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Small Sixers is a series of posts where guest contributors put together a list of six things they love in the small food scene. Interested in submitting your own list? Contact us here.

Keith Wallace is founder of The Wine School of Philadelphia, an institution that offers classes in wine, beer and food in the Rittenhouse area. Instruction runs the gamut from fun, one-offs like “Wine 101” and “Wine & Cheese Pairing” to academic offerings for those in the trade or seeking Sommelier positions. For more info on the school, read our piece or visit their website. Wallace has also published an excellent cookbook, Corked & Forked, which we featured several times in our Local Cookbooks recipe series.

Keith calls his list “The local food I eat with my non-local wines.”

1. Sweet Stem / Meadow Run Farm
Their eggs are the most amazingly fucked up and wonderful I have ever had in the US. Mismatched in size and color, these eggs have the deepest orange yolk I have ever seen. This is what eggs are supposed to look like and taste like.
(Available at many local stores, including: Swarthmore Co-op, Devon & Wynnewood Whole Foods, Pete’s Produce Farm, Green Aisle Grocery, and more. sweetstem.org)

2. Rineer Family Farms
Holy shit, these are the tomatoes that will make you hate all other tomatoes. Their heirloom varietals are grown with a glorious degree of beneficial neglect. Ugly and misshapen, but utterly perfect. Just like me.
(Suburban Station, Chestnut Hill & Rittenhouse Farmers Markets, rineerfamilyfarms.com)

3. Erdenheim Farm
Located just north of Philly, this is the place for Cheviot Lamb. Fantastic rich flavor. Also have a small herd of Scottish beef cows.
(Available at the farmstand in Lafayette Hill)

4. Thistle Creek Farms
Crazy good grass-feed beef from central PA. Plus, a whole lot of border collies on the property, and I love dogs nearly as much as I love a good steak.
(Available at Wegman’s in Collegeville, thistlecreekfarms.com)

5. Fresh Tofu Inc.
For someone who loves meat as much as I do, I also love me some tofu. This is some of the best I have ever had. It’s from Allentown, and it’s awesome.
(freshtofu.com)

6. Superior Pasta Company
Located in the Italian Market, their fresh pasta is exceptional and without a doubt some of the best in the US. Get there on Friday in the afternoon to get the gnocchi fresh, before they freeze it.
(905 Christian St, Philadelphia, PA 19147, superiorpasta.com)

Bonus Pick!
The crazy Amish dude in Rittenhouse Farmers Market on Saturdays

His herbs and vegetables look like they were just pulled out of the ground… in the 18th century. These are straggly and bug bitten bits of veg. Never tasted better than his basil and zucchini.
(Rittenhouse Farmers Market)