SacFoodies

Sacramento Farm-to-Fork All Stars

by SacFoodies

By Sidney Burt
Since proclaimed America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital in 2012, Sacramento is making its mark on the culinary map. With local chefs and restaurants regularly populating top 100 lists, the city is bustling with high-caliber food and top-notch talent. And finally, one of the food scenes most sought after events is giving Sacramento the recognition it deserves.
This year, Pebble Beach Food & Wine is hosting a collaboration of ‘Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork All Stars’. An event that will feature nine of Sacramento’s finest culinary heroes and highlight the beauty of Sacramento cuisine. Tickets are still available and undoubtedly, worth the hefty price, but, if you can’t swing the weekday getaway, no need to feel left out.
Lucky for Sacramento residents, you can venture to one of the featured chefs’ establishments just about any night of the week. No matter what you’re craving, or perhaps you just want to create your own ‘Sacramento Food & Wine’ adventure, don’t wait to visit one of these fine establishments.


Featured Chefs:

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Farm-to-Court: A Day in the Golden 1 Kitchen

by SacFoodies

by Laurel Harrison
Did you know that we, as Sacramento-ans (Sacramentonians?) live in the largest arable valley in the world? We have access to a veritable cornucopia of fruit, vegetables, meat, wine, and beer, all in our very own backyard. It’s no wonder the farm-to-fork movement is successful in Sacramento when you take note of the big names in our corner; namely, Chef Santana Diaz, Executive Chef at the newly established Golden 1 Center.
Last week, the SacFoodies had the opportunity to peek behind the curtain and receive a full tour of the Golden 1 kitchens, led by Chef Diaz himself. We at SacFoodies love to support and learn more about local eats and establishments, so we jumped at the chance to learn more about Golden 1’s “90% from 150” program. Through this program, Chef Diaz and his staff source 90% of their ingredients from within 150 miles of the arena. As a foodie, I was fascinated – what does an arena kitchen look like sans “big box” food? What does a prep day look like when you have whole, fresh ingredients to prep for thousands of people?
Chef Diaz has set out to change arena food from the ground up, completely transforming what it means to make, buy, and eat food in a sports arena setting.

From the get-go, I was impressed by the attention to detail and hands-on nature of Chef Diaz and his team. There were no dark corners in this arena kitchen – everything was gleaming, pristine, and utterly dedicated to the production of quality food.  Even though I had been to the arena and eaten the food, I had no idea just how much of the arena food is done in-house. I got to walk through the walk-in freezers and see tub after tub of pickling jalapenos, pickles, and onions (for the nachos), rows of rising dough (for the pizza), and huge mixing bowls of ground lamb (for the gyros). Nothing calls to me like tubs of house-pickled jalapenos – if you’re pickling those bad boys in-house, I feel like I’m in good hands.


It’s hard to pick my favorite aspect of the food production at Golden 1, so I’ll share a few highlights of the day.

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Farm-to-Fork Week coming soon and SacMag’s New e-Newsletter Has All the Scoop

by SacFoodies

We were excited when Mayor Kevin Johnson officially proclaimed Sacramento America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital last year, and we just learned the city is hosting Farm-to-Fork Week in late September that I’m sure we’ll be blogging about more as details unfold. One aspect that we’re really excited about is that the week will conclude with a festival September 28 on Capitol Mall, which just happens to be where the SacFoodies hold up shop Monday – Friday. Nice!  Leading up to the big event, Sacramento Magazine food writer Kira O’Donnell will be blogging twice a week about how local farmers, growers, restaurateurs and others are preparing for the big event.  We can’t wait to learn more. If you are as curious as us, sign up for SacMag’s Farm-to-Fork e-newsletter here. 

Celebrating Sacramento’s Locally Grown Food Scene

by SacFoodies

Back in October, we were pleased to share Sacramento’s newest designation as America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital. With 2013 underway, The City of Trees is continuing to get the recognition it deserves as a hot spot for great fare and an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients.
In fact, The San Francisco Chronicle recently covered Sacramento’s efforts to outshine its “cow town” reputation and take its rightful place as a bona fide foodie destination. Our prime geographic location was cited for allowing Sacramento chefs and diners to enjoy a robust array of locally produced meat, poultry, fish and produce.
We loved reading that the delicious assortment of ingredients available, paired with urban gardens and schoolyard projects are luring culinary stars to the area, such as Mark Liberman of San Francisco’s AQ, who is planning to open a new restaurant in Sacramento and says “The city has finally come into its own.”
Thinking of the next spot to try for dinner on the town? The article also called out several area restaurants that strive to use farm fresh ingredients, including Entoria, Roxy, The Kitchen, Kru, Grange, Mulvaney’s B&L and Ella.

Sacramento is America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital

by SacFoodies

By: Jake Ferguson and Jon Schuller

With the smell of rain in the air, the last farmers market of the season in Cesar Chavez Plaza was the perfect setting for a major announcement from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson this morning.
Known popularly as The River City or The City of Trees, Sacramento can now lay claim to an exciting new moniker: America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital!
Surrounded by a sea of white chefs’ coats, Mayor Johnson was joined by nearly three dozen of the area’s top culinary talent to announce the new proclamation to an excited crowd of media, local officials and foodie enthusiasts.
“Right here in Sacramento, we have a lot to be proud of,” said the former NBA star and Sacramento native. “This is the best of Sacramento. This is the Dream Team of chefs in Sacramento!”
In conjunction with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, the California Farm Bureau, and a coalition of local chefs, today’s proclamation is intended to market Sacramento as a farm-fresh culinary hub. According to the mayor’s office (and cited in today’s City Beat blog), the region is home to between 7,000 to 8,000 acres of “boutique farms” and touts more than 50 farmers’ markets.

Randall Selland of Ella Dining Room+Bar and Selland’s Market & Café helped further illustrate that connection to local agriculture—literally.

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