The Best Of New England's Artisanal Foods

Guests

Island Creek Oyster Mignonette Sauce

Amy Traverso's Suggestions

• EH Chocolatiers: An independently owned artisan chocolate and confection company in Somerville.
• Jan's Farmhouse Crisps: Jan Gorham, a mother of three boys living in Stowe, Vt., started this specialty food business two years ago.
• Salty Oats Cookies: In 1997, Terri Horn left her career as a pastry chef and began baking Salty Oats cookies full-time. She founded the company in Washington D.C. and later moved it to Hyannis.
• Big Picture Farm Caramels: This Townshend, Vt.-based company makes caramel by using fresh goat milk from its own herd.
• Ruggles Hill Creamery Cheese: Ruggles has been making cheese commercially since the summer of 2005. The Hardwick-based company has 16 does participating in the dairy.
• Jasper Hill Harbison Cheese: This is a small-format washed-rind — a pudgy, buttery, nutty disc.
• Von Trapp Farmstead Oma Cheese: Oma is a washed-rind cheese that balances pungent and sweet flavors. The paste is soft, buttery and almost pudding-like, but never runny. The rind is thin and mild for the style.
• Formaggio Kitchen Chicken Liver Mousse: Made in Formaggio's Cambridge kitchen with chicken livers, butter, duck fat, brandy, cream, eggs, corn starch, shallots, white pepper, thyme and topped with a madeira aspic.

Andy Husbands' Suggestions

• La Nina Tortilla Chips: This husband and wife operation opened in 2011 and is the first tortilla bakery in New England to produce authentic tortillas and tortilla chips. They use the same technique from the Aztec period and use only white corn, water and lime. They use 100 percent non-GMO white corn and purchase their corn from a family farm. They are located in Everett and sold at Whole Foods and Formaggio Kitchen. They're available wholesale online.
• Meggie's Farm: Meggie’s Farm was founded in 2008 by John Maguire. It's an organic farm in Rehoboth. They specialize in ground paprika and cayenne, as well as growing special varieties of tomatoes, peppers, asparagus and celery. Products can be found at Formaggio Kitchen.
• Twig Farm: Located in West Cornwall, Vt., Twig Farm is a small goat dairy and cheese-making business founded in 2005. Cheeses are made by hand using traditional techniques and aged in a temperature-controlled cellar. Products can be purchased at Formaggio Kitchen.
• Run Dog Run Farm: A small family farm located in Westport specializing in natural eggs, honey, chicken, turkey, pork and vegetables. They also have a petting zoo on their property. Products can be found at local farmer's markets and health food stores.
• Island Creek Oysters: Located in Duxbury, Island Creek was started in 1992 by Skip Bennett. There are a total of ten Island Creek Oyster farms. The oysters sell from Canada to the Caribbean and can be found at restaurants all over the East Coast. They have even been served at the White House.