The larder at Haven restaurant in Oakland is stocked with dried pastas, scented sugars, pickles, oils, jams, and hot sauce.
The word “larder”—a space for storing food—may be a phrase from medieval times, but right now it couldn’t feel more modern.
Although making pantry items from scratch is a centuries-old practice, lately restaurants have been taking it the next level, fashioning their own ingredients both to add an edge to their menu items as well as to expand to-go offerings.
At the “friendsgiving” dinner Oakland chef Charlie Parker hosted at Haven, shelves were stocked with everything from vanilla- and lavender-scented sugars to pickled Jimmy Nardello peppers and green tomatoes to homemade dried pastas like spaghetti and curvy rigati. At the progressive American restaurant, all of the items, along with jams, infused oils, and hot sauces, are on hand for customers to buy and take home.
“Haven is unique in its concept: it brings guests hyper-seasonal foods from local farms, and we take “house made” to the forefront,” says Ryan Sillers, the restaurant’s captain. “Everything—from our breads to cocktails and liqueurs—are made in house.”
Depending on the seasons, the take-away larder at Healdsburg SHED includes anything from pickled strawberries to hoshigaki persimmons, which have been hand-massaged and air-dried.
Various kitchens across the country are doing something similar. Cochon Butcher, Donald Link’s sandwich shop in New Orleans, greets diners with an assortment of sausages, spreads, honeys, and even Cochon Butcher serving ware. On the other side of the country, Charleston’s Two Boroughs Larder keeps things fresh with constantly-rotating assortment of new items on its shelves: think local farm eggs, stone-ground grits, and pure maple syrup. Healdsburg SHED, a café, bar, venue, and market in Northern California’s wine country, counts smoked trout, pickled eggs, pâtés, and terrines among its bestselling items.
“People recognize these foods are tasty, healthy, and a great way to preserve the seasonal harvests,” explains Cindy Daniel, SHED’s co-owner. “Many of the items found in our pantry and larder are foundational ingredients for the home cook. There is something very satisfying about foods that have been preserved, or put away, and the idea of a well-stocked kitchen is very comforting.”
Want to learn more? Stock up on larder items at any of the shops above, or learn how to build your pantry with some of our favorite pickling recipes.
5 comments
[…] For an effect that’s the complete opposite, go the modern route with pared-down dinnerware and bistro tableware that’s minimal and timeless. Pair those plates with basic forks, spoons and knives. Although it’s versatile dinnerware that works for any time of year, it’s easy to dress each setting up for Thanksgiving with various types of pomaceous fruit (keep the branches still attached for extra effect), gourds, flowers and jars of condiments and preserves, either artisanally made or from your own larder. […]
[…] For an effect that’s the complete opposite, go the modern route with pared-down dinnerware and bistro tableware that’s minimal and timeless. Pair those plates with basic forks, spoons and knives. Although it’s versatile dinnerware that works for any time of year, it’s easy to dress each setting up for Thanksgiving with various types of pomaceous fruit (keep the branches still attached for extra effect), succulents, flowers and jars of condiments and preserves, either artisanally made or from your own larder. […]
Please return to your old email format for announcements of TASTE articles and WS specials. The all type notice, heavy with hyperlinks is NOT enticing and I am more willing to delete than explore. Thank you!
We hear you, Kate! Thanks for your feedback. We’ve actually just updated our email format, and have a feeling you’re going to like it!
Used to order croissants from the catalog
Are they still in the catalog and I am
not receiving it. We need store in
Jackson, Tn. Moved here in 2008 and
It is really growing and opening new
shops.