SacFoodies

The Hospitality Industry Helping in the Community

by SacFoodies

Sacramento Hotels Farm-to-Fork Showcase: Challenge of the Chefs
October 30, 2019 (Wednesday)
5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. |Kimpton Sawyer Hotel

The 4th annual Sacramento Hotels Farm-to-Fork Showcase: Challenge of the Chefs is set for October 30, 2019, at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel—as part of Sacramento Hotel Association’s ongoing community service activities.

For 2019, the Farm-to-Fork Showcase will benefit Soil Born Farms, a non-profit 501(c)(3)organization. Soil Born Farms is about growing food, mentoring youth and future farmers, teaching people how to cook and garden, creating urban farms and preserving wild spaces, developing partnerships and improving access to fresh produce throughout our community, and at the core, it is about making a difference. It means transforming a shared vision of healthy food for all into a local reality.

The Sacramento Hotels Farm-to-Fork Showcase: Challenge of the Chefs is sponsored by the Sacramento Hotel Association (SHA).The event will feature:

  • Festive Farm-to-Fork food stations from local hotels/restaurants
  • Friendly competition among the hotel executive chefs—three different awards
  • Craft beer tastings from local brewers
  • Wine tastings from area vintners
  • Silent auction of gift baskets and prize packages
  • Musical entertainment

The Sacramento Hotel Association’s Sacramento Hotels Farm-to-Fork Showcase: Challenge of the Chefs open to the public. Advance tickets are $45 per person plus service fee; tickets are $55 per person at the door. You can pre-purchase your tickets at www.ChallengeoftheChefs.com

We Have Our Eyes on the Fries

by SacFoodies

If you follow the blog, you know that SacFoodies love attending Sacramento food festivals. They’re the perfect environment to try new restaurants and food trucks, all while surrounded by fellow foodies. The Sac Fry Fest, held at Roosevelt Park in late April, gathered Sacramento’s tastiest loaded fries into one spot, along with beer and cider, live music, and more! We tried fries from three different trucks, and they all exceeded our expectations. Here’s a lineup of the fries we tried:

Sisig Fries from Wandering Boba – Crisp shoestring fries topped with citrus-pepper marinated pork, ground chicharrones, diced white onion, jalapenos, and the crown jewel: an over easy egg. These fries were a game-changer. The spicy jalapeno, onion and luscious egg yolk went together wonderfully. They didn’t skimp on pork either, which was much appreciated.

Hefty Fries from Hefty Gyros – Grilled chicken on top of crinkle fries with tzatziki sauce, mild sriracha BBQ sauce, special seasoning, pepperoncinis and feta cheese. We had our eyes on these fries from the moment we got tickets to the festival. Something about tzatziki and feta with a bite of sriracha is unbeatable. These fries were so delicious!

Loaded Pizza Fries from On the Fry – Crispy fries topped with marinara sauce, melted mozzarella, pepperoni, and heaps of fresh basil. Yeah, you read that right. This pizza/French fries hybrid was cheesy and the perfect amount of spicy. Who knew pizza was 10 times better served on fries instead of crust?! These fries were also available on potato skins, if you’re feeling crazy.
Last but not least, we washed our meals down with some Bike Dog IPAs. All the proceeds from beer and cider sales benefited the Friends of Front Street Shelter, so we enjoyed our beverages while helping animals in need. Truly a win-win.

Overall, this festival was a huge hit! Granted, anything involving the words “loaded fries” can’t be bad, but the set up of this festival made it all the better. Buying tasting tokens at the door made for zero lines at any food trucks, and the large open space offered plenty of seating. #SacFryFest, we can’t wait til next year! Until then, does anyone know if these food trucks deliver? 🙂

Breaking the 'Glass Ceiling' with Sacramento's Pink Boots Society

by SacFoodies

In belated celebration of International Women’s Day, the SacFoodies team wants to shine a spotlight on the work of the Sacramento Chapter of Pink Boots Society, a non-profit created to assist and encourage women in the beer industry.
Craft beer is an overwhelmingly male-dominated industry and the Pink Boots Society, along with founder Teri Fahrendorf, is carving out a space for women working in the beer world. From its inception in 2007, the organization has helped women in the beer industry connect with each other, build mentor/mentee relationships and access educational opportunities. Pink Boots Society has chapters across the nation, and our very own Sacramento Chapter took part in the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day for this year’s International Women’s Day.

Local Pink Boots Society members met earlier this month at West Sac’s Yolo Brewing Company to create a collaborative brew in honor of the occasion. Their creation, single-batch “Glass Ceiling,” is a Vienna Lager brewed with Vienna and Munich malts and Tettnang hops and will be available at Yolo Brewing later this spring.

Women from other Sac breweries, local beer supply representatives and the UC Davis Master Brewers Program participated in the “Glass Ceiling” brew day. A portion of the sales from this batch will go towards Pink Boots Society’s non-profit educational efforts. When asked how they chose the name “Glass Ceiling,” Sacramento brewer Steph Messina stated:
“I wanted the beer name to speak for itself. Women can sometimes be shrouded in the haze of modern beer culture, and I wanted us to be able to give a friendly wave to the public. We’re here, and we’re making beer. You just might not know it.”
Cheers to our friends making a difference in beer, both in Sac and around the U.S.! The SacFoodies are excited to try “Glass Ceiling,” but we can’t promise not to shatter it once we’re done. 😉
To learn more about Pink Boots Society and their work in the beer industry, visit their site here.

Bring on the Beer! Capitol Beer Fest 2018

by SacFoodies

This year’s Capitol Beer Fest marked the return of CBF to Capitol Mall after last year’s event on the 5th Street Bridge. Compared to last year’s unseasonably hot weather, this year felt much more like Sacramento’s usual mercurial March. Beautiful blue skies gave way to cold and rainy ones, but the beer stayed flowing and the crowd stayed happy for the sold-out event.

As expected, the Sacramento and California beer scene turned out in full force, with over 100 breweries lining Capitol Mall. Some of our favorites came as a surprise – I love beer and usually stay away from the more alternative craft options at festivals (cider, mead, etc.), but one of my top spots of the day was San Diego-based Boochcraft, a high-alcohol kombucha brewery. Full disclosure, I love kombucha anyway, but Boochcraft’s turmeric, tangerine and ginger brew was definitely a step above the rest and we made several stops by their tent during the day (it also doesn’t hurt that the ‘booch clocks in around 7% ABV).

For the stout fans out there, Fifty Fifty Brewing from Truckee had a great showing with their Maple Vanilla Eclipse. It was a fitting beer for a blustery day, and the taster size was just enough to satisfy the flavor profile without feeling too heavy.

Another personal favorite was Einstock Beer Company’s Icelandic White Ale. I’ve had this beer a few times in the past and it never disappoints – it always fits the bill and I was excited to see their tent!
Capitol Beer Fest sets the standard for Sacramento beer fests, and we love attending an event that supports such a worthy cause with Runnin’ for Rhett. It’s great to see such a huge event go towards a good cause, and it makes the day that much more enjoyable when you know every sip supports nurturing a healthy community.
Cheers, and we hope to see you there next year! You can check out last year’s Capitol Beer Fest recap here.
(top photo courtesy of @SacFoodandBooze)

2018 St. Patrick's Day Roundup

by SacFoodies

By. Jessi Gunn
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, March 17th to be exact, and thankfully Sacramento has plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy. Do you have a favorite annual event that didn’t make it onto the list? Leave us a note (and an invite) in the comments!

Cafeteria 15L
Local dining hotspot Cafeteria 15L is adding classic Irish dishes to their brunch menu on St. Paddy’s Day only! If you follow SacFoodies on Instagram you’ll know that we are quite partial to Sunday brunch at 15L, (Bacon Jam Bennie and bottomless mimosas, yes please!) but the corn beef hash special sounds so good I might be tempted to switch it up. Hey, this does only happen once a year!
Old Sacramento Parade
This annual parade unites hundreds of colorful marchers, highland dancers, bagpipers and drum bands, and re-enactors in traditional Irish and Celtic outfits for a day of entertainment you won’t want to miss. Events begin at 11:30 a.m. with the parade starting at 1:00 p.m. Arrive early to get a front row seat to the action.
de Vere’s Irish Pub
For Irish food you can find year-round, head to de Vere’s Irish Pub. They have traditional, yet elevated, dishes such as Bangers and Mash and Irish Stew. Before celebrating the holiday on Saturday, head to de Vere’s on Monday the 12th for their annual St. Baldrick’s Rock the Bald event to raise money for St Baldricks foundation.
Fox & Goose
Fox and Goose is bringing Irish music to town with performances from bagpipers, Irish folk singers, The Pikeys, and The Spicy McCormicks. Plus, Irish beer is on tap all night and delicious Irish bites are served until 10:00 p.m. All ages welcome until 10:00 p.m., and 21+ from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Malt and Mash
Downtown restaurant and bar Malt and Mash is hosting their second annual St. Pat’s Block Party. They will be featuring an outdoor beer garden, four bars and live music.  Want a side of bagpipers with your Guinness? Malt and Mash will make that happen. Open from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.
Streets Pub and Grub
Streets Pub and Grub will be hosting their annual St. Patrick’s Day party featuring live entertainment, Irish beer, and peanut butter car bombs. Not to mention Irish Tacos (which I think I definitely need to try). Wear green and get ready to celebrate with the self-proclaimed “OG’s of St Paddy’s Day.”
Pizza Rock
Pizza Rock on K Street is serving their specialty Sausage and Stout pizza in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. With dough made with honey malted stout beer and toppings including beer sausage, carmelized onions, fontina cheese, scallions, beer salt and a sweet Guiness reduction, ths is the perfect dish to celebrate the holiday. Pizza Rock only make 23 of these pizzas a day, so get yours before it’s gone!
Wherever you go on St. Patrick’s Day remember to celebrate responsibly and treat-yo-self to some corn beef and cabbage, I know we will!