Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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"It's not what you carry that you need to be educated on—it's everything," Soulos says. "If somebody wants a cheese that we don't have, you need to know about it so you can recommend things that they might like instead." with beer and wine tastings, bringing in more shoppers during a once quiet shift. Bottles and Beyond Inventory reflects the passions of Arrowine's staff. Rosen speaks in superlatives of the products he sells, but the assertions hold weight because not one item for sale has gone untasted. "If it's not the best, we're not interested," he says. In wines, the European focus is equal parts employees' preference and a reflec- tion of the general inclination toward European wines on the East Coast, Rosen notes. About 30 percent of the selection is domestic, with California wines dominating and a few Virginia wines included, such as Linden Vineyards, whose owner, Jim Law, Rosen declares the top winemaker on the East Coast. When Soulos arrived, the cheese department was heavy on brie and mass- produced brands such as Saint Andre. Now, French cheeses reign alongside the French wines; Swiss cheeses gain popularity in win- ter, while the summer months bring more Spanish and Italian varieties. "We rotate around. Our inventory list is more than 500 cheeses," says Soulos, adding, "but we can only hold 150 at a time." Springtime offers have included AOP Comté, Raclette and Vacherin Fribourgeois from France and farmstead cheeses from Cato Corner Farm in Connecticut. Cheeses are re-wrapped daily to maintain integrity. In the charcuterie case, artisanal goods from D'Artagnan, Alexian and Browne Trading Company dominate. More than 35 varieties of salami are readily available, 20 prosciuttos are in rotation and customers can place orders for meats, ranging from Berkshire pork to organic birds such as chicken and quail. "We have the largest meat selection in D.C.—Maryland, even," Soulos asserts, with pork winning the spotlight. Arrowine employs a full-time beer- monger, Nick Anderson, who has become regionally known for a weekly beer column he writes for ARLnow.com, an area news site. Like Rosen, Anderson has developed long-standing relationships with regional craft brewers, giving him an edge when seeking exclusive selection and deals for the store, such as extra shipments of sea- sonal Hopslam Ale from Bell's Brewery or Founders KBS, which holds a perfect score of 100 on BeerAdvocate. (Hopslam's score is an equally impressive 99.) "He's ahead of the game," Soulos says. "It keeps us ahead of everybody else." Leading by Example The staff at Arrowine is deeply cohesive in their enthusiasm, knowledge and effort when it comes to the products lining the walls—both for the benefit of the customers fluffy marshmallows wrapped in pure, sweet caramel the sweet tooth has met its match available as pop box, pop tub, bulk & 16 pc. gift box handmade in the usa 5735 n. washington st. denver, colorado 80216 303.333.5588 hammondscandies.com atlanta gift mart booth #405 new york international gift fair booth #7480 nasft fancy food show booth #4809 Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4809 JULY/AUGUST 2012 89