We’re excited to kick off our first Weekend Market, where we’ll be offering tasting experiences curated by our favorite tastemakers in special Tasting Boxes from Friday to Monday. We wanted to kick this market off with craft food maven Aida Mollenkamp, host of FoodCrafters on the Cooking Channel, because she shares our mission of supporting handmade, high-quality artisanal producers.

Aida considers San Francisco a second home, and is a big fan of our local foodie emporium, the San Francisco Ferry Plaza. She took me on a tasty tour of some of her favorite artisans at the market:

Thanks to Aida’s eagle eye for excellent eats, we’re offering you a sample of  the best San Francisco has to offer. Get a taste of all of them in one Tasting Box, or you can also purchase individual products in their own gift set with a special price.

This experience includes:

Blue Bottle Coffee “Three Africans”
This coffee, blending Ugandan and Ethiopian varietals, has a big, chocolatey nose with a fruity finish. It’s extremely well suited to the French press or the Mokka pot, as well as cone filters like Melitta or Chemex. If you like a little cream in your coffee, this is the one for you.

Far West Funchi Domestic Porcini
Porcini, also known as cepes, are greatly treasured in France and Italy for their intense, earthy perfume. When fresh, they’re almost spongy, with a creamy, white flesh. Dried, their aroma intensifies and deepens. Reconstituted, they will add a truffle-like aroma to soups, stews and sauces.

McEvoy Ranch Tuscan Olives
McEvoy Ranch’s oil has become the stuff of legend, favored by chefs and shoppers alike. The same olives in whole form are deliciously fresh and crisp, with fruity notes. They make an excellent addition to any antipasto platter, complementing sharp cheeses and cured meats.

Clairesquares Dark Chocolate Square
Made only with top-quality, preservative-free ingredients in a certified green kitchen, these squares are both decadent and virtuous. Claire’s buttery, sandy shortbreads have an amazingly delicate crumble and rich flavor. They could stand on their own, but the Belgian dark chocolate capping over a caramel center put them right over the top.

Alfieri Farms Dark Chocolate Almond Brittle
Unlike hard, tooth-chipping brittles, this one crunches delicately between the teeth, dissolving to a rich caramel flavor that lingers on the palate. A kiss of salt tempers the sweetness, and the thin layer of dark chocolate adds just enough depth and decadence to make this an exceedingly addictive treat.

Happy Girl Kitchen Plum Jam
Happy Girl Kitchen prides itself on using fresh, organic ingredients at their peak. Each is a perfect taste of California in season. This plum jam is the very essence of plum, tart, bright and not at all too sweet. This basic jam is made with just plums, cane sugar and lemon juice — all organic — and that’s absolutely all that is needed.

Tasty, right? But don’t dally; this special tasting experience is only available through the weekend and quantities are limited, so grab your goodies now.