When he worked in the crouton department at Pepperidge Farm during college, Craig Lieberman never dreamt that the experience would someday be relevant to his career. But 20 years later, Lieberman and wife Jennifer make 34° Crispbread, thin, crêpelike crackers that are baked without oil. Now ubiquitous at the grocery store, these are also the cracker of choice for many cheese makers, including Colorado’s Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy and Cypress Grove Chèvre in California.

Kitchen Perch “We love the tapas culture of Spain, and Barcelona in particular. And we really wanted a place to have a glass of wine and a snack,” says Jennifer, while gesturing to a wooden shelf just large enough to hold a bowl of nuts and a glass of vino.

Cutting Edge The couple’s set of exquisite blackwood knives from the Wüsthof factory in Solingen, Germany, is housed in a minimalist, bamboo-box knife holder. “I love that [the knife block] is out of the way and there’s no wasted space,” says Jennifer. www.wusthof.com, www.vivaterra.com

Far-Flung Goods Craig, who attended graduate school in Australia, started a business importing many of the country’s unique foods to the United States. It was down under that he found the sink that now sits in their kitchen. “I love the depth and the size,” he says.

Food as Art “We found this Harry Allen banana bowl in Kansas City at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. We fell in love with it there, but I bought it online from the Better Homes & Gardens website,” says Jennifer.

Fromage Fun: Obsessed with cheese, Craig has a collection of more than 30 cheese knives from all over the world. Two of his favorites are black, bone-handled, artisan-crafted Italian knives, one of which looks like an old-fashioned barbershop razor.

Recipe One of Jennifer’s favorite lunches is simple and quick. She takes half an avocado, sprinkles it with sea salt, and spreads it on cracked black pepper 34° crackers.

This article was originally published in 5280 August 2009.
Amanda M. Faison
Amanda M. Faison
Freelance writer Amanda M. Faison spent 20 years at 5280 Magazine, 12 of those as Food Editor.