sunny side up gets a little sunnier
The University of New Hampshire now serves eggs from chickens that have been raised in a cage-free, certified humane way. The school will now be buying all of their shell-eggs—about 250,000 per year—from Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs in Monroe, N.H. The family-run farm is the first in the country to be given the “certified humane” designation, which is granted by the non-profit Humane Farm Animal Care Program. “Certified humane” indicates that the eggs have been produced to standards that include a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones and that animals are raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space, and the ability to engage in natural behaviors. According to the Humane Society of the United States, approximately 95 percent of eggs sold in the United States come from hens confined in wire cages so small that the birds can’t spread their wings.

University spokesperson Beth Potier says the move is a natural one for the University.

“We had already made a real commitment to using local foods whenever possible,” she says. “Switching to Pete and Gerry’s—a New Hampshire family farm—reinforces UNH’s efforts to use local products.”

The move is a collaboration between the UNH Office of Sustainability and University Hospitality Services, which provides all of the University’s food service needs, including dining halls, catering events, and conferences. The two organizations had already collaborated back in September for a Local Harvest dinner, which featured locally grown and harvested food, including mussels Provencal with mussels from the Isles of Shoals, tikka masala with lamb from Lee, chili made with bison from Durham, and organic mesclun greens harvested on campus by UNH’s Organic Garden Club.

To learn more about the Office of Sustainability, go to www.sustainableunh.unh.edu. Once there, use the search key to learn more about the Organic Garden Club.

highs and lows for Den owners
When Jim Clark, owner of Black Bear Micro Roastery in Center Tuftonboro and proprietor of The Den coffee shop in Portsmouth learned last month that a U.S. District Court judge had ruled in his favor in a highly publicized lawsuit brought on by Starbucks, it would normally have been cause to celebrate.
In the suit, Starbucks accused Clark of trademark infringement, unfair competition and dilution of the Starbucks trademark for marketing a dark-roasted blend of coffee called “Charbucks.”

The court ruling stated that Starbucks failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations, and Clark emerged victorious. Clark says “We’re very happy about the decision,” but, unfortunately, the news came at the same time that Clark and his wife Annie were in the process of being evicted from their Portsmouth coffee shop. The eviction is the result of a rent dispute that began in September, when the Clarks alleged that their lease had been violated after new owners took over the building in which the coffee shop is located.

In describing the ordeal, Clark says that, although the Starbucks lawsuit was a frustrating, it pales in comparison with the confusion and lack of accountability he encountered during the eviction process. Clark says that as he and Annie awaited the final decision in the eviction case, they looked to various city officials and law enforcement officers for guidance on how the eviction would actually take place so that in the event they lost, they would have time to vacate the premises.

“We were told by a clerk at the sheriff’s office that we would be given a ‘reasonable amount of time’ once the decision came down,” says Clark. He says that when he asked what ‘a reasonable amount of time’ was, no one could give him a definitive answer. On Dec. 27, after a week of making repeated phone calls to inquire about the status of the case, the Clarks learned that they would indeed be evicted and made the decision to begin the moving process. While Annie was packing, a deputy from the sheriff’s office showed up and according to Clark, “told Annie not to touch anything, escorted her out of the shop, and changed the locks.” At the moment, the Clarks say they’re not financially in a position to open in a new location, even if such a location were available.

“What I’ve been telling people is that obviously we need to regroup, but we need to focus on our roasting business,” Annie says, adding, “We can’t let that go unattended because a lot of people still depend on our product.”  The Clarks express hope, however, that the Den will someday open again in the Seacoast.

still fresh and hot after 14 years
As passersby on Daniel Street may have noticed, Caffe Kilim is celebrating 14 years of coffee and espresso. And toasted chickpeas. And rose water. And little knitted mitten key chains. Heck, even boiled eggs and bananas.

Owners Yalcin Yazgan and Janice Schenker have had plenty of bad news lately—they faced an exorbitant rent increase in September, which was followed by a failed attempt to purchase the café’s building, which led to a planned move to Islington Street (which will take place next month)—but they’re still able to celebrate an impressive 14 years of small-business success. 

Let’s hope we see similar signs of celebration down the road in the windows of other small businesses in town, perhaps even 14 years from now in the window of the new Caffe Kilim on Islington Street.

peanuts and beer
Redhook Brewery breaks out their Nut Brown Ale this month, and they’re celebrating at the Brewery with the Jumbo Circus Peanuts on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. On tap for the free show will be fresh kegs of the seasonal brew. Redhook’s Brewmaster Doug MacNair believes this is the finest Nut Brown Ale vintage he’s produced and says, “Both long-time fans and newcomers to Redhook will really enjoy this limited availability seasonal ale,” which he describes as having “the color of roasted chestnuts and the distinct flavors of chocolate and caramel.”