My tryst with Food in the Garden State!

I graduated from Wharton, now what? I've wanted to be an entrepreneur, but what would be my bid idea and would I be the right person to execute it? After a lot of soul searching, I have decided that I should pick a profession that I am going to be passionate about, but one which would allow me to justify my 2 years of hibernation (I mean, learning) and a humongous b-school bill!

So, here I am knee deep (actually only tongue-deep) in my food venture! At least I am in a state known for its farms and gardens...the Garden State of course! Launching my venture out of Princeton, NJ has allowed me to explore the Garden State. In my quest to learn what NJ has to offer, I am leading the Foodie lifestyle: organizing and attending food tastings, creating and tweaking  recipes and mostly eating (and drinking!) while I launch my food line. Here are my favorite finds in NJ so far:

Trenton Farmers Market: This market brings together farmers, meat processors, and fine food purveyors from New Jersey. I personally liked Olssons Fine Food Store because of the owners knowledge of the over 200 varieties of cheese form all over the world. He insists on doing a tasting before purchase. I have also bought interesting locally grown veggies here that I am using for my line of chutneys and spreads such as golden peaches, white eggplant, and jersey tomatoes. And, for the first time, I came across a round zucchini and believe me that was a long time coming...the burger sized zucchini ready to be grilled and placed into your favorite burger!

NJ Coast Wineries: I got to sample wines from 5 different wineries in NJ at the East Coast Wine and Food Festival. My personal favorite was the Cape May Cabernet Blanc and Unionville Vineyards' Chambourcin. Hopewell Valley Vineyards even hosts a live band and drinks on Fridays ---a perfectly romantic setup!

River Horse Brewery, Lambertsville: Across the Delaware river from New Hope, PA, this microbrewery does a tour and tasting of their beers: lager, pale ale, and dark harvest ale but my personal favorite is their full-bodied hop.

Small World Cafe: Princeton's very own local but aside from the east coast roast and organic Sumatran,one of my favorites is not their brownies (typical for a cafe) but rather their soup and sandwich combo. This is a place where you could bring your work and hang out for a good part of the day.

More to come later about the Local Food Tasting organized by me to be held at Tre Piani on August 12th...stay tuned!