Through the back door
If you love to cook, one of the great joys in life is getting your hands on the secret recipe for a dish you have long enjoyed at a favorite restaurant. Mastering the nuances to recreate that same beloved culinary experience in your own home is both exciting and rewarding.
I’ve never been able to do it.
Is it my oven? My lack of skill? Is the atmospheric pressure different at my house than at the restaurant?
The likely answer is far simpler: quality of ingredients.
It turns out that suppliers of every sort reserve their best ingredients for their favorite restaurant clients. That’s why the New York strip on my grill is never as flavorful as the one at my favorite chophouse. Their chef simply starts with a better piece of meat.
One such supplier is Dutch Creek Foods. For 30 years they’ve been slipping through the back kitchen doors of some of Ohio’s most popular restaurants delivering the good stuff to the waiting arms of grateful chefs. Now, if you want the same quality ingredients top chefs get… I have good news.
Dutch Creek Foods has a back door, too.
The renowned supplier is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dutchman Hospitality Group, which also owns some of Amish Country’s most popular restaurants, including Der Dutchman and Dutch Valley. In fact, they serve 800,000 diners every year—just in their own restaurants. These restaurants are also supplied by Dutch Creek Foods, which happens to own its own market—open to the public. That means the legendary country style bacon served at Dutch Valley Restaurant is available to you and me. Not similar bacon. The same bacon.
You’ll find Dutch Valley Market on the east end of the Dutch Valley campus in Sugarcreek on Old Route 39. You can enter the main driveway by the restaurant and go to the right past the Carlisle Inn, or you’ll find a gravel driveway off old 39 on the east end of the campus. That’s how I entered when I met Brian Stutzman, a former meat cutter who’s now the general manager of Dutch Creek Foods. I asked him why his steaks are so much better than mine.
“It all starts with a great cut,” he smiles, “the right marbling, the right texture. We feature Certified Angus and USDA Choice, and we age our own loin and rib cuts at least 21 days right here in our own aging facility, following the strictest food safety criteria. We offer the same steaks, roasts, pork chops, sausage, bacon and other meats that we supply to restaurants all over the region, including our own restaurants.”
Brian and his team start with quarters, sub-primal cuts and even some “swinging beef” and hand-trim them to each chef’s specifications (that chef, by the way, can be you and me). Their proper cutting, aging and prepping results in a tenderer and more flavorful meat.
The market also features Gerber chicken, which contains no antibiotics, is hormone free, and every bird is fed an all-vegetable diet.
In addition, renowned deli guru Mary Lou Miller has recently rejoined Dutch Valley Market bringing a new product mix to the deli counter, including three new hams, a dozen new cheeses, new turkey breasts, and a lot more. Some favorites include Troyer’s Off-The-Bone Ham, Tavern Smoked Turkey Breast, and that famous country style bacon. “We also carry most of the popular Troyer cheeses as well as Guggisberg Baby Swiss and Broad Run Swiss,” Mary Lou invites. “Many customers like our selection of Amish Wedding brand foods, including bread ‘n butter pickles and pickled baby beets.”
The market’s frozen foods department features 10 freezer doors packed with fruits, vegetables and desserts. Popular grocery items like seasonings, sauces and marinades pack the shelves. And thanks to Dutch Creek’s central kitchen, you’ll find their own brand of pie fillings, salad dressings (be sure to try the Vidalia onion dressing), barbeque sauces, corn mush, as well as the peanut butter spread Amish Country visitors like me love so much. These are all the very same items served in top local restaurants.
So is it expensive to shop this way? You may be surprised. Because you’re buying direct from the supplier, these premium items are often as affordable as everyday brands. Sometimes even less.
Mary Lou suddenly hands me a sample of the new Mediterranean Sunset Cheddar featuring olives, sundried tomatoes, basil, and oregano.
I love coming through the back door.
Taste the difference for yourself at the Dutch Valley Fall Fest on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17. Enjoy live music, farm fresh produce, animal exhibits, a bounce house and giant bounce slide, train rides, cooking contests—and free samples from the market and bakery. Dutch Creek Foods GM Brian Stutzman will be grilling his famous meats on the Big Green Egg.
The event is free.
Dutch Valley Market is located on Dutchman Hospitality Group’s Sugarcreek campus, which includes Dutch Valley Restaurant, Dutch Valley Bakery, Dutch Valley Gifts, the exquisite Carlisle Inn, and The Coop (a former chicken coop now the home of a delightful home goods shop). Look for the market at the east side of the campus. For more information, call 330-852-2631 or visit http://www.DutchValleyMarket.com.
For information about other Dutchman Hospitality Group restaurants, shops and inns, visit http://www.DHgroup.com.
I’ve never been able to do it.
Is it my oven? My lack of skill? Is the atmospheric pressure different at my house than at the restaurant?
The likely answer is far simpler: quality of ingredients.
It turns out that suppliers of every sort reserve their best ingredients for their favorite restaurant clients. That’s why the New York strip on my grill is never as flavorful as the one at my favorite chophouse. Their chef simply starts with a better piece of meat.
One such supplier is Dutch Creek Foods. For 30 years they’ve been slipping through the back kitchen doors of some of Ohio’s most popular restaurants delivering the good stuff to the waiting arms of grateful chefs. Now, if you want the same quality ingredients top chefs get… I have good news.
Dutch Creek Foods has a back door, too.
The renowned supplier is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dutchman Hospitality Group, which also owns some of Amish Country’s most popular restaurants, including Der Dutchman and Dutch Valley. In fact, they serve 800,000 diners every year—just in their own restaurants. These restaurants are also supplied by Dutch Creek Foods, which happens to own its own market—open to the public. That means the legendary country style bacon served at Dutch Valley Restaurant is available to you and me. Not similar bacon. The same bacon.
You’ll find Dutch Valley Market on the east end of the Dutch Valley campus in Sugarcreek on Old Route 39. You can enter the main driveway by the restaurant and go to the right past the Carlisle Inn, or you’ll find a gravel driveway off old 39 on the east end of the campus. That’s how I entered when I met Brian Stutzman, a former meat cutter who’s now the general manager of Dutch Creek Foods. I asked him why his steaks are so much better than mine.
“It all starts with a great cut,” he smiles, “the right marbling, the right texture. We feature Certified Angus and USDA Choice, and we age our own loin and rib cuts at least 21 days right here in our own aging facility, following the strictest food safety criteria. We offer the same steaks, roasts, pork chops, sausage, bacon and other meats that we supply to restaurants all over the region, including our own restaurants.”
Brian and his team start with quarters, sub-primal cuts and even some “swinging beef” and hand-trim them to each chef’s specifications (that chef, by the way, can be you and me). Their proper cutting, aging and prepping results in a tenderer and more flavorful meat.
The market also features Gerber chicken, which contains no antibiotics, is hormone free, and every bird is fed an all-vegetable diet.
In addition, renowned deli guru Mary Lou Miller has recently rejoined Dutch Valley Market bringing a new product mix to the deli counter, including three new hams, a dozen new cheeses, new turkey breasts, and a lot more. Some favorites include Troyer’s Off-The-Bone Ham, Tavern Smoked Turkey Breast, and that famous country style bacon. “We also carry most of the popular Troyer cheeses as well as Guggisberg Baby Swiss and Broad Run Swiss,” Mary Lou invites. “Many customers like our selection of Amish Wedding brand foods, including bread ‘n butter pickles and pickled baby beets.”
The market’s frozen foods department features 10 freezer doors packed with fruits, vegetables and desserts. Popular grocery items like seasonings, sauces and marinades pack the shelves. And thanks to Dutch Creek’s central kitchen, you’ll find their own brand of pie fillings, salad dressings (be sure to try the Vidalia onion dressing), barbeque sauces, corn mush, as well as the peanut butter spread Amish Country visitors like me love so much. These are all the very same items served in top local restaurants.
So is it expensive to shop this way? You may be surprised. Because you’re buying direct from the supplier, these premium items are often as affordable as everyday brands. Sometimes even less.
Mary Lou suddenly hands me a sample of the new Mediterranean Sunset Cheddar featuring olives, sundried tomatoes, basil, and oregano.
I love coming through the back door.
Taste the difference for yourself at the Dutch Valley Fall Fest on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17. Enjoy live music, farm fresh produce, animal exhibits, a bounce house and giant bounce slide, train rides, cooking contests—and free samples from the market and bakery. Dutch Creek Foods GM Brian Stutzman will be grilling his famous meats on the Big Green Egg.
The event is free.
Dutch Valley Market is located on Dutchman Hospitality Group’s Sugarcreek campus, which includes Dutch Valley Restaurant, Dutch Valley Bakery, Dutch Valley Gifts, the exquisite Carlisle Inn, and The Coop (a former chicken coop now the home of a delightful home goods shop). Look for the market at the east side of the campus. For more information, call 330-852-2631 or visit http://www.DutchValleyMarket.com.
For information about other Dutchman Hospitality Group restaurants, shops and inns, visit http://www.DHgroup.com.
Published: September 11, 2011
