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November 29, 2021

Hammacher Schlemmer is renowned for introducing consumers to game-changing kitchen appliances such as the pop-up toaster, electric blender, home microwave oven, and electric food processor. But it may surprise you to learn that we've also been selling gourmet foods for almost as long as we've been offering kitchenware.

Located on the second floor of our New York store, The Connoisseur's Food Department was established in 1939 to "cater to the tastes of New York's most fastidious tables with innumerable rare delicacies gathered from all corners of the globe." Some examples of the mind-boggling selection of gourmet comestibles offered include rock Cornish hens flash frozen in liquid nitrogen "to preserve their succulent flavor", our own premium blend of coffee "made from the choicest Colombian, Guatemalan, Costa Rican, and Bourbon beans", and shark's fin soup. And of course, beluga caviar.

As time went by, we also published our "Soup To Nuts" catalog featuring "unusual, unique, hard to find items for persons of taste and discrimination." (Marilyn Monroe was known to purchase cookbooks from The Connoisseur's Food Department.)

While our Connoisseur's Food Department has been relocated to a virtual location, each item is still held to the same high standards as when it first opened in 1939. We continue to search the world for the finest food purveyors whose traditions, recipes, and techniques span centuries and whose foods have won awards, are widely acclaimed, or are considered national treasures.

If there's anyone who knows about tradition and quality, it's a Royal. The Queen's British Toffee With Hammer is the sweet treat beloved by none other than Queen Elizabeth II. The 126-year-old family recipe for this toffee calls for all natural ingredients that create a rich, creamy caramelized flavor, with a firm yet soft texture that melts in your mouth. The included miniature metal hammer is intended for breaking off a bite-size chunk, not for home repairs.

Made by a small family-owned bakery in the north of Sweden The Award Winning Swedish Nyåkers Gingersnaps have been named Best Gingersnap in the country for over two decades. Each wafer-thin cookie "snaps" when broken in half or bitten and features the unmistakable spicy ginger flavor. They pair perfectly with a hot beverage on a cold winter’s afternoon or add an extra dash of flavor to pie crusts or layers in trifle desserts.

The Tuscan Cupboard Essentials brings the flavors and gastronomic heritage of the Italian countryside stateside to your kitchen. A Hammacher Schlemmer exclusive, this collection of epicurean staples provides genuine ingredients to inspire each course, from hand-made organic pasta and sauces to chocolate-dipped biscotti.

And finally, here is one item you'd expect to see in any self-respecting Food Connoisseur's Department. The Best In Class Caviar Flight consists of three premium caviars, ideal for a tasting party that gives your guests an opportunity to experience distinct styles of prized sturgeon roe. Each of the caviars is sustainably harvested from a different species of sturgeon in the Ticino Valley region of Italy, a pristine area known for its local food and wine products.

With the longer shipping times anticipated this year, we urge you to order early.