Boston Stoker was founded by my family in 1973 right here in Dayton. My father, Don Dean, opened his first cigar and tobacco shop in Englewood and soon expanded to include Centerville and Fairborn. We got our start in coffee by offering it as a free service. The coffee became so popular that we began selling it by the pound.

In 1979, Boston Stoker started roasting coffee at our Fairborn location eleven pounds at a time. Our first direct trade relationship started in the early 80s with a farm in Costa Rica called Hacienda La Minita (small gold mine.) Ever since, we have been slowly evolving into Dayton’s premier coffee brand.

In the past five years I have been traveling the world to understand coffee from the ground up. I have established many new direct trade relationships with individual coffee farmers. I have not only learned how to grow and cultivate amazing coffees, but have seen first-hand where our money is going by spending the extra dollar on a quality product.

At Boston Stoker we view our coffee as produce. Even before we roast our coffees, we ensure we are buying freshly harvested beans from around the world. We then roast each small batch of coffee to its peak flavor. I have recently started buying smaller lots of seasonal coffees that will be rotating throughout the year. We just finished up with some Central American coffees from El Salvador and will begin to shift towards some freshly harvested Africans in the coming months.

We’ve always been interested in the origins of great food, and are enamored with duplicating it as closely as we can. We’ve been going to Italy for years, and always loved the pizza. The greatest pizza tradition is in Naples, where the artisan pizzaioli pizza makers combine two elements, the oven and the ingredients, to create their renowned pizza napoletana. Our DLM Naples-Style Pizza has the signature airy crust with a charred exterior and chewy interior, and each pizza is topped with the perfect ratio of ingredients.

We chose every single ingredient very carefully to produce the optimum pizza. We use our own signature ingredients including Vera Jane’s Extra-Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany and cheeses we make right here such as DLM Fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta.

To make a Naples-style pizza, you need to bake directly on the hearth of an extremely hot oven. Our Italian Hearth Oven, recently installed at our Washington Square store, reaches temperatures well over 1,000 degrees in the upper part of the oven! Baking this way produces the amazing crust of a Naples-style pizza. Come in to Washington Square and place order your today!

I was the short, slightly bewildered American holding the welcome sign at the Palermo airport. I knew how lucky I was to have the pleasure of traveling with 16 adventurous fellow DLM customers to Sicily. Our first DLM Food Lovers Adventure was an amazing trip that had us spending three nights in Palermo, three nights in Ragusa, and three nights in Marsala!

We all took it easy on that first day with some down time after everyone’s flights. Gioacchino, our gracious tour guide extraordinaire, highlighted a walking tour of Palmero to help get us situated in the capitol city. We purposefully chose not to have every minute of every day scheduled so it was really a nice mix of personal time and planned time. Since this trip was really all about food and wine, we got busy that first day enjoying arancinis (stuffed risotto balls) and Campari before our five-course dinner! One of my favorite restaurants in Palermo was at a beautifully restored tuna factory ( aka-a stone castle villa) right on the bay. We watched the sun go down on the water and got to know each other over a couple glasses of Prosecco. Before we left Palermo we managed to visit a winery, took a behind-the-scenes look at Sicily’s famous ceramic industry, and had a guided tour of the historic district. We all loved our first taste of caponata—a relish made with eggplant, tomato, and olive oil.

Next up was Ragusa where everyone was excited for the cooking class at our four-star hotel. We went to the local market and bought vegetables, fruit, and meat with our chef instructor. Then we had a fabulous light lunch and relaxed until class started (naps were in order). We donned our aprons and helped prepare a six-course menu for that evening. A couple of the highlights were Ramona, Becky, and Dan making ravioli; Myron and Pam rolling salt cod meatballs; and Wilma stitching up that stuffed hen!

In Modica we were invited to spend some time with Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, an artisanal chocolate producer that’s been in business since 1880. After a short hike up a cobblestone street, our group indulged in a chocolate dinner that included one of my favorite pasta dishes of the entire trip— cavati pasta with a meat and vegetable ragu dusted with marjoram chocolate flakes.

I don’t know how, but somehow we managed to have quite an appetite for each and every meal-I guess all that history, beautiful architecture, shopping, and touring helped us to walk it off everyday. I’ll admit that the cappuccinos helped us every morning with all that wine!

Our final destination was Marsala, the famous resort town known for its distinctive wine. On the way there we enjoyed our best lunch of the trip at a small fishing town of Largo San Paolo that is not on any tourist map. Course after course of octopus, shrimp, squid, and swordfish just kept coming! We washed it all down with Grillo, a Silican white wine variety that everyone came to love (even the die-hard red wine fans)

We visited Olio Verde, a family-run olive oil producer. Who, BTW, produce olive oil from their own trees, live in a château on the grounds of their olive oil grove, and run a bed and breakfast. Wow, it was really a memorable evening! We drove along the coast and saw the salt flats where most of Sicily’s sea salt comes from. The final full day we toured, tasted, and enjoyed lunch at our private tour of Florio, a famous Marsala wine producer . We capped off the trip with a farewell dinner stuffed with some of the best food and wine of our lives, and our hearts full of new friends and memories!

We will be heading back to Italy soon for another trip-We’ll keep you posted. Ciao for now!

Join us as we celebrate the 34th annual Barrel Tasting in Sonoma!

March 1–5, 2012

Fall in love with the quiet pace, beautiful vistas, and fabulous food and wine of the Sonoma Valley. It was here that the California wine industry was born.

With over 200 award-winning wineries, scenic coastline and beaches, the mystical Russian River, majestic redwoods, 21 challenging golf courses, more than 40 spas, fascinating museums, shopping, galleries, diverse festivals, farm markets, and a variety of incredible eateries — it’s pure heaven for food and wine lovers!

We’ve chosen March 1–5 to give you the experience of tasting wines from the barrel, talking to winemakers, and exploring the beautiful Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys. Barrel Tasting is all about the wine, and many wineries offer “futures” on their barrel samples. This is a chance to purchase wine now, often at a discount, and then come back to the winery when the wine is bottled, typically 12-18 months from now. Many wines are so limited that buying futures is your only chance to purchase them.

To keep our experiences intimate, we’ll travel in comfortable luxury vans as we visit the many wineries with our DLM Wine Gurus, George Punter and Todd Templin. We’ll gather for wine and appetizers nightly back at the inn, and perhaps share some of our “futures”!

Our evenings in Sonoma will be nothing short of spectacular as we have arranged for exclusive private dinners all around the Sonoma Valley. Another highlight of the trip is the “Day Your Way”, which gives you access to your own private car and driver for the day to explore Sonoma as you would like. May we suggest: more barrel tasting, visiting Napa, hot air ballooning, shopping, golfing, a relaxing day at a spa, or visiting one of the many galleries or museums. It’s up to you!

Our private lodging is conveniently located just two blocks from the historic Sonoma Plaza. The Inn at Sonoma is the perfect destination for our Wine Country visit. This boutique inn features only 19 well-appointed guestrooms, each with a king or queen bed, fireplace, flat panel television with DVD player, and private deck.

Space is limited to 30 guests. For more information and to register for this incredible journey, please visit www.dorothylane.com or contact Gayle Burtt, at 937-535-5696.

If you have been in the Washington Square store lately and heard a resounding “POP” noise, chances are you have witnessed our newest product called Kim’s Magic Pop. What in the world is Magic Pop, you ask? It is a delicious freshly made grain cake that is similar to a rice cake and is vegan, fat free, and sugar free! When I saw it for the first time I couldn’t stop watching because it was so neat. We take a pellet mixture made from brown rice, corn, and wheat, and pour it into a hopper. It is then fed by controlled portions in between two hot plates that press together. Then POP! Out flies a whole grain cake that is only 15 calories!

It is available in Original Plain, Onion, Potato, Cheddar, and Cinnamon. (The Cinnamon contains 20 calories a cake.) It is great for a snack on it’s own or paired with toppings. Some fan favorites so far have been the Plain or Cheddar flavor (which tastes a lot like popcorn) topped with our homemade dips, DLM Spinach Dip, and DLM Hummus. The Cinnamon flavor marries incredibly well with the decadent Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread, and at 15 or 20 calories per cake, why not? Available now at all three DLMs. Stop by and check it out, try a sample, and start your new year off with a POP, Kim’s Magic Pop!

Through our DLM Good Neighbor Program, we have donated over a million dollars over the years to numerous local non- profit organizations. The fun part is that you choose how the money is distributed!

All you do is simply choose an organization from our list to have your purchases credited. Every time you shop and scan your Club DLM card, your chosen non-profit organization is “credited” with the purchase. For 2012, DLM will donate $40,000. At the end of the year participating charities will receive a pro-rated portion of the total $40,000, depending on the amount spent by participating customers.

Sign up today online at www.dorothylane.com/goodneighbor or in our store. Shop at Dorothy Lane Market to benefit the charity of your choice!

Let’s face it, everyone loves appetizers. There is no better way to kick off your holiday parties than with our famous dates! I think the reason why these are so popular is that the quality of the three ingredients comes through in every bite. Plump Medjool dates stuffed with our imported Parmigiano-Reggiano, and wrapped in DLM Uncured Bacon. How could you go wrong? You can find them in our Frozen Foods department ready to bake.

Another party pleaser is our line of Asian appetizers. There are no nasties in any of our potstickers, dumplings, spring rolls, or shrimp tempura — just good, clean ingredients. We love them! Pop them in a hot oven and they crisp in minutes.

Don’t forget that our meatballs were rated #1 in Dayton, so grab a dozen or two. They freeze beautifully for when unexpected guests drop by. This season let us do the work. Just sit back, relax, and take all of the credit!

We are proud to announce the annual arrival of our Servatii Meister Stollen. This traditional German Christmas bread comes to us handmade by the Gottenbusch family, 4th generation immigrants from Germany and owners of Servatii’s Pastry Shop & Deli in Cincinnati. Since the 1800s the Gottenbusch family have been preparing fresh-baked goods, beginning in Münster, Germany. In the 1950s Café Servatii was opened next to St. Servatii Church in the heart of Münster. The stollen is made by Servatii’s own trained Master Certified Baker, Gary Gottenbusch who apprenticed in Germany and earned his Journeyman status in baking. The standard requirements for stollen were established by German Law to protect the tradition from being diluted, and each loaf of stollen comes complete with a seal of authenticity. The result is a decadent treat that is rich and buttery, heavy with currants, almonds, and marzipan. Pick up your loaf of holiday stollen while they last, they are only here for a short time!

Send an original gift this year with some of everyone’s favorite treats! Choose from hundreds of items to give, or send one of our pre-arranged gift packages, such as Santa’s Treats, an assortment of three Killer Brownie® brownies and three Laura’s cookies.

Perhaps you’d like to send a gift that’s sure to spread a little warmth with the Winter World Tour, a variety of four different hot chocolates from all across the globe.

Welcome someone to the first holiday in their new home with Housewarming Essentials, a collection of pantry basics that will certainly help fill any new cupboard.

Be sure to visit shopDLM.com to take advantage of our December specials!

Christmas Shipping Deadlines:
Monday, December 19, 2 p.m. EDT: Last day for Flat Rate to lower 48 states.
Wednesday, December 21, 2 p.m. EDT: Last day for 2nd Day Delivery. Select 2nd Day shipping at checkout.
Thursday, December 22, 2 p.m. EDT: Last day for Overnight Delivery. Select Overnight shipping at checkout.

We are pleased to announce our new line of healthy functional foods. Functional foods provide more than basic nutrition. They have bioactive food components that can potentially enhance health when eaten on a regular basis as part of a varied diet. They offer life essential vitamins and minerals, and also contain an array of phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that may fight certain diseases.

This line of food created by Robin Gentry McGee, CHHP, AADP, and produced by Dorothy Lane Market takes the traditional approach to healthy eating one step further. Some may remember Robin from her restaurant Just Great Foods, the area’s first organic whole foods restaurant. Shortly after closing Just Great Foods, Robin’s father suffered a very sudden traumatic brain injury. Becoming frustrated by what was being given to her father through his feeding tube and not being able to find an alternative, Robin created Liquid Hope™, an organic whole foods feeding tube formula. After seeing the dramatic change in her father’s physical health, she became intrigued by the concept of utilizing food as medicine and set about to study what would change her career path and ultimately her life.

Robin has created this product line based on her passion and studies. Her line includes these 100% organic great tasting soups:
Beautiful Butternut
Sweet potato and ginger bisque (nourishing)

Glorious Greens
Kale, dandelion, and sweet potato bisque (purifying)

Lovely Lentil
Mildly spicy lentil and vegetable soup (vitality)

Mushroom Mantra
Curried shitake and chickpea soup (strengthening)

Rebecca Katz
Magic mineral broth (like an internal treatment)

Robin is very excited to be able to offer Rebecca Katz’s broth as part of her line. Rebecca is the author of One Bite at a Time and The Cancer Fighting Kitchen, and she works closely with the national cancer community.
A line of entrées will follow shortly and Robin’s Liquid Hope™ is available by special order through the Healthy Living department.