( carry your heart-smart footfalls to the seventh annual boyertown wellness fair )

when: saturday, 31 march, 2012—

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

where: the boyertown area senior high school, 

120 north monroe street, boyertown, pa 19512

the best part ? it’s free. quite free.

a celebrated highlight:

running of the bears school walking competition 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.

for more information, contact

carla haydt @ 215.292.5866

www.boyertownwellness.org

this event is proudly presented by 

the boyertown area community wellness council.

• free family fun 
• healthy snacks, mmm ! great demonstrations 
• kid-friendly activities, including an obstacle course & moon bounce 
• lots of door prizes !!!

( boyertown paranormal: an investigation at durango’s saloon )

by jennifer hetrick

now into their second year since organizing, members of boyertown paranormal have found themselves conducting investigations both local and regional. a prominent spot in town where they’ve studied subtleties is at durango’s saloon at 120 east philadelphia avenue.

restaurant owners pete and sandy haberle asked the group to see what they could pinpoint after a slew of odd happenings continually irked those who work on the main floor as well as those who rent apartments above.

the building is known as one of the closest to the rhoads opera house where a devastating fire trapped 171 people indoors on a blustery day in january of 1908. what is today durango’s saloon, among other surrounding buildings, served as a temporary morgue. following the fire, bodies were housed in the cold of the basement.

other less than cheery stories have also been told, over the years, about incidents of deaths in the building’s history. this included the local legend of a hanging.

since buying the 1847-built brick-lined structure years ago, a few difficult to explain situations have stirred around those who work there. sandy once sliced lemons, limes, and oranges and pushed the lengthy container of them back to the customer end of the bar. after she went into the kitchen, she heard a crash and found the citrus pieces and the container on the floor. in that same 15-minute span, pete placed two full cases of beer on the bar top, with only a small portion hanging over the edge. when he left the room briefly, he heard a crash and came back to find the cases smashed, on the floor—behind sandy who heard it, too, but had her back turned when it happened, with no one else there.

in another instance, a bartender noticed her purse fly out from a shelf, onto the floor. she picked it up and slid it all the way to the back of the shelf, which had a lip at the edge, and a non-slip grip mat, also. when she walked away, she heard the purse hurtle toward the floor once more.  

and a woman renting an apartment on the third floor says she often hears footsteps late at night, when her roommate is sleeping, and sometimes even while watching a movie with him—although he never hears those same sounds that plague her ears, he says.

boyertown paranormal brought in amber anderson, a new jersey medium unfamiliar with berks county history, to see what she could pick up on during a tour through the building. 

“she sensed the dead bodies and the smell of burning in the basement—and that gold teeth and jewelry were stolen,” investigator gary schlegel says, noting that the group had heard of rumors about thievery from those who burned in the rhoads opera house fire. 

she also picked up on the struggle of a tenant dying, not long ago. pete and sandy both reacted emotionally to this, as they were very close to the tenant during his time renting from them; he had also worked at the restaurant, in the past.

one of the only intelligent voices perceived, after reviewing sound recordings, came as someone saying “not yet” when gary asked other paranormal members if they wanted to go outside for a break and some breaths of fresh air.

“they definitely have something going on there, but not enough to say it’s haunted,” says investigator kevin hojecki.

“i think they have a lot of residuals in there," gary adds. residual hauntings are said to be those of spirits who repeat the same actions again and again and don't seem to know that anyone alive, from today, is in the same space.

with so many small noise factors around even when everyone is trying to be quiet, and some energy-actions so challenging to detect in the first place, gary and kevin admit that it’s very difficult to conclusively affirm much. and realizing that evidence of video and sound footage can be easily manipulated or misinterpreted, without exact clearness, the group strives to nitpick with their findings, always aiming for what’s rare.

to reach out to the investigators—seeing and hearing their findings—search for them on facebook.

( an eye into encaustics )

by sydney hetrick

lisa gauker, a freshly funky artist who calls blandon her home, spends time laboring away in her own studio but also teaches in the 19547 zip code. a lot of her magic happens at clay on main, which is nuzzled into the main street of the oley valley.  at the nonprofit known for its tenacious and heartfelt support of all sorts of art-inspired fun for the insides, she teaches, paints, makes jewelry and ceramics, and dabbles her weekly minutes passionately in many an artistic endeavor, making her mark in the berks county art-swept landscape. as a young girl, she found herself “inadvertently drawn to art,” she says, as her face turns up with a glowing smile.
    
inspiration arises for gauker through a sort of biological thought process. she recalls a time in her life whilst veterinary medicine nearly wooed her heart and intrigued her intellect. when gauker’s art teacher joked that she’d never be happy with a cow-birthing lifestyle, she decided to attend the pennsylvania college of art and design in lancaster, instead. there, she earned a bachelor of fine art degree, honing her skills all the more at the academic level.
    
gauker’s art tends to gravitate toward small subject matters. sometimes, an insect will crawl into her mind and make its way into her artwork as the subject. once in a while, she’ll throw a real (and really dead !) bug itself into the composition. her old roots of veterinary-intrigue are reflected in her art, since it’s often related to animal behavior and biological processes. she titles herself a “process-oriented person,” explaining that her journey is more important than the destination mindset. to gauker, her process is often more crucial and integral than the subject, in the end.

( copper pods, encaustic, mixed media on masonite

photo courtesy of lisa gauker )

( cut short, encaustic, charcoal, mixed media on paper
photo courtesy of lisa gauker )

    
by now, she’s been at clay on main for three years. her time there began soon after she bumped into the nonprofit’s owner, dolores kirschner, following graduation from art school.  back in senior high, she’d helped out periodically at clay on main, but once she came back to the region, post-academia, she knew she felt ready to instruct. tuesdays, she says, she coaches on the basics of hand-building with clay. but, gauker jokes that she’s more of a “sounding board” for ideas with her students because many of them, she vocalizes, are rather skilled and don’t actually need much assistance in their art-ways.
    
and when it comes to her own work, it pours to life in phases, she explains. this year, she’s into printmaking, while last year, 50 to 75 percent of her works were encaustics. gauker stumbled upon the persuasion of encaustics in her college days—essentially, they are brought about through layerings of wax used to draw attention to an image. gauker loved the ethereal-organic appearance of this art style.
     

compelled with a sudden theory, she wanted to find a visual approach for presenting the imagery of industry. “i tried to humanize the idea of an abandoned building and the life it once had,” she reveals.

( skin no. 6, encaustic and ink on paper

photo courtesy of lisa gauker )

( skin no. 1, encaustic and ink on paper

photo courtesy of lisa gauker )

    

“the imagery is drawn onto paper, either from observation or a photo,” gauker says, with the coal belt in schuylkill county as a large part of her inspiration. “the wax builds from the drawing up. the encaustics i do are normally working off of paper because i like the translucency the wax gives the paper when it soaks in.”

    

the drawings themselves are ink, graphite, and sometimes charcoal.

    

not only was lisa thrilled with the way wax allowed for “romanticizing the industrial landscape” but, she also beams, “it smells great, too !”  for her encaustics, she uses unfiltered, unbleached wax—more specifically, beeswax and dammar crystals. when she’s lucky, she says, she goes to a man at the leesport farmers’ market and buys a wax supply. he isn’t just a guy with beeswax, though; he’s a beekeeper, and therefore, this wax has actual bee-body parts in the very meat of it, bringing back into the picture an unexpected connection to gauker’s old penchant for biological angles of life wrapped into art.  she is even pursuing beekeeping herself now, though at a novice level.

    

gauker heats up the wax in a skillet, applying it often with different sizes of brushes. “from there, the wax can be inscribed, melted with a heat gun, scraped back, painted on, and fused, then with more layers applied,” she says. “color is added between layers with oil paints and pigmented encaustic medium.”

    

encaustics, gauker explains, take their history from the egyptians and romans, as they practiced the art form in their days long ago. but encaustics have had a resurgence, she notes. “people are tired of traditional painting.” this bee-spent medium certainly re-livens creativity’s makings, a good pinch.  her works are more than just flat-set paint on a tired canvas. they seem to have a life of their own, as the wax drips appear almost stopped in time.

( massage-- in an introspective light )

by jennifer hetrick

a near fatal car accident eventually led judith gabriel to a new career away from her several decades as an english teacher at hamburg area high school. instead of helping young people with the gift of appreciating language, literature, and speaking, she switched into a mode of lending a literal hand (or two, actually) in allowing people of all ages to communicate better with their own physicality through the massage and bodywork expertise that saved her from a lot of chronic pain and discomfort in her own life, years ago.

a broken back and whiplash brought gabriel to know a massage therapist named dorothy blessing. after meeting, blessing told gabriel that her vertebrae were desperately out of alignment from the harsh accident and that she needed to see a reputable chiropractor to correct the issue that was affecting so much of her quality of life. as time went on, with the shift in how she treated her body, improvement began to reign, wholly, in fact. the more massage she had, the less chiropractic she needed.

knowing how the different modalities of bodily care had brought her back into the first decently pain-free part of her life after suffering for so long, and once a person in the field told her she had serious potential in helping others, gabriel took coursework to receive her certification through the former pennsylvania school of muscle therapy in king of prussia. with 25 years of teaching english under her belt, she has 23 years on top of that as a licensed and certified bodywork therapist.

gabriel operates out of alsace township in berks county, but she practices efforts well beyond massage. she also focuses on acutherapy, rebirthing breath work, reiki, reflexology, and intuitive bodywork.

“we are chemical, electrical, mechanical  machines, producing  byproducts like lactic acid—which can be toxic if not eliminated from the body,” she says about life-stresses built under skin.

“it’s an exchange of energy and cells staying in the body, appearing  as congestion,” she continues. 

what many people call “knots” in muscle-areas are almost like  little rocks or pebbles, she says, in tactile depiction.

but gabriel reveals that the term doesn’t quite live up to the reality of what muscles are coping with. instead, she describes the problematic spots as continual states of contraction brought on by different factors of the body falling out of its healthier form—life’s snowballing stressors from all sorts of starting points.

“muscles listen to your thoughts,” she explains. “the body is doing what it’s supposed to do. stress and thoughts create emotions, causing a physical reaction. it’s a physical feedback loop. and whenever the mind thinks something, the body reacts.”

this would explain why some people seem to feel like they’re in perpetual states of anxiety and can’t get away from the heavy way of weighted stress, not realizing that they are trapping themselves in this repetition of misery by their own behavior.

given how much massage and related forms of alternative therapy have bumped up the quality of gabriel’s days for years now, she says she has trouble accepting when people act as though massage is a luxury because from her experience, it is a natural part of what people owe to themselves to balance out the stiffening details of existing today, especially with the fast-paced habit of how so many never really stop to take time for themselves to just breathe or even relax, intentionally and mindfully.

( this table is a birthing place of goodness

photo courtesy of judith gabriel )

“the amish and mennonites  have always done massage and chiropractic because they don’t want to get sick,” gabriel elaborates about how certain groups of people have a lot of reverence for health-hugging approaches to a better life.

and one element people need to remember after a massage is to drink plenty of water, as the act of a massage dislodges toxins—hovering hard within muscles—dumping them into the bloodstream. drinking lots of water assists in flushing out the toxins. but if water is not sipped in serious amounts after a massage, the body is likely to ache sorely because of those toxins ache sorely because of those toxins staying locked inside, jailed to re-poison it.

and for those who either can’t afford massage or for their own reasons don’t make appointments, gabriel passionately suggests at least doing something positive for the body and mind, in a physical effort.

“swimming often in a backyard pool or doing yoga will help,” gabriel says. hiking, taking long baths, and any kind of exercise are other examples of ways to gift de-stressing. “if you feel tight or tense, pain, or anxiety, that all becomes suppressed in the body.”

gabriel points out that depression is something strongly impacted by massage. “we forget, in our culture, how important touch is. and massage is really good for the elderly as passive exercise, too.”

“when people explore their bodies and themselves, it makes their lives rich,” gabriel adds, noting that a number of her clients have told her that over time under her care, they’ve started to realize and understand more about who they are as people, recognizing particulars in themselves that they never gleaned before her massage efforts spilled into their days.

http://judithgabriel.abmp.com

also reach gabriel by phone at 484.525.6563. online bookings are available, and a detailed listing of all her different approaches to bodywork are ready for eye-scooping on her website.

( cup it up: reading coffee roasters keeps on lifting )

by marian wolbers

– coffee is personal –

for 23 years, albert van maanen has been pouring worldly coffee beans into his huge roasters. a connoisseur of the delightful drink that drives the masses, and a master of temperature control, van maanen divulges a key to his company’s success: “the art is knowing when to stop the roaster.”

     

as the beans dry and shrink, he gauges their roastedness. then, at a magical moment, he calls it ready: “let ‘er drop !”

     

says the holland-born maestro, “when you become a roaster, that’s when you get into the really good tastes.” unlike other roasters, who tend to over-roast, van maanen prides himself on knowing the preparation needs of each varietal (the coffees distinctive to each coffee-growing environment—from guatemala to rwanda) and each background coffee (the base coffee beans used straight or for blending into flavored sorts, like vanilla or hazelnut).

     

“we have the best coffee—we are the top of the top. there is no better,” van maanen asserts. coffee reviewers agree: this company has quietly evolved into a long, elegant river of top-quality, yet very affordable brew-taste.

     

reading coffee roasters’ newest marketing incursion is office coffee service, fueling local businesses—including reading hospital—with freshly-roasted drinks. (what better of a palate-rich perk ?) restaurants and other vendors offer it as well. at reading china & glass, says van maanen, “we’re the top-selling coffee.”

( to some, coffee is nothing short of love

all photos by marian wolbers ) 

( at reading coffee roasters, browned beans so alluring 

to the senses that they might as well be magic—

make a home in stretches of rich aroma, starting 

at the hands of albert van maanen & lisa  inmon) 

     

lisa inmon, who manages inside sales, adds that their coffees can be custom-packaged for fundraisers. example: the delaware valley golden retriever rescue sells coffee year-round, adorned with their own puppy-mission label.

taste-traveling

on a recent day, burundi was the brew on tap, imparting its supple, satisfyingly round and slightly fruity essence, with a linger-effect that’s both sweet and bittersweet. visitors are invited to sample a cup, making it doubly enticing to buy direct. ask where the beans are from, and you’ll get the national geographic version: burundi comes from central africa, and earned its hearty start as a super-coffee when belgian colonists planted arabica beans along the green, mountainous slopes.

     

jamaican blue mountain, the caribbean queen of piping hot dinner drinks, is also available, and so is kona at special times—“we buy directly from hawaii, from a farm,” says van maanen. “certain coffees are standards here, like ethiopian and kenyan, for example—but sometimes even they become unavailable.” when that happens, the roaster steers people to similar flavors, aromas, and body. the “tanzaniaaaan” can stand in for kenyan, for example.

     

brazilian, peruvian, costa rican, french roast—the list is alluringly long. lately, van maanen and his wife rosemary have been starting their day with a half-panamanian, half sumatra decaf.

     

coffee is personal—so the staff prepares whatever works best for each person: high test, half-caf, decaf—and all sorts of flavored blends, from very vanilla to their high-kicking highlander.

here’s how to ride this coffee river:

• call lisa inmon for office delivery details, at 610.582.224
• see www.readingcoffee.com
• visit 316 west main street, birdsboro, weekdays, 9-4.30 or saturdays, 10-2

( a bit of toy-fun in green-speak )

by ambre juryea-amole

“one of our mottos is ‘no batteries.’ we want to keep batteries out of landfills. rechargeable batteries are good, but we want to get rid of batteries altogether,” says oley valley resident john stokes, founder of stokes solar green toys & goods. he is stirring toward the future by looking skyward—introducing children to renewable energy through education-savvy, eco-friendly toys.

     

“coal and oil are only going to last for so long. it’s not like you can make any of that,” adds stokes. he predicts a world where people associate the word ‘oil’ with soybeans and corn rather than fossil fuels. “that’s where we’re going to be heading, using what we can grow. i mean, fossil fuels are exactly that: old fuel.”

     

stokes, an electrician, has an energized glimmer in his eyes when he talks about the inner workings of the toys he offers. though stokes doesn’t manufacture the toys himself, he knows what makes the wheels turn and the gears churn, in all of it. in fact, his knowledge about renewable energy is so vast that he constructed his own built-from-scratch wind turbine to make use of oley’s whipping winter air.

( all photos courtesy of stokes solar )

stokes solar is still in its infancy, but it’s off to a good start. stokes gives demonstrations amidst ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhhs’ at green fairs and markets throughout the year. “it’s fun to see the expressions on people’s faces when i show them what the toys do.”

      

he also gets to employ his two sons, maxwell, 3, and julian, 1, as test pilots for his toys. “they have a couple toys of their own, and i like to show them the bigger toys too,” says stokes. when his almost-four-month-old daughter, olivia, is older, she will  win the chance to test out the solar-revving vehicles and also two eco-homes, fashioned with pretend solar panels, wind turbines, and plenty of green-geared amenities.

the sun lights imaginations

 most popular are the happily hopping frog and super solar racing car—quite accessible for the eco-novice because they are pocket-sized, and they “don’t cost a hunk of change,” as stokes says.

     

more advanced toys are in the picture, too. “i try to hit beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels with the toys to keep everyone learning,” says stokes. the next step up from the super solar racing car is the solarspeeder v2.0, which takes a few seconds to gather enough sunlight but then zips off in lightning bolt form.

     

also among the more advanced offerings is the 6-in-1 solar kit: a dogbot, circling airplane, stationary airplane with spinning propellers, car, sun-run wind turbine, and pool-friendly boat. and because all six toy-building possibilities are powered by the sun, kids are eager to enjoy the great outdoors with them rather than sitting inside with their eyes glued to the teevee.

a car that runs on water

people have talked about the possibility of cars that use water as fuel for quite some time, but stokes is showing everyone that the seeming myth of the water-powered car is becoming a reality. in stokes’ line are two hydrogen fuel cell cars and a third car powered by salt water, with a fuel cell involved. one of the hydrogen fuel cell cars is in a fuel cell car science kit; the other, the h2go fuel cell r/c car, comes fully assembled and has a hydrogen station and even a solar-powered remote control.

changing the way

kids—and parents—play

     

the ultimate goal here is to change the way people think about energy, which stokes already sees in his own children. “my oldest son, if he wants to power up the frog or the solar car—he knows where to put it,” stokes says. “he’s like, ‘all right, let’s find some sun,’ and he’ll put it in the sun. it’s a neat learning curve—to see how the new generation is growing up compared to the old. instead of looking for batteries, they’re looking for sun. it puts a totally different perspective on things.”

     

in addition, the toys are teaching parents about renewable energy, and parents are learning as much as their kids. “this technology wasn’t there when parents were in school,” says stokes. he notes that adults are aware of the dire need to change our energy consumption, but they don’t really understand it until they experience the alternatives first-hand, seeing these toys come to life.

     

for now, stokes solar will continue to operate primarily online, but stokes hopes that someday it will grow enough to allow him to open a shop. “i enjoy what i’m doing, knowing that every little bit makes a difference,” says stokes.

      

to learn more about stokes solar, or to place a quickly-shipping order, visit www.stokessolar.com, search for it on facebook,  or find stokes himself at the north wales’ whole foods markets’ green fair  (spring and summer), every saturday (except rainy days) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

to see stokes solar in action

all the sooner, visit

theindependent space

gallery& cooperative

19 east main street

kutztown, pa 19530

monday 9 january (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) &

monday 23 january (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

( phoebe’s phorever ! phood with phlair )

by marian wolbers

it’s thursday, lunchtime.

your african peanut chicken soup is walking in the door, preceded by anticipation, announced by aroma. it’s another delivery by phoebe canakis to the hungry-for-health clientele who adore her business, phoebe’s pure foods.

this week’s menu featured not only that tawny-toned, white meat and vegetables creation in a peanutty stock, but a soup from a different continent altogether: a spicy mexican black bean soup that’s as sassy as a flamenco dancer on a hot summer night. it’s unashamedly loaded with what seems like 4,200 ingredients, from tiny diced carrots and peppers and tomato bits to barley nuggets and celery snippets, all of them playing a large supporting cast to the stars—the black beans—with a zing that’s gentle but sure.

( a souper landscape, where a bean would most love to swim--

spicy mexican black bean soup, anyone ? 

photo by marian wolbers )

like so many of canakis’ culinary offerings, the soup is low-sodium, all natural; it’s not overly spicy-herby, but instead prepared to foster the taste of multiple flavors. it’s as though this home cook personally coaxes each ingredient to retain its essential vitality and individuality while joining into the larger party called “soup.”

    

canakis’ magic carries across to her fresh wraps and salad choices which are low-calorie, high-fiber, and festive with healthy greens:

·         curried chicken salad (using local & organic chicken)
·         hummus & feta with a mix of organic veggies
·         “bright & lemony chicken salad,” with a canakis-made vinaigrette
·         cranberry & pecan chicken salad (a light, low-fat creamy salad)
·         albacore tuna salad

of course, she caters full-scale feasts and bakes pastries, too. her greek goodies are classically elegant and precious, and are available, boxed, at special times in the year. the honey-sweet confections connect with her mediterranean roots on her dad’s side of the family. confessing that sugar has a hold on her, canakis doesn’t keep it around much at home. she says earnestly, “if  there’s any sugar in the house, i’m like a little mouse—i sniff it out.”

     

but she loves soup best of all. her deep brunette eyes shine when she says, “i love making soups. it’s comfort food. there’s no better way to feel full and not compromise what you’re putting in your body.” for the record, she also adores macaroni and cheese. (okay, who doesn’t ?)

     

canakis gravitates to local farm stands to buy ingredients—the more organic, the better. she aims for whole foods, unprocessed, in season.

a turnaround

the pure food venture started in an unlikely way: “i got into an accident on the pennsylvania turnpike, on a sunday,” she explains, tossing back a stray curl of midnight brown hair. “i was working a job that was an hour-and-a half commute and found myself in my car, turned all the way around and facing the wrong direction. i was okay—but i didn’t even know what to do. all i could think was how i’d soon see oncoming traffic, and so i left the car and got to the side of the road.”

     

“then i thought to myself, ‘what am i doing ?’” more than a scare, this proved an  epiphany. “i quit the job. and because i had always wanted to start my own coffee shop, i went to starbucks and started working.”

( to this home cook, food is something that should come 

not from a box but from the earth.

photo courtesy of canakis herself )

eventually, she put other businesses behind her, developing her own, which is still evolving. “i’m not in a hurry to open a storefront,” says canakis. “i love talking to people when i’m making deliveries. i love all my customers.” she also loves gardening, blogging about food, and talking about “how to eat organic on a budget” (BCTV).

special deliveries

here’s a sample of the delectably written, temptation-laden offerings penned by canakis herself through her weekly lunch news update:

barley, roasted broccoli, & acorn squash salad—

organic barley with roasted broccoli & local acorn squash on a bed of organic greens with a shallot, maple syrup, & cider dressing

$8.50 ($8.01+tax) meat free

$11.50 ($10.84+tax) with local, free-range, organic roasted chicken or tofu

deep in food-thought, thinking of joining the lunch-to-go bunch ? log on to www.phoebespurefood.com to sign up for weekly menu updates and to get deliveries, or to order and pick up her notorious nosh at sunshine wellness resources, 511 reading avenue, in west reading. tel: 717.445.8552.

( food goods, good foods: adam’s pantry in kutztown, at renninger’s )

by marian wolbers

it’s saturday at the farmer’s market in kutztown, and just about eight feet across from a farmstand of crisp stacks of celery and crates of clementines, carlton adam cooks up crêpes right in front of his customers. each of the thin, just-sweet pancakes is custom-made, either savory or sugary. sometimes it’s at an easy pace—time enough to chat with folks as they shop around his food-goods store—adam’s pantry—stocking up on everything from rice to rye flour, from honey to flax, herbs and spices, and nutty sesame sticks. then there are the days when the unexpected happens, like last weekend.

( all photos by marian wolbers )     

“around 10.30 a.m.,” says adam, “a bus came to the market, and the whole store was wall-to-wall people waiting in line. we had the best crêpe day ever !” it’s true, though, he admits, “i finally cut off the crêpes around 2.30 p.m., because i couldn't keep up anymore. i don't think i lost any business, really, because by that time, the crunch was over anyway.” it was proof positive for this retired air products software developer to recognize that his new career is shifting into an uphill gear.

in the beginning

“i started my business at the market in may of 2009. from then until october of this year, i had only bulk foods for sale: rice, beans, herbs, spices, tea, flour, and grains. i also carry a limited line of roland food products such as asian noodles and israeli couscous. early on, i had about 150 different products; today, i probably have over 400.

“except for very few exceptions, all of those additional products are in my store because someone asked for them,” says adam. in other words, if a customer comes looking for a remote spice, or a whole wheat japanese soba noodle, or tea that combines pomegranate and rosehips, and it’s not right there on adam’s shelves-of-plenty, he’ll do his best to get it—soon. to this creative businessman’s way of thinking, it’s not so much exceptional customer service but an “information exchange.”

he explains, “i don't look at available products and buy something because i think it will sell. my feeling is that if one person asks for something, there is a good chance that others will want it is as well. that model has served me quite well in the last two-and-a-half years, and i have discovered some very successful products following that strategy. in addition, i have vastly expanded my culinary knowledge by listening to customers. in a way, my little store is an information exchange. customers come in and bring culinary knowledge, and then i dispense it back out to other customers.”

accordingly, adam’s pantry has the feel of an old-fashioned general store: cozy, inviting, and fascinating—a visual feast for cooks, with lots and lots to ponder, labels to read, products to smell and imagine with.

light gems in the land of heavy

while stacking up bulk items to take home to your kitchen—pie and bread and pastry flours and durum semolina flour, black sweet thai rice or sushi rice, loose keemun panda #1 tea or white tea flower symphony in huge jars, why not grab a bite ? crêpes are a french treat that are elegant yet messy; fancy but satisfyingly real. savories include the ham & egg ($4), smoked turkey ($4.25), chicken ($3.75), or smoked salmon w/ cream cheese ($4.75).  add-ons include mushrooms, caramelized onions, sweet peppers, black olives, tomato, feta, cream cheese, cheddar, and provolone (cheese is an extra .25).  

“to the maximum extent possible,” says adam, “i use ingredients purchased at the farmer’s market itself. the eggs, ham, and smoked turkey come from dietrich's meats; the cheese comes from richard m. heagy; the chicken comes from jim neidermeyer; and the fruit and vegetables come from d&a produce.”

the fruits work well for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dessert—basically, for any reason. adam’s sweet crêpes range from $3 to $3.50, with an option to add on whipped cream or sour cream, blintze-style:

·         banana & nutella

·         strawberry

·         jelly (raspberry, grape, and more)

·         jelly & cream cheese

·         apple, raw sugar, & cinnamon

     

the latter option features freshly-sliced apples nestling on the browning crêpe skin, receiving a just-enough shake of raw sugar & cinnamon. never mushy, they’re al dente apple, just warm enough, full-flavored in their unadulterated apple-y state.

     

fruits seem to naturally love the crêpe’s embrace, prettily packaged by the one-two flip of adam’s wide crêpe-knife/spatula.

gluten-sensitives can enjoy this stand as well since adam can quickly batter up 100% buckwheat gluten-free crêpes. try, too, the fresh-squeezed orange juice on the side.

a country-style buckwheat buttermilk pancake also pleases; flip in some blueberries for another 50 cents. slightly heavier but delectably berks-y are adam’s original funnel cakes.

     

don’t worry about staring at the chef: “one serendipitous quality is that people really enjoy watching crêpes being made,” notes adam. “they are intrigued by the spreading of the batter and flipping the thin 15-inch diameter shell.”

     

denise, his wife, rings up sales. both are devoted to “offering healthy food as much as possible, high-quality food freshly prepared, and dishes that are not commonly available elsewhere in the area.”

     

says adam, “i am a firm believer that your diet should be varied both to get as many different nutrients as possible and also to avoid dietary boredom. i am really just getting started in my crêpe offerings. i expect to be trying many different variations and ingredients to keep my customers—and myself !—interested.”

register online: www.adamspantry.com and on facebook, or call 610.762.6082.

-- 740 noble street, kutztown --