Category: Food Feed

Food happens. Whether it’s breaking news about an opening or closing, passion articles regarding chefs or restaurants, or even suggestions on pairings and places with atmospheres. For Mass Foodies, local food is always on our mind and this feed is a testament to why we are always hungry.

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Tastetea Rolls into the City with a Fresh Trend

The Piña Colada smoothie from Tastetea Rolls on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

It’s common to see trends start on the West Coast and then migrate to New York but what we dont always know is what will eventually end up in Worcester. If you’re paying attention to food trends, you’ll find one of the most interesting trends in ice cream originating from Thailand: stir-fried ice cream or ไอติมผัด in Thai. Simply, it is nothing short of a creative spin on a classic sweet treat and now, Worcester welcomes its first ice cream roll spot: Tastetea Rolls, 423 Park Avenue.

Cookie Monster ice cream roll with oreo and fudge from Tastetea Rolls on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA
Cookie Monster ice cream roll with oreo and fudge from Tastetea Rolls on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

“I saw what was happening in California with their adaptation of the Thai ice cream roll and thought it was a great idea. When it reached New York, I went for a visit and knew I had to open one in Worcester,” said Richard Son, owner of Tastetea Rolls.

After a visit to 10Below Ice Cream in Chinatown, New York, Son knew Worcester needed its own ice cream roll shop and after a year of developing the business, Son opened the doors on July 22nd, 2017.

With a wide range of flavors and unlimited toppings, stopping by Tastetea Rolls will make an indecisive eater go mad. But not to worry, Tastetea Rolls understands the struggles of the sweet tooth and offers a list of their favorite ice cream roll combinations. Between the Cookie Monster – comprised of Oreo and fudge – and the Love Bite – comprised of fresh strawberries and graham crackers – there is something for everyone. According to Son, the must have is the Dirty Dough – an ice cream roll mixed with Vietnamese iced coffee and oreo.

What makes the ice cream roll trend unique is its creative process. Unlike the traditional making of ice cream, Thai ice cream rolls are made on an ice pan and made fresh to order under four minutes. The base of heavy cream mixed with milk and sugar is poured onto an ice pan with a temperature of negative thirty degrees and other ingredients are mixed in gradually all while customers have a center stage to the entire process. Customers also have the option to order fresh smoothies and bubble teas – a cold, frothy drink made with iced tea, sweetened milk or other flavorings, and usually with sweet black pearls made from tapioca.

Tastetea Rolls give a new reason to scream for ice cream.

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The Land Picks the Pairing at Four Star Farms

House milled 4 Star Farms wharthog wheat & baby carrot pappardelle, roasted baby carrots, kale & green garlic, carrot top salsa, aged goat cheese, carrot crumb and Honest Weight Branch Bridge.

Four Star Farms is located on the prehistoric lake bottom of Lake Hitchcock in Northfield, Massachusetts. This family farm boasts several feet of the best topsoil in the world – Hadley Silt Loam – ensuring peak conditions for thriving grains and hops. As a result, more than fifty local purveyors have taken to using Four Star’s crops to make beer, pasta, and pastries, among dozens of other grainy iterations dreamed up by our creative culinary community. If the key to a great pairing relies on terroir (the French term for ‘earth’) it was written in the stars for the L’Etoiles.

Armsby Abbey's Chef Damian Evangelous makes a visit to Four Star Farms.
Armsby Abbey’s Chef Damian Evangelous makes a visit to Four Star Farms.

Four Star Farms was built and passed down through fourteen generations of L’Etoiles. You’ve likely enjoyed the fruits of their labor at Central Mass breweries like Wormtown, Medusa, KBC, and Homefield as well as countless area restaurants. When it comes to Four Star Farms, it’s best to let the land do the pairing.

Four Star’s grains are something of a constant on the menu at Worcester’s Armsby Abbey where Western Mass breweries like Honest Weight and Brick and Feather have quickly risen through the ranks. Both Honest Weight and Brick and Feather benefit from Four Star’s plentiful harvest, making them natural pairings for dishes like the Abbey’s Pappardelle.

Kitten with a Whip at Brick and Feather Brewery
Kitten with a Whip at Brick and Feather Brewery

The Baby Carrot Pappardelle is made with juiced carrot and a house milled whole grain from Four Star Farms called Warthog Wheat. The dish is served with roasted baby carrots, kale and green garlic, carrot top salsa, aged goat cheese, and carrot crumb. Liz L’Etoile explains, “The warthog is used by lots of bakers for sourdough loaves and has a very strong wheat flavor; it can also be used in strong pastas.”

Warthog is a hard-red-winter-wheat variety. “‘Hard’ relates to the type of protein – a rising protein great for making breads, ‘red’ is related to the color of the berry – there are red or white berries, and ‘winter’ relates to the time of year the grain is planted – late fall,” says L’Etoille.

As for beer pairings, keep an eye on the draft list for selections like ‘Kitten with a Whip’ – Brick and Feather’s new Munich Helles Lager, or ‘Lightworks’ – Honest Weight’s American Blonde. Both brews are light and crushable, ideal for easy summer drinking. Brick and Feather’s head brewer, Lawrence George adds, “We are about to release a new beer that uses some of Four Star’s hops and also includes elder flower and honey. We don’t have a name for it yet but it is the 100th batch of beer we’ve brewed, and it’s a farmhouse style Belgian ale.”

You can find Brick and Feather and Honest Weight along with Damian Evangelous of Armsby Abbey at the Lettuce Be Local Farmer Dinner on Sunday, July 23rd. The event will be held at Four Star Farms at 3 p.m. and promises a heartfelt showcase of local and traceable ingredients.