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Wednesday, 19 December 2007 |
A couple of months ago Jacque and I tried some truly amazing yogurt. It reminded me of our last family trip to the French countryside where we wound up staying at a bed and breakfast near Blois in the Loire Valley. Every morning we would get up have warm croissants and homemade fresh yogurt with breakfast and none of us could get over how great it was. We wanted to stay and linger for extra time over breakfast. The girls would ask for seconds. It was an inspiring and transformative experience. It was definitely one of the moments that drove our vision for the café. We looked for months (and found) croissants that we felt were as good as the croissants that we enjoyed in our journeys but we never found yogurt in the US that came anywhere close. In fact, we thought it did not exist. That is until we tried this truly amazing yogurt a couple of months ago.
The yogurt was from a small dairy in Indiana called Traders Point Creamery. The bottle says they were voted America's #1 Yogurt by the American Cheese Society. It's easy to understand why. Their story is great. They are a family owned artisan dairy located in Zionsville, Indiana. They have an array of wonderful organic dairy products from 100% grass-fed cows. The folks at Traders Point Creamery are purists in every sense, sparing no expense to create extraordinary dairy products. The cows are treated with tender loving care; they get to keep their horns, they spend all day outside in the pastures seeded with wildflowers, they interact with people who pet them and talk to them, so they are friendly and enjoy contact. The family refers to their herd as "my girls." They are happy cows and they make extraordinary milk. When it comes to processing, the integrity of the milk is the first- the only- consideration. The milk is not homogenized, so there is a natural layer of cream in the whole milk and the entire spectrum of natural flavors remains. Unlike other milk, even all of the other organics, their milk is never cooked, it is flash pasteurized- all the protection, all the flavor. This milk is like Grandma's farm. It's the closest that we can legally come to raw milk without having our own cow in our backyard. Their commitment to the environment runs deep. They've bought up other farms in the area and work with the farmers nearby so that no genetically modified species come anywhere near their farm. No corn or soybeans of any kind grown nearby. They regularly test the blood of their cows to ensure that there is absolutely nothing impure in their systems. Finally, the milk and yogurt is bottled only in glass bottles, which you can return for a deposit. In every way, Traders Point Creamery promotes sustainable farming and reconnecting farmers & consumers. We knew we had to carry their products at the café.
A few months later and we are exclusive retailers in the area for their products. We are carrying milk, chocolate milk, a variety of yogurt flavors, "caviar" cottage cheese and fromage blanc. We feel very fortunate to be able to offer goods that we love and support the mission of companies we believe in. It makes me feel "smiley" inside. I am hoping to arrange some tastings in the near future but in the meantime, you can purchase any of these at the café and try them for yourselves. And since it is the holidays, you can be a good neighbor and share some with your neighbors and make them "smiley" inside.
Happy Holidays!
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Sunday, 09 December 2007 |
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Our monthly French meetup is this Tuesday, December 11 at 6:00 PM. In the past we have had a great mix of native speakers and people still learning. It is a great way to brush up on your French. I know that I made plenty of speaking mistakes and everyone was very patient with my broken French and even helped me out a bit. You do not need to sign up for this meetup. Just show up. And also pass the word on to anyone you know who might be interested. I look forward to seeing you. - Scott
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Sunday, 04 November 2007 |
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Just a quick reminder that we will have our monthly guitar pull Sunday at 1:00. It was really nice last month. Very laid back and very pleasant. A great family friendly way to spend part of your Sunday afternoon. Feel free to stop by with your guitar (or other instrument of choice) or simply come and listen.
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Wednesday, 24 October 2007 |
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Prairie Crossing residents, Michael & Deidre Schwartz recently returned from a 5-day fact finding visit to New Orleans as regional coordinators for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). While there they obtained first-hand accounts of the continuing problems faced by the survivors of Katrina. "We were amazed at how difficult government is making it for people to return to their homes and lives," said Michael Schwartz. The Schwartz's observed first hand how the people who need the most are getting the least. "We listened to voices in the area that have endured police brutality, racial discrimination, and economic inequities", continues Deidre Schwartz. The Schwartz's are planning a slide show and discussion of their experience on Saturday, Oct. 27th at the Prairie Croissant Café, Prairie Crossing Community in Grayslake, Illinois, at 2pm.
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Saturday, 20 October 2007 |
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Fall is here and with cooler weather comes warmer drinks. We have some new wonderful drinks to warm up with at the cafe. First, is our new Hot Caramel Apple Cider. We start with some fantastic fresh pressed apple cider and add a touch of caramel for a true autumn taste in a warm mug. I recommend hovering over your warm mug and just letting the fragrant steam waft up to your nasal passages for a minute first! We also have a new Pumpkin Spice Latte. Your favorite Prairie Croissant latte with the essence of pumpkin pie. Smells so good you'll be looking for the turkey. (Not to worry. We will have a new turkey panini very soon!) And finally, the yet to be named vanilla cinnamon latte. A treat so delicious that we have struggled to find a name for it that lives up to the taste. However, we didn't want that small detail to keep it off of our menu. We are currently taking suggestions for a name, but in the meantime, just come in and ask for the "vanilla cinnamon thing" and have one for inspiration. Thank you for your support. We hope to see you soon at the cafe!!
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Monday, 08 October 2007 |
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We have made some adjustments to our hours for the new fall season. These changes were made to allow us to close during times when business was slower and stay open during peak business times. We anticipate expanding huors again when the holidays come around. Weekdays we will be opening at 6:30 AM and weekends at 8:00 AM. We will be closing every night at 7:00 PM except for Sunday and Monday and 2:00 PM. For a complete list of current hours, check our location page .
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