Have you ever discovered something new and subsequently wondered how you ever lived without it?  Right now, I’m feeling that way about Fante’s, a historic kitchenware store in Philadelphia with a robust online shop.  Since 1906, Fante’s has provided cutlery, specialized utensils, and more to lucky shoppers at Philadelphia’s Italian Market.  Warning:  don’t visit the site unless you’re ready to find 100 things you never knew you needed….like a pomegranate aril separator, a couer a la creme mold, an unglazed bread storage crock from Suffolk, U.K., or maybe a solid-brass duck press.

I found Fante’s while searching the web for a pasta/pastry board (aka a bread board) like the one pictured above.  (The photo is from Fante’s website, but strangely I have nearly identical baby blue countertops.)   Since Mr. Bouillie took up pie-making, my smallish textured glass pastry board has seen regular use….and we’ve learned that it is too small to handle a fully extended 10″ pie crust.  Hence the need for a pastry board, complete with a wooden lower lip to keep it attached to the work surface and a rear upper lip to keep the dough securely on the board.