C&I editors order in, eat up, and recommend their favorite gourmet food from the West.
Maybe you’ve heard the French expression amuse bouche, which literally translates “it amuses the mouth” — a delicious tidbit of a term that English speakers adopted years ago as a word for appetizers.
This linguistic treat comes to mind as a UPS truck bearing mail-ordered goat cheese is making its way to my address. For a couple of days, I’ve been getting updates about my order from Laura Chenel in Sonoma, California — when it shipped, when it was out for delivery, and when the truck was entering my neighborhood. Now I’m watching in real time (!!) a map that shows a cartoony little truck nearing my house with a treasure trove of artisanal cheeses. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that the thought alone of this booty being deposited on my porch in all its freezer-pack glory made me salivate.
I will be amusing my bouche very soon.
This was not a hard assignment. Searching for the best in mail-order gourmet food from the West, canvassing friends and fellow staffers and internet eaters, and then sampling just as many items as we could — no hazard pay necessary. It was especially not a burden to be able to do this during a pandemic, when just getting normal groceries at your local store could feel like foraging after the apocalypse.
So let’s tear into it together, shall we?
Our Recommendations For Any Gourmet Food Craving
Fresh From The Farm
Raised At The Ranch
By The Bottle
Expertly Crafted
Sweetly Curated
Suitable For Snacking
Perfectly Brewed
From our October 2021 issue
Photography: (Cover image) courtesy Texas Lonestar Tamales
