Homegrown Happy Valley

The May issue of Country Living magazine echoes what we already knew: Tait Farm carries the best locally made products in the region.

A one-page spread asks Liz Thorpe of the famed Murray’s Cheese in NYC to recommend some artisanal cheddars handcrafted in America. Among her picks is Goot Essa’s Mountain Valley Sharp Cheddar, aged for at least three years. And Tait Farm Foods is listed as the source.

Goot Essa (German for “good food” or “good eating”) is a group of Amish dairy farmers in Howard, Pennsylvania who have been turning their milk into high-quality cheese since 2001. While the rest of the country orders online, we’ll turn down 322 for this block of creamy goodness.

5 Questions for Regina Brannen, co-owner of Spela Children’s Store and Cafe, which opened a few months ago:

1.) Name one product you can’t find at Target. PeaceLoveMom T-shirts. The company advertises to moms who don’t have pregnant bellies. The most popular tee says “Happy Mom.”

2.) What’s your hottest selling item? Resa Design birthday tees (the tiny tees feature a groovy applique of a number, which corresponds with the tot’s age).

3.) How many kids comprise the Spela clan? We have 6 right now; in August we’ll have 7.

Does downtown really need another Dunkin’ Donuts?

Here are 5 local alternatives for breakfast food:

The Cheese Shoppe and Webster’s: I dare you to find better beans. If you can’t afford coffee out, just walk by the Cheese Shoppe and inhale–you’re guaranteed to feel better. At Webster’s, pair a cup of the Three Eyed Buddha with a vanilla scone and prepare for culinary zen.

The Diner: If you really want to OD on empty carbs rolled in sugar, pick up a package of Stickies. Bonus points if you grill them in butter.