honey chevre spread of shellbark hollow farm

Donna Demchur Levitsky (seen above) of West Chester's Shellbark Hollow was sweetly manning her cheesy station this Saturday at Phoenixville's Farmers' Market. Having the pleasure to encounter her whole goat milk cheese blends, I was incredibly impressed with the idea of her honey chevre spread as she suggested it paired perfectly with Asian pears.

Promoting a wild assortment of spreadable cheese smears, in addition to gorgeously jarred marinated chevres, a glorified stop at these freshly-aged, creamy offerings was undeniably a preview of what it could be like in my constant daydream of a cheese heaven.

Also to note, local chefs and mongers for the past several years have additionally spouted the brilliance of this locally-produced cheese, including Meritage, Nectar, Di Bruno Bros.

 and Talula's Table.

Above: I enjoyed the honey chevre generously-smeared on a slice of Saint Peter's Bakery's whole grain apple walnut bread.

casual gourmet's gorgeous specialty sandwiches

In a hunger-crazed lunch hour, the upscale sandwich is a star. For Casual Gourmet of Limerick, their savant stage that is keen to crafting the tastiest handheld bites sings victory over all of the area's packed buns.

Since 1999, when Casual Gourmet was launched by Mary Klumpp, the pristine plates of slightly fancy midday meals marveled in the mouths of many locals. Klumpp, transforming a diffident deli to an epicurean eatery, was instantly popular.

Although through a tragic turn of events, in 2003 the proud owner was killed in an automobile accident, and her establishment was eventually purchased by the nearby owners of the Lakeside Inn. Triumphantly, earlier in 2006, a trio of female gourmands grasped the opportunity to gear the local cafe back to its original roots, praising Klumpp's past ways.

Joanne Hinmon, a proclaimed culinary connoisseur, worked closely with Casual Gourmet's original owner, and when given the opportunity to restore the casual eatery to its once hustle and bustle, requested the resources of Stephanie Montoya, a certified chef, and Renee Snow, an operator of a petite catering company, to form a tantalizing team.


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Casual Gourmet, 475 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick, 610-495-6626. Breakfast served, Mon.-Sun., 8 a.m.-12 p.m.; Lunch served, Mon.,-Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dinner served, Thurs.-Sat., 4:30-10:30 p.m., BYOB.