---

1. Why Remove Trans Fats?

2. Why I Choose Organics?

3. How did Claire's Corner Copia get it's name?

4. What's the history behind the name of our signature cake at Claire's Corner Copia, Lithuanian Coffee Cake?

 

---

Trans fats - We made the decision to remove Trans Fats from our restaurant in 2001 and as we will continue to make healthful changes as we read of other ways to help in our mission to bring good foods, real foods, and delicious foods to you.

Why I choose Organics?

Organically grown foods simply taste better, and are often higher in nutrition than their conventionally grown counterparts. When you buy organic foods, you help to promote biodiversity, cut down on the pesticides that pollute our soil, air, and water, and you help to support natural systems that will ensure the integrity of our farmlands for future generations. That’s the best inheritance we can ever offer our children.

 Biodiversity is crop diversity. Growing a variety of crops is one of many ways to reduce the incidence of disease, and the need for pesticides and fungicides. Many giant, corporate farms, will often take the easier, cheaper route and plant one variety, often determined not by flavor and disease resistance, but rather on ability to travel long distances. This method often relies on higher pesticide use, and further damage to our soil, our earth, and health risks for us.

FoodNews, a publication from Environmental Working Group, writes: “There is growing concern in the scientific community regarding the subtle ways in which small doses of pesticides affect people, especially during critical periods of fetal development and childhood when they can have long lasting adverse effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers would be wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.”

Just look at the “dead areas” in our waters, where fish no longer thrive. It is in these waters that you will find high levels of nitrogen and other pesticides that runoff from our farmlands and gardens to our waterways.  We must cut back on our dependence of pesticides by taking a more natural, organic approach to farming and gardening.

The  most contaminated	The  least contaminated
spinach, and mesclun, apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes,  red raspberries, strawberries	Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Corn, Kiwi, Mangos, Onions, Papaya, Pineapples, Peas, Watermelon

Sources that I refer to for  information: 

http://www.ota.com
http://www.foodnews.org
http://www.ewg.org
http://www.consumersunion.org

---

How did Claire's Corner Copia get it's name?

 

In 1975, we held a year long contest to name the restaurant. From the hundreds of suggestions submitted, the one we liked most was submitted by Jeff Hall, a Yale undergrad. The prize? A hot fudge sundae for four people every week, for a year.

---

 What's the history behind the name of our signature cake at Claire's Corner Copia, Lithuanian Coffee Cake? 

 

This wonderful cake started out with the name, Sally Tessler's Mother's Coffee Cake, because the base recipe started out as our beloved employees Mom's family recipe, and I added coffee and vanilla to the batter and added coffee grounds and brown sugar and walnuts to the filling. After a short while, we realized the name was a bit lengthy and I wanted to name it after the place Sally's Mom's family came from; Sally told me that her Mom's family came from what was Lithuania, and at the time that was part of the Soviet bloc. Well, I suggested we help the "revolution" with the cake and declare it Lithuanian Coffee Cake. I wish democracy came that easily, but Sally loved the idea and years later when Lithuania became  an independent country once again, she called to ask "So what do you think, did the Lithuanian Coffee Cake have anything to do with the freedom?"