Sudbury Living - Fall 2008 - (Page 26)

■ food bite of perfection STORY AND PHOTOS BY WENDY BIRD A Sudbury Living Fall 2008 26 sudburylivingmagazine.ca here is a caseophile working downtown. In a shop tucked away in the former LCBO building at the corner of Elgin and Cedar, across from Market Square, Hazel Ecclestone surrounds herself with what she calls the near-perfect food: cheese. Caseophile is a cheese lover. (Latin caseo for “cheese” plus the English phile for “one who loves it.”) With little fanfare, Ecclestone opened her business, Fromagerie Elgin, late last year. She has spent the last several months delighting her customers with samples of cheeses from around the world. “Most people are excited by what I offer,” the willowy 39-year-old says while deftly brewing a steaming cup of cappuccino. “People have definite ideas about what they eat, however.” It’s a fine balancing act for Ecclestone, who prides herself on offering some of the most unique cheeses Sudburians have ever seen. She is keenly aware not everyone hankers for a good chunk of Brie de Meaux or a slice of Chèvre Fin, particularly in a world that is awash in mass-produced cheeses. Yet she adores introducing and educating her customers to and about “the lovely, easy” world of cheese. “People with the most open minds are usually the most interested in trying new cheeses,” Ecclestone notes. T A world of tasting pleasure awaits at “But most people who come in just like good food and want to try more of it.” Good food, indeed. In addition to a wide selection of cheeses, including gouda from Thunder Bay’s Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, Ecclestone offers terrines, pickles, olives, mustards, preserves, crackers and a variety of other gourmet foods that perfectly complement a gourmand’s shopping basket. She also carries Ristorante Verdicchio’s line of fine foods, including their signature olive oil, salsa picante and antipasto. For the customer who chooses to linger, Ecclestone offers up the “ideal fast food.” She puts together cheese plates, tendering a savoury selection of “fromage,” along with baguette and crackers. She also whips up fresh lemon crepes, soothing cappuccinos and refreshing espressos. All are served on pretty tableware that is set upon rough-hewn tables that look like they belong in a farmhouse. Everything is designed for comfort and communion. “We were thrilled to find Hazel,” commented one couple of European heritage who dropped by the shop as part of their weekly grocery-shopping trip. “We grew up eating these kinds of cheeses. So when we found her, we were delighted to be able to take home some of the cheeses we were once so accustomed to eating.” But not every customer knows what he or she wants when http://sudburylivingmagazine.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sudbury Living - Fall 2008

Sudbury Living - Fall 2008
Contents
Cover Story
Decor
Outdoor Life
Food
Drink
Fashion
On the Town
Fitness
Travel
Passions
Arts
Calendar
City Stories

Sudbury Living - Fall 2008

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