A true sign of a great chef or stew is having the very best of everything at your disposal – those rare jewels allow you to shine effortlessly or make your guests ask where they can buy one. Constantly being on the move can make “treasure hunting” hard, but there are some really fantastic resources online that can help you get you what you want, where you want it. Here are some of our favorites.
Das Foods is the only place to find the deliciously medicinal and delectably addictive “Naughty Ginger” lollipops. Forget assembling plates of lemon wedges, sugar and crystallized ginger to help “ease the queasy” on a rough passage. These lemon lollipops, which have spicy ribbons of crystallized ginger, should be a staple item for any yacht’s candy dish, because in addition to being delicious, they are homeopathically effective for everything from seasickness to a hangover. Das Foods is a real specialty site, with an odd, eclectic mix of fare including mostly candies, but also exotic finishing salts for the galley like Hawaiian Black Lava Salt, Red Algae Sea Salt and Sel Gris. Worldwide shipping is available. Order online www.dasfoods.com or contact Katie Das directly at + 1 224 715 9289.
- The Fancy Flours website is a world-class baker’s dream. It has everything from ornate cupcake wrappers, gilded eggshells and chocolate transfers to candied pansies and edible gold and silver leaf. Even if you don’t bake, it is fun just to browse this site. Worldwide shipping is available, but requires some planning ahead and scheduling some wiggle room to rendezvous with your delivery. To view the online catalogue visit www.fancyflours.com or you can request a catalogue at info@fancyflours.com.
- For really wowing your guests with bedside chocolates, one yacht captain tells us that Recchiuti (pronounced wreck-ay-uti) is a personal favorite. “It is incredible chocolate and an incredible company, one of the few that really has a social and community conscience. It’s not like a tired box of Godiva; it’s the kind of thing that you give to your guests and they ask WHERE did you get this?” www.recchiuti.com
- Are you a Brit longing for a taste of home? The British Food Shop can have British brands and frozen foods delivered to you in the U.S. They carry favorite English and EU staples like Cadbury chocolates, real British teas, blood sausages, bangers, crumpets, meat pies and even cleaning supplies. To order, visit www.britishfoodshop.com.
- The owners of a 112-foot motor yacht tell us that they regularly use the Kodak website to generate souvenir photo-books for their guests. Also hoteliers, they like the site for its balance of quality and competitive pricing. Orders can be placed in the U.S. or EU and shipped worldwide. Visit www.kodakgallery.com or www.kodakgallery.eu.com.
- We don’t want to leave out deck crew. Though it is a staple for show cars, “Purple Polish” has a loyal cult following in yachting as well. Crew who use it claim it cuts polishing time in half. It’s typically available only as a special order from marine stores, but a steady supply is always available online. To find the regional distributor for your location visit www.californiacustom.com.