Brian Yarvin - Pennsylvania Good Eats: Exploring the States Favorite, Unique, Historic, and Delicious Foods

Brian Yarvin has been a commercial photographer for over forty years. Today, his work is represented by Getty Images, StockFood, and Alamy Images. For the past fourteen years, he has been writing as well and is the author of several books. In addition, he has contributed both writing and photography to the Washington Post, Mothering Magazine, SeriousEats.com, and New Jersey Monthly. He has also taught food photography workshops at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster.

ADAMS COUNTY

Historic Round Barn and Farmers Market & Oylers Organic Farms & Market, Biglerville

Mister Eds Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium, Orrtanna

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

Betos Pizza and Restaurant, Pittsburgh

Braddock Community Oven, Pittsburgh

Enrico Biscotti, Pittsburgh

Wholeys Market, Pittsburgh

BEAVER COUNTY

Orams Donut Shop, Beaver Falls

BERKS COUNTY

Bowers Chili Pepper Festival, Bowers

Daily Loaf Bakery

Deitsch Eck and Restaurant, Lenhartsville

Dietrichs Meats & Country Store, Lenhartsville

Dove Song Dairy, Bernville

Farmhouse Kitchen, The, West Reading

Funny Farm Apiary, Mertztown

Hay Creek Bread, Robeson Township

Longacres Modern Dairy Bar, Barto

Nesting Box Farm Market and Creamery, The, Kempton

Rodale Greenhouses at Rodale Institute, The, Kutztown

Valley Milkhouse, Cheesemaking Class, Oley

BLAIR COUNTY

Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, Williamsburg

MarCias Chocolates, Altoona

BUCKS COUNTY

Crossroads Bake Shop, Doylestown

Green Zameen Farm, Perkasie

CENTRE COUNTY

Penn State Berkey Creamery, University Park

State College, Chinatown 2.0, State College

Teaparker Tea House, The, State College

CHESTER COUNTY

Amazing Acres Goat Dairy

Big Elk Garlic Farm, Lincoln University

Bridge Street Chocolates, Phoenixville

Himalayan Indian Grocery & Food, Exton

Indian Hut, Exton and Malvern

Mexican in Kennett Square, Kennett Square

Saint Peters Bakery, Saint Peters

COLUMBIA COUNTY

Rolling Hills Red Deer Farm, Catawissa

CRAWFORD COUNTY

Meadville Market House, Meadville

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Eleven Oaks Farms, Newville

Josies German Cafe & Market, Mechanicsburg

Talking Breads Bakery, Mechanicsburg

DAUPHIN COUNTY

Asia Mall, Harrisburg

Broad Street Market, Harrisburg

Deep Hollow Forest Farm, Halifax

Soul House Cafe, Harrisburg

DELAWARE COUNTY

Lancaster County Farmers Market, Wayne

FULTON COUNTY

Licking Creek Bend Farm, Needmore

GREENE COUNTY

Rising Creek Bakery, Mount Morris

HUNTINGDON COUNTY

Standing Stone Coffee, Huntingdon

JUNIATA COUNTY

Benners Butcher Shop, Thompsontown

Guante Family Restaurant, Mifflintown

Juniata Produce Auction, Mifflintown

Ox Dynasty Pennsylvania Hickory Syrup, Mifflintown

LACKAWANNA COUNTY

Old Forge: The Pizza Capital of the World, Old Forge

LANCASTER COUNTY

Appel Valley Butcher Shop, Lancaster

Bird-In-Hand Farm Supply, Bird-In-Hand

Central Market, Lancaster

Misty Creek Dairy, Leola

LEBANON COUNTY

Jigger Shop, The, Mount Gretna

LEHIGH COUNTY

Allentown Fairgrounds Market, Allentown

Pappys Orchard and Bakery, Coopersburg

LUZERNE COUNTY

Pittston Tomato Festival and Fights, The, Pittston

LYCOMING COUNTY

Alabaster Coffee Roaster & Tea Co., Williamsport

MERCER COUNTY

Walnut Hill Farm, Sharpsville

MIFFLIN COUNTY

Belleville Livestock Auction, The, Belleville

MONROE COUNTY

Callies Candy Kitchen, Mountainhome

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Necessity Farms and Dairy, Telford

Sae Han Food Market & To Dam Gol Korean Restaurant, Blue Bell

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

Easton Farmers Market, Easton

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY

Massers Farm Market, Paxinos

Sunbury Market House, Sunbury

PERRY COUNTY

Red Rabbit Drive In, Duncannon

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY

Headhouse Market, Philadelphia

Johns Roast Pork, Philadelphia

La Colombe, Philadelphia

Lost Bread Co., Philadelphia

Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia

Shane Confectionery, Philadelphia

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY

Hometown Farmers Market, Tamaqua

Shenandoah Kielbasi, Shenandoah

TIOGA COUNTY

Highland Chocolates, Wellsboro

Patterson Maple Farms, Westfield

UNION COUNTY

Buffalo Valley Produce Auction, Mifflinburg

WESTMORELAND COUNTY

Pounds Turkey Farm, Leechburg

WildFire Bread, Ligonier

YORK COUNTY

Caputo Brothers Creamery, Spring Grove

Haines Shoe House, The, Hellam

New Eastern Market, York

Standing at the counter at Alabaster Coffee in Williamsport, I could not help but notice that the cup intended for my drink was filled with plain boiling water. You may think it was meant for somebody else: maybe it would get a tea bag or maybe it would be served as-is to somebody who drank their boiling water neat, Chinese style. As it turns out, that cup was being warmed up while my coffee was brewing. When it was served, coffee and cup were both at the same temperature.

This was astounding attention to detail! Just what you would expect at a top-notch shop in London, Tokyo, or New York, but like everything else at Alabaster, it seemed at bit out of place. I thought I knew Williamsport, an isolated lumber town that was home to Little League Baseball. And with that cup of coffee, Alabaster put Williamsport on the serious coffee map too.

Alabaster claims to build community through coffee. I did not see any trace of it though. However, there was easily enough going on; fresh, bright, fruity cups for the serious, and specialty drinks for the rest. Sharp eyes could notice different grinders for brewed and espresso coffees and a fully manual espresso machineyou would have to be something of an expert to operate it and a deeper sort of aficionado to appreciate that it was there.

I could tell the difference, I enjoyed getting coffee of this quality, and I saw myself as a snob for being this way. I sat down with my pour-over cup at a prime seat by a picture window looking out on downtown Williamsport. The streets were filled with cars and trucks zipping by and the sidewalks were pretty much empty.

There is a wide range of coffees available at Alabaster. They make those drinks from them, and they sell them as beans too. Some are from Latin America; others from Asia, and the one I chose came from Ethiopia. I would take a sip, enjoy this very special brew, and look out the window at the unpopulated city in front of me. Sometimes somebody would walk by. A lawyer? An accountant? I would sip some more and think about it.