Sue C.
Yelp
Right now my mouth is salivating, as I think about those huge, juicy cherries that Chefshop shipped to me from the orchard where they grew!
Yes, I bought cherries from big box stores and supermarkets during season. I used to think they were great, but now Chefshop and Stennes' Family Farms ruined that for me. Still, I have no regrets! It's like buying supermarket tomatoes and liking them until you taste a homegrown tomato. From that point on, the experience of eating store-bought is ruined!
It wasn't even the 1 inch size of the fruit or the beautiful dark red color of the cherries. It was the burst of cherry flavor! It was the pop of biting through the fruit's skin. It was everything.
Here I sit, enjoying my coffee with cocoa from Chefshop so it's not like I depend on them for only one thing. I buy cocoa from them and, for years, they've consistently delivered their finely ground cocoa powder - without damage, ever.
I've since learned about and purchased black quinoa (nutty and delicious), red quinoa (nearly sweet and great mixed with amaranth for breakfast!), cranberry beans (we're growing plants after taking a few soaked beans prepared for a recipe!) and Madeleine green and petite black lentils. Through the years, I've purchased my favorite, Sun Brands' Madras curry powder, and a variety of hard to find delicacies.
Still, my mind keeps wandering back to those Lapin cherries. I tried to get the Sweetheart cherries that ripen after the Lapin, but I was too late. Next year, you can be sure I'll order more. Especially now that I know about cherry varieties beyond Rainier (WAS my favorite but now it's a toss up) and Bing! Yes, you can buy cheaper cherries but you'll shortchange yourself on flavor and quality. That's what I learned!
Special shout out to Drew T., who alerted me to a shortage of lentils in a recent order and reduced my shipping fee to apologize. Not only do they pack each order to deliver every package without damage, they are courteous from the front of the house to the back! Ok, the only thing I love more than the cherries and product diversity is their culture!