It wasn't Antwerp, but....

I grew up listening to Tom Shane's radio ads about going direct to Belgium to ensure the quality of his diamonds. This past weekend, we had ourselves some Shane-style action with a trip to Modesto, California, home of Stanislaus Food Products.

Chef Nick got an up close and personal look at their farms and factory operations. It was gratifying to learn that the Stanislaus company goes even beyond what we expected when it comes to ensuring our house-made sauces begin with the very best possible tomato products available.

While Nick was in tomato country, I made my way to the nut zone (which is rather fitting, don't you think?) The yummy almonds I sampled were all from Blue Diamond co-op growers. So I did, in effect, go straight to the source for some diamonds this weekend! We don't have almonds on our menu but who knows, if you dine-in at Nick's tonight I might share a few from my private stash.

Speaking of diamonds....Micheal, Nicole, Scott and Phyllis kept things humming while we were away. We are thankful to have such a wonderful team of employees - they truly are gems.

Note: Photo credit goes to our friend Richard Ames of Daddio's Pizzeria, who joined Nick on his farming adventure. See more pictures on Facebook.