Summertime produces the best tomatoes and there is no better place to enjoy them than at the Capay Tomato Festival in the beautiful Capay Valley. Farm Fresh to You, the home delivery service that provides fresh, local, organic produce to consumers’ doorsteps invites you to join in this 7th annual event on Saturday, July 19, 2014, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Event-goers will enjoy organic, heirloom and cherry tomato tasting, live music and dancing, delicious food, local wine and beer, tractor tram rides, kids’ activities, camping on the farm and more. Pack a blanket, pull up a hay bale and watch the sunset – all the while supporting a good cause with event proceeds benefiting the Kathleen Barsotti Non-Profit for Sustainable Agriculture.
This year, guests are encouraged to bring a picnic to enter into the “Best Guest Picnic Contest.” Farm staff will roam the event, scouting out the best-looking picnic for a chance to win future fresh produce deliveries. No picnic? No problem. Local purveyors will be selling their wares including sandwiches, tacos, burritos, roasted corn, pizzas, gelato, in addition to vegetarian and vegan choices.
Tickets are on sale through Wednesday, July 17, for $20 per person (children ages 12 and under are free). After July 17, tickets will be sold at the door for $25 per person. SacFoodies is giving away two tickets to the event, so post a comment on our SacFoodies Facebook page telling us why you want to attend for your chance to win!
For the complete line up of activities, the bands’ performance schedule, and to purchase tickets visit www.capaytomato2014.eventbrite.com, call or visit http://facebook.com/farmfreshtoyou.
Farm Fresh To You/Capay Organic
23800 State Hwy 16
Capay, CA 95607
1-800-796-6009
Sacramento Farmer's Market
By Stephanie Rudy
Did you know there are 12 farmer’s markets in the Sacramento area per week? While I wasn’t able to make it to all 12 last week, I was able to stop by an old favorite.
The
In addition to fruits and vegetables, the market offers eggs and milk from nearby farms, and even flowers from locals like Frank!
Garlic doesn’t come much cheaper, and the flowers don’t get much fresher.
Dried arrangements are perfect for sprucing up your outdoor kitchen and add flavor to any bottle of olive oil.
Leaving empty handed is almost impossible, and the experience is unforgettable. With 12 per week in our own backyard, finding a farmer’s market this summer is easier than ever! For a complete list, visit http://www.california-grown.com/Market-times.html.
Paul Martin's American Bistro
If you truly are what you eat, then I must be a more fresh, organic and delicious version of myself after dining at the “soft-opening” of Paul Martin’s American Bistro in Roseville this Saturday. The restaurant’s mantra, “Eat organic. Believe in sustainable. Buy local. Love fresh.” is more than just a slogan – it proved to be an ambiance, a sense of professionalism and a delightful flavor that came in many forms.
Upon entering the softly lit bistro on Eureka Road, my first impression was one of extreme preparedness. Especially for a “soft-opening,” the staff at Paul Martin’s American Bistro was both attentive and abundant (not to mention well-dressed and the perfect blend of edgy and clean cut, although that has nothing to do with the food).
We were seated immediately, despite arriving a bit early for our 12:00 reservation. The well-thought décor matched the classic chic vibe; with dark wood and warm colors enveloping an otherwise relaxed environment.
My guest for lunch (also known as my mom) and I were greeted by our waitress Crystal who guided us in choosing the buttermilk breaded calamari as a starter. Crystal does not mislead – the calamari was deliciously light, a tough feat for any fried food to accomplish.
For the main course, I ordered the Skirt Steak with roasted maple-bourbon sweet potatoes and arugula and my (health conscious) mother decided on the butternut squash soup. I don’t know about you, but the phrase “family style” is a way of life between my mother and I, so sharing plates is always a given.
The skirt steak was perfectly cooked to a medium-rare, just the way I’d ordered it. The sweet potatoes were basted with a maple syrup glaze that could have bumped them right over to the dessert category. The arugula even proved to be a nice touch, turning an otherwise filling meal into a lighter, more complete plate.
The butternut squash soup with sage pesto and croutons was a dish that I could easily feast on every day through the winter months. Its vibrant color stood out almost as much as the comforting taste it delivered.
We almost ended the meal there, which would have been a near tragedy. But to finish it all of, we chose the devil’s food cake, three layers with rich ganache made from Grass Valley Dorado chocolate and garnished with sour cherries and whipped cream. Our waitress mentioned (in a half joking tone) that the first time she tasted the Devil’s Food Cake, she nearly cried. It was just that good.
With great service and excellent food, I left feeling both satisfied and impressed. Even beyond that, however, the restaurant’s greatest selling point may be it’s commitment to buying local. It is truly great to find a place that lets the best of Northern California take center stage. With meat from Superior Farms (Dixon) and Diestel Family Farms (Sonora); seafood from Ports Seafood (San Francisco); produce from Greenleaf Produce (San Francisco); bread from the Acme Bread Company (Berkeley); and dairy from Clover Stornetta (Sonoma), Paul Martin’s is drastically upping the local ante.
Last night marked the official grand opening of Paul Martin’s American Bistro, and if the evening went anything like my preview lunch on Saturday, I’m sure it was a huge success!
See what others are saying about Paul Martin’s American Bistro:
The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Business Journal
Edible Sacramento
Tastes of Life
Sacatomato
Vanilla Garlic
Weekend Round-up
Suzanne Peabody Ashworth and Jim Mills
What a great gastronomic weekend! We started early on Saturday and visited the grand opening of the East Bay Culinary Center. We were greeted by fellow Slow Food member Jim Mills who was there with Suzanne Peabody Ashworth of Del Rio Farms. Jim offered us samples of beautiful, perfectly ripe peaches, figs, plums and blackberries.
We grazed through dozens of food stations and enjoyed:
All before 9:00 a.m.! My husband said, ‘this is the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time!’ Clearly, we both have iron stomachs.
We watched a portion of pastry chef Ginger Power’s demonstration in the new kitchen, which by the way, is WAY cool! As mentioned in a previous entry, chef and culinary instructor Carolyn Kumpe will be leading the new culinary center and classes and demonstrations will begin next month (we’ll make sure to post activities on sacfoodies.) We would have liked to have stayed all day and watch all the demonstrations, but Michael Buble and a trip to San Francisco awaited us….
I’ve heard great things about the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, so I was excited when fellow Sac Foodie, Melinda McRae, myself and our foodie hubbies found ourselves with a few extra hours to spend in the City on Saturday on the way to a concert.
The colorful produce won me over. From rainbow chard to red, orange, and yellow peppers and radishes, it was a gorgeous spectrum. Since I work with the United States Potato Board, I was excited to see Russian Banana and Rose Fir specialty potato varieties too. We took home heirloom tomatoes for a colorful Caprese salad, and blackberries for snacking by the handful.
The farmers market snakes around the Ferry Plaza Building, which is a recently renovated foodie landmark of its own. After winding through the marketplace, we found a spot outside at Ferry Plaza Seafood for fresh oysters and San Francisco’s own Anchor Steam Beer. With clear skies, a Bay Bridge view, and lots of people-watching, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon in the “city by the bay,” to quote one of my favorite 80’s bands.
Midweek Morsels 08.23.07
Tonight, the Shack takes you to Trinidad & Tobago:
- Calypso Chicken
- Curried Pork
- Rice & Peas
- Roti
- Shrimp stuffed peppers
Open at 6pm, food and music around 7pm.
The Shack
5201 Folsom Blvd
457-5997
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Nobody likes Mondays. To most, they mean early morning alarms and the start of another workweek. But at the Mohr family household, we have found the cure-all solution to those Monday blues. My family returns home every Monday evening to a simple cardboard box filled to the brim with the best organic produce Capay Valley has to offer.
Last week, we received:
- Tomatoes (2 lb)
- Peaches (1.5 lb)
- Bartlett Pears (1.5 lb)
- Figs (.5 lb)
- Lemon Cucumbers (1 lb)
- Green Seedless Grapes (1.5 lb)
- Mixed Peppers (12 oz)
- Mixed Eggplant (1.5 lb)
- Fresh Lavendar (1 bunch)
- Melon (1)
The best part is that each delivery is accompanied by a Farm Newsletter that incorporates the contents of the box in three delicious and healthy recipes. For example, with last week’s produce we made a Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad which was the perfect summer treat! The “Farm Fresh To You” organic produce box has not only expanded my fruit and veggie vocabulary but has also helped my family to start the week on a healthy note!
This delivery service comes with additional options, including a “Small Box” or “Mostly Fruit” choice. You can sign up online at www.farmfreshtoyou.com!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
East Bay Restaurant Supply Center opens new Culinary Center – Open House
Sat., Aug. 25 – so much local talent, and it’s FREE!
I have been to the East Bay Restaurant Supply Center a few times and it is like being a kid in a candy store – so many fun foodie gadgets! They are now adding a culinary center and the public is invited to its open house this Saturday. Former San Francisco chef, Charlotte’s Bakery owner, and current culinary instructor, Carolyn Kumpe is leading the new culinary center. Her goal is to showcase local chefs and restaurants, and have fun with food. Saturday’s culinary class schedule:
- 8-9 a.m. Chef Ann Martin Rolke/Sacatomato: Summer fruit coffee cake, Fridge-cleaning frittata, book signing of Hands-Off Cooking
- 9-10 a.m. Chef Ginger Elizabeth Powers/Couture Chocolates
- 10-11 a.m. Chef Tim Jordan/Old Soul Bakery: Fabulous Flatbread
- 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Chef Oahn Nguyen/Andy Nguyen Restaurant #2: Shrimp & Pork Imperial Rolls
- 12-1 p.m. Chefs Dani Luzzatti and Yvette Woolston/Wine Konnection
- 1-2 p.m. Chef Adam Pechal/Tuli Bistro: Pizza by Tuli
- 2-3 p.m. Chef Michelle/Crepe Cafe: Crepes Suzette
- 3-4 p.m. Chef Richard Hyman/Old Arch Brewerey, Lodi: House-Made Mozzerella and Caprese Salad
- 4-5 p.m. Dr. Giovanni Gaudia/culinary instructor direct from Italy: Authentic Regional Italian Cooking
Free samples and demonstrations provided by:
- Bella Bru Baking Company
- Chef Andreas Hoffman — “Blatter’s by Hoffman” — Fine Foods & European Wholesale Bakery
- Knife Sharpening Demonstration by Star Sharpening — Bring 3 dull knives get 1 sharpened for free
- Ellen’s Gourmet Kitchen — Gourmet Caterer
- “Whiskey Wild” Contemporary Saloon “Opening Soon”
- Cheese Works Wholesale Fine Cheese Distributor
- Chef’s Warehouse Wholesale Fine Food Distributor
- Produce Express Wholesale Fine Produce Distributor — Jim Mills and Suzanne Ashworth
- Chef Antonio Lozano from Yuba City & Marysville — “Antonio’s Quick Lunch”
- King Smith from “Mighty Kong Muffins”
- Mad Dog Mesa EVOO Bob & Amy Day — “Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting”
- Chef Raul Soto — “Super Churro & The Whole Enchilada”
- Chef Labella Pasto — “Personal Chef Services Fine Dining Without Leaving Home”
- Carl Yasbeck from Walter Zebrowski Manufacturing Representatives — “Crepes & Panini”
- Woody Clarke from Premier Marketing Group — “Restaurant Equipment: Wolf, Vulcan, Hobart, Traulsen Etc.”
East Bay Culinary Center in Sacramento
522 N. 12th Street (off of Richards Blvd.)
Saturday, Aug. 25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
916.440.0620
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Oto’s is Oishi!
Oto’s Marketplace — my blue “Townie” is parked out front
Former chef, fellow Slow Food member and produce expert Jim Mills told us about Oto’s Marketplace and stated it had the freshest fish in town. My husband and I rode our bikes over there this weekend, and by 1:00, they had already sold most of their supply, but we did find a gorgeous selection of sushi-quality seafood, including ahi tuna, salmon, snapper, octopus and Chilean sea bass (which we bought – I have never seen such a beautiful, thick piece of sea bass before. By the way, according to the U.S. State Department, Chilean sea bass is not an endangered species, however, there is a problem with illegal fishing of sea bass.) We grilled the fish and served it with baby artichokes, morel mushrooms, corn fritters (that we had seen on America’s Test Kitchen that morning) and a yummy, rich sauce reduction.
Sushi-quality fish is displayed on ice
Sushi master Ray Yamamoto, his assistant is wondering, ‘why is that gaijin taking pictures?’
Sushi master Ray Yamamoto creates about 150 packages per day, and Oto’s sells out by 4:30. (The Bee’s Bob Sylva recently wrote about Yamamoto-san.) In addition to offering fresh fish and sushi, they also carry a huge selection of Japanese food items, sake and Japanese beer – kanpai! Oto’s will be hosting a grand opening celebration on Sat., Sept. 8 that will include food demonstrations, free samples, a special gift for the first 100 customers, as well as chances to win many other prizes.
Finally — Pocky for MEN!
Various fish cakes, bean paste and boiled yam delicacies
Oto’s Marketplace
4990 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
916.424.2398
Open seven (7) days a week
Monday to Friday – 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.