Julia Collin Davison needed to get a feel for Northwest food resources. And who better to give the host of PBS's popular America's Test Kitchen the tour than our own Nancy Leson.
First stop was at what Nancy thinks of as "the front door to Pike Place Market, De Laurenti, where they sampled olive oils and checked the DeLaurenti selection of bitters.
Then it was on to Sosio's Produce, where Nancy attempted unsuccessfully to ply owner Mike Osborn with gizzards. Osborn's been in the Market for 46 years, "18 years of fish and 28 years of produce." The Sosio's stand was opened in 1943 by founder Sosio Manzo, the first immigrant farmer to own a Market high stall, so named for their elaborate, "higher up" displays of fruits and vegetables.
Next, their noses led them across the street to Piroshky Piroshky Bakery.
Along the way the pair also stopped at Rachel's Ginger Beer, where Nancy intorduced the PBS host to the original brew, prompting a loud, "Woo! Hello!"
Last stop was Filipino grocery and restaurant Oriental Mart and Kitchenette, home of the Do You Trust Me plate, where Nancy introduced Julia to her old friend, proprietor Auntie Lei.
Julia Collin Davison returns next week to co-host the America's Test Kitchen Seattle Eats Festival, a benefit for Seattle's own FareStart, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9.
"The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her." – Marcelene Cox
