Last fall when I drove down to visit my sister in South Carolina, we went out to eat at Fatz Cafe...great restaurant with delicious food...and only 5 minutes from her house!
As we were sitting there during the meal, Bet's friend, Sonia, remarked on the pungent, spicy, and great taste of the milled pepper. I'm a real black pepper lover and also noticed how the Fatz pepper added to the taste of our food.
After we returned home to Virginia, I kept wondering how I could find some of that same pepper. Having no idea of the brand, I googled Fatz Cafe to see if there was any mention on their website. No, nothing.
I admit...this was a little out of the ordinary, but I contacted the manager and not only raved over our meal and the delicious pepper but also asked how I could locate some of the same pepper the Fatz Cafe chain uses.
The manager returned my email and simply said that the chain used Monarch brand and that it was his personal favorite. At least now I had a name to google. But after searching, still no Monarch peppercorns.
Yes, I wrote back again and explained the predicament. The next email from the manager said he would Fed-Ex some Monarch peppercorns to me to enjoy as a Christmas present from Fatz to our family.
What great customer service! I love it! (Or else he just wanted to get rid of this crazy woman!)
The above container of black pepper arrived just as promised a couple of days before Christmas. Thank you, Fatz Cafe!
Now I just need to purchase a pepper mill. Any suggestions?
~Deb
That is wonderful! WE have always heard that Turkish coffee grinders make the best pepper mills (like these: http://www.turkishgiftbazaar.com/grinders/coffe/coffeegrinderspage01.htm). So, I got my hubby one for Christmas one year (he's the cook in the family). We still use it. We love it!
(Ours is not from that particular website. I just googled it to find a good example to show you. I don't know anything about this particular one or this company.)
Posted by: Stephanie in Mi | Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 11:33 PM
When my older kids were little, they would ask for "dirt" on their mac and cheese. The dirt was pepper, of course. I had forgotten that until I read your post. =)
Posted by: Amy, a redeemed sheep | Friday, January 20, 2012 at 08:31 AM
LOL. When I saw your headline, I thought you were talking about your dog. :)
Hope you find a good pepper mill.
Victoria
Posted by: victoria | Friday, January 20, 2012 at 10:06 AM
I absolutely love freshly ground pepper--in fact, I use it almost exclusively. Even when I'm cooking or making a recipe, I don't measure out black pepper, I get my pepper mill of the counter and add the freshly ground stuff. Yum!! My pepper mill is a Pfaltgraff mill that matches my dishes. I don't know of a specific brand, but, my recommendation based on experience is: don't necessarily go for the cheapest one you find. I think next time, I would go to a kitchen store and buy a nicer and little more expensive pepper mill. Happy shopping...and enjoy the amazing flavor of your Monarch freshly ground black pepper! :)
Posted by: Kendra Sheard | Friday, January 20, 2012 at 01:13 PM
Can't help you with buying a pepper mill.Love the story and how generous of the Fatz family to send you some.Enjoy.
Posted by: Tammy | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 09:37 AM
Hi Deb, that is so lovely .... what a nice gesture - he was obviously pleased that you had enjoyed your meal but also were so interested in, and appreciated good pepper corns. Something like that really makes your day doesn't it? Just as you have made MY day with your comment (it really did work!) on my blog about my Recipe in Season book idea.
May you have a blessed Lord's day,
Val xx Berkshire UK
Posted by: Val | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 11:53 AM
Hi Deb,
Our family also loves a liberal dose of fresh ground pepper. I second the suggestion of finding a good kitchen store. Byers Street Houseware in Staunton is no longer in business, but you might try The Happy Cook in Cville. Or perhaps Williams-Sonoma. Hburg might have a good store as well, but I am not familiar with their offerings. Happy shopping...
Posted by: Jenny Ho | Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 10:36 PM
Hi Deb-- funny you should tell this story- we ate at our first Fatz restaurant a few weeks ago while traveling- and loved it. That's a great customer service story! We bought our pepper grinder at Williams Sonoma- and love it.
I hope you are having a nice winter and that sweet Granny is doing well in the south--
Love
Vicki
Posted by: Vicki | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 01:01 PM
I also use a pepper mill all the time, but just buy the pepper corns in a mill at the store. I got my dad and father-in-law pepper grinders for Christmas, from Amazon.
Posted by: Carrie | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 08:16 PM
Hi Deb ~ what a great post about Fatz Cafe's customer appreciation. We LOVE fresh ground pepper here too and I usually buy the mixed peppercorns.... black, green, red, white...as well as the black peppercorns. Have not tried Monarch brand before, so let us know if you're able to find it later to purchase. Our pepper grinder came from Wal-Mart and was not expensive. Hope you enjoy your fresh ground pepper....and it will probably taste even better thanks to Fatz Cafe's generous gesture! Good post! PS I thought you were writing about your dog at first too!
Posted by: Lisa Spivey | Monday, January 30, 2012 at 10:47 AM
Dear Pepper Lover,
My name is Larry Cunningham. My brother-in-law, Pierre had the same thing to happen. We had some of the pepper at Demo's. We want to by a container of it and cannot find it. It is the same bottle mentioned above. "Monarch whole black pepper ". Can someone please tell us where we can purchase a bottle. Sincerely
Larry Cunningham.
Posted by: Larry Cunningham | Friday, March 02, 2012 at 06:18 PM