It is often said that the simpler the food, the greater the affection and ritual which surrounds it. This is the case with grits and polenta. Essentially corn meal mush and historically food of the poor, both grits and polenta are loved by generations of people who have prepared and eaten them. Today's grits and polenta have been refined and cheapened by industrialization and the supermarket versions rendered basically tasteless. If you’ve never had the genuine article and therefore don’t understand what all the fuss is about come to 3CUPS this weekend. We've got both grits (made from white dent corn) and polenta (made from yellow flint corn) for sale in 12 ounce bags. Both were milled this week from whole heirloom corn at Anson Mills in South Carolina. So they are really fresh and extremely tasty!

I drove to Columbia, S.C. with friend Ari Weinzweig years ago to meet the proprietor and learn the details of what is widely acknowledged as a national treasure when it comes to the very best milled grains for people who love to cook and eat. Glenn Roberts has made me a proud Southerner by restoring grits to their past glory. Yes, he has done a lot for rice, wheat, and oats too, but it’s his work with corn that pleases me most. To see a picture of Glenn and read his story, follow this this link.

Both grains are $6.99/bag and make sure to grab a copy of my polenta recipe while you're in the shop.