April/May 2000

In Search of Culinary Craftsmanship
by Martha Holmberg

Sonoma County, California, offers fertile land, a favorable climate, and the right karma for artisan food producers.

For people who really love to cook, discovering a wonderful ingredient can be as exciting and fulfilling as getting a new cookbook, working with a new appliance, or dining at a new restaurant. No matter how skilled a cook you are, your final meal ultimately depends on the quality of the ingredients you begin with the freshest organic greens, perfectly ripened handmade cheese, crusty bread baked in a wood-burning oven, a glass of wine made from grapes grown under the attention of a master winemaker.

While there are, of course, good-quality mass-produced products, the most distinctive products‹the ones that make a difference in your cooking‹more often come from producers who work on a small scale using top-quality raw materials, labor-intensive methods, and lots of devotion to their craft. Fine Cooking took a trip last October to Sonoma County, California, to visit some artisans whose products we admire and whose efforts and talents we applaud and are amazed by. Along with about a hundred Fine Cooking readers, we watched dough being kneaded and baked; cheese shaped and aged, wine grapes being crushed and fermented, olives ripening in the sun. We tasted, questioned, mused, debated, and then left inspiredŠto become better at our own crafts and to seek out products from artisans like these in our own regions, to encourage and support those dedicated to making the products that make us all so happy to be foodies.