NOFOmation

November 2020

NOFOmation is our monthly newsletter written to keep NOFOlks up to date on new products and current events at NOFO!

Gobble Up

     If you have family and friends coming to your house for Thanksgiving and you?d be thankful for some help, get a copy of the Joy of NOT Cooking. While you busy yourself setting the tables, our chefs can prepare all the fixins for your guests to gobble up.

Gather Together

     The CDC warns that our traditional Thanksgiving gatherings can be high-risk for spreading the COVID-19 virus. They suggest that we limit our guests to members of our own household, celebrate outside, use single-serve dinnerware, or enjoy a virtual dinner. If dining indoors, they recommend that we open all our windows and doors.
     These are great suggestions, several of which require long underwear. No matter where you gather, you want your table to be special. At NOFO, you?ll find pretty paper table runners and placemats, rattan chargers, plates, napkins and utensils, candle holders, tapers and pillars, placesetting chocolate turkeys and Thanksgiving crackers. We even have die-cut turkey placemats ready to color at the childrens? table.
     However, you will have to shop elsewhere for long underwear.

Ask The Experts

     Television?s shopping ?experts? suggest that you have a precise plan for your shopping trips this season. They recommend you limit your trips to local stores where you can buy gifts for more than one person on your list and to stores where you feel safe. That?s us. Come on in!

Further More

     After spending the greater part of the year at home, we are ready for some changes. There are several months of snuggle-up and cozy-in ahead, and we intend to be comfortable.
     Adding a layer of texture, drama and opulence with a 60? x 60? faux fur throw for your bed or couch just may be the solution. Ours are Jellycat-soft fur on one side with a velvet lining. Nothing feels more luxurious.

NOFO Means Business

    If you?re in charge of choosing your company?s holiday gifts, we?re happy to help. We know you have a lot of folks to remember.
     There are, of course, your customers, clients & employees. There are the support teams, the outsourced folks, the people who have referred business to you, and the other businesses whom you wish to thank for their help during the year.
     Some require individual presents and others a group gift. Some can be simple, some need to be spectacular.
     At NOFO, we have all sorts of good ideas and new ways to remember these folks. A gift from NOFO will ensure that they remember you.

Small Business Saturday

    The Saturday after Thanksgiving is known as Small Business Saturday. Tucked between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this American Express sponsored shopping day is set aside to promote shopping in brick and mortar businesses that are small and locally owned.
     We encourage you to shop and eat local, feed the local economy and protect the businesses that make Raleigh unique. When you spend $100 with your neighbors, $81 remains in the local economy. That?s quite the investment if you ask us!

Shop NOFO

    We want you to come inside our store, and we make every effort to keep it clean and sanitized so you?ll feel as safe as possible. But, we do offer other shopping alternatives.
     You can call in an order and pick it up in the store or curbside on Fairview Road or from our parking lot. We suggest you ask for a printed menu of the foods available from our freezers and coolers, a current Nofomation, and any special menus like food for Game Day or Thanksgiving. These materials will help you order by phone.
     Please look at our new online shopping site, shopatnofo.com. Orders can be placed online for pickup as well as shipping.

And Everything Nice

    Asheville chef and James Beard winner, Meherwan Irani, is an expert in sourcing, selecting and blending spices & herbs from around the world. He started Spicewalla to provide the home cook with high quality seasonings.
     One look at Spicewalla?s colorful tins of spices, herbs and seasoning will make you want to toss out everything from your current spice rack and start over. And after cooking with these amazing seasonings, you?ll be glad you did.

A Shucker That Suits You

     Oyster season in North Carolina runs from October through March. Although you can eat oysters all year, these are the months when oysters are the most full and plump.
     If you are hosting an Oyster Roast or attending one, you?ll need a shucker. NOFO carries six different styles of shuckers, shucking cloths, gloves and oyster towels. Come in and see which shucker suits you best.

The Real Dill

    Several of our customers told us about The Real Dill Bloody Mary Mix and pickles. We found the two Denver, Colorado guys who quit their jobs to make pickles and were excited by their story. They have rave reviews from notable food critics and we are very impressed that they are a certified green business with zero food waste.
     We carry their Bloody Mary mix, now in a litre bottle and a growler, their glass rimmer, and their Habanero Horseradish and Jalapeño Honey Dill Pickles.

Poured Passion

    Palm and Pine candles tell the very romantic love story of its owners. Seems a California gal and a North Carolina guy met in Memphis and fell in love. He made her a candle for Christmas and...
     The couple lives in Raleigh, and their soy candles are made here. We chose Seascape, Lavender and Linen, and Scenic Loop; not only for their fragrance but for the beautiful stories the couple told us about each one. We are so pleased they settled down in our city.

Tissue Issue

     Hospitals experienced the scarcity of important supplies this year, like ventilators and PPE. But the lack of Cottonelle and Charmin affected all of us personally.
     A roll of printed toilet paper will make folks smile. Choose a roll of camo print, Season?s Greetings, or Emergency toilet paper for stockings, gag gifts and such. Hopefully, tissue won?t be an issue in 2021, but if it is, you?ll be prepared.

Carolina Girl

     Peanut and Pecan Brittle, Sweet Potato and Ham Biscuits, Cornbread Mix and Tarheel Pie are the new products from Tonya Council of Sweet Tea and Cornbread.
     Tonya evidently inherited the extra energy gene from her grandmother, Mildred Council, of Mama Dips fame. This Carolina girl has not let COVID slow her down. Look for Tonya?s Pecan Crisp Cookies and her new products on our shelves and in our freezer.

Nut House

     Like Squirrels, we?ve been collecting nuts for the winter and we love the nuts we?ve found!
     Gerry Bouchard mixes cashews, almonds, pecans and pistachios with Rosemary for his delicious Brown Bear mixed nuts from North Carolina.
     Erik Rupert makes his NutKrack glazed pecans in Wisconsin. His crisp glazed pecans come in classic and firecracker.
     Ed Festa makes his almost impossible to find boiled peanuts in Charlotte. They are the best we?ve ever had and are available in our freezer.

Positively Good Granola

     The young Virginia couple who make Hudson Henry Granola put a positive message on every bag of their light, crunchy granola: Do Your Best, Be Kind, Dream Big.
     This four time SOFI Award winning granola is crafted from non-GMO rolled oats, organic coconut, nuts, brown sugar, olive oil, and sunflower seeds. We carry both the snack and pantry size bags, so you can enjoy it by the handful or the by the spoonful.

Hot Off The Press

     The 2020 Quarantine has made cooking at home a necessity and has inspired many folks to perfect their culinary skills and try new recipies.
     We have four newly released cookbooks that will interest both novice cooks and skilled chefs alike.
     Vivian Howard, chef of Kinston?s Chef and the Farmer, wrote This Will Make it Taste Better to teach us how to eat without taking all night to cook dinner.
     Ina Garten?s Modern Comfort Food is a treasure trove of the Barefoot Contessa?s crowd pleasing recipes for the home cook. Martha Hall Foose?s A Good Meal is Hard to Find is full of stories and recipes of the Deep South.
     Sean Brock?s newest cookbook, South, is said to be the new Bible of Southern Cooking. Sean is a winner of James Beard?s Best Chef in the Southesast and the chef at Husk and McCrady?s in Charleston.

Chip Snob

     The folks who make the popular Wine Chips also make two ?private estate,? limited edition lattice cut potato chips designed exclusively for wine.
     Hawaiian Red Sea Salt is made to complement fruity white wines, and the Dry Aged Ribeye chip is meant to be enjoyed with red wines.
     The two chips packaged together make a handsome gift for your favorite wine lover.

Remember When

     Numbers can be significant and conjure up memories. Think 911, for instance. Years from now, the number 2020 will bring back memories of what we?ve been through this year.
     Commemorate this time with an ornament for your Christmas tree. Choose Santa wearing a mask, a bottle of hand sanitizer, or a roll of toilet paper inscribed with 2020.
     Years from now, you?ll be ready to tell the story of this most unusual year to those who did not have this experience.

Let Them Bloom

     Sprout bulbs, especially ones that produce giant, dramatic blooms, should require a pot, dirt, water and your attention, right? Well, our giant wax covered Amaryllis bulbs simply require no help from you. Let them alone and let them bloom.
     Available in red, gold, silver and moss covered wax, the bulbs stand alone and mix well with greenery on a mantle, sideboard or dining table. Choose red, white or white/red blooms for a care-free burst of holiday color.

Legally Addictive

    When Laura Shafferman lost her job, she began selling her homemade ?cracker cookies? in New York, delivering them herself by subway and on foot. When Dylan?s Candy Bar picked them up, she knew she?d made it really big.
     Laura now has her own production kitchen and sells Legally Addictive cookies all over the world. Try her O.G., a graham cracker with toffee, chocolate and sea salt; and her churros with cinnamon. You?ll be hooked.

Show Me

     Missouri is the ?show me? state, so when we heard about the Billy Goat Restaurant?s famous potato chips, we asked them to show us just how good they are. And they did.
     Seems the chips are made with a single source certified Idaho Russet potato from a fouth generation family farm in SunGlo, Idaho. The preparation, frying, seasoning, sorting and bagging is all done by hand in Saint Louis.
     See for yourself how good they are. Choose original, kicker or sweet potato.

Ask Siri

     If you?ve ever wondered what Belgium?s favorite cooki is, Siri will tell you it?s speculoos. These crunchy spice cookies are usually shaped with a design from the wooden mold in which they were made. The beautiful cookies are great with tea and coffee and make an interesting base for s?mores.
     Our boxed s?more kit contains campfire imprinted speculoo cookies, white vanilla marshmallows and rich chocolate squares. Build a fire and ask Siri to join you.

Only at NOFO

     2020 is the 100th birthday of Hayes Barton. Unfortunately, all of the grand celebratory events have been put on hold, but the commemorative calendar has been published. Featuring old photographs of the neighborhood, it is a wonderful present for those who love this area. A portion of the proceeds go to support the celebration.
     Sara Joyce, the artist who creates the gorgeous wooden Christmas trees and ornaments covered in fine, exquisite papers, is unable to participate in her usual shows this season due to COVID-19. We are proud to be the only source for A Paper Forest products.

Oy. Soy.

     The folks at Bourbon Barrel Foods sometimes seem like scientists in a laboratory instead of food artisans. Their Bluegrass Soy Sauce begins with Kentucky grown non-GMO soy beans + wheat + yeast to yield Koji. Then the koji + limestone spring water + salt is aged in bourbon barrels before pressing and bottling.
     The Imperial Double Fermented Soy Sauce begins with Bluegrass Soy and adds red winter wheat and soy beans. It is then aged for six months in bourbon barrels before bottling. This award-winning sauce is vibrant, full-bodied, thick and ideal for dipping sushi, or seasoning broths or noodles. Oy Vay, what a process!

Love Yourself

     Tocca makes old world inspired perfumes with a sophisticated modern edge. These memorable, long lasting scents are made in the USA from the finest ingredients, and are named for exceptional women and places of natural beauty.They are meant to inspire you to find your own adventure and follow your own bliss.
     The friends who started Tocca twenty years ago believe that the only way to inspire change and to love others is to cherish yourself first. So, inside every box, you?ll discover ?love yourself? inscribed under the lid.
     Find the fragrance that resonates with the love and light inside you and make it your signature scent.

Spread Joy

     Watch as we spread joy throughout the store this month...so you can take it out into the world.