ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 19, 1997 TAG: 9702190055
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on February 21, 1997.
Southwest Virginia Savings Bank FSB is located next door to Heartland
Bread Co. in Salem. The drive-through banking site was incorrectly
identified in a story in the Feb. 19 Food section.
People are turning into the drive-through next door to First Union Bank in Salem and picking up a different kind of dough.
This month, Heartland Bread Co. officially opened a new drive-through (and dine-in or take-out) site at 30 West Main St. But according to co-owner Bob Hartman, a steady flow of both walk-through and drive-through traffic has been building, mostly through word-of-mouth, since the bakery's unofficial debut in late January.
"We believe it's the only drive-through bakery west of Afton Mountain," Hartman said recently as he busily placed helium-filled colored balloons in front of the store.
Hartman's shirt bore a PGA Tour emblem - a reminder that Hartman and his wife, Cathy Hartman, and partners, Dave Linden and his wife, Lisa Linden, were looking to buy a golf store when they made an about-face and instead went into the bread business. They opened their first Heartland Bread Co. at Towers Shopping Center in January 1996.
"We were planning to be patient about our growth," Hartman said. But when the chance arose in late summer to buy a former dry cleaners building, it seemed like a logical move.
"The Salemites sought us out to open here, and they've been most gracious and welcoming," Hartman said.
He estimated that 30 to 60 customers per day "withdraw" from the drive-through window. Especially popular is the bakery's $1.84 "Cinnamonster Special": a small hot coffee and a big cinnamon roll.
Most customers also get a loaf or two of the delicious bread and maybe some muffins, such as the scrumptious chocolatey, but not-too-sweet, Oreo cookie ones that I tried.
Part of the Heartland credo is its commitment to wholesome ingredients - the main one being Montana whole wheat, which is milled right in the bakery each morning. The breads generally do not contain preservatives, processed sugars or added fats, oils or cholesterol. A stock menu of honey whole wheat, white, cinnamon swirl, sourdough, cracked seven-grain and cinnamon raisin walnut breads are offered daily, along with a variety of specialty breads available only on designated days. A newcomer to the menu is a specialty Italian loaf introduced both at Towers and in Salem in conjunction with the store's opening.
Both the Salem and Towers locations are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Call 342-7323 or 387-4034.
SNOW CREAM WARNING: A recipe for Snow Cream (published in the Jan. 23 Extra section) that called for raw eggs prompted a call from Virginia Egg Council Consumer Affairs Director Mary King Rapoport. She usually loves recipes that use eggs, but this one caused her concern, she said, because given just the right sequence of events - improper handling, a wrong temperature, cross-contamination - bacteria could multiply and harm, possibly even kill some high-risk people.
"I know that many people say they never had any problems in the past with raw eggs," Rapoport, said, recalling that when she started her job 16 years ago, many of the most popular drinks she and her colleagues served were raw-egg based. But the new Salmonella enteritides is a whole new strain, much more virulent and aggressive, she said.
To make raw egg-based dishes virtually risk-free, Rapoport suggests:
Use pasteurized egg products, such as Simply Eggs, Egg Beaters, Scramblers, or the like;
Pasteurize the eggs yourself, by combining them with the milk in the snow cream recipe and cooking it slowly over a double boiler until the mixture reaches 145,F for 31/2 minutes or 160,F for about 10 seconds. (Use a candy thermometer for this.)
Make sure all utensils used are sterilized, that snow is pristine clean and that, as the recipe states, it is consumed immediately.
PREP SCHOOL: A faculty tea for about 15 ninth-grade teachers was the testing ground for seven aspiring chefs at Salem High School recently as they previewed the food presentations they'll make at a competition on Saturday.
The advanced catering students will compete against other students at Rockbridge High School for trophies and medals awarded in the Virginia FHA-Hero Proficiency Events.
Josh Rawson, Jessica Monroe, Renee Tickle, Travis Pierce, Sarah Smart, Dana Dudley and Selena Yopp will present their best cookies, hors d'oeuvres, decorated cakes, dessert cart entries and a "romantic meal" table setting and meal presentation.
The students got some feedback at the tea on what could make their foods more edible or eye catching, and a multicultural meal the students presented the Friday following provided additional input. But most already have some ideas, gained through employment in several food establishments.
Rawson, an 18-year-old senior, works at the K&W restaurant in Salem. Dudley, a 19-year-old senior, worked at Denny's; Pierce, 16 and a junior, works at Hardee's. Sixteen-year-old junior Monroe works at Salem Catering; and Tickle, 16 and a junior, bakes cakes.
The students aspire to careers ranging from head chef to entrepreneur - something combining computers and cooking.
Du Jour runs occasionally in the Extra section. If you have an interesting food item or event, tell us about it. Write to Du Jour, c/o Features Department, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. 1. The Heartland Bread Co.'s newby CNBstore on West Main Street in Salem offers drive-through service (ran
on page 1). 2. Daily specialty breads, like Parmesan peppercorn,
cool on racks at the Heartland Bread Co. on West Main Street in
Salem. 3. Co-owner Bob Hartman (left) and employee Jamey Watt
prepare focaccia, one of the weekly breads that Heartland bakes.
Focaccia is a flat, rectangular garlic-and-herb bread that has such
toppings as olives, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and peppers.
color.