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.
Let's Get Saucy!
It’s National Sauce Month, everybody! If the SacFoodies love anything, it’s getting #lostinthesauce (in the most culinary sense of the phrase). We’ll be featuring a different kind of sauce each week of the month, ranging from barbecue to chocolate. Bring on the ranch, marinara, caramel, and curry – we’re hunting down our favorite sauces, and all the delicious food that goes under them!
For our first saucy spot, we stopped by – you guessed it – Sauced BBQ & Spirits on 7th and K. Sauced takes pride in the quality of their meat, the integrity of their smoking process, and their generous (i.e., gargantuan) portions. We had a great time at our lunch, which included great service, a lively atmosphere, and an overall satisfying work-day meal. Below, we each talk about our favorite part of the meal, and of course, our favorite sauce!
Laurel: For my lunch at Sauced, I ordered the appetizer Smoked Wings plate. As someone who doesn’t like my meals pre-drenched in sauce, I was happy that the wings came spiced, smoked, and with sauce on the side. This meant that I could add as much sauce as I wanted, and experiment with different kinds! Sauced has four house BBQ sauces – Tin Roof, Hot Tin Roof, Pig Candy, and Georgia Gold. I felt like the Georgia Gold, which is mustard-based, went best with the smoky chicken, but I definitely liked all four. Disclaimer: I also love mustard and vinegar, so it wasn’t suprising for me to pick this as my favorite!
Cheyenne: When I see tater-tots of any form on a menu, I’m blinded by their golden light and know that I have to have them. Even with the incredible number of menu options at Sauced, tater-tots had my heart. I ordered the Tot-Tas for lunch. “What exactly are Tot-Tas?” you may be wondering. Well, according to the menu it is a plate of tater-tots covered with cheddar cheese, bacon jam (yes, bacon jam!), sour cream, green onions and jalapenos. If you ask me what a Tot-Ta is, I’ll tell you it’s how Sauced made me say goodbye to plain tots forever. I’m counting bacon jam as the sauce on my meal, because there was really no need for anything extra on that plate. Every single thing – from the crunchiness of the tots, to the sweet, salty, smoky flavor of the bacon jam – made me fall in love with each bite. I probably could have used a little more sour cream, but that is a personal preference. If you are going to stop by Sauced I cannot recommend the Tot-Tas more, whether you plan on keeping them to yourself or sharing. Though I didn’t need anything extra on my meal, you can’t go to Sauced and not try the BBQ Sauce! If I had to choose one I would go with the Tin Roof, it is a classic ketchup-based sauce and I’m a classic kind of girl, but they were all delicious in their own special ways.
We can’t wait to go back to Sauced and try more #saucyspots throughout the rest of March. Word to the wise: Sauced is the spot to go before Golden 1 events, but be ready for crowds! We liked going for lunch to reap the rewards of a Sauced lunch without dealing with the pre-game rush. Tot-Ta for now! (Get it?)