Let’s talk chicken with 3 makeover recipes on how to use what is leftover from the new-and-improved Claypot Chicken with Roasted Veggies recipe. Here’s the pecking order for how to re-purpose your leftover chicken. 1) CHICKEN QUESADILLA Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5-7 minutes Serves 1-2 Ingredients: Small corn tortillas (optional flour) ½ Tb olive oil ⅛ -¼ […]
There’s always a lot of buzz when Coachella releases its lineup. Located in Indio Valley, this music festival is one of the largest, most popular, and profitable in the US. If you’re lucky enough to get tickets, being prepared and organized will help you have a fun-ast-ic time! After attending the festival for 2 years, here are some ways to navigate […]
At the 2016 San Francisco Fancy Food Show, we selected 7 buzz-worth food companies to profile.
Closing a chapter on her catering career with a high-profile clientele, Private Chef Robin has embarked on a new chapter of personal dining, flavored salts, and her “A Taste of Ojai” cookbook. After meeting Private Chef Robin on Instagram and trying out a few of her small plate recipes, we found that these dishes using these infused salts with local […]
We met Private Chef Robin on Instagram and were drawn to her California-Mediterranean style cooking. She has a culinary pedigree that would make most professional chefs envious. Private Chef Robin grew up in a family of restaurateurs and honed her skill set at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Now, she creates private fine dining experiences at […]
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to spend the day with Stacy Ventura, a professional food photographer with Edible Marin. Here’s how to shoot food like a Pro: Make sure to use as much natural light as possible, such as bouncing light with reflectors and white boards. Shooting vertically is appealing for food photography, even though we are drawn to […]
Sugar, milk or a combination of both is often a remedy for smoothing out the bitterness in a cup of coffee. Iced coffee is often so watered down that bitterness and acidity can linger and put a damper on this hot day beverage. The cold-brew process removes the bitterness, giving you a balanced taste. You may just decide to opt […]
My jetsetting friend from college invited me on a trip to Marfa, Texas. I wondered why he was so excited about this obscure travel destination, until I went there myself. Whether you are a modern-art connoisseur or not, it is an artsy and cultural town worth visiting.
With roots dating back 100 years ago, the Poncia family ranch is located in rural west Marin County. Up until the 1980’s, the family was in the dairy industry. Loren Poncia was working in Sacramento in agriculture and would look forward to coming back home over weekends to help his parents. Sustainable practices began with Loren’s father as a founding board member […]
Vanilla goes beyond, extract, or better yet, make your own extract! We highly recommend using LAFAZA’s vanilla products because of their high quality, direct trade, and sustainable pure vanilla from Madagascar. You can literally taste the difference! Try these 5 different ways to use vanilla. 1) Vanilla Sugar recipe – Just add 2 beans scraped into sugar, then plop in the vanilla bean rinds […]
Chai Iced Tea is a refreshing and simple way to go for summer. We often like to use Silk Road Teas for their high quality sourcing with small international tea producers. Hot tea can now be reused into iced tea.
Sometimes you have to make a bit of a mess in the kitchen to get a Sweet Reward. This messy recipe brings out the inner child, yet with its bite-sized portions, it has the sophisticated and indulging taste custom made for an adult palate. Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles are so expensive to purchase but are a bit more budget friendly when […]
We are pleased to announce that Karen Pavone from Farminista’s Feast (www.farministasfeast.com) will be returning as our host for Season 3 of Cooking Guru. She has been a wonderful collaborator and friend who embodies a definitive passion for the farm-to-table movement, local artisan producers, and cooking quality meals.
Once upon a time, those who sought to live a healthier lifestyle were called “Health Nuts.” They shopped for natural products that could only be found in Health Food Stores. Now, healthy products are so mainstream that they can even be found in vending machines and convenience stores. The Natural Products Expo West is a trade show of epic proportions, […]
Every January, Americans make their News Year’s Resolution to lose weight and eat healthier. At the 2015 San Francisco Winter Fancy Food Show, there were plenty of healthy snacks to sample. As thousands of exhibitors look to fill our local markets and specialty stores with their newest products, Bay Area food companies have figured out a way to give consumers […]
From the San Francisco Fancy Food Show, food companies have demonstrated how providing greater goods plays an integral part in their missions and how it can influence consumers’ buying decisions. Here are some companies that have developed loyal and lasting partnerships with family farmers from some of the most impoverished areas of the world.
Every year for the last 40 years, about 1,400 food/beverage companies exhibit their latest and existing packaged food and beverages at San Francisco’s Winter Fancy Food Show. Navigating through and around this 3 day Trade Show with the nearly 20,000 attendees and over 200,000 square feet of space is both exhilarating and exhausting.
Most long weekends are spent catching up on back burner projects with work, running errands, a stay-cation, or maybe even a quick getaway trip a short distance from home. Sometimes those fateful accidents, like, having some mileage expiring (ex: canceled ski vacation) turn into a spontaneous trip that shines. From sun up to sun down, even a brief vacation to […]
San Francisco Newlyweds, Michael and Mary Gassen were barely able to fulfill their dream of opening up Noe Valley Bakery. They took on huge financial burdens by investing their life savings, maxing out on their credit cards, and taking on a business loan. Back in the 1990’s, that was the only method of financing for small businesses, but today, small […]
Like most kids going to college, I was intimidated with the process of making home cooked meals and thought cooking would be a time sink. After all, how many college bound kids or college grads feel comfortable with cooking?
Karen Diggs, a Therapeutic Chef and Nutritionist, took her passion for healthy, delicious food by taking cup-fulls of vegetables and squeezing submerging, brining, sealing, and fermenting it all into a Mason Jar. With help from her partner, Eric Klein, an engineer and inventor, Karen has transformed this thousand-year-old practice of fermenting foods by designing a small-batch device called Kraut Source. […]
Many have compared Cape Town to the Bay Area, and with good reason. The Western Cape’s most prominent city is reminiscent of San Francisco with beautiful old buildings, amazing coffee, dramatic landscapes, microclimates, but most importantly, good wine and food!
Sandwiched between San Francisco to its south and the Wine Country to its north, commuters, day-trippers, and travelers see Mill Valley in a 2-3 second blur driving on Highway 101. Residents of Mill Valley are content to see boatloads of local and faraway travelers descend on and into the touristy, neighboring towns of Sausalito and Tiburon.
Adjusting to fewer hours of daylight and cooler temperatures makes traveling in and out of London off-season challenging. Although being a part of the human race in the United Kingdom during peak vacation time, is enough to make anyone want to stay at home. In a recent trip in and out of London, off-season was easier, more accessible, less crowded, […]
Many San Franciscans or Bay Area urbanites may think that Point Reyes Station and Petaluma are quiet farming and ranching communities. In fact, a million tourist travel each year to Point Reyes National Seashore. “Stop by Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station (about 848 residents) on a sunny summer’s day, and this town can look like Coney Island,” explains Bridget […]
Starting over is never easy and always risky…so how does a mother of 2 from the Caribbean Island of Trinidad/Tobago with a PhD in Environmental Microbiology wind up in the gift giving business? Gypsy Achong moved to San Francisco to work in Environmental consulting, management consulting, and eventually business development in the Biofuel field.
About 30 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge, Comforts Cafe radiates with activity where everyday seems like rush hour. In the quaint and cozy town of San Anselmo, Glenn, the papa, Laura, the momma, and Erin, the daughter, have been serving up their home style cooking to their loyal, local following since 1986. Just about any day or time is […]
Seattle, cleverly and humorously nicknamed “Rain City”, “Emerald City”, “Queen City”, “Gateway to Alaska”, and “Jet City”, making it a city with some sort identity crisis? Seattle’s identity is attached to the many charming neighborhoods, active communities, jaw-dropping scenery, and underrated, innovative food. It is city that is worth visiting and revisiting. Getting those Touristy Feet Wet Pikes Place Market […]
As I was growing up, I often cringed when eating my dinner and would trash my school lunch. I desperately longed to have my meals made from scratch by a 1950s, 60s, or 70s sitcom mom. Unfortunately, my fate and appetite depression was in my mother’s hands. Just about everything she made was either too raw, overcooked, too seasoned, or […]
Don’t you wish you could start your life backwards? It’s one of those situations where you accumulate all this experience and knowledge which you may never have the opportunity to use again. Instead, you have to learn these life lessons the hard way! The answers and wisdom come after you run that first marathon, get that black belt, or climb […]
Santa Cruz: a 1-2 hour drive from most parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and a most satisfying weekend destination. It is more than just a funky hippy town, but offers plenty of charm, fine food options, a plethora of hiking trails, a scenic wonderland, and of course, the beach. On a three day weekend, you can feel the […]
Summertime is filled with lots of fun seasonal activities, like blackberry picking. Picking this delicate and fragile fruit can be dangerously fun through all the poking, prodding, and piercings as you maneuver your body through the thorny landmine…so, grab a basket, a bucket, or bag and prepare yourself for some blackened hands! If you can’t or not up for this […]
Chef Cassandra Chen of CC Made, a maker of artisan Caramel Corn, Candy, and Sauces had the kind of challenging problem that every start up company wants to literally have: “Sweet Success!” With the limited hours at a small rental Commercial Kitchen (Marin County, CA) and the high demand for her handmade addictive treats, she was ready for a space […]
Cassandra Chen spent her early childhood years in Shanghai, China and watched her grandmother prepare elaborate, traditional Chinese Feasts. Meanwhile, her mother, who was also an exceptional cook, refused to make the same dish twice. Cassandra found herself working in the World of Finance after college where she felt unfulfilled. She wanted to do something with her life where something […]
See our first “Fun with Food Guru” Video – reactions to a taste test of the hottest condiment we have ever had. It is known as Atomic Extra Hot Horseradish. Watch the Video to see a combination of how tasters’ senses were blown away while laughing and crying.
Cupcakes, cupcakes, and more cupcakes…they are everywhere: at your local markets, farmer’s markets, bakeries, dessert bars, weddings, cupcake stores, and cupcake trucks. My go-to cupcake is the under-appreciated MUFFIN. I have one at least once a week and have 3 choice recipes I make and freeze. Aside from the ever so popular Blueberry, I finally have a muffin recipe for […]
Meandering through the many miles of the hilly, misty roads, cows and goats happily graze in this “Irish” looking landscape North of San Francisco. The region may be close to the Wine Country, but don’t count on a wine tour in these parts because this is dairy territory; it is the cream of the crop for food experiences. Ramini Mozzarella […]
No planes, no airports, no trains, no baggage and best of all no JET LAG when you enter the “Ireland” of Northern California. Grassy-green hills, misty-foggy climate, raging waves, sculptured- rocky coastlines mixed with Dairy farms and Oyster shacks line this desolate and unpopulated part of West Marin and Sonoma County. Within an hour’s drive from San Francisco, small communities […]
Creamy, fresh fromage blanc; tangy silken chévre; bracing blues, each fascinatingly different from its brothers; tastebud-waking, complex aged triple-crèmes…are you hungry yet? I am almost always hungry – for cheese. Last weekend, I was among the fortunate attendees at California’s 7th Annual Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma, one of the hubs of California’s booming cheese industry. The festival is a […]
My favorite beverage is coffee. It’s not only the caffeine that wakes me up in the morning and gives me that badly needed energy boost midday, but the aroma and strong flavor gets my mind and body racing. My love and addiction for coffee began over 20 years ago. I was a Marketing Consultant for a donut store chain in […]
Several months back, Slow Food organization coordinated a cupping and roasting demonstration at the Highwire Coffee Roasters’ facilities in the Oakland area. Rich Avella, Robert Myers, and Eric Hashimoto, the proprietors of Highwire, walked us through the step by step process from seed to cup. Think of cupping as similar to wine tasting. A Short Video Story click HERE.
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