Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

business-Emily's-food-Parker

Full Text:

with photo: Nourishing A Passion For Food At Emily's

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

BROOKFIELD - If you haven't visited Emily's Cheez'n & Eatables in the year

since Alan and Linda Parker took over the business, you're in for quite a

surprise.

A fixture on Greenwood Avenue for the past 25 years, Emily's has a decidedly

new look. The store is literally bursting at the seams with both seasonal and

year-round gourmet foods and food-related accessories such as cutting boards,

picnic baskets, table linens, tea pots and pottery.

"We've really expanded the product line since we took over the business a year

ago August," Mr Parker said. "We removed three tables from the center of the

store and put in six towers [banks of freestanding wire shelves] for new

products."

Alan and Linda had been married for more than 20 years when they started

talking about operating their own business. Alan spent 35 years in the ladies

clothing industry; Linda was involved with aesthetics such as skin care.

"But food has always been our passion," Alan said. "Linda is a real student of

cheese. We've done a lot of traveling, to the Orient and elsewhere, and food

has been a very big part of our trips."

Linda grew up in Montreal, and after meeting and marrying Alan while he was

working in Canada, the couple moved to the United States, living eventually on

both the East and the West coasts. Finally, they moved to Weston.

"When we started talking about owning a store like this we thought we would

have to go to Vermont, or Maine," Alan said. "We never expected to find one in

our backyard. But one Sunday we saw a small ad, took a drive [to Bethel] and

it was exactly what we were looking for."

One of the first things the Parkers did was to create a catalogue, with a

toll-free number (1-800-469-9499), for their gift basket business. In

mid-November they also went on the Internet.

"We have a tremendous gift basket business and ship everywhere in the United

States," Linda said. "During the holidays we do so many gift baskets, and

we're here so many evenings until almost midnight putting them together, that

now we take the stock home and assemble them there."

The gift baskets display Linda's creative touch and attention to detail. The

products, too, are all items that you won't find in run-of-the-mill baskets.

Emily's, for example, carries the complete, and award-winning, Stonewall

Collection of jams, salsas and other condiments. There's the Goldwater line of

condiments (producted by the scions of the well-known Goldwater family in

Arizona) in flavors like Papago peach, Mohave mango, ruby raspberry and Rio

Verde Tomatillo salsa.

There are vinagrettes made with oil, innumerable grilling sauces, jellies made

without sugar, chutneys and other relishes, flavored mustards, ice cream

sauces, gourmet coffee beans and dozens of other product lines. Among the

popular items are more than a dozen tapenades, condiments which can be spread

on crackers or bread, or used in omeletes, in place of cheese.

Of course, Emily's mainstay over the years has always been the cheese. Despite

the cholesterol scare of recent years, cheese continues to be very popular,

both as a special treat and because people are eating less meat. It's a luxury

item, Linda explains, adding "We don't carry any low-fat cheeses except for an

occasional Jarlesberg."

"We were amazed by the number of young people who came in last summer to get a

basket of bread and cheese, to go with wine, to take to outdoor concerts and

other events," Alan Parker said.

Emily's features fresh breads and top-quality gourmet desserts which are

special-ordered from New York City. There are also many frozen hors d'oeuvres

and desserts.

"We aren't a caterer but we supply things for weekend entertaining - fresh

breads, pates, cheese, smoked mussels, honey-baked salmon, great pasta

sauces," Alan said. Emily's traditional steak and kidney pie, English pork

pies, bangers and chipolata also are available along with varieties of quiche,

tea breads (blueberry, apple crumble and zucchini nut) and tortas in flavors

like pesto-dried tomato-cheese, and Oregon blue cheese.

The Parkers' children, Natalie, 22, and Adam, 18, both work at the store when

they aren't in school. Natalie soon will begin a master's program in music

(she sings opera) and Adam is beginning to decide where to apply.

Meanwhile, his father noted, Adam is handy to have around. "He helped us pack

70 boxes last night," Alan said.

During the year (although not at Christmas when the store is too crowded),

Emily's has a tasting table which includes more than 60 products which

customers can sample so they know exactly what they are buying.

Emily's is located at 170 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel. For information, call

743-3513, fax 743-1215, or access its World Wide Web address at

www.imall.com/stores/emilys.