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Savoring the Berkshires
by Jeri Quinzio
For
some, spring arrives when they spot their first crocus or robin or go to the
opening of a flower show. For me, it's spring when the Jacob's Pillow schedule
is delivered.
Jacob's
Pillow is an annual summer festival of dance in the town of Becket in the Berkshire
Hills of western Massachusetts. Founded by Ted Shawn, one of the modern dance
legends of the '30s, Jacob's Pillow welcomes an eclectic array of dance
companies to its various stages every summer. You can see famous groups -- the
Paul Taylor Dance Company, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Mark
Morris Dance Group. And you can see yet-to-be-famous groups -- Alonzo King's
LINES Contemporary Ballet, RhythMED and RosyCo. Best of all, you'll see them in
a countryside setting of fields and woods and vivid wildflower gardens. The
Berkshires are favored by lots of city folk, who like having their summer
vacation in an area where they can slip into sandals and sundresses and still
get a culture fix. The area
is roughly a three-hour drive from either New York City or Boston. And as if if
Jacob's Pillow weren't enough, there are many other attractions. Tanglewood,
the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is in nearby Lenox. As is the
Norman Rockwell Museum and Edith Wharton's home, The Mount, where Shakespeare
& Company performs. The Berkshire Theatre Festival is in Stockbridge. The Berkshire
Public Theatre is just up the road in Pittsfield. And the famed Williamstown
Theatre Festival is not far away. But for me, one of the Berkshire's most important attractions is an old store in the small town of West Stockbridge where cooks (amateur and professional alike) go to stock up on vanilla extract. It is, as Michelin guides say about the best restaurants, "worth the trip."
The
company was started in 1888 when Henry Baldwin began making extracts and
selling them from a horse-drawn wagon. He named the company for his son,
Charles. Today, his great-great-grandson, Earl Moffat and his wife, Jackie
Moffat, make and sell the extracts at the West Stockbridge store. Their
vanilla extract is extraordinary. The Moffats say they use vanilla beans from
Madagascar, because Tahitian vanilla is too perfumey. They make the extract in
an old 20-gallon copper percolator (which looks like a still) in the basement,
age it in charred oak whiskey barrels and then pour it into small brown bottles
for sale. (Light can damage extracts.) It's been made and packaged the same way
by the same family for five generations now. Soon, a larger percolator will be installed
upstairs by a window so shoppers and passersby can watch the vanilla being
made. Vanilla
isn't the company's only claim to fame. They also make anise, lemon, orange and coffee extracts. If you remember cherry
Cokes, you'll want to pick up a bottle of their Cherry Heart extract and make
your own. An extract they call "Favorite Flavor," which is a
combination of vanilla, lemon, wintergreen and orange, makes tutti frutti ice
cream taste the way it does. A
few years back, Jackie Moffat found a rubber-band wrapped packet of old family
recipes written on index cards. Earl
began testing the recipes. Now the product line includes a flavorful
Worcestershire sauce, bay rum cologne and Walnut Russe, a maple syrup with
walnuts. Summer
is the company's busy season. Vacationers from all over the U.S. and abroad
stop in, pick up some extracts, and then return annually to stock up. One chef
comes from his restaurant in Spain every summer and buys quarts of vanilla
extract. Mail order is also a big business for the Moffats, with regular orders
coming from as far away as Saudi Arabia and Japan. You
can call for a catalog. Or visit their web site. But it's so much better to go
out to the Berkshires, see an inspiring dance performance, stroll through the
gardens, have a picnic, go to a play. And pick up some extracts. If that's not a perfect summer getaway, what is? Charles
H. Baldwin & Sons is located at 1 Center Street, West Stockbridge,
Massachusetts. The store is open from 9 to 5, every day during the summer.
Phone 413-232-7785 or fax 413-232-0114. Their
web address is: http://www.baldwinextracts.com For
schedules and more information about Jacob's Pillow, visit their web site: http://www.jacobspillow.org
-Updated 3-26-00- |
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That's
when I start planning my summer excursions to the Berkshires to see great dance
performances at Jacob's Pillow and buy vanilla extract at Charles H. Baldwin
& Sons in West Stockbridge.
The
first thing you notice when you walk into the Charles H. Baldwin & Sons
store on Center Street is the rich, sweet scent of vanilla. The pores of the
wooden building are permeated with the aroma and exude its fragrance. The store
is cluttered with everything from extracts and syrups to old-fashioned penny
candies and toys. Two roll-top desks occupy a spot in the back corner. A
counter is cluttered with bottles for the extracts. The person behind the
counter smiles and says "hello." Even when the owner isn't in.