The Cas-Cad-Nac Farm Cookbook Featuring Vermont-Raised Alpaca Wins New England Regional Printing Award of Excellence

The Cas-Cad-Nac Farm Cookbook Featuring Vermont-Raised Alpaca

Wins New England Regional Printing Award of Excellence

Cas-Cad-Nac Farm, a nationally recognized alpaca breeding farm in Perkinsville, VT, is pleased to announce that its recently published cookbook, The Cas-Cad-Nac Farm Cookbook, won a first place Pinnacle Award for Best of Category at the Print Industries of New England (PINE) Annual Awards of Excellence Competition in Boston.

Beating out more than 100 entries in the cookbook category, the stringent judging takes into account the entire product, from the content, artwork, and photographs to paper choice and the tiniest details in printing and binding.

Printed by L. Brown and Sons Printing, Inc. in Barre, Vt, the 50-page cookbook features 18 original alpaca recipes created by Chef Jean-Luc Matecat of Burlington, Vt. with food and farm photos taken by Robert Eddy and Tim Calabro of First Light Studios in Randolph, Vt.

Development of the cookbook was managed by Pam Knights Communications of Northfield, Vt and the graphic design was done by Brian P. Graphics Arts in Worcester, Vt.

Owned by Ian and Jennifer Lutz, Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC (CCNF) is widely recognized as one of the premier seed-stock producers of alpacas in the United States. In addition to selling breeding stock, the farm also produces a yearly fiber clip that is processed by the Vermont Fiber Mill & Studio in Brandon, Vt, which is likewise co-owned by the Lutzes.

Though originally conceived primarily as a way to help their customers learn how to cook with alpaca, Ian Lutz said that the award was very welcome nonetheless. “We are thrilled that the cookbook garnered some recognition within the publishing industry, ” said Lutz. “It was truly a communal effort from [Chef] Jean Luc’s development of the recipes themselves, to the photography and graphic work that came afterwards. For a project that was really started more as just a labor of love, winning the Pinnacle Award is obviously very gratifying.”    

In an effort to maintain the highest quality herd possible, 30 to 40 animals are processed annually into a limited supply of fine meats in a variety of cuts. The meats and cookbook are available for purchase either at the farm or through CCNF’s website at www.alpacameat.com .

Primarily grass-fed, alpaca is a lean and tender red meat with a mild, sweet flavor profile similar to veal. A staple in South America for thousands of years and a delicacy in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, it is relatively new to the culinary landscape in North America. One of the healthiest and most versatile meats on the market, alpaca is extremely high in protein, lower in fat than bison and lower in cholesterol and calories than chicken.

L. Brown and Sons went on to submit the cookbook at the national Printing Industries of America (PIA)) competition in which The Cas-Cad-Nac Farm Cookbook won a third-place certificate of merit in the cookbook category.

To learn more about the alpaca operation at Cas-Cad-Nac Farm visit www.ccnfalpacas.com .