Fortune Fish & Gourmet
The Seafood & Gourmet Specialists
Piecing It Together
Many people sheltering in place are yearning for creative activities to occupy their minds and hands with all this newfound home time. Cooking at home is one remedy that has numerous positive attributes. It creates positive memories with long lasting family bonds, encourages curiosity in foreign foods, and best of all better communication skills and teamwork between families.
Before our customers cooking, they must clean their hands. Supply them with Fortune Fish & Gourmet's newest offering, a NEW thicker formula of 28 Mile Distilling Fool’s Gin Scented Hand Sanitizer. 28 Mile Distilling Company of Highwood, Illinois has only been distilling vodka, gin and bourbon for a year. Their business quickly pivoted when the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau issued an emergency order allowing companies who were already holding distilling permits to start producing hand sanitizers as a result of the Covid-19 virus. Manufacturers must use the World Health Organizations recipe that requires specific amounts of denatured or undenatured ethanol, glycerol and hydrogen peroxide. Turns out, distilling is distilling, and we applaud these savvy business entrepreneurs for their efforts to help keep us safe.
Whether your customers believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day or they are baking up a storm, introduce them to Farmers Hen House eggs. Farmers Hen House is a family owned and operated business since 1997 to provide a sustainable way of life for local Amish and Mennonite farmers. Their practices far exceeds the industry standard, and their hens are feed a 100% organic non-GMO diet. Another great breakfast item with mass appeal and local roots is Nueske’s Applewood Bacon. Delicate, locally procured meats are carefully smoked over real Applewood, a technique that has not changed in the 85 years they have operating. In conjunction with hand blended spices, their lean cuts of meats are free of binders, fillers or extenders, which has helped make them a Midwestern favorite for generations.
For your customers that are still timid about cooking at home, recommend a dish of pasta loaded with tomato sauce. Boil up a pot of Mediterranea Seawater, based on a century’s old tradition of using seawater to cook with. This not only produces healthier foods, it also infuses 78 trace minerals to your dish. Insert Sfoglini Pastas. Made of organic durum semolina, these traditional shaped cuts of pastas, are delicious tasting and visually appealing. Smother with Terlato Kitchen jarred pasta sauces, produced in small batches without a complicated list of ingredients, utilizing authentic family recipes. Terlato sauces will make your taste buds think you are in a villa in Italy.
Everyone deserves a little treat and what is easier to whip up than cheese and crackers. We suggest Marieke's line of Goudas to melt the worries of the day away. Marieke Penterman utilizes raw cow’s milk from her family farm to hand craft her award-winning Goudas which are aged at least 60 days on Dutch imported pine planks, resulting in Goudas that make the Dutch proud of her creations. Plain or flavored options are available to choose from to please the most discerning palates.
Fish Notes
Harbors around the U.S. are quiet as many boats remain tied, looking more like still-life oil paintings than the bustling marketplaces they were just months ago. It’s almost as if time froze them into ghostly portraits of a past life, a reminder of how things used to be. But looks can be deceiving. Quitting just isn’t a part of the Seafood Industry culture. Although production has slowed, behind the quiet curtain salty souls continue to ply their trade, bringing fresh fish to market as often as it is needed. They are doing their best to weather this storm, just like any they would face while out at sea. From top to bottom, we are all trying to keep each other afloat.
Many boats took the weekend off for the holiday but quickly got back at it on Monday. We are seeing the fruits of their labors in all the fresh Snapper, Halibut, Grouper, and Mahi. These species continue to show in spectacular fashion and superb quality. There are sometimes delays in shipping due to logistics and reduced air traffic, but don’t expect long delays for you to receive product.
We are also carrying a good supply from East Coast Fisheries such as Monkfish, Skate, Cod, Porgy and Haddock that offer a great value. To maintain quality, we are keeping a tight inventory, so order ahead to ensure that you are covered. There are many species such as Hake, Pollack, Striped Bass, and Black Bass that are available upon request, so please reach out if interested.
It is true that seafood rarely gets the love and attention it deserves compared to the land-based proteins, as the Washington Post so aptly puts it here. This is a hard piece of meat to swallow considering all the health benefits that come with eating good seafood. As we explore new ways to feed people, please consider serving up the healthy, perfect protein. It’s versatility in flavor and texture could transform your to-go box into an eye-opening carryout success. Think of something better between the bun. The men and women in this industry are familiar with rough seas and dark waters. The catch may go up and down, but - never out.
