The Milkman's Daughter

It used to be a frantic race. Pump up the AC, put some lead in that foot and rev up those RPM’s as the grocery store became a mere dot in the rearview mirror. Afterall, they weren’t called perishables for nothing. From the confines of a mud brown paper bag, the glare from the sun through a thick windshield was public enemy number one. The cheese had to be saved.

They say Seattle doesn’t get much sun but the rules still apply. So it bucks all sensibility that The Milkman’s Daughter exists. What flawed reality would allow a ’56 snow white Wimbledon Ford to deliver Bessie’s greatest invention to the masses amongst traffic jams and four way stops?

To go all Gen X on you, reality bites. But the reality of the Northwest based Milkman’s Daughter is a bite of class, redefined. A traditional food truck with a twist, The Milkman’s Daughter is a Sommelier’s urban dream. It is a gourmet delicatessen and cheese snob heaven (sans the pretense) and it is an unlikely and fantastic marriage of American automotive prowess and refined French cuisine. The mobile grocer, a staple at some of the best wineries and breweries in the land, takes the traditional road warrior grub (think cubed imitation cheese from the local gas station) and replaces it with the gourmand favored requirements of a soiree on a Paris rooftop, or a seaside terrace in Tuscany. A Tillamook white cheddar or a Spanish Winey Goat cheese for a Merlot; Rogue Creamery blue cheese, spreadable on a cracker, for a Riesling or Chardonnay. For the hops and barley enthusiasts with a penchant for brew unavailable in a drive thru, Gouda is a-gooda with an IPA; a French Camembert, an age old symbol of distinguished class, will mesh well with the maltier variety. And of course, a diet soda or bottled water will blend well too, as any of The Milkman’s Daughter’s delectables stand on their own merit.

From berets to ballcaps, something cheesy is happening in Seattle. And it’s the coolest thing on four wheels.

Red Wing Shoes

When Charles Beckman opened a small specialty store in 1905 in the town of Red Wing, Minnesota, his keen eye was fixated on the values of durability, quality hand strewn craftsmanship, and plain old hard work. From the factory floor warrior to the construction site champion, Beckman theorized that there might be a need for quality footwear for the workers that make America go. Bulls-eye.

On the feet of our brave soldiers in the two major wars, to its unexpected role in hip hop couture, Red Wing has been through it all. Like an unsung hero that is in the shadows yet always present on the grand stage, Red Wing and their triple stitched leather boots has been the vehicle for the heroes who have paved our roads, laid down railroad tracks, and erected the sturdy building in which you are currently reading this story. No frills, no trends, no gimmicks. No need.

“Work Is Our Work” is their credo, an apt statement that embodies the company’s not-so complex vantage on a product that truly has many layers. A breath of fresh air for over one hundred years, Red Wing endures as an anomaly; gritty, demanding manufacturers catering to clients with gritty, demanding jobs. Go with what you know.

Story, JMA

Billy Reid

From his business roots in Florence, Alabama, to the style conscious cobblestone streets of Florence, Italy, fashion designer Billy Reid’s unique blend of premium couture and Southern warmth has draped the anatomy of discerning men and women for well over a decade. Odds are, you are adorned in his creations right now.

While many purveyors of fashion focus their efforts on streamlined niches and genres, Reid has masterfully threaded his needle into many different fabrics. Menswear, womenswear, shoes, accessories-no facet of design has yet to be felt with his Midas touch. To achieve what he dubs “Low-fi Southern bred luxury”, Reid employs premier materials and timeless styles and sets them against funky accents. So well received is the finished product, his vantages have graced the pages of countless magazines, as well as the racks of stores everywhere. When not designing for Bloomingdale’s, K- Swiss, J.Crew, and a slew of others, the American trend setter’s garb can also be found at one of his own boutiques, which sweep throughout the renaissance cities of the South, as well as the obligatory NYC shop.

In a state that worships Bear Bryant and children fall asleep to the lullabies of Lynrd Skynrd, Billy Reid and his brand of design are making waves amongst the tide- Crimson, of course.

Derringer Pays Homage to Board Track Racing

The X Games recently made its yearly pilgrimage to the ESPN family airwaves, as the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home marveled at the awe inspiring continuation of Evel Knievel’s vision. It was a beautiful chaos, a poetic union of impending death and art. But it was far from original.

In the 1920’s, board track racing was the grandfather of extreme spot, but this was no senior stroll. Forget about shuffleboards-the original daredevils of board track racing danced with death (and many unfortunately had two left feet in the tango) on wooden boards. The banking angle on the corners was 60°, a flirtation with G-force far ahead of its time. Brakes were seemingly optional in the early era, with fans risking more than the ticket price should a rider lose control. And the vessel that caused gear heads to wager it all was the iconic motorized bicycle. Part Tour de France, part Indy 500, the two wheeled terror, now an icon in the annals of motorcycle history (and a forerunner to the less attractive moped), was American ingenuity at its finest. It was, in theory, a romanticized era that can never be replicated. Derringer Cycles dares to speed past this assumption.

An early Murderdrome

With an appropriate vintage aesthetic of the cycle that represented the true thundering roar of the Roaring 20’s, Derringer cycles is the present and the future of the original motorized bike’s resurrection. They customize the essence of the pleasantly minimal motorbike with a bespoke tailoring to modern needs. And they do so without losing the grit and testosterone driven rawness that made the motorbike a classic in the first place. Brashly snubbing the cookie cutter norms of the industry, Derringer designs and fabricates snowflakes, unique and original one-of-a-kind vehicles for its discerning clientele. A moto-hybrid drivetrain, 180 miles per gallon and emissions friendly for those into such details; hammered copper rivets, hand-crafted leather saddles and white tires for those like us that are infatuated by the look, which soon morphs into a mindset. Anyone can own a standard hog, but Derringer trims such fat. Sleek, clean and unapologetically cool, a Derringer rider, clad in a wool sweater or leather cap, stands out for the right reasons. Where others walk the plank to join denizens of cliché ridden, mass manufactured motorcycles, the only brush with a plank a Derringer rider encounters is his link to the forefathers of the genre, who bled on dangerous wooden planks. The ride no longer carries such danger and rebellion. The rider just may, because if he owns a Derringer, it is in his DNA.

From extreme to esteemed, it could only be a Derringer.

A Commissioned Derringer Cycle

http://www.derringercycles.com/

Story, JMA

Best Made Company

It began with an axe.

The gritty, rustic tool that man has used since becoming self aware thousands of years ago, the axe is both the anchor and an avatar for NYC based Best Made Company. Founded in 2009 by a North Canadian who knows a thing or two about the rugged outdoors, Best Made Co. caters to varying crowds with one shared trait; A desire to get their hands dirty.

"Big Jug" Pure Organic Maple Syrup

Along with other empowered gear and wares, Best Made aims to hearken back to an era when men were men, and became one with nature, craftsmanship, and each other through fulfilling projects. The instinctual yearning to build and create has not waned with the increasingly pampered times. In other words, with their finely constructed Best Made products, survivalists and weekend warriors alike are now kindred spirits. And for those hand models and internet worker bees who can’t afford to risk their precious paws, an axe from Best Made Co. still serves as fine art on a wall.

Seamless & Steadfast Enamel Steel Cup

Paul Bunyan would be so proud.

Story, JMA