- I have 20 aunts and uncles. My parents each have 10 siblings. Perhaps that’s why they only had my brother and me!
- My grandmother started a few restaurants in Vacaville and Fairfield that are still open today. Even as a mom of 11, my amazing grandmother still fulfilled her dream of becoming an entrepreneur, and in a foreign country, at that! If you’re in the area, stop by Gordito’s in Fairfield or Azteca in Vacaville.
- My best friend and I hiked to Machu Picchu. During the summer of 2015, we headed out for an amazing adventure! In Peru, we hiked nearly 30 miles with other hikers from California, Ireland and Australia. After four days and three nights on the Salkantay trek, we reached Machu Picchu! It was the hardest, most rewarding experience I’ve ever had.
- I am currently taking Spanish classes. While my mom and extended family are fluent in Spanish, English is my first language. I can understand a lot of Spanish, but I’m a definitely a little rusty. I’ve recently begun watching Spanish novelas to help me learn. I’m currently following El Hotel de los Secretos—you cannot beat the drama!
- I love to paint in my free time. I mainly use watercolor, but I recently began experimenting with acrylic paints. Painting is great hobby and de-stresser for me. Unfortunately, I’m quickly running out of wall space in my apartment!
- Dog obsessed. If you lose me out in public, just look or listen for any nearby dogs. I’ll probably be sitting on the ground hanging with the pooches.
- Chocolate addict. When I first moved to midtown, I think there was one time where I visited Ginger Elizabeth three times in one week. I’ve since weaned myself down to three times a month. Progress!
- I escape in cooking. I’m all about experimenting and trying new recipes. It’s a fun easy way for me to unplug and take my mind off of work. My Saturday morning “It’s officially the weekend” ritual involves watching “The Pioneer Woman” and sipping my morning coffee in my favorite elephant-shaped mug. Bliss!
- I recently started reading for pleasure. I think I always dreaded reading because I was forced to read so much for school, but recently, I’ve found a few good reads that I just couldn’t put down. I just finished Tina Fey’s Bossypants—she’s my hero. I’m currently working on Amy Poehler’s Yes Please and Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth.
- I’ve got a love for vintage cars. My boyfriend is a major car guy and has taught me a lot about the beauty of classic cars in the past five years. Our favorite times have been aimlessly cruising around town in his VW Bug or his old Ford Model A.
Archives for 2016
2016 Sac Food Film Festival
It’s that time of year again! From April 7-16, Food Literacy Center and the Sacramento Farm-to-Fork initiative will be teaming up to host the 5th annual Sacramento Food Film Festival.
The 10-day festival will showcase award-winning short films, documentaries and family-friendly movies served alongside food and drink pairings from the area’s best local chefs and bartenders. To sweeten the pot even more, the festival also boasts music, art, “VIPea” experiences and more!
Starting on the evening of Thursday, April 7, an all-star cast of local chefs — from Localis, Hawks Public House, Kru Contemporary Japanese, Thai Basil Sacramento, Federalist Public House, Block Butcher Bar and Ten22 Old Sacramento— will be pairing delicious bites with award-winning short food films from the Sacramento area and beyond. Each day of the festival has a different food or film-related theme, hosted by various restaurants and venues in the Sacramento area and sponsored by generous local businesses.
Tickets are sold individually per event, ranging from free admission to $105 for the added VIPea experience. For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets to the 5th annual Sacramento Food Film Festival, please visit: http://www.foodliteracycenter.org/film-festival. And don’t delay; events are already selling out!
A Fabulously Sweet Evening at Andy’s Candy Apothecary
You might have noticed that last month on SacFoodies we celebrated all things fabulous. Well, even though it’s now March, I have something really fabulous to share with you today. Call it fabulous, marvelous, something out of a dream, or whatever you’d like – you’re going to want to know about this.
Have you ever had a dream that you were one of the kids that got to tour Willy Wonka’s factory and play in his magical room filled with candy? You know, the one that has a chocolate river, whipped-cream filled mushrooms, trees with gummy leaves and numerous other sweet treats. Well I’m about to tell you that right here in Sacramento you can have an exclusive experience that will make those dreams come true.
After hours, Andy Paul of Andy’s Candy Apothecary, provides exclusive, curated tastings of some of the highest-quality confections available, all in the privacy of his gorgeous candy store. From old-timey sweets, to artisan chocolates, to unique treats (spicy and zesty tequila lime tortilla chip brittle, anyone?), he leads groups through tastings akin to a wine tasting with a skilled sommelier. Speaking of wine, Andy also encourages groups to bring in their favorite wines to enjoy with the treats. An evening filled with candy and wine, how bad can that be?
I can tell you from personal experience that it’s not bad at all – in fact, it’s pretty great! I recently had the pleasure of attending one of these exclusive candy and wine gatherings at Andy’s with a group of 10 of my friends, and we had an absolute blast. We enjoyed 17 different candies (you read that right!) and brought a selection of wines which we paired with the unique candies that we tasted. Andy guided us through the tasting, encouraging us to enjoy each piece of candy and think about the nuances of flavors and textures (these are not run-of-the-mill candies, so it’s truly worth savoring each bite).
The seemingly never-ending selection of candies to try, and the fact that we had the store all to ourselves, made me feel just like a kid in Wonka’s factory (without the fear of turning into a giant blueberry) and it was the perfect way to spend a Thursday night with friends.
All in all, we learned a lot, tasted some delicious treats and had a great time. I’m already thinking of excuses to do it again.
If you’re looking to do something fabulous, book yourself a private tasting at Andy’s Candy Apothecary. I promise it’ll be sweet!
For pricing and additional information on private tastings, click here.
Andy’s Candy Apothecary
1012 9th St.
916-905-4115
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:30am-6pm; Sunday 11am-4pm
Skool on K
If you love fish and you love Japanese food, make your way to Skool on K. The restaurant opened in February and is situated on K Street across the street from The Golden Bear. The space is bright and modern and there is even a small courtyard in front of the restaurant for sidewalk dining.
We began our dinner with Grapefruit 75 cocktails, a mix of shochu, (a Japanese liquor), fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and sparkling Rosé. We enjoyed the cocktails alongside the creamy and salty sea urchin and uni flan appetizer, served in a small mason jar with accompanying crostini.
Next, we shared a raw fish sampler plate which featured a cured trout paired with refreshing wedges of tangerine, radish and frisée, creating a stark contrast to the amberjack crudo paired with eggplant, mushroom and daikon. Also included on the sampler was a salmon tartare with miso ginger mustard and topped with a quail egg, which was my favorite part of the sampler plate. Intended to be wrapped up in nori, I might have actually preferred it with some light crostini. We also shared the squid ink spaghettina entrée, which was highly recommended by the staff. Featuring Monterey squid and shrimp with garlic and tomato in a red curry/ lemongrass dashi broth, this was the best dish of the evening.
Lastly, we were treated to two desserts: a matcha white chocolate cake in a jar and a Meyer lemon buttermilk panna cotta, the perfect way to wrap up our meal. Thank you to the team at Skool on K for inviting the SacFoodies in!
Skool on K
2319 K Street
Sacramento, CA
916-737-5767
10 Things You Don’t Know About …
Jenna Buhagiar
1.) I’m currently eating for two. My husband and I are expecting our second child (it’s a boy!) in April, 2016. Our almost-two-year-old daughter is still deciding what she thinks about that.
2.) I’m a state-wide California girl. I was born in San Diego, began elementary school in Boulder Creek (a small town in the Santa Cruz Mountains) and grew up just outside of Sacramento in Rocklin.
3.) I have Aggie Pride and a fondness for Davis. I didn’t travel far from home for college, getting a degree in Communication from the University of California, Davis, and I love to visit my former stomping grounds. In fact, some of my favorite restaurants are in Davis – check out my post on C.R.E.A.M. (a must try for any ice cream and cookie lover!).
4.) Fried Chicken. Enough said? My friends know that I will order any form of fried chicken almost every time I see it on a menu. Fried chicken and waffles, fried chicken sandwich, fried chicken fingers … get in my belly.
5.) I’m a cat lady. But if you follow me on Instagram, you already knew that. My two cats – Blue and Neela – were my first babies.
6.) I love to cook (and I love to eat). My dad is an amazing cook and definitely passed on his love of cooking (and eating) to me. Growing up, my dad always cooked from scratch and I seriously didn’t know that baked goods could be made out of a box until I was in high school.
7.) I have a love/hate relationship with eggs. I love eggs in things – quiche, frittata, baked goods, fried rice, egg salad, you name it. But I just can’t get myself to join the “egg on top” bandwagon. I’m not a fan of a runny, scrambled or fried egg. And please don’t ever try to make me eat an omelet.
8.) Reppin’ for West Sac. Sometimes it feels like I rarely leave my West Sac bubble, but with our own Nugget Market and Target, why would I need to leave? Our budding craft brewery scene isn’t helping, either.
9.) Wine and beer are my friends. I always feel at home in a great winery or brewery. A daunting wine or beer list at a restaurant doesn’t scare me. Bring it on! I love to experiment and am always enjoying old favorites and trying new things (although not for the past nine months, but I’ll be back at it again soon!).
10.) When all else fails, make pizza. So simple, but sometimes the best meals start with fresh pizza dough. It’s my favorite blank-slate for home cooking.
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