Gourmet Section

samic vinegar from Italy; these cooking staples still yield about three-quarters of the store’s revenue. A Bit of Taste does a brisk business in fancy charcuterie, crackers, nuts, and olives. A top seller has been the truffle category, with more than a dozen variations on the Italian mushroom flavor — from truffled oil, salt and honey to mustard and even tuna. On the sweet side, Hu brand chocolate bars and chocolate-covered espresso beans are customer favorites.

Still, there have been challenges. As an essential grocery business, A Bit of Taste was able to stay open from the pandemic’s beginning. But it had to suspend its signature service — offering samples of every product, as the name suggests. With less in-store traffic, Franz consolidated online operations onto a Squarehosted website and experimented with various delivery options.

“It’s definitely an online retail world nowadays,” sighed Dawn Lankford , who owns Wilmington Country Store in a corner of that Delaware city that happens to lack broadband service. Because of this, Lankford can post specials on Face-

Continued on page 104 by Brett Thomas Photography

Peruvian Nacional Truffles from Eclat Chocolate are best-selling and made from beans harvested high in the Andes. “Every chocolate has a story behind it,” said store Owner Christopher Curtin.