall not just for the quality of produce, but because of the people that make this stall so special. It is not uncommon to find team members recommending recipes or describing flavors of veggies unfamiliar to those passing by. It is that kind of service that keeps locals loyal to their small business, and why we love working with this amazing family-owned operation.
Each week, Iconic Market Boxes include a box of produce, curated by Frank Jr. and his team. The produce changes based on availability and seasonality, ensuring that our customers get the best produce available – oftentimes much fresher and better than what can be found at the grocery store! Customers who purchase the works size box will have a full assortment of produce, while Classic size boxes includes a slightly smaller selection. Follow Frank’s Quality Produce on Instagram @franksqualityproduce.
Le Panier
If you love the smells of fresh-baked croissants and French press coffee, then you will love Le Panier in Pike Place Market. Started in 1983, the bakery blends together precise French technique with the local bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Signature items include the classic French baguette, almond croissants, and macarons. Today it is still the talk of the town, with lines still out the door.
This week Le Panier has provided a demi baguette in each Iconic Market Box. Soft and buttery in the inside with a crispy and crunchy crust, it is the very best French bread money can buy. Follow Le Panier on Instagram @lepanierbakery.
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is easily one of the most well known brands born from Pike Place Market. Known for their long lines for mac and cheese and large viewing windows enabling passersby to view daily cheese-making, it is a no-brainer that we have been working with this business from the first day of Savor Seattle’s food tour operations, over thirteen years ago.
Started by Kurt Beecher Dammeier, the Pike Place Market location opened in 2003 and has since expanded to the Flat Iron District in New York City and even to Monroe, Wisconsin. Eating food without harmful additives or preservatives is critical to Kurt and is even part of the company’s credo: “Beecher’s Handmade Cheese makes foods only with ingredients we trust, are proud of, and would eat ourselves. It’s just authentic and original food, full of flavor.”
This week Beecher’s is providing a triangle cut of their Dutch Hollow Dulcet. This rich and tangy cheese is produced in Beecher’s New York location exclusively, made with Jersey cow milk straight from Dutch Hollow Farms just outside of Albany, New York. An elegant treat to welcome 2021 and kick 2020 to the curb! Follow Beecher’s Handmade Cheese on Instagram @beecherscheese.
Michou Gourmet Deli
A favorite among the crafts vendors, artists and pretty much everyone who works in Pike Place Market, Michou World Class Deli makes another appearance in this week’s iconic Market Box. Michou’s bounty of panini-style sandwiches, soups, dips, desserts, and salads are beloved for their use of great quality ingredients, and lines are common in the morning and during the lunch rush.
This week Michou Deli has provided a 12 oz. container of their Olive Antipasto Salad (and is omitted in classic size boxes, sorry!). This antipasto is stuffed with olives, artichokes hearts, peppers and pepperoncini, and is perfect to pair with the cheese and salami included in this box. Follow Michou Deli on Instagram @michoudeli.
The Confectional
One of the sweetest destinations in Pike Place Market, The Confectional specializes in mini-cheesecakes and is the ire of most who walk by the humble bakery and stand in the center of Pike Place Market. Owners Destiny and Paul became best friends in college and has taken the world of confections by storm, creating cheesecakes and other delightful, sweet treats that people line up to try. Their work has been recognized by The Food Network, the Cooking Channel and even Whoopi Goldberg is known to be a big fan.
The Confectional has included two red velvet and two eggnog cheesecake dips in the works size boxes (1 of each flavor in classic size boxes). Literally a cheesecake on a stick – what’s not to love? Follow The Confectional on Instagram @theconfectional.
Rachel’s Ginger Beer
A favorite stop on the Savor Seattle Booze n’ Bites tour, Rachel’s Ginger Beer is a Seattle destination for the best ginger beer Mules in town. Owner Rachel Marshall was inspired to make ginger beer after a trip to Europe and experiencing the beverage during her travels. Having worked in the food and service industry and owning a bar in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, producing a cocktail using their own house-made mixer seemed like a very smart – and very Seattle – thing to do, and she was right. Her signature Montana Mule become an instant hit, so much so that there was demand for just the mixer to make the drink at home. After success in local farmers markets, Rachel opened Rachel’s Ginger Beer in the Pike Place Market and it’s been mules and smiles ever since.
You will find one Original and one Blood Orange 12 ounce bottle in each of this week’s Iconic Market Box. Both flavors are equally tasty as they are bright, citrusy and bubbly. Use as a mixer with your favorite adult beverage to drown the 2020 memories into history. Follow Rachel’s Ginger Beer on Instagram @rgbsoda.
Seabear Smokehouse
Founded in Anacortes, Washington in 1957, SeaBear Smokehouse produces all the seafood and smoked fish products at the Made in Washington store in Pike Place Market, and provides smoked products to fine dining restaurants and hotels nationwide. The name “SeaBear” refers to a Native American legendof a creature that is both part bear and part killer whale, which is appropriate considering both animals love salmon!
This week, SeaBear Smokehouse has provided their traditional smoked salmon. Full of rich flavor, this smoked salmon melts in the mouth. Follow SeaBear Smokehouse on Instagram at @seabearsmokehouse.
Salt Blade
For Bob Blade, a career in IT just didn’t cut it. After a 10 year stint in the professional world, he put down the laptop and picked up the knife, where his passion for food, problem solving (in this case, the global issues facing farming and our food chain), and charcuterie. Salt Blade gets their meat from Olsen Farms in Colville, WA, which practices organic farming. After aggressively leaning out the meat and grinding it, they gently mix it with spices, fresh ingredients and curing salts. Salamis are stuffed and linked by hand then cured in a temperature-controlled room to finish the curing process. The result is a deeply flavorful salami that is all natural and without artificial preservatives.
Salt Blade has provided Truffle Queen’s black truffle salami. This salami was created in collaboration with Pike Place Market’s truffle royalty, and is everything you image it will be – savory, truffle-y, and perfect to ring in the New Year. Please note that the salami is omitted from Classic size boxes. Follow Salt Blade on Instagram @saltblademeats.
Middle Fork Roasters
In 2009, a close-knit group of friends and coffee-lovers decided to put their passions first and began roasting coffee in the heart and soul of Seattle’s coffee scene. Since then, they have been regularly active in their community, giving back whenever they can and working with other businesses to help make their own coffee dreams come true. In fact, Middle Fork Roasters are responsible for providing the beans to many businesses around Seattle, including those in Pike Place Market.
We’re psyched that Middle Fork created the Savor Seattle Blend – a combination of Brazilian and Sumatran beans, delivering a bold yet buttery body with rich chocolate undertones. This laid-back blend provides an incredibly clean finish that is perfect for easing into your morning routine. Every “The Works” size Iconic Market Box includes a 1 lb. bag of whole bean coffee and is omitted from “Classic” size boxes. Follow Middle Fork Roasters on Instagram @middleforkroasters.
