You never quite know what to expect from Jeffrey Ruhalter. One day recently the wise-cracking butcher of Essex Street was walking back and forth behind the counter of "Jeffrey's Meats," a pig slung over his shoulder, while several Hasidic men in black coats and hats followed his every move. These days, it seems, everyone wants a piece of him. Yesterday, during a rare quiet moment in his tiny back office, Jeffrey filled me in on his budding career as a television star and author. A few weeks ago, a tv crew came to the Essex Market to shoot a tv pilot featuring Jeffrey. A west coast production company is about to start pitching the concept to cable networks. Then there's his book proposal – Jeffrey imparting his butchering wisdom to the masses. We can't say much more about these projects – it's all very hush hush. And to think we were buying his chickens before he (and the chickens) were famous.
Over at Roni-Sue's Chocolates, they were putting the final touches on those "Inna a pickle" truffles we told you about the other day – Roni-Sue's annual contribution to the International Pickle Festival. But before the pickle shindig on Sunday, they were headed to Saturday's Chile Pepper Festival at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. They'll be serving up a creation called "Dablo Down the Hatch," comprised of bittersweet chocolate
with red chile confit, sweet red pepper ‘leather’, red chile jam, fresh
chile infused tequila and Mexican cinnamon. Roni-Sue also showed us her impressive spread in the new Dean & Deluca catalog.
Ann Saxelby, just back from a cheese tour-de-force in Italy, was also making plans for the Pickle Festival. Saxelby Cheesemongers will be featuring quesadillas, made with Hot Bread Kitchen tortillas, Grafton chedder, with handy corn relish from Rick's Picks.
Needless to say The Lo-Down will be on the scene tomorrow, video camera and taste buds ready for anything.
