Foie Gras Bratwurst

Bella Bella Foie Gras

Fresh Ground Burger Blends

Benton's Smokey Mountain Country Hams

Started in 1947 by the late Albert H. Hicks, a dairy farmer who began curing and selling country hams out of a painted block building. 

Allan Benton and his employees have honed the dry-curing of hams and bacon into a culinary art and have catapulted the products from a simple breakfast mainstay into the world of gourmet cooking, where they have been praised for their characteristic flavor. 

Hickory smoking is performed in a small, wood stove smokehouse behind the business, imparting a distinct smoked flavor that many customers prefer.

Bin 54 Steak & Cellar

Bin 54

(919) 969-1155 1201-M Raleigh Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

MSC launches film 'Sustainable Seas'

The science behind the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) program is explained in the new film 'Sustainable Seas' launched today. The film explores the MSC environmental standards and the measures that fisheries are required to achieve in order to receive MSC certification.

Featuring interviews with scientists, fisheries and environmental organizations the documentary demonstrates how fisheries are evaluated, what certification means for those fisheries and the benefits to the environment.

Case studies from across the globe

Filmed in Southern England, Scotland and South Africa, the ten minute documentary uses animations to explain the MSC sustainability standard, and visits two fisheries which have been through the MSC certification process.

The fisheries featured are SFSAG North Sea haddock which was certified as sustainable by the MSC on 29th October 2010 and South Africa hake, certified as sustainable in April 2004 and re-certified in March 2010.

Focusing on the MSC's environmental standards, the film explores the 'scoring system' which has been developed over the past decade with the help of hundreds of international fisheries and environmental experts. It is comprised of 3 core principles that require:

1. healthy fish stocks
2. that the fishery does not jeopardize the supporting ecosystem
3. that management systems ensure the long-term future of all resources

Why we made the film

David Agnew, MSC Standards director said "The MSC’s view of sustainability involves looking beyond just the quantity of fish caught and the stock’s ability to regenerate. It also requires review of the impact of the fishery on the ecosystem in which the fish live, on other fish that are caught, and on the habitat that is encountered by the fishing gear. We hope that the Sustainable Seas film will demonstrate the MSC environmental standards in an enjoyable and informative way and be an educational tool for scientists, fisheries, policy makers and environmental science students".

Click on image above to start video.

Preferred Fine Foods

Founded in 2005, Preferred Fine Foods has a passion for high quality hand made products.

 

They take the time and special effort to find or develop those products to make them available to our customers.

 

They are your best resource for ideas that can expand your menu, save time, labor and increase your profitability.

 

They strive to build a strong relationship between Chefs, Distributors and Manufactures to allow for the free flow of creative ideas!

 

Hand crafted unique hors d'oeuvres for the most discriminating of chefs.

Shown below are pictures of a few of our most popular items...

Click on Picture to Enlarge Image

1.    Spicy Beef Empanada

2.    Beef Wellington Puff

3.    Mini Kobe Cheeseburger

4.    Quince & Manchego Phyllo Star

5.    Chicken Coconut Finger

6.    Chicken Saltimbocca

7.    BBQ Chicken Biscuit

8.    Chicken Marsala Pot Pie

9.    Mac & Cheese Popper with Ham

10.  Cheddar Biscuit w/ Black Forest Ham

11.  Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla

12.  Mini Meatball Parmesian Sandwich

13.  Lobster Cobbler

14.  Wild Mushroom Phyllo
15.  Bella Flora Puff

Niman Ranch Heritage Pork

Ahead of the Rest
Niman Ranch's animal handling protocols are the industry standard. The animals are raised outdoors and allowed to root and roam as nature intended.

Superior Breeds
Niman's uses specific breeds in their pork production. Berkshire, Chester Whites and Durocs all are known for superior marbling and tenderness.

Never Ever
Niman never uses and added hormones or antibiotics and the animals are fed a 100% vegetarian diet.

Sustainability
Niman Ranch is the industry leader in sustainable agricultural practices. They use the nation's largest network of US family farmers, supporting a traditional American Way of life. They practice crop rotation and the use of alternative energy sources, ultimately protecting our water supply and preserving the land for generations to come.

To go to their web page just click... HERE.

Niman Ranch Pork Tomahawk Chop

Niman Ranch Pork Tomahawk Chop

Heritage Berkshire Pork

Kan Kan Pork Chop

For more information... CLICK HERE

Dr. Joe's Ducks

Manchester Farms

Manchester Farms is the oldest, most respected, and largest producer of farm raised quail in the United States. We pride ourselves on the quality of our products and the exceptional customer service we provide to our distributor, restaurant, and retail customers. You will not find better customer service anywhere in our industry. In 1974, our first year in commercial production, we processed over 23,000 quail the whole year. Now we average processing over 110,000 birds per week. We do all this with no antibiotics or growth hormones.

For the full story... CLICK HERE.

Carolina Poulet Rouge

(poo-lay' rooj fare-myay' do pee-moan')

"The Other Red Meat"

• An original Label Rouge rustic breed from France
• Never before grown in the U.S.
• Grown following Label Rouge standards
• Air chilled
• Grown on small farms in Piedmont, N.C.
• No antibiotics, hormones, growth stimulants
• Fed all-grain diet with no animal byproducts
• Regarded as the chicken with the finest culinary qualities in the world
• Enhanced flavor, great meat texture, very thin skin

Please check out this short video clip... CLICK HERE

POULET ROUGE FERMIER (Red Heritage Chicken): In North America, all commercial, natural and organic chickens are produced from very similar genetic stock, which are fast growing, white feathered birds that grow to 5#-7# in about 6 weeks. Although this bird is very efficient in feed conversion and growing time, it lacks the culinary qualities of birds grown in specialty programs in Europe and other parts of the world. A market exists for chefs in fine dining restaurants to offer their guests a chicken that is distinguishably different from chickens served in casual dining and fast food restaurants whose menus are priced much lower. The same needs exist for specialty retailers to be able to offer poultry products that are different from their chain store competition.

This information is from the Joyce Foods Web Page.

Safety & Logistics

Facility Safety

With over 100,000-plus square feet of specialized temperature-controlled refrigerated storage and processing space, Halperns' operates one of the largest food service meat specialty facilities in the United States, completely dedicated to center-of-the-plate proteins.

SAFE IN OUR HANDS

Food safety is paramount to our operation. We are inspected and certified by outside agencies whose requirements exceed those of the USDA. We inspect our suppliers' facilities to ensure wholesome practices on their part, and we take the extra steps necessary to provide you with the assurance that we strictly manage a system that safeguards the products we deliver to your door.

COMMITTED TO FOOD SAFETY

• HACCP- Halperns' is a further processing facility operating under an established Quality Assurance Program and a fully implemented HACCP Plan with all appropriate Critical Control Points identified.
  
• Quality Assurance-Halperns' offers the guarantee that the goods we sell have not been adulterated or altered as defined by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (United States Code, Title 21, Chapter 9, Section 342).
  
• Metal Detection-All Halperns' Cut Product passes through a Fortress Metal Detector that is more sensitive than USDA requirements.
  
• Sanitation-Second to none in the industry, 100% of Halperns' employees are committed to our total operation sanitation program. Our production is stopped 8 hours/day for a deep clean. We do a weekly sanitation fog of our production areas to eliminate all environmental bacteria. We also go the additional mile with our truck sanitation program to ensure that deliveries are made on clean trucks.
  
• SANOVA-As an intervention step Halperns' has committed to a 360o Anti-Microbial wash that exceeds the requirements of the USDA. Recent verifications have shown over four times the required reduction in harmful pathogens.
  
• Temperature Control-From receiving to storage, production and shipping, our docks, coolers, freezer and production rooms are monitored and maintained 24 hours a day. All areas of the facility are kept well below Critical Limits in order to extend shelf life and to eliminate the incidence of spoilage bacteria growth.
  
• Process Control-No raw material boxes ever enter the processing area. All raw material packaging is sanitized before entering the processing area. Knife dip stations are available in five locations throughout the cut shop to sterilize processing equipment.
  
• Product Separation-Halperns' is compliant with all required species separation throughout storage and production areas.
  
• Good Manufacturing Practices-Halperns' employees are issued a clean BioSmart smock, apron, hair and beard net and a sanitary bag with new, nitrile and cotton gloves, sleeves and plastic apron daily. Employees must remove all jewelry, walk through a sanitizing foot foam, and are required to wash hands with an approved E2 hand soap. No gum, food or drink are ever allowed in the processing areas.
  
• AIB-Halperns' voluntarily participates in third party audits. We currently hold the highest possible ranking of "Superior" with AIB.

More Pictures of Operation... Click Here.

Farm to Table Menu ~ Jefferson Landing

Created By Chef Mathieu Robinson

For More Information About Jefferson Landing... CLICK HERE

10K OTR

Halperns' Fresh Seafood department has a commitment to quality that is applied to every aspect of the cycle. All fillets and portions are specially packed to ensure maximum freshness.

 
The 10K 0TR packaging system we employ has revolutionized the fresh seafood industry and is an integral part of our cut fish program. These state of the art bags allow the fish to breathe out, but do not allow oxygen, ice water  or any contaminants into the bags. The fresh fish stays protected from its environment and shelf life is greatly enhanced. This system allows us to customize packaging to your individual specifications and provides you with maximum storing efficiencies.
 
Halperns' is proud to offer this industry-leading, cutting-edge packaging as a complement and added bonus to our superior fresh seafood program.

North Carolina All Natural Chicken Medallions

 

French Cut Chicken Wings

Carolina Catch

Fresh off the dock. These beautiful fish are out of Murrels Inlet.  Fish are caught on local day boats and backhauled directly to the Halperns' facility on our climate contolled truck.

The fish are then fabricated in our state of the art cut shop and shipped to our customers on the very next delivery!  It does not get any fresher.

Any given day we may see... Amberjack's, Trigger, Black Grouper, Scamp, Red Porgies, Mahi Mahi, Jolt Heads, Grunts, Black Bass, B-Liner Snappers, Hog Nose Snappers and more.

Porgies make for some great local color on your Menu. They are lean fish, with coarse texture and delicate flavor.  Try baked, broiled, grilled or poached.  And they are delicious pan fried!!

Pumpkin Sword

The orange swordfish is commonly called a "Pumpkin Sword".

It is thought that the color of the flesh is obtained due to naturally occurring carotene's in the prey. The orange flesh color can be attributed to the ingestion of shrimp and/or squid.

The blood line appears to remain quite ordinary in appearance. There appears be no difference in quality when compared to normal sword. It may actually have a slightly sweeter taste to it.

Stone Crab Facts

LOBSTER FACTS

Lobster Q&A

Source: National Marine Fisheries Services' Northeast Fisheries Science Center

How many kinds of lobsters are there in the United States?

Two kinds of lobster-like crustaceans exist in U.S. waters: the “true” or American lobster and the spiny lobster. The true lobster has claws on the first four legs, lacking in the spiny lobster; the spiny lobster has a pair of horns above the eyes, lacking in the true lobster. The item marketed as “lobster tail” usually is a spiny lobster. The spiny lobster is found in warm waters off Florida, in the West Indies, and off southern California.

How far do lobsters travel?

Inshore lobsters tend to stay in one place, seldom moving more than a mile or so, but deepwater lobsters farther out on the Continental Shelf follow a seasonal migratory pattern shoreward in summer, returning to the Shelf again in the autumn. The record travel so far is 225 miles covered by a lobster tagged off the Continental Shelf and recovered at Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York.

What color is a lobster's blood?

Colorless. When exposed to oxygen, it develops a bluish color.

What is “tomalley”?

Tomalley is the lobster's liver. It turns green when cooked and is considered a delicacy.

How does a lobster grow?

Lobsters grow by molting. This is the process in which they struggle out of their old shells while absorbing water, which expands their body size. This molting, or shell-shedding, occurs about 25 times in the first 5–7 years of life. Following this cycle, the lobster will weigh approximately one pound. It may then only molt once per year and increase about 15% in length and 40% in weight. They can grow to be 3 feet or more.

How many times must a lobster molt before it reaches market size?

Between 20 and 30 molts take place before a lobster reaches the one-pound market size.

How old is a one-pound lobster?

No one knows exactly, but aquarium studies suggest 5 to 7 years.

How many one-pound lobsters are needed for a pound of lobster meat?

Five, on the average.

For More Lobster Q&A...Click Here.

Lobster Q&A

Can a lobster be kept alive in fresh water with ice?

No. Fresh water is lethal to a lobster. The animal has salty blood and tissue, which require a seawater environment if life is to be maintained.

Why does a lobster turn red when cooked?

The red pigment is the most stable component of the coloring in a lobster shell. The greens and browns which darken the shell in a live lobster are destroyed by cooking.

How can one tell if a boiled lobster was alive when cooked?

Upon the death of a lobster the tail loses its elasticity and ability to curl under the body. When plunged into boiling water, a live lobster curls its tail under. It remains in that position during and after cooking.

Is it possible to raise lobsters on a commercial basis?

Not yet, but research is underway to develop rearing techniques and to assess the economic feasibility of rearing the American lobster commercially. In the opinion of many scientists working with the American lobster, commercial aquaculture can be achieved in the near future with a sufficient level of effort. Future projections for the culture of the spiny lobster are not, however, optimistic. Unlike the American lobster, which has a relatively short larval life (several weeks), the spiny lobster has a larval life of about six or seven months. The fragile, demanding requirements of the early life present technical difficulties.

I've heard that lobsters molt, but I've never seen a cast-off shell. Why?

After molting, lobsters will eat voraciously, often devouring their own recently vacated shells. This replenishment of lost calcium hastens the hardening of the new shell, which takes about 14–30 days from the actual loss of the old shell.

Where are lobsters caught?

The American Lobster is found on the east coast of North America, from Newfoundland to North Carolina. In 1996, more than 70 million pounds of lobsters were landed in the U.S. Approximately 80% came from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine.

What do lobsters eat?

Lobsters usually move around and hunt for food at night. It was once thought that lobsters were scavengers and ate primarily dead things. However, researchers have discovered that lobsters catch mainly fresh food (except for bait), which includes fish, crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins, and sometimes even other lobsters!

How is the health of the lobster resource?

The Northeast is one of several fishery resources that is considered to be generally overfished. Fishermen and managers, however, are working together to develop management measures. Presently major conservation measures include safeguarding lobsters smaller than 3¹/4" carapace length (carapace length is measured from the rear of the eye socket to the rear of the main body shell). Any lobster that is smaller in carapace length than 3¹/4" must be returned unharmed to the sea. Egg-bearing females are also protected and if caught, must be placed back in the sea. Lobster traps must have escape vents to allow too-small lobsters to exit the trap while it is still on the bottom.

Where do lobsters live?

Small lobsters (less than 1¹/2" carapace length) hide in and about sea weeds and rocky habitat that provide adequate food and shelter from predators. Adolescent lobsters (1¹/2" to 3¹/2" CL) dominate coastal habitats and offshore areas. Larger, more mobile, adult lobsters may inhabit deeper waters and may return seasonally to shallow warmer waters.

When do lobsters mate?

A female lobster mates primarily after she has shed her shell (molted). Female lobsters can carry live sperm for up to two years. At any time she may decide to fertilize her 3,000–75,000 eggs.

Are lobsters different colors?

“Red as a lobster” is just a tale. Lobsters come in just about every color but red. They can be blue, light yellow, greenish-brown, grey, dusty orange, some calico, and some with spots. However, they all turn red when they hit hot water. The hot water cuts the link between astaxanthin, a red substance contained in the lobster's shell, and protein, which in cold water brings out the predominant coloring.

Can lobsters grow new legs?

Yes. Lobsters have the ability to regenerate some of their body parts, for example, the claws, walking legs, and antennae.

Do lobsters have teeth?

The teeth of a lobster are in its stomach. The stomach is located a very short distance from the mouth, and the food is actually chewed in the stomach between three grinding surfaces that look like molar surfaces, called the “gastric mill.”

Can lobsters smell their food?

Lobsters “smell” their food by using four small antennae on the front of their heads and tiny sensing hairs that cover their bodies. Their sense of smell is so fine that they can sniff out a single amino acid that tags their favorite food.

Do lobsters lay eggs?

A freshly laid lobster egg is the size of the head of a pin (¹/16"). A 1-pound female lobster usually carries approximately 8,000 eggs. A 9-pound female may carry more than 100,000 eggs. The female lobster carries the eggs inside for 9 to 12 months and then for another 9 to 12 months externally attached to the swimmerets under her tail. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will float near the surface for 4 to 6 weeks. The few that survive will settle to the bottom and continue to develop as baby lobsters. From every 50,000 eggs only 2 lobsters are expected to survive to legal size.

Do many young lobsters survive to old age?

Lobster babies swim at water surface for 25 days. Only one percent make it to the bottom. These young lobsters shed their shells about ten times in their first year. A near-shore lobster has a 90% chance of ending up on someone's dinner plate.

What is the largest lobster ever caught?

The Massachusetts Lobstermen's association claimed a record when they caught “Big George” in 1974 off Cape Cod. The lobster weighed 37.4 pounds with a total length of 2.1 feet.

Calamari Fries

Click on image above to enlarge view

Chateau Royal

Chateau Royal is a family owned business with over thirty years experience in manufacturing cutting edge, high end gourmet food products. With our own in house chefs, we are reinventing sausages and ravioli by using game and gourmet meats and combining them with only the highest quality, all natural ingredients.

Chef inspired Gourmet Sausages combine exceptional taste and quality with affordability and ease.

• Alligator Sausage
• Buffalo with Chipotle
• Chicken with Apples & Cranberries
• Smoked Duck Sausage
• Lamb Merguez Sausage
• Venison with Blueberries
• Wild Boar with Cranberries
• Rabbit with Herbs

Check out their web page by clicking... HERE

Operations

B-Liner Snappers

Wreckfish

South Carolina Wreckfish is in the house, so get it while you can! 

Wreckfish is harvested out of the 'Charleston Bump' and the fishery is closely regulated. The spawning grounds will be closed from January 16 to April 14. 

The tight state and federal management of the fishery makes it a sustainable choice!

The name is derived from the location in the deep waters where they are sourced... in and around shipwrecks.

Large fillets will cut out very similar to it's cousin the Grouper with equal versatility in the kitchen. 

The fish taste great paired with just about anything! 

Support your local fisheries and ocean friendly choices today with Wreckfish.

Red Porgy

A LITTLE HISTORY BEHIND THIS VERY MILD, FLAKY, WHITE FISH.......

A fish better known for its contribution to the American songbook than the American dinner plate is being touted as a sustainable alternative to grouper and red snapper. Southern conservationists are now championing red porgy, the fish that was once so ubiquitous on low-country docks that it lent its name to the hero of George Gershwin's opera, "Porgy and Bess."

While the effort has been slightly hampered by chefs' reluctance to tinker with unfamiliar proteins and the lingering social stigma associated with eating red porgy, backers believe the fish's taste and history make it an excellent candidate for a delicious alternative.

Affordable, sustainable and a new option for your dining guest. Please ask your Halperns' Fish Monger for a few pounds. You will not be disappointed....

NATURAL COLOR CHANGES IN MEAT

Why does my packaged product look brown?

Amazingly, beef can exist naturally in many colors; from purple to red to brown.  There is a protein called myoglobin in meat that is primarily responsible for its color.  When a change in myoglobin occurs, meat color also changes. Myoglobin contains iron and has a binding site that attaches to other biochemical components.  The meat color is determined based on the state of the iron and the nature of the components that attaches to the binding site of myoglobin.  This iron is also an important nutrient in meat.

Most U.S. consumers associate the bright cherry-red color in beef with wholesomeness.  This red color is due to exposure to oxygen in the air which attaches to the myoglobin molecule in the meat.  Yet, the red color is not stable and the oxygen can also be detrimental to beef.  The longer beef is exposed to oxygen, a process called “oxidation” occurs.  True oxidation happens on a molecular level -- we only see or taste the large-scale effects as the oxygen causes free radicals formation that eventually causes beef to slowly deteriorate in flavor and color.

Science shows that meat naturally changes color when it progresses from an aerobic to anaerobic environment; meat goes from bright red to brown to purple in a new vacuum package.  The change from red to brown is due to the natural oxidation of the iron portion of myoglobin.  The change from brown to purple is due to reducing enzymes within the meat.  Lots of age and colder storage temperatures definitely reduces enzyme activity which slows the “color change process” of a steak in vacuum packages.  However, both are crucial elements in creating a great tasting and wholesome steak. 

Keeping your meat away from oxygen for your benefit!

Halperns' Purveyors of Steak and Seafood wants to supply their customers with safe, high quality fresh product and to accomplish this by using a state-of-the-art vacuum packaging system.  This system inherently uses a high oxygen barrier packaging film that protects your meat from oxygen, ensuring that your meat is protected from oxidation, which greatly increases the shelf life and flavor stability of the product.

The incredible nature of beef is that when in an oxygen-free environment, such as the high oxygen barrier film, it starts out bright red after cut fabrication, then turns brown and eventually to purple depending on the oxidation state of iron within the myoglobin molecule inside the meat.  Once you open the vacuum-package (break the seal), this will allow the beef’s purple-red pigment to be exposed to oxygen again and your beef will begin to “bloom” or return to the bright cherry-red color.

Some other packaging systems allow beef to retain its red color because the film allows oxygen to pass through.  This packaging will allow your meat to retain its red color but it will also greatly diminish the shelf life and flavor stability of the product.

How does aging of meat affect tenderness and color?

In addition to breed and diet, age of the meat after animal harvest is a very important contributor to tenderness and great flavor.  As the subprimal cuts age, enzymes create chemical reactions in the muscle tissue resulting in improved flavor and increased tenderness.  As these enzymes complete their task their activity level begins to slow.   As tenderness increases, the color changing phenomenon of beef diminishes, but the wholesomeness and flavor of the product greatly intensifies.  Because of the amount of age we put on our beef, the color transformation from red to brown to purple may take a few days but the eating experience will be outstanding.   

In conclusion, Halperns' Purveyors of Steak and Seafood believe that for our customers, using a high inherent oxygen barrier film that makes meat naturally appear purple-red also gives a higher integrity product with longer shelf life and increases food safety.  Halperns' Purveyors of Steak and Seafood also knows that aging beef products produces a wonderful tasting, tender steak.

Click on Picture Above to Enlarge View

This Halperns’ Fact Sheet was based on publications by Dr. M.C. Hunt, Kansas State University. Dr. Hunt is the industry’s leading expert on color transformations in beef. 

More information on meat color can be found:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Color_of_Meat_&_Poultry/index.asp

http://savell-j.tamu.edu/color.html

http://animalrange.montana.edu/courses/meat/meatcol.pdf