Fun at Little Italy Festa

So how was the 15th Annual Italian Festa in Little Italy, San Diego? Well, we got up early and set off in the dark, but when we arrived at about 6:30 am, the buzz and anticipation of the day ahead could already be felt. Some tents were already up - in fact, some vendors, were almost set up, even though Festa didn't begin until 10 am. The restaurants were starting to put out their ovens and grills for the day, and the smell of coffee filled the air.

People began arriving early, and locals walked their dogs, went to church, or breakfast. They didn't seem to mind that many of us had not finished setting up properly, in fact, half the fun was in seeing what we would set out next. We made our first sale long before the opening of Festa at 10, and continued to talk to customers for the rest of the day, learning many new things, including that San Diego's Little Italy has the largest dog population per residence in the US! It certainly seemed that way when you looked around.

Our dog water bottles, and silk screen printed dog dish towels were very popular, as well as our fun spreaders with every kind of theme, and our teapots and cast iron tetsubin teapots.

Talking to our customers is a great way for us to get to know what products are the most popular, and what other items people might like. If you didn't get a chance to go the Festa, stop by at one of our Farmers' Markets - Mercato at Date and Union on Saturday, and The La Jolla Open Aire Market, Girard Avenue, on Sunday.

I am expecting new holiday products to arrive this week, so the coming weeks at Gourmet Fusion will be fun.

Gourmet Fusion at Little Italy Festa

Gourmet Fusion has been very busy over the last few weeks in the store at Solana Beach, and at our two farmers' markets in San Diego's Little Italy on Saturday morning, and La Jolla on Sunday morning.

This weekend is no exception, as we will be at the Columbus Day Festa on Sunday October 11th, with all of our new items for fall. So, if you are in the area stop by and see us.

We will be showcasing a full range of espresso cups, and teapots. New fall flowers in shades of amber and plum that light up to make a beautiful table decoration, kitchen gadgets, dish towels, and, of course, Cattitude.

Little Italy is always fun and food is definitely a central theme - just take a look at the picture shown here - it is the longest Caprese Salad - I believe it was 40 feet long!!

Some of the events taking place are Italian street painting using chalk on India between Fir and Grape, a stickball tournament, beer and wine garden, street performers and a Little Italy Scooter raffle at the end of the day.

Gourmet Fusion Expands

We have been very busy over the last few weeks at the Gourmet Fusion store, and have now extended our store on the second floor of the Leaping Lotus, Solana Beach.

We finished adding our new stock just in time for the Labor Day weekend, and are looking forward to the Fall Affair Gala Event which will take place on Thursday, September 17th, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Cedros Design District (more details to follow).

Everyone loves our new layout and additional space and we can't wait to add our new products ready for the fall season. So, if you are in the area, why not stop by and check out the new look of the Gourmet Fusion store. You can find us on the second floor at the Leaping Lotus, 240 S. Cedros, Solana Beach.

Water Bottles at Gourmet Fusion Store

The Gourmet Fusion store has now added several lines of stainless steel water bottles to its products.

We have introduced stainless steel Go Green bottles for adults, kids and pets, and a separate line of kids water bottles by Quench.

The Go Green bottles come in a great selection of designs such as Butterfly (shown here), seashells, red stripes, blue stripes, and circles (click here to see full selection). All are BPA free, have a securely attached screw cap, and are lightweight and easy to carry. The 24oz capacity bottles have a wide mouth screw off top that can be filled with water, soda and ice cubes, and a small screw off top for drinking.

The pet water bottles have all the same features as the adult bottles, but they also have a roller ball tip so that your pet can lick the water instead of having it poured on his head!

Pet bottles come in three great designs - dog bones, puppy paws, and classic stainless steel. All have the words Pet Water Bottle written down the front, and make great gifts for pets, or pet owners.

The kids water bottles by Quench have been a huge success, partly because of the fabulous design which features a food grade, food safe, flip up lid, and partly because kids love the artwork on the bottles. Designs such as Green Monkey, Octopus, Pink Princess, Ocean Jungle and Red Zoo are great for back to school.

All bottles can be found in the Gourmet Fusion store in Solana Beach on the second floor of the Leaping Lotus, 240 S. Cedros, Solana Beach, CA, or online. They are also available at the Mercato in Little Italy, San Diego on Saturday mornings, and at the La Jolla Open Aire Market, La Jolla on Sunday mornings.

Bomba Rice at Gourmet Fusion

We have now added authentic Bomba Rice from Valencia, Spain to our range of Spanish food products, great to use with our polished steel paella pans.

If you are not familiar with Bomba Rice, it is a rice which has a very hard grain, thus allowing it to absorb more liquid (and flavor) than any other rice in the world. It is, therefore, an ideal choice when cooking paella, or saffron rice, where the rice is cooked in the broth and slowly absorbs the liquid as part of the recipe, rather than pouring the liquid away, as with boiled rice.

The beauty of bomba rice is that it is practically impossible to fail with this rice. It cannot be over-cooked, maintains its consistency, and never becomes sticky. Even though it absorbs more liquid than ordinary rice varieties, the grains remain separate and individually loose from one another. It has a wonderful mild flavor, that will not interfere with even the most subtle of flavors.

Bomba rice is expensive, but if you're looking to prepare an amazing paella, it is worth the extra cost. Gourmet Fusion has the smaller bag, 1.1lb (500g) in stock, as we thought it was a good size to try out the rice, without spending a huge amount. Our Bomba Rice is Certified Origin Paella Rice from the L'Albufera Nature Preserve in Valencia, Spain, and retails for $6.99. It can be found online or in our Solana Beach store at Leaping Lotus.

Summer I-Pot Sale!

It's time for our summer I-Pot sale once again at the Gourmet Fusion store. All I-pots are 20% off their regular retail price until July 21st. We have most colors available, and offer the 17oz size (shown) and the 24oz, as well as the 17oz Cattitude.

If you are not familiar with I-pots (short for infuser pots) they are ceramic teapots with a double mesh stainless steel infuser inside, that lifts out, and a flip up stainless steel lid. The lid clips on and off for easy washing. All parts of the teapot are microwave and dishwasher safe, and they are made of colorful lead-free ceramic.

You can buy them online and in our Gourmet Fusion store at the Leaping Lotus, Solana Beach.

Paella Pans at Gourmet Fusion Store

Our ever popular polished steel paella pans are back in the Gourmet Fusion store. We are stocking the slightly smaller 13" size, as this is the ideal fit for most domestic stove tops, so that your paella (or any other dish) heats through properly with no cold spots. This size serves up to 5 people.

Manufactured by Garcima, Spain's premier paella pan manufacturer, our polished steel pan is the traditional pan of Spain, and offers exceptional value at $19.99.

Paella Pan Care

Before first use boil several cups of water in the pan to remove the clear protective finish, and remove the label. Follow this by washing the pan by hand with mild soap and then dry with a soft dish towel. Finally, rub a small amount of oil on the pan prior to storage to prevent rust.

Additional Tips

• Never store a pan wet or allow to air dry; dry it immediately.
• Do not put your polished steel pan in the dishwasher.
• Always oil a pan before storage to prevent rust.
• Discoloration is normal (turning blue/black) and is an indication that your pan is seasoned properly.
• If you pan does rust, simply clean off the rust with a scouring pad or light sandpaper, then re-oil.

Ideal for barbecues, beach parties and picnics, Gourmet Fusion Paella Pans can be found online, at our Solana Beach store in the Leaping Lotus, or at the San Diego Little Italy Mercato (Saturdays), and the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market (Sundays).