Now that we’ve eaten our weight in turkey (and stuffing, sweet potatoes and pie) and slept for three days, we’re back and ready to talk about more food! Well, actually, we’re back and ready to talk about food literacy!
If you’re familiar with #GivingTuesday, you’ll know that the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is a day where people come together to donate to organizations that mean the most to them. In honor of this week’s upcoming #GivingTuesday on November 28, we are spotlighting one of our favorite local organizations and pro bono client – Sacramento’s own Food Literacy Center. As SacFoodies, we believe that food literacy is central to the farm-to-fork world, and we believe that all future foodies deserve the chance to learn about where their food comes from.
Food Literacy Center works to teach kids about how food gets onto your plate, where it comes from, and what types of food should end up on your plate at every meal. They inspire kids all over Sacramento to learn more, cook more, and eat more fruits and veggies, ultimately helping them be more healthy and in touch with their roots (wink).
A #GivingTuesday donation to Food Literacy Center will help teach children how to identify healthy veggies, make healthy snacks, read a recipe, and more. With more than 50% of Sacramento kids taking part in free and reduced lunch program and 40% struggling with childhood obesity, it’s more important than ever to give them skills to identify foods that are easy and healthy alternatives.
This Giving Tuesday, donate to Food Literacy Center and help kids all over Sacramento grow into bonafide foodies!
California Honey Festival – The Direction of Sunbeams
by Laurel Harrison
“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” – Henry David Thoreau
When I was in junior high, my mom started keeping bees on our farm. This meant that each year our pantry was stocked with thick, golden honey from our own backyard. To this day, I have a giant mason jar of my mom’s honey in my pantry, zealously hoarded and treasured. This familiar connection to beekeeping made me all the more excited to attend the California Honey Festival in Woodland, CA. Put on by the Honey and Pollination Center at UC Davis, the California Honey Festival was a celebration of all things honey and bee – a weekend of education, fundraising, and all-over honey appreciation.
That Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the VIBee Opening Night Reception for the festival. The event included an open mead bar done by Strad Meadery, honey-themed food from Morgan’s on Main, and a Burning Man-esque bee art car. I had a wonderful time seeing honey represented in such a variety of culinary ways!
The Honey Festival itself was held on Saturday morning, with Woodland’s Main St. shut down to accommodate the vendors and crowds. There were food trucks, craft vendors, educational sessions, kids’ crafts, and more booths on bees than I could count. The festival was packed, with something for everyone who attended.
My personal highlights included the mead speakeasy, honey tastings, and a section devoted to bee-friendly gardening. Because bees are such a vital part of our culinary ecosystem, we would be remiss to not recognize their importance in our foodie musings. All of the delicious tidbits we enjoy, both as a part of our job and on our own time, would not be possible without the hard-working honey bee.
I was so happy to see the community come together to educate and celebrate bees and the honey they produce. I look forward to attending this event for many years to come, and I can only hope it grows more and more successful as it continues.
At the beginning of this piece, I included one of my favorite quotes by Henry David Thoreau – “The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” For me, honey is a little jar of all those directed sunbeams – an amalgamation of the agricultural bounty that surrounds us here in Sacramento. Through their dedication to the honey bee, the California Honey Festival managed to direct their sunbeams onto the bee world and the local community, shining a light on bee education, production, and preservation. The result was a wonderful, honey-sweet weekend.
Valentine's Day in Sacramento
By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
Valentine’s Day is almost here. We know that everyone can use a little bit of help with the planning process sometimes, so we have gathered Valentine’s weekend events and restaurant specials that are sure to please!
Valentine’s Day Weekend Events:
Port, Wine and Chocolate Lover’s Weekend
Port, Wine and Chocolate? You can’t go wrong there! Old Sugar Mill is giving you access to all three with their Lover’s Weekend. Thirteen wineries are in one location offering tastings from the barrels – of wine and chocolate. A cigar lounge, live music and demonstrations, including a “Bottle Your Own Port” activity round out the event. This is a unique event that will certainly add some fun to your Valentine’s Day weekend.
Cost: $29.50 in advance, $40 the day of, and $10 for any Designated Driver; $125 for the Bon Temps Package for groups of 6 or more. (purchase tickets)
February 11, 2017 – February 12, 2017
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Old Sugar Mill
35265 Willow Avenue
Clarksburg, CA 95612
Valentine’s Day Wine Tour
Odds are you are going to get some sort of chocolate this Valentine’s Day and nothing pairs better with chocolate than wine! Grab your heart shaped box and hop on the Valentine’s Day Wine Tour presented by Cain Event Planning. This all-day tour includes transportation to participating Amador County wineries Karmere, Dobra Zemjla and Helwig Winery, drink service during travel, lunch and of course wine tastings. It is a great way to spend the day with your loved one.
Cost: $59 for a single ticket and $110 for a couple’s ticket (purchase tickets)
February 11, 2017
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Butterfield Station
9636 Butterfield Road
Rancho Cordova, CA 95827
American Whiskey with the Bourbon Babes
Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. offers an alternative option for Valentine’s Day weekend. Join The Bourbon Babes at Cocktail Academy and learn everything there is to know about American Whiskey.
Cost: $75
February 11, 2017
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Co.
1630 S St
Sacramento, CA 95811
Sacramento Beer Week 2017 – The Brains Behind the Beer
By: Laurel Harrison
Join SacFoodies this week on “The Road to Beervana” (a.k.a. Capitol Beer Fest) with a peek into the brains behind the beer that we love so much!
Have you ever wondered what your local brewer sings in the car? Who their #1 beer pal would be? What beer of theirs you absolutely have to try? You’re in luck! Check out SacFoodies’ Q&A with some fabulously awesome fermenters below.
Bike Dog Brewing Co.
Sage Smith: Co-Founder
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
Maui Waui by Altamont. That beer opened my eyes to the amount of tropical flavors a beer could have.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Liam Neeson—I ate dinner at a table next to his in NYC and figured it would be cool to have a beer with him since we’re practically best friends now.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
It used to be “Angels” by Robbie Williams, mainly because I’m terrible with lyrics and I somehow mostly knew the lyrics by heart. Now, my go-to is “California” by Phantom Planet (the theme song from The O.C.) because you get to yell California for a long time. Also, I still can’t believe Marissa is dead.
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Mosaic Pale Ale is our go-to suggestion because it’s the beer that showcases our brewing philosophy the best.
The Monk’s Cellar
Andy Klein: Founder
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
Local beer would probably be the classic Rubicon IPA or the Gold Country Pilsner from Auburn Alehouse. Non-local would be Saison Dupont from Brasserie Dupont in Belgium.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Probably Michael Jackson (the beer writer, not the musician). He was so instrumental in developing our understanding of world beer styles in America, and because of that had a huge influence on the American Craft Beer revolution. He inspired many brewers.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
You won’t see me doing a karaoke jam.
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
The Crooked Bridge English Style Pale Ale.
Oak Park Brewing Co.
Tom Karvonen: Owner
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
Space Dust by Elysian Brewing Co.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Mick Jagger because he was a visionary musician that changed the course of music.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
“Roxanne” – The Police
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Honey Lime Gose & Brimstone Belgian Golden Strong.
Knee Deep Brewing Co.
Andrew Moore: Sales & Marketing Manager
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
If you don’t see me drinking Knee Deep you will most likely see me drinking something from Pizza Port.
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Ken Griffey Jr. Always has been my #1 idol and favorite baseball player.
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
Deltron 3030
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Breaking Bud.
Big Stump Brewing Co.
Alex Larrabee: Owner
What is your favorite beer made by another brewery?
Blind Pig – Russian River Brewing Company
If you could share a beer with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Arthur Guinness – founder of Guinness Brewery. We’d really like to hear first-hand what brewing was like in the 1700s!
What’s your go-to car karaoke jam?
“99 Bottles of Beer”
What beer do people absolutely have to try when they come to your taproom?
Get a flight and decide for yourself! We love everything we make.
For a full list of Sac Beer Week events, click here!
For more information on Capitol Beer Fest, click here!
The Road to Beervana
by Laurel Harrison
As we slowly inch our way towards spring, our thoughts are turning towards sunshine, farmer’s markets, and, of course, Sacramento Beer Week, running March 2 – March 12. We here at SacFoodies love great beer almost as much as we love great food, and for the month leading up to Beer Week we’ll be featuring local breweries and the people behind the beer. Join us this month on “The Road to Beervana” (i.e., Capitol Beer Fest) – look forward to bios, fun facts about your favorite brewers, and a little extra insight into the best brews in town. Cheers!
Bike Dog Brewing Co.
Founded by Sage Smith, A.J. Tendick, Raef Porter and Pete Atwood, Bike Dog Brewing quickly established itself as a go-to for craft beer in West Sacramento. Bike Dog’s newest venture, a taproom on Broadway, is slated to open early this year in conjunction with the Selland’s Market-Café. Their “good people deserve good beer” motto has led them to great success, proving that good beer does, in fact, bring around good people (and even better business). Check out Bike Dog on the West Sac Brew Bike Tour during Sac Beer Week, and have a pint for us!
The Monk’s Cellar
The Monk’s Cellar, founded in 2014 and located in Roseville, pays homage to brewing traditions from Belgium and seeks to provide a casual, relaxed environment dedicated to the enjoyment of good beer. During Sac Beer Week, The Monk’s Cellar will be hosting two unique and exciting events – the Trappist Beer Dinner and the Placer County Firkin Fest. The Trappist Beer Dinner will feature a five-course meal of traditional Belgian foods paired expertly with five different Trappist beers. Due to demand, seating is (obviously) limited and reservations are required! The Placer County Firkin Fest will include 13 Placer County breweries. Each brewery will bring a unique beer to the event, and each beer will be poured directly from the cask; every beer lover’s dream.
Oak Park Brewing Co.
Oak Park Brewing, founded by Tom Karvonen and DavidEstis, was named Sacramento’s “must-visit” brewery by Thrillist. Like so many craft breweries, Oak Park Brewing began in a garage and grew into a taproom and brewery with a huge fan following and rollicking taproom schedule. To quote Thrillist’s glowing review, this brewery is “pulling out some beers that would give the bigger cities pause.” Oak Park will be hosting their IPA Release Party: Race to the Bottom on March 4th as part of Sac Beer Week – stop by to check out their collaborative IPA release, featured British and Belgian Ales with West Coast Edge, and listen to local live music.
Knee Deep Brewing Co.
Knee Deep Brewing was founded in 2010 as a “contract brewery” that sold kegs exclusively in the Northern Nevada market. Over the past 7 years, Knee Deep has become a well-respected and well-recognized name in the craft beer industry, occupying a 28,000 square foot facility in Auburn and brewing with a 40 barrel 4 vessel system. By the end of 2016, Knee Deep was actively selling their brews in all 25 states! Knee Deep has established itself as a stalwart fixture of the Sacramento (and U.S.) craft beer scene, maintaining their connection to their community while achieving national success. Knee Deep will also be taking part in the Placer County Firkin Fest on March 11th as part of Sac Beer Week – stop by to see (and taste) beers made specifically for this event!
Big Stump Brewing Co.
Started in September of 2016, Big Stump Brewing is the new guy on the craft beer scene – and boy, are we happy they’re here. Alex Larrabee, owner and founder, was inspired to open Big Stump after his Imperial IPA and Bavarian Hefeweizen took home a gold medal and “best in show,” respectively, from the CA State Fair. Located next to Old Soul’s flagship location on L Street, Big Stump is dog-friendly, kid-friendly, and bring-your-own-food-friendly. We look forward to getting to know this brewery (and their beers) better very soon. For Sac Beer Week, you can find Big Stump pouring beers at the Capitol Beer Fest on Sunday, March 12th!
You can find all upcoming Beer Week events here and check out Capitol Beer Fest information here.
Keep an eye out for more upcoming features and facts about our favorite fermenters throughout February!
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