The set-up was simple: over 30 food and drink vendors lined up, side-by-side, slinging their signature sips and noshes–many of which were serving samples to tease your taste buds into snagging some take-homes to reminiscence later about the afternoon. The informal setting was perfect, one with an unpretentious, clean slate landscape that allowed gourmands to focus on their next best bites and meet-and-greets with the purveyors who crafted them.
If you were one of the guests who had a “rough week,” you may have opted to dive (err, slurp) immediately into the festivities before even entering the event’s main showroom. Being that the Franklin Commons’ well-manicured courtyard (your runway into the most popular vending space) was speckled with a few vendors – Appalachian Brewing Company included – attendees were given the opportunity to score a pour of either their Hoppy Trail IPA or Mountain Lager before entering the main door.
While Flavor Festival’s beer roster was slim, with Sly Fox Brewing Co. being the only other craft brewery to join the party, a fine lineup of local wineries were present at the event. Black Walnut Winery of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, who has received accolades for redefining Pennsylvania wine ever since they debuted in 2009, was pouring a deep variety of their options. We were hustling our charming ways into having a few samples (not at the same time, of course) of our spring favorite – Sassy 2009, which is a fabulous sweet and complex blush that spices up the standard pink market.
Blue Mountain Wine & Vineyard also perked our attention with a blush–their White Merlot, which was intense, but light; fruity, yet dry. Additional wineries showcased included Sand Castle Winery (who has a Phoenixville-based tasting room, like Black Walnut Winery), Peace Valley Winery, and Adello Vineyard and Winery, among others.
But, put the glass down–it’s time to talk food. At first we decided to stick to the simple one-bite food samples scattered through the tasting room with hopes to enjoy each and every nibble debuting on the warm-weathered Saturday. Of course, we chose to overload on wine’s perfect pair first – various artisan cheeses from Farm Fromage.
Farm Fromage acknowledges that Lancaster, Pennsylvania is beautifully ridden with incredible cheesemakers, so much so, that they act as the middleman between farmers and consumers. The thoughtful fromage forages for local cheeses and personally distributes them to nearby cities, at markets and festivals.
At this particular event, they were serving up chunks of Clover Creek Cheese Cellar’s Bruschedda. The raw milk hunks hailed from Williamsburg, Pa., and were pinch-perfect in their ratios of garden tomatoes, fresh basil and of course, garlic. However, it’s important to note that Farm Fromage does make their own cheese too, identified under the moniker “Misty Creek Goat Dairy.” Their new raw milk goat cheese, Misty Lovely, tantalized my ‘buds into a stupendous frenzy, pushing me to revisit their table on several occasions for more of the salty and sharp beauty.
Issa Ostrander, Mompops’ founder, unveiled his new adult pop line at the fest, which included icy treats crafted with Chaddsford Winery Sangria, fresh tangerine and strawberry slices, as well as a tangerine mimosa pop, and even, a non-alcoholic Sand Castle Winery Strawberry Balsamic pop. Healthy with a slight buzz – that’s the why we like it!
We always adore spotting chocolatier Gail Warner of Bridge Street Chocolates at any food tasting, considering ourselves lucky to have spent even a quick minute nibbling our way through her finely-crafted and -tuned chocolate bars, truffles and more. At Flavor Fest, she wowed locals with her White Chocolate Wasabi Bars, which coupled a beautifully rich-and-creamy white cocoa with a subtly spiced backbone. Our other favorite? Her dark chocolate bars that were punched with pink Himalayan salt –a perfect companion to a nice glass of semi-sweet red wine.
Another local food crafter that’s always a pleasure to spot is Deborah Mitchell , who was scooping out samples of her and her brother’s (Richard LeBoon) newest hummus varieties during the event. Together the siblings own FreshaPeel Hummus, a fresh, sustainable take on our favorite snack. It must be said that we are now forever-hooked on their new Lemon Kale and Kalamata Olive varieties (the Buffalo Hummus is damn addicting too).
As no food coma ever stands in our way, we continued to progress through the fest, especially since we hadn’t snagged our spoonfuls of Marianne and Tom Cozzolino’s Jenny and Frank’s Artisan Gelato. As a new farmers’ market favorite, the couple mesmerized our gelato-loving souls with their authentic Italian treats. Their Chocolate Supremo, a creamy dark cocoa gelato was love at first bite – and, you can’t forget the rustic lemon option either, a delightful refreshment for a sultry summer day.
Bistro on Bridge’s risotto balls–which already have a fanatical following, gathered even more hype at the afternoon affair, as did recent Cupcake Wars’ Winner Dia Doce Cupcakes, featuring fun flavors like Blueberry Pancake, Lemon Basil, and Cookie Dough.
Flavor Festival also offered us our first-time encounter with Sabrosa Salt Company, an Easton-based artisan sea salt purveyor that features an attractive line of salty blends. A quick pinch of the Cumin-Cinnamon blend had us instantly amazed, inspiring us to discuss all the clever possibilities of what we could kick up with just one easy dash. Spice lovers were fawning over the Fired Up! selection as well, a tasty melding of white pepper, cayenne powder, red pepper flakes and a small dose of ginger.
Whether you came for the booze and stayed for the food, or you’re like us, constantly scouting out the latest craftsmen to hit the culinary scene, one thing’s was for certain – Flavor Festival confirmed that the Phoenixville is the place to be, an incredible community where you can always find food and drink purveyors hawking their undeniably great, gourmet goods.
To learn more about Flavor Festival by visiting flavorfestivals.com.
View more scenes from the Phoenixville’s first-ever Flavor Festival by clicking here. All photographs are credited to Allison Benford, Bonsai Doll Fern Photography.
