One day, I opened my email and there it was -- a note from John Loveland (pictured here in a picture swiped from the Allens Hill website!) inquiring about how to advertise on Cooking with Ideas. I felt, I have to admit, as though I had arrived. What were my demographics? (At the time around 16,000 hits since May 2006 was all I could say.) So, I wrote back and said how about an interview --and can I have some samples. John dropped samples by my house --and eventually I will review them here. And, I am putting a link up to their site. I worry a bit about advertising -- every link before this has just been something I encountered and decided to stick on the blog. What's happening? Don't take the links here as too much of an endorsement -- check things out on your own. And meanwhile, enjoy this chat with John -- who is writing a book -- and makes some pretty swell products. (Everything from the book appears below in italics. We've never met in person -- so here's another interview by email!
Bibliochef: We met because you came across this blog and so we do not know each other. I don’t know much about Allens Hill Farm either. Can you describe Allens Hill Farm, where it is, and how it came to be?
John Loveland: Allens Hill Farm is about halfway between Bloomfield, NY and Honeoye, NY on County Road 40. We moved here from Rochester about 8 years ago. We were looking for a small farm since we had a couple of horses as well as a place where we could move our previous business that was in downtown Rochester.
Let me paste in a section from the preface of the cookbook I am working on:
I love food. Cooking for my family and friends at any opportunity has always been enjoyable to me. I never seem to have enough shelf space for all of my cookbooks. I love to search for new recipes, especially old foods that have fallen out of favor or have been forgotten by the latest trends.
One afternoon while I was at a small local library, I found a book about cooking in the frontier in our area. The resourcefulness of the pioneers has always amazed me. They seemed to be able to make something from nothing to fill their needs. Sugar was an expensive and often unobtainable commodity on the frontier. Cooks would use what they found or could make. Honey and maple syrup were the most common substitutes. However, it was fascinating to me that they also had a technique to make molasses from apple cider. It was a sweetener that was versatile and would last almost indefinitely.
I thought it might be fun to try and duplicate the process. After several attempts, I was able to produce a suitable result. The apple cider molasses had a very unique flavor and wonderful color. I began to use it various recipes that called for molasses. It was a hit with family and friends. So it began…
Before I knew it, I was sending of samples to friends. I developed cookie and cake mixes using the apple cider molasses. Feedback was great. So back into the food business I went. Allens Hill Farm was born. We produce apple cider molasses, apple syrups, glazes, pancake, cookie, cake and bread mixes, granola and who knows what will come next. Customers find us at farm markets, festivals, local shops and wineries, as well as our own shop and the Internet. We are committed to using local suppliers. The Finger Lakes region of New York produces some of the finest agricultural products in the nation.
Bibliochef: What’s your role at Allens Hill Farm?
John: I am the creator of the concept. My wife and I are equal partners in the business. At this point I pretty much do everything from product development, package design, marketing, farmer's markets, festivals, delivery and sales for our wholesale accounts and of course production…basically everything including mopping the floors and doing the dishes.
Bibliochef: What do you sell and how do you choose what you sell?
John: Our signature product is apple cider molasses, an all natural sweetener made from pure, fresh, local (Red Jacket Orchards) apple cider. We also produce apple and apple cinnamon syrup, spiced and smoky apple glazes and a variety of all natural specialty baking mixes. Our cookie, cake, pancake and quick bread mixes are made with un-enriched unbleached flours and organic spices. Many also contain packets of apple cider molasses, which make them absolutely unique. The mixes are also larger than standard mixes yielding batches equivalent to a homemade recipe. In fact, many of our fans tell us they use our mixes when they want someone to think they made baked goods from a scratch recipe.
Our granola has a loyal following. It is all natural, made with thick rolled oats, loaded with nuts and raisins and sweetened with just a touch of apple cider molasses.
We also have a variety of specialty flours which we sell.
I create our products. We then send out samples to a brave group of testers who give us feedback. When we are satisfied, we put the item into production. Some of our items are variations of old family recipes, American classics or those requested by our customers. I like our products to reflect traditional American recipes, but they may have a twist to make them current and interesting to the modern palate.
Bibliochef: How did you get interested in doing this?
John: From my book:
Food and cooking have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Family celebrations and gatherings always seemed to revolve around food. We may not have been wealthy, but one would never have known it by the variety and abundance seen at our table. Be it Christmas dinner or a late night gathering with neighbors, great food was always available.
As soon as I was old enough to use the stove, I was taught how to cook simple things. Soon I advanced to more interesting recipes as well as being involved in the many of the family food events from holiday dinners to Fall freezing and canning. Bread baking became my contribution to family gatherings.
Though some would have thought a pursuit of the culinary arts was where my future lay, I instead went to Cornell to obtain a degree in Geology. However, I could not avoid the lure of food. My work-study job landed me in Sage Dining Hall. Cornell Dining was unique in collegiate dining for its high standards. We even reproduced menus several times a year from some of the finest restaurants in the country under the watchful eyes of the renowned chefs from the actual restaurants.
I believe I learned as much at that job as I did in my academic career. I started as a dishwasher. Hard work earned me a position as cook’s assistant, then supervisor and eventually student manager. The experience was invaluable in learning not only about cooking and restaurant management, but lifelong lessons about the realities of the working world and how to deal with it.
My culinary skills also landed me the job as regular cook in our apartment for three years. I applied all the tools my mother taught me about cooking good meals on a budget. It certainly made for happy apartment mates and got me out of some of the more mundane tasks involved in communal living. They considered it a very fair trade. We would do an annual blowout meal for our friends. I would pull out some of the great recipes I learned from my father and some of my own. I also discovered that a well-prepared meal could be just as attractive to the right woman as a varsity letter. A very valuable lesson learned indeed.
As luck would have it, the job market for aspiring geologists had dried by the time I graduated. With student loans to pay I needed employment. I decided to use my restaurant management background. I was hired by a major national full service restaurant chain and found that one of the lowest forms of life is the assistant restaurant manager. Serving seven thousand meals a week, working ridiculous hours in absurd conditions was an education unto itself. Sixteen years later as a general manager, this lifestyle had taken a toll personally and on my wife and kids. I decided it was time to move on.
I left to work with my wife who had a business that I had been helping her with for several years. As that operation began to wind down, I started to develop Allens Hill Farm.
Bibliochef: What’s a day like at Allens Hill Farm??
John: No day is ever quite the same. Some days are devoted to mix production. This means a lot of weighing and mixing the various flours, spices, sugar and other ingredients we use.
The days we make molasses (I’ll go into detail in the next answer) are very long, usually about 18 hours. Others may involve baking samples for markets or festivals. Then there are of course all of the other parts that every business must do; pay bills, call on customers, do deliveries, pick up products.
Bibliochef: I know that Apple Cider Molasses is your signature product. Can you describe how it is made and give us an example of how you might use it?
John: The basic process is quite simple. It is similar to maple syrup production. The cider must be boiled down until it reaches the proper consistency. (There is a video clip on our website). We do 50 gallon batches at a time. Each batch will yield about 6-7 gallons of molasses depending upon the characteristic of a particular batch of cider. These characteristics will vary based on the type of apples pressed and the time of year.
Apple cider can be used in place of molasses in any recipe. It can be used as a substitute for honey or sugar. The high acid level provides powerful leavening action in baked products. Its high acidity also makes for excellent applications in dressings and marinades. Apple cider molasses is great as a glaze for meats, poultry, seafood and vegetables. It also can be used on pancakes or toast. Some of our customers use our syrups as toppings for ice cream or to drizzle on baked apples or pies.
Bibliochef: You use local apples as I understand it. Which are your favorites?
John: My personal favorites are empires. They are very versatile. There are many excellent eating varieties: crispins, honey crisp and my favorite eating apples are Cortlands. 20 ounce are great for cooking. [And, of course, the little editorial voice says: some of these apple varieties originated with the New York State Agricultural Station in Geneva, NY!]
I find the best cider is usually a product of a mix of apples which provide the best balance of sweetness and acidity.
Bibliochef: How did you come to produce and sell specialty mixes? Do you have a favorite or a bestseller?
John: The mixes came about for two reasons. I realized that sales of the molasses alone would not grow the business enough since only serious cooks would probably be interested and willing to try such a unique product. The mixes allowed an easy way for people to experience cooking with the molasses. The mixes are convenient, yet yield homemade results. It was a natural way to greatly expand our offerings.
Our bestsellers are some of my favorites. The sugar and spice cookies are addictive (as per the warning label on the package). 8 grain chocolate chip cookies are my son’s favorite, while my wife always wants me to make the apple cider molasses cookies. My daughter prefers the oatmeal. We all like the 8 grain brownies.
The fresh apple cake and crustless apple pie are huge hits at the festivals. I love the gingerbread which has a wonderful flavor and texture. My wife loves the spice cake and the whole wheat bread which is fat free.
Our 8 grain pancake mix has a very devoted following as well.
Bibliochef: There are recipes on your web site. Did you design them? Do you have a favorite?
John: Most of the recipes are mine. A couple have been sent to me and I added them as well. The gingerbread is one of my favorites and very easy to make. The key, other than the apple cider molasses is to get the best ginger powder you can find. Our gingerbread mix uses an outstanding organic ginger that is very mellow.
The twice-baked potato recipe is a huge hit. I have to make it every time we have a dinner party or holiday gathering.
Bibliochef: And now for some of the questions I ask all of the people I “speak” with! What’s your favorite food related memory?
John: Again from my book:
My mother was a fine cook. She could produce all of the 50’s and 60’s standards; what we now call comfort food. Her cooking was solid and basic. Good food and lots of it. Suppers during the week were standard meat and potatoes or casserole fare. Fridays were meatless. Then there was the traditional large Sunday dinner; a roast pork, beef, or ham with a special pie or cake for dessert.
One the other hand, my father was the adventurous one. He loved to find exotic recipes and complex preparations. There wasn’t one of my mother’s meals that he didn’t feel the temptation to add this or that to. When he did and was caught, all hell broke loose. But he couldn’t help himself. He had to play with every recipe. At the holidays, he would spend a month baking hundreds of dozens of cookies to give to the friends he made as the cop who directed traffic at the main intersection in our city. I think it was the joy that I saw when we delivered those cookies that made me understand the sheer and simple delight that food could bring to everyone, whether it was the owner of the downtown lingerie shop or the 70 year old mother of the black garbage man. He was friends with them all.
I was fortunate that in our family it was the men who did the interesting cooking. It wasn’t unseemly for my father or grandfather to cook their specialties. One of my vivid childhood memories of my mother’s father was seeing him sitting at his kitchen table with a burlap sack of hickory nuts he collected while scouting for deer in the woods. He would spend hours cracking the nuts and meticulously picking out the meats to make a hickory nut cake that was beyond description. My father baked the fancy holiday breads. It was just natural to be involved and to acquire knowledge and techniques.
As I gained skill and confidence, I was encouraged to take the reins along with my sisters. I became the primary bread baker, while they handled most of the cookie production. I soon was cooking for friends and their families. It was great fun.
Bibliochef: What’s the absolutely best meal you have ever had? What made it the best meal?
John: When I was at Cornell, a few fellow Cornell Dining managers went to Pierce’s in Elmira. We had come to know the owners of the restaurant when they were part of the Cross Country Gourmet series. So, when we went there, we got the VIP treatment. Incredible food, amazing service and great friends. What else do you need? I’ve been back a few times since and have never been disappointed. [Editorial note: the restaurant referred to is Pierce's 1894 Restaurant.]
However, I will say that, every now and again, a garbage plate is just the ticket too.
Bibliochef: What music, films, books related to food would you recommend? Why?
John: “On Food and Cooking” by Harold McGee is an incredible source of information explaining the science behind food and cooking. [To listen to NPR interviews with McGee, click here or here.]
“The Fannie Farmer Cookbook” is, to me, the best basic cookbook, though some editions are better than others. It was my first cookbook and still the one I go to first. [For some background on this classic cookbook, click here.]
Julia Child’s “How to Cook” is a great basic cookbook that is more gourmet and classic cooking. It has wonderful information and serves as a source of excellent basic recipes and techniques. [Fpr silly Julia Childiana, click here.]
“Complete Techniques” by Jacques Pepin is the standard reference for classic kitchen skills, techniques and recipes. Hundreds of photos give step-by-step illustrations of how to do everything from chopping an onion to making puff paste.
Bibliochef: What do you eat for comfort food?
John: Wow, that’s like asking an alcoholic what they like to drink.
My greatest weakness would be baked goods, especially bread. I do believe I could live on good bread and butter.
Bibliochef: Do you have a favorite restaurant in the Finger Lakes?
John: I’m so busy, I don’t have the opportunity to eat out much. However, we do seem to get to the Holloway House in Bloomfield, NY about once a year. It’s such a classic. It’s just what you would expect from an old country inn. The style of service, great food, awesome bread selection (have you had their orange rolls?) and solid American entrees make for a wonderful dining experience. They also have a nice selection of local wines.
Bibliochef: What am I not asking that I should?
John: Our products are available at our farm, from our website, or at many local stores which are listed on our website. We can also be found at many local farmer’s markets and festivals (to be posted soon on our website). More local restaurants are using our products as well.
Bibliochef: Watch here for a review of some of the products John mentions. I can't wait to try them And, meanwhile, don't forget their website, the virtual Allens Hill Farm.