Fran Kaul - Alaskan Salmon, Smoked Salmon, and Crab

     I was visiting one of the largest farmers Markets in the Midwest when I overheard a woman talking about this wonderful Salmon she had purchased from a vendor the previous week. I asked her the name of the vendor and she couldn't remember it so I went to the market manager who gave me Fran's name and number.

     Fran Kaul was 15 when she first set sail in the Alaskan waters off the Alexander Archipelago. She knew right then, this is where she belonged. She did whatever she could to graduate high school early from West High in Minneapolis. At the age of 17 she set off to live with her brother in Ketchikan and start a life in the commercial fishing business. Fran enjoyed great success fishing for Alaskan Salmon in the icy waters of the Gulf of Alaska. For eight year (fishing season's actually) she worked hard and saved her money until one day she was able to buy her own fishing boat, the "Chaloupe". Fran gained great respect in the fishing community. She stuck out the hard years. Weathered the harshest storms in the Gulf (are there any other kind?). Then in 1999, Fran was urged to make a trip to Bristol Bay. An area east of the Aleutian Islands where commercial fishing is highly regulated to help aid the success of small fishing enterprises like Fran's. The salmon here are no more plentiful, however it is more a community of people interested in the well-being and safety of their fellow fishermen. Fran chopped off the bow of her boat, (commercial fishing boats are required to be no more than 32 feet in length in these waters) and set sail for Bristol Bay and has been fishing there ever since. She became the first female  member of a rather exclusive fishing      co-op, where her very close friend is a supplier of Alaskan King Crab. This Co-op gives her the opportunity to "keep" her fish (and buy that of others) and sell direct to consumers. She has been doing this now for 4 years and gets great delight in hearing satisfied customers returning year after year.

     Fran and I became instant friends upon meeting. She brought me an entire fillet (which I promptly grilled with white wine, shallots, tarragon, peapods, and Dijon) and I promised to help her bring her wonderful Salmon to our TravelingGourmet visitors. I know you will enjoy Fran's bounty as much as I do.

Picture of Fran's short boat

 Many of the people I write about in these pages have the common theme of marching to the beat of a different drum. Andrea Pesses is no exception Andrea enjoyed much success as a marketing manager for a large corporation. Andrea loves to make candy. On a number of occassions, Andrea made confections for small and large dinner parties. After much encouragement, Andrea started her cottage confectionery business working evenings and weekends preparing and perfecting her recipes. She would introduce a new candy and watch the looks of sheer delight on her customers faces. She knew she was on to something. And so as the story goes, she quit her day job and has been crafting hand-made chocolates and confectionary creations full-time since then. And she must be doing something right because her business continues to grow each year. My having the worlds largest sweet tooth makes me an expert on good candy. And let me tell you, the chocolates and caramels Andrea creates, are out of this world! Try a sampler. You can't go wrong.

Fireside Orchard - OK, It's Family

     I'll make no pretense about it. This business is run by my Dad and my Brother. Now that we've established that, let me also establish this, no one is more concerned about quality, and great customer service than my family. That's why theTravelingGourmet.com has the impeccable reputation it has, and the generous customer service policy. Having said all this, let me tell you the Fireside Orchard story.

     In 1956, my grandfather, Robert Harvey Sr. retired from corporate life to run a small apple orchard with his wife Arline. Together they grew and sold apples, strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, sweet corn. Perhaps it was walking into the small cold room and having the aroma of fresh apples overwhelm our olfactory senses, or stealing a taste of a sweet juicy strawberries early in the morning that put horticulture in our blood. Either way, in 1971 my Dad followed his dad's footsteps, leaving the corporate culture to start Fireside Orchard. (My brother Todd skipped the first step and went directly into the orchard business.) Together with their families they have built a nice business where they grow and sell 16 varieties of apples, strawberries and raspberries and sweet corn. They also carry a number of very high quality gourmet foods made by themselves, or made exclusively for them to their rigid specifications. My Dad and his wife Judy, are also connoisseurs of fine food and drink.  They have not focused their efforts on the gift or fruit basket market. However, I have selected a limited number of items from their store that I personally think are out-of-this-world good. Try the caramel dip. You'll be hooked for life!

The Thomas Family - Fruit & Gift Baskets

     The 2005 Sacramento Jazz Festival was in full swing. And I do mean it was swingin'. I was taking a break under the Chinese Elm in the Firehouse Courtyard after listening to Big Tiny Little & the Show Band when I picked a the Sacramento Bee and started reading an article about the Thomas Family Orchard. I was so impressed with their story, we sped off to the wine country to visit them in person. Here is their story.