Show Me Seattle✨Partner Spotlight✨Truffle Queen
We’re launching our new series ✨Partner Spotlights✨ where we highlight one of Show Me Seattle’s partnered vendors in Pike Place Market. Every Partner Spotlight is part of our Pike Place Market Tour, so book today to experience these vendors in person!
Rei Hanscomb opened Truffle Queen 20 years ago with one thing in mind: to open people up to REAL food. The origin story of Truffle Queen is largely inspired by Rei’s mom. She was a classically trained French chef at Le Cordon Bleu and insisted on fresh, seasonal meals. Rei remembers the atmosphere of family meals being as lively and vibrant as her mother’s food. Today, Rei brings that same energy to her store. As soon as you speak with Rei and her daughter Alicia (who run the store together) you’re immediately drawn into their inclusive spirit around truffles. For them, truffles aren’t a “members only club” and they want their guests to feel the same. Walking into most gourmet selection stores can feel too high-bow, stuffy, and unfamiliar. Instead, Rei insist that great, high quality products are for everyone to experience. A true Truffle Queen plays with her food, experiments with flavors, and above all, tries everything!
Truffles came into Rei’s life through her sister in law. Her sister in law comes from a family of truffle hunters in Umbria, a central Italian region. She let Rei in on her connections to high quality products and specialty vendors, and after several years of oversees shipping trial and error, Truffle Queen was born. Now, Rei imports over 300+ products from small producers, vendors, and growers all over Italy.
Featured Products
During our time together, Rei and Alicia gave me so many wonderful samples to try. Here are Show Me Seattle’s favorites with Truffle Queen’s own tips and tricks on how to use the product.
White Truffle Cream:
The garlicky flavor of White Truffle goes well anywhere you could see using garlic and butter: Stir into mashed potatoes, mac ‘n’ cheese, or a cream sauce for an absolutely decadent enhancement. Even mix into your favorite European butter to spread on toast!
They also carry a black and white truffle cream set!
Manna Cream (“Oro Di Manna” in store”):
It’s likely you won’t see manna cream sold in the US outside Truffle Queen. Even if you Google it it’s hard to track down! Mana cream is a special sweet spread made from ground hazelnuts, almonds, honey, and Sicilian ash tree sap. Perfect to spread, drizzle, or glaze anything you desire!
Bianco White Balsamic Vinegar and Lemon-infused Extra virgin Olive Oil Set:
If you’re an avid white balsamic user like me, this set is a match made in heaven. White grapes and white wine vinegar aged in ash barrels, creating this light-bodied vinegar, with rich notes of ripe, yellow fruits and dried citrus. The lemon infused oil has no traces of “lemon flavoring” or “lemon essence” that can be so off putting. It’s the perfect amount of lemon vibrancy you want.
Red Pesto with Truffle:
Rei understands that most people hate sundried tomatoes because there are so many bad representations in circulation. Like most, I feel sundried tomatoes are hard, chewy, not sweet, and without any of the lusciousness you want in a tomato.
Truffle Salt:
You may be thinking, “yeah, yeah I’ve had truffle salt. I’ve tried Trader Joe’s black truffle cheese bites, BIG WHOOP!” Trust us, like everything in Rei’s store, she has the real deal. Can you guess the ingredients list? #1 Salt and #2 black summer at a 10% concentration! Truffle salt is the gateway drug to all Truffle Queen’s products.
Wines
Tutti Vin Cono = “Everyone Wins”
Truffle Queen partnered with Cantina Vignaioli Scansano a co-op producer in Maremma, Italy to create two wines especially for the brand. As a co-op the winery is made up of many participating small growers who hold themselves to high quality standards. Truffle Queen aptly named their wine Tutti Vin Cono, “Everyone Wins”, to embrace the special inclusiveness Rei celebrates in life and in business. Again, reiterating that truffles, great wines, and gourmet foods are for everyone to bring into their kitchens.
There is a red and white selection, Maremma Toscana Rosso and Maremma Toscana Bianco each under $30.
Tilted Tiara
Your tiara may go sideways after a few glasses of Truffle Queen’s Tilted Tiara! This wine is especially made for the shop at a winery in Woodenville, WA. It’s a hand harvested Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas of blackberries, cassis, ripe plum and toast lead to richly layered flavors of mocha, molasses and dark fruits, ending with a subtle smokiness and a long, silky, soft tannin finish.
Another ingenious and thoughtful detail of their store are their Tip Sheets. Truffle Queen has curated tips and tricks of exactly how to use, pair, and store each of their products. SEE BELOW for the attached full Tip Sheets.
Truffle Queen Ships! Another amazing feature of their store is the support they have for other Pike Place vendors. Need to ship items you’ve purchased from Truffle Queen? Truffle Queen will take your items, plus others you’ve purchased from around the market and happily ship them for you! Another way that “everyone wins” at Truffle Queen.
Upcoming at Truffle Queen
More wines! Truffle Queen will continue working with Cantina Vignaioli Scansano to produce more wines you can only find at Truffle Queen. They are so excited to continue collaborating with a winery that upholds the best of both tradition and modern methods.
🍷Truffle Queen offers wine tastings all day, everyday with bonus wine events each month!
🍷For monthly events, you can reserve your spot or walk-ins are welcome given availability. Their $30 wine events offer 5 wines and 5 food pairings featuring products from the shop. Chef Edward curates each pairing to highlight Truffle Queen’s different truffle varieties.
🍷During the summer months, Truffle Queen opens up their sidewalk to outdoor wine tastings and small bites! They offer 3 wine tasting at $10 per person and you can pair it with snacks featuring products from the store. It’s the best way to sit back and enjoy people watching at Pike Place Market!
Lasting Impressions
Truffle Queen is at the top of the best specialty stores in Pike Place Market, and that’s what makes them one of our valued partners. Their attention to quality is evident in every aspect of their store – from importing the majority of their inventory, working with small producers, Tip Sheets, samples of every product in the store, all day wine tastings, and even shipping your Pike Place goodies from their store and across the market. It’s incredible they offer such a wide range of services with a small but mighty women-owned and operated team. Truffle Queen is more than a gourmet shop, it’s an experience.
You’ll walk away from Truffle Queen knowing every product you take home is the best of the best, and a newfound confidence to experiment in the kitchen.
If Truffle Queen wants every customer to walk away knowing one thing, it’s:
don’t be afraid to play with your food!
Thank you to Rei and Alicia Hanscomb for taking the time to share all the wonderful history and stories of their shop and to their shop employees for their hard work sharing truffle knowledge and giving the best tour presentations!