Q: Please help me find the most delicious olives. These are green olives stuffed with lemon. I tasted them in a chicken dish that was to die for. None of the stores I looked in carries them. The brand doesn’t matter. Please help me locate these olives if they’re available in the Atlanta area. Thank you. — D. Johnson, Atlanta
A: These sound like a bright alternative to the usual olives stuffed with garlic, almonds or pimento. You’ll find Olivellas lemon-stuffed Halkidiki olives in brine for $2.59 per jar at DeKalb Farmers Market, 3000 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-377-6400. The website not only suggests using these olives in main dishes and salads, but also as perky additions to your martini or gin and tonic.
Q: I have recently come across several recipes that call for specialty panko, the Japanese bread crumbs. Specifically, I’m looking for whole wheat or honey panko. Supposedly, the whole wheat variation stays crispier than plain, and the honey panko is especially kid-friendly. I can find the plain panko, no problem, but I’ve struck out in finding either variation. Because I live in Decatur, I’ve already searched at DeKalb Farmers Market, Oriental First Market, Kroger and Publix without luck. I hope you can help! Thanks. — Yvette Barton, email
A: Oops, you missed one, Yvette. You’ll find Shirakiku brand honey panko in the Japanese aisle, 24, of Buford Highway Farmers Market, 5600 Buford Highway, Doraville, 770-455-0770. The market offers cooking classes, and one recent recipe called for whole wheat panko, so it’s possible that BHFM will be stocking that as well in the near future.
Q: I have recently become enamored of Vegemite, a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract, manufactured by Kraft Foods. I have found it online, but I would like to be able to purchase it locally. Can you help? — John Grier, Chamblee
A: John, consider yourself a culinary daredevil for bonding with the dark Aussie paste that’s often eaten on bread spread with margarine. You can enjoy all of the Vegemite you like with a visit to Cost Plus World Market, 3330 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, 404-814-0801, where you’ll find little 220-gram pots of Vegemite for $8.99 each.
Q: I have some L’Occitane Verbena hand soap that I like so much I would like to give it as a gift. Where can I find it? No one seems to know. — Carol Surface, email
A: L’Occitane, founded in Provence, offers up a wide selection of naturally fragrant skin care products. You’ll find exactly what you’re looking for, and more, at L’Occitane at Perimeter Mall, lower level by Nordstrom. The boutique carries 10.1-ounce square pumps of Verbena hand wash for $20. You also can get the 16.9-ounce refill bags for $25.
