Daffodils: Bundles of Sunshine

By Meg McConahey
Daffodils along River Rd. (photo by John Burgess / The Press Democrat)

On the cusp of spring they start poking their heads from the soil, arriving in jaunty clumps, cancan lines or in large conventions crowding an entire meadow or hillside.

Daffodils aren’t bashful as are many wildflowers that hide in woodlands and swales. Instead, they act as the brass band of springtime, marching into the awakening landscape often well before the rhododendrons and tulips, with trumpets of yellow, white and sometimes pink and orange.

“They’re the first sign of spring and they just jump out of nowhere,” said Merle Reuser, Sonoma County’s unofficial “Daffodil King.” For some 57 springs, Reuser has given away thousands of daffodils harvested from the ranch of his lifelong mentor, Margaret Adams, as a way of spreading cheer and honoring the memory of people beloved in the community. “They’re an instant upper.”

When Reuser was a small boy, Adams, who lived on a neighboring ranch in Cloverdale, instructed him to pluck daffodils from her property, which was overrun with bulbs planted generations earlier by pioneers. She then told him to take the blooms to town to give away to friends and strangers, in random acts of kindness.

“I would go down with all the flowers I could carry and just walk around the street and give them out,” Reuser said.

Adams died in 2000 at age 104. Reuser, 66, carries on his task of delivering bouquets of spring sunshine. Among his key recipients are students at Cloverdale High School. One day each March, he greets students flooding into the cafeteria for lunch and passes out some 200 bouquets in memory of Courtney Davis, a sunny-tempered 16-year-old who died of cancer in 2008.

Daffodils along River Road in the Russian River Valley. (photo by Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
Daffodils along River Road in the Russian River Valley. (photo by Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)

Each year he digs up clumps of bulbs, separates them and replants them on a dozen different properties around the county, the Johnny Appleseed of daffodils.

The severe drought may put a damper on this year’s daffodil display. It’s a game of wait and see, though it’s likely that determined bulbs will make an appearance.

“I just don’t know how long they’re going to last without rain,” said Marde Ross, the “Daffodil Lady” who has planted approximately 200,000 bulbs on the hillsides surrounding her Glen Ellen cottage. Starting in midwinter with the slender little February golds, her daffodil show features some 15 varieties that arrive in succession through April. For determined daffodil spotters, Ross, who sells bulbs, invites folks, by appointment, to walk along her bluestone-lined path through the daffodil fields (mardeross.com).

Another good place to ogle daffodils and tulips are the gardens at Ferrari-Carano winery on Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg (garden hotline: 707-433-5349).

It was the late Saralee Kunde, head cheerleader for local agriculture, who first brought daffodils to Sonoma County in a big, splashy, public way. More than 20 years ago she dreamed up the idea of beautifying the neighborhood around her Slusser Road vineyard estate in Windsor with daffodils as a way of attracting visitors to area farms and tasting rooms during an otherwise bleak time of year.

Kunde eventually enlisted some two dozen wineries, landowners and organizations to buy and plant bulbs to help turn Highway 101 from River Road to Fulton, and River Road to Forestville and beyond, into a blazing yellow palette. Tons of daffodil bulbs went into every sorry weed patch Kunde could find.

Theft and time have diminished the show. But some daffodils remain in legacy to the diva of daffodils, who saw them as a way of ushering in a new growing season as sure as bud break in the vineyards.

They’re a symbol of hope and a sign of perseverance. That beauty prevails, is their message.

Charlie Palmer brings dinner home (w/video)

By Diane Peterson
Palmer shoots at a pheasant with chef Dustin Valette, of Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. (photo by Chris Hardy)

If you run into Charlie Palmer at the Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, chances are the tall, imposing chef will be buttoned up in a crisp chef’s jacket or white Oxford dress shirt.

But scratch the surface of this well-known hospitality entrepreneur — with 12 restaurants to his name and a growing collection of boutique hotels and wine shops across the nation — and you’ll find a country boy at heart.

Whether fly-fishing on Colorado’s Laramie River or stalking the scrappy pheasant in Sonoma with Dry Creek Kitchen executive chef Dustin Valette, Palmer likes to relax in the colorful costume of the avid outdoorsman: jeans, red cap and camouflage jacket.

Thanks to the locavore movement, people increasingly want to know how their food is grown and raised. More and more hunters are motivated by the promise of high-flavor meat than they are by the sport alone.

But not everyone knows the best way to cook partridge and rabbit, venison and elk. And from a chef’s point of view, that’s a problem.

Charlie's dog, Bob, returning a downed pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Charlie’s dog, Bob, returning a downed pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)

“You’ve got all these people who are into hunting and fishing, but they don’t know what to do with the stuff they catch,” Palmer said. “If you kill it, you eat it.”

So when the gun-manufacturing company Remington Arms went looking for a chef to collaborate on a new cookbook, it didn’t take long to flush Palmer out of his home in the forested hills above Healdsburg.

After all, the project spoke to Palmer’s two greatest passions: the primal pleasure of eating in the outdoors, and the sourcing of the very best ingredients from around the world.

“Eating in nature, from nature, means eating mindfully within seasonal harvests, using simple dishes enhanced by vivid flavors,” Palmer said.

This ain’t your grandma’s recipe box, and it’s not your average celebrity chef cookbook, either.

Illustrated with rustic photographs and paintings from the archives and art collection at Remington Arms, “Remington Camp Cooking” by Charlie Palmer has the luxurious feel of a family keepsake, with a soft leather cover and flexible spine.

Yet it’s rustic enough to throw in the back of a pickup truck with the guns and ammo.

Chef Charlie Palmer deglases his cooked pheasant at his house with Dustin Valette, chef at Dry Creek Kitchen. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Chef Charlie Palmer deglases his cooked pheasant at his house with Dustin Valette, chef at Dry Creek Kitchen. (photo by Chris Hardy)

“The more you get oil on it, the better the book is going to feel,” Palmer said. “It’s not aimed at our restaurant clientele, but at the outdoorsman.”

With the help of Valette, also a lifelong outdoors enthusiast, Palmer developed a mouthwatering array of recipes to appeal to anyone who believes food tastes better when enjoyed in the great outdoors.

“There’s not a lot out there about cooking in the outdoors … at least, not a lot that’s usable,” Palmer said. “Most of it is Uncle Joe’s recipe, and you soak it in Coca-Cola.”

From a Duck Meatball Banh Mi to Trout in Foil with Lemon-Sage Butter, the recipes marry the elegant with the accessible. They can be made by anyone with access to a grill, campfire or Dutch oven.

“The recipes could be done anywhere,” Palmer said. “But the focus is how to be a more successful outdoor cook, whether you’re cooking over a fire pit, grilling or tailgating.”

Palmer, who grew up in upstate New York and trained at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y., has been hunting and fishing, cooking and camping, all his life. Most of the practical wisdom he imparts in the book has become second nature to him.

“I got my first shotgun when I was 12,” he said. “My brother would take me trap and skeet shooting with clay pigeons.”

While attending culinary school, he went pheasant hunting with one of his roommates from South Dakota.

“There’s acres and acres of harvest corn just loaded with pheasant,” he said. “It’s a perfect habitat for them.”

Charlie Palmer's pan roasted pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Charlie Palmer’s pan roasted pheasant. (photo by Chris Hardy)

Before he was married, he also fell in love with deep-sea fishing, chasing the storied blue marlin from the Bahamas to the coast of Venezuela.

And years ago, before A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” TV show was a glint in the eye of its creator, Palmer was invited to Louisiana’s bayou to shoot a hunting show with Eli Haydel, a famous maker of duck calls.

“We took the ducks back and cooked them,” Palmer said. “There was a guy named Big John who was drinking moonshine whiskey, and he had water moccasin scars all over his arm.”

These days, Palmer likes to cook wild game on a fire pit he built outside his house. During the season, he enjoys morning pheasant and chukar (partridge) hunts at a local sport-hunting club in Sonoma County.

“It’s like a preserve,” Palmer said of the rustic club. “It’s amazing that that piece of land is there still, and you can hunt with a dog.”

Valette, who grew up in Geyserville, learned about hunting and fishing from his dad, Robert “Pops” Valette, an air tanker pilot for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“We didn’t have TV, so we were always doing something hands-on and outdoosy,” Valette said. “I learned about guns on Ridge Ranch at the Geysers, which is owned by family friends.”

Valette started out with a Red Ryder BB gun, then received an old shotgun from his grandfather. He started quail hunting at 6 and shot his first buck at Mount Lassen when he was 9.

Photo gallery: Charlie Palmer: The Rest of the Story

In the winter, Valette likes to go to the Baxter Ranch at Lake Sonoma to hunt wild boar, then grinds the meat into luscious sausage, following his father’s recipe.

“It’s more natural,” Valette said of range-to-table cooking. “Because the animal is not in captivity, it has a more natural life.”

This spring, Dry Creek Kitchen plans to launch a new 24-seat outdoor annex, the White Oak Grill, with a simple menu inspired by Valette’s oak-wood grilling experience at Baxter Ranch.

“It will add another dimension to the restaurant, with a casual feel to it,” Palmer explained. “We’ll do a simple, grilled menu.”

Like most outdoorsmen, both Valette and Palmer are passionate about taking care of the land, not only for themselves, but for future generations.

“Outdoorsmen, hunters, fishermen and campers — those are the people who are most concerned about the outdoors,” Palmer said. “They understand they have to take care of it … or it won’t be there.”

Topsy’s Kitchen, Petaluma

By biteclub

[sh-slideshow-post id=”28438″]

I’ve been hearing all sorts of great things about Topsy’s Kitchen, a new breakfast/brunch/lunch spot in Petaluma. With a focus on Southern comfort food, making a beeline to P-Town became a hot priority.

The former Punjabi Burrito on Kentucky St. has been remodeled completely, with a warm, whitewashed interior, crisp tablecloths and an eye-catching pass-out and window into the kitchen. Fresh pies sit temptingly in a nearby windowed case, and the menu is, well, stellar.

Breakfast is a well-curated mix of sweet and savory that includes beignets with jam ($5), buttermilk biscuit sandwiches with pimento cheese, buttermilk berry pancakes ($6) and healthier fare of organic quinoa with seasonal veggies ($7.50).

Lunch includes their journey-worthy buttermilk fried chicken in both sandwich  ($11) and chicken ‘n waffles, along with shrimp and grits ($14) and a grassfed burger ($12.50). Watch for daily specials of gumbo and brisket.

The only misstep was the much-anticipated sweet potato biscuit, which was hard and cold, though honey butter improved things. I also missed out on the bacon in my cheesy grits, but hey, no one’s perfect.

Two can’t miss items: Lucy’s chicken-fried deviled eggs (yup, deviled eggs smashed back together, dipped in batter and fried, $9.50) and streusel topped caramel apple pie (drenched in salted caramel ($6) that fed two with a hearty chunk left over for a midnight snack.

Topsy’s Kitchen: 131 Kentucky St., Petaluma, (773-4743).

James Beard Semi-Finalists for 2014 include Bay Area Noms

By biteclub

beard

The James Beard Foundation has announced the Semi-Finalists for 2014. The list includes a number of Bay Area chefs and restaurateurs, though there are few big surprises here. Winners will be announced on May 2 and 5, 2014 in New York.

Best New Restaurant
The 404 Kitchen, Nashville
Aragona, Seattle
Ardent, Milwaukee
Asta, Boston
Bar Sajor, Seattle
Betony, NYC
Brindille, Chicago
Carbone, NYC
Casa Rubia, Dallas
The Cavalier, San Francisco
Chi Spacca, Los Angeles
Connie and Ted’s, West Hollywood, CA
Coqueta, San Francisco
The Elm, Brooklyn, NY
Estela, NYC
Fish & Game, Hudson, NY
Izanami at Ten Thousand Waves, Santa Fe
Laurel, Philadelphia
MilkWood, Louisville, KY
MW, Honolulu
Nico Osteria, Chicago
Pêche, New Orleans
Pinewood Social, Nashville
Ribelle, Brookline, MA
Rose’s Luxury, Washington, D.C.
Serpico, Philadelphia
Tosca Cafe, San Francisco
Trois Mec, Los Angeles
Uncle Boons, NYC
Virtù, Scottsdale, AZ

 

Outstanding Bar Program
Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New Orleans
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
The Bar at the NoMad Hotel, NYC
The Broken Shaker, Miami Beach, FL
Butcher and the Rye, Pittsburgh
Canon, Seattle
Clyde Common, Portland, OR
Columbia Room inside the Passenger, Washington, D.C.
Cure, New Orleans
The Dead Rabbit, NYC
The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., Philadelphia
Hard Water, San Francisco
The Hawthorne, Boston
Kimball House, Decatur, GA
Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY
Marvel Bar, Minneapolis
The Porter Beer Bar, Atlanta
Rivera, Los Angeles
Rogue 24, Washington, D.C.
Taste, St. Louis
Trick Dog, San Francisco
The Varnish, Los Angeles
The Violet Hour, Chicago
Williams & Graham, Denver

 

Outstanding Chef
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis
Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
Andrew Carmellini, Locanda Verde, NYC
Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, West Hollywood, CA
Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, NYC
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Carrie Nahabedian, Naha, Chicago
Nancy Oakes, Boulevard, San Francisco
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ
Anne Quatrano, Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
Julian Serrano, Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas
Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles
Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
John Sundstrom, Lark, Seattle
Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia

 

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC
Melissa Chou, Aziza, San Francisco
Dana Cree, Blackbird, Chicago
Steve Horton, Rustica Bakery, Minneapolis
Kate Jacoby, Vedge, Philadelphia
Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW, Honolulu
Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Phoebe Lawless, Scratch, Durham, NC
Belinda Leong, b. patisserie, San Francisco
Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Baked, Brooklyn, NY
Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, Spuntino, Denver
Tiffany MacIsaac, Birch & Barley, Washington, D.C.
Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Neil Robertson, Crumble & Flake, Seattle
Philip Speer, Uchi, Austin and Houston
Jonathan Stevens and Cheryl Maffei, Hungry Ghost, Northampton, MA
Christina Tosi, Momofuku, NYC
Nick Wesemann, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, MO
Jennifer Yee, Lafayette, NYC

 

Outstanding Restaurant
Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL
Canlis, Seattle
The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro, NC
Fore Street, Portland, ME
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco
Fork, Philadelphia
Greens, San Francisco
Hamersley’s Bistro, Boston
Hearth, NYC
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Jaleo, Washington, D.C.
Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA
Pearl Oyster Bar, NYC
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Primo, Rockland, ME
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
Spiaggia, Chicago
Terra, St. Helena, CA
Vidalia, Washington, D.C.
wd~50, NYC

 Best Chef: West
Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Josef Centeno, Bäco Mercat, Los Angeles
Michael Chiarello, Bottega, Yountville, CA
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Justin Cogley, Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel, CA
Mitsuo Endo, Aburiya Raku, Las Vegas
Tyler Florence, Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco
Ed Kenney, Town, Honolulu
Mourad Lahlou, Aziza, San Francisco
Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, Los Angeles
David LeFevre, MB Post, Manhattan Beach, CA
Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles
Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco
John Rivera Sedlar, Rivera, Los Angeles
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles
Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco
James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA
Ricardo Zarate, Picca, Los Angeles

Outstanding Restaurateur
Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, Washington, D.C. (The Bombay Club, The Oval Room, Rasika, and others)
Giorgios Bakatsias, Giorgios Hospitality Group, Durham, NC (Kipos, Parizäde, Village Burgers, and others)
Frank Bonanno, Bonanno Concepts, Denver (Mizuna, Osteria Marco, Bones, and others)
JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline, New Orleans
George Formaro, Des Moines, IA (Centro, Django, South Union Bread Café, and others)
Sam Fox, Fox Restaurant Concepts, Phoenix (Olive & Ivy, True Food, Little Cleo’s Seafood Legend, and others)
Ford Fry, Ford Fry Restaurant Company, Atlanta (The Optimist, JCT Kitchen, No. 246, and others)
Garrett Harker, Boston (Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, The Hawthorne, and others)
Mike Klank and Eddie Hernandez, Taqueria del Sol, Atlanta
Barbara Lynch, Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Boston (No. 9 Park, Menton, B&G Oysters, and others)
Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group, Chicago (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others)
Larry Mindel, Poggio and Copita, Sausalito, CA
Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa Valley, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen, and Cindy Pawlcyn’s Wood Grill & Wine Bar)
Nick Pihakis, Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Birmingham, AL
Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (The Dandelion, Talula’s Garden, Serpico, and others)
Caroline Styne, West Hollywood, CA (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and others)
Phil Suarez, Suarez Restaurant Group, NYC (ABC Kitchen, Jean-Georges, wd~50, and others)
Andrew Tarlow, NYC (Diner, Marlow & Sons, Reynard, and others)
Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, Philadelphia (Little Nonna’s, Jamonera, Barbuzzo, and others)
Rick and Ann Yoder, Wild Ginger, Seattle

 

Outstanding Service
Abacus, Dallas
Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Blue Hill, NYC
Brigtsen’s, New Orleans
Cafe Juanita, Kirkland, WA
L’Espalier, Boston
Komi, Washington, D.C.
L2O, Chicago
Lucques, West Hollywood, CA
Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas
Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.
McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
One Flew South, Atlanta
Persimmon, Bristol, RI
Providence, Los Angeles
Quince, San Francisco
Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis
The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
Topolobampo, Chicago
Vetri, Philadelphia

 

Outstanding Wine Program
5 & 10, Athens, GA
A16, San Francisco
Addison at the Grand Del Mar, San Diego
Archie’s Waeside, Le Mars, IA
Bar Boulud, NYC
The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Café on the Green at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, TX
CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.
FIG, Charleston, SC
The Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans
The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.
Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC
Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas
Press, St. Helena, CA
Rouge Tomate, NYC
Sepia, Chicago
Spago, Beverly Hills, CA
Troquet, Boston
Yono’s Restaurant, Albany, NY

 

Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, NM
Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown, NY
Mike Floyd, Nick Floyd, and Simon Floyd, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN
Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, CA
Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wine, Napa, CA
Stephen McCarthy, Clear Creek Distillery, Portland, OR
Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, VA
David Perkins, High West Distillery & Saloon, Park City, UT
Tom Peters, Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia
Joey Redner, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
Jörg Rupf, St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA
Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz, Edina, MN
Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME
Ann Tuennerman, Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans
Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY
Burt Williams, founder of Williams Selyem Winery, Healdsburg, CA
David Wondrich, spirits educator, Brooklyn, NY
Stephen M. Wood, Farnum Hill Cider, Lebanon, NH

 

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig, Chicago
Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
Daniel Delaney, Delaney Barbecue, Brooklyn, NY
Chris Kajioka, Vintage Cave, Honolulu
Christopher Kearse, Will, Philadelphia
Matthew Kirkley, L2O, Chicago
Casey Lane, Tasting Kitchen, Venice, CA
Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos
Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady, Honolulu
Rick Lewis, Quincy Street Bistro, St. Louis
Malcolm Livingston II, wd~50, NYC
Tim Maslow, Ribelle, Brookline, MA
Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty, Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple, Washington, D.C.
Ben Nerenhausen, Mistral, Princeton, NJ
Jorel Pierce, Euclid Hall, Denver
David Posey, Blackbird, Chicago
Ben Puchowitz, CHeU Noodle Bar, Philadelphia
Eduardo Ruiz, Corazón y Miel, Bell, CA
Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Brunswick, ME
Eli Sussman, Mile End, Brooklyn, NY
Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles
Michael Toscano, Perla, NYC
Chris Weber, The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Lummi Island, WA

 

Best Chef: Great Lakes
Myles Anton, Trattoria Stella, Traverse City, MI
Dave Beran, Next, Chicago
Neal Brown, The Libertine Liquor Bar, Indianapolis
Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo, Fat Rice, Chicago
Curtis Duffy, Grace, Chicago
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones, Chicago
Phillip Foss, EL Ideas, Chicago
Greg Hardesty, Recess, Indianapolis
Douglas Katz, Fire Food & Drink, Cleveland
Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton, OH
Ryan McCaskey, Acadia, Chicago
Regina Mehallick, R Bistro, Indianapolis
Brian Polcyn, Forest Grill, Birmingham, MI
Iliana Regan, Elizabeth, Chicago
Jonathon Sawyer, The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland
David Tallent, Restaurant Tallent, Bloomington, IN
Jason Vincent, Nightwood, Chicago
Paul Virant, Vie Restaurant, Western Springs, IL
Erling Wu-Bower, Nico Osteria, Chicago
Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia, Chicago

 

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Scott Anderson, Elements, Princeton, NJ
Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA
Joey Baldino, Zeppoli, Collingswood, NJ
Pierre Calmels, Bibou, Philadelphia
Anthony Chittum, Iron Gate, Washington, D.C.
Joe Cicala, Le Virtù, Philadelphia
Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore
Lee Gregory, The Roosevelt, Richmond, VA
Haidar Karoum, Proof, Washington, D.C.
Tarver King, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, Lovettsville, VA
Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia
Lucas Manteca, The Red Store, Cape May Point, NJ
Cedric Maupillier, Mintwood Place, Washington, D.C.
Justin Severino, Cure, Pittsburgh
Bryan Sikora, La Fia, Wilmington, DE
Brad Spence, Amis, Philadelphia
Lee Styer, Fond, Philadelphia
Vikram Sunderam, Rasika, Washington, D.C.
Angelo Vangelopoulos, The Ivy Inn Restaurant, Charlottesville, VA
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore

 

Best Chef: Midwest
Justin Aprahamian, Sanford, Milwaukee
Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis
Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis
Clayton Chapman, The Grey Plume, Omaha, NE
Gerard Craft, Niche, Clayton, MO
Doug Flicker, Piccolo, Minneapolis
Josh Galliano, The Libertine, Clayton, MO
Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis
Ted Habiger, Room 39, Kansas City, MO
Howard Hanna, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, Kansas City, MO
Jamie Malone, Sea Change, Minneapolis
Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, St. Louis
Ryan Nitschke and Nick Weinhandl, HoDo Restaurant at the Hotel Donaldson, Fargo, ND
Ben Poremba, Elaia, St. Louis
Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul, MN
Phil Shires, Cafe di Scala, Des Moines, IA
David Swanson, Braise, Milwaukee
Jim Webster, Wild Rice, Bayfield, WI
Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus, St. Louis
Sean Wilson, Proof, Des Moines, IA

 

Best Chef: Northeast
Tyler Anderson, Millwright’s, Simsbury, CT
Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa, Boston
Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston
Eric Gabrynowicz, Restaurant North, Armonk, NY
Wesley Genovart, SoLo Farm & Table, South Londonderry, VT
Gerry Hayden, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southold, NY
Evan Hennessey, Stages at One Washington, Dover, NH
Brian Hill, Francine Bistro, Camden, ME
Dano Hutnik, Dano’s Heuriger on Seneca, Lodi, NY
Matt Jennings, Farmstead Inc., Providence, RI
Michael Leviton, Lumière, Newton, MA
Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
Evan Mallett, Black Trumpet Bistro, Portsmouth, NH
Masa Miyake, Miyake, Portland, ME
Ravin Nakjaroen, Long Grain, Camden, ME
Guy Reuge, Mirabelle, Stony Brook, NY
Champe Speidel, Persimmon, Bristol, RI
Benjamin Sukle, Birch, Providence, RI
Joel Viehland, Community Table, Washington, CT
Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, Burlington and Waterbury, VT

 

Best Chef: Northwest
Chris Ainsworth, Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen, Walla Walla, WA
Andy Blanton, Cafe Kandahar, Whitefish, MT
Greg Denton & Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, OR
Eric Donnelly, RockCreek, Seattle
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins, Seattle
Jason Franey, Canlis, Seattle
James Honaker, Bistro Enzo, Billings, MT
Joe Kim, 5 Fusion and Sushi Bar, Bend, OR
Richard Langston, Café Vicino, Boise, ID
Nathan Lockwood, Altura, Seattle
Brendan McGill, Hitchcock, Bainbridge Island, WA
Trent Pierce, Roe, Portland, OR
Naomi Pomeroy, Beast, Portland, OR
Dustin Ronspies, Art of the Table, Seattle
Adam Sappington, The Country Cat, Portland, OR
Ethan Stowell, Staple & Fancy, Seattle
Jason Stratton, Spinasse, Seattle
Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland, OR
Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

 

Best Chef: NYC
Jonathan Benno, Lincoln Ristorante
Fredrik Berselius, Aska
April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig
Paul Carmichael, Má Pêche
Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy
Dan Kluger, ABC Kitchen
Mark Ladner, Del Posto
Paul Liebrandt, The Elm
Anita Lo, Annisa
Carlo Mirarchi, Roberta’s
Seamus Mullen, Tertulia
Joe Ng, RedFarm
Alex Raij and Eder Montero, Txikito
César Ramirez, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Masato Shimizu, 15 East
Justin Smillie, Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
Alex Stupak, Empellón Cocina
Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, Carbone
Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto
Michael White, Marea

 

Best Chef: South
Greg Baker, The Refinery, Tampa, FL
Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar, Oxford, MS
Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans
Derek Emerson, Walker’s Drive-In, Jackson, MS
José Enrique, José Enrique, San Juan, PR
Justin Girouard, The French Press, Lafayette, LA
Chad Johnson, SideBern’s, Tampa, FL
Matthew McClure, The Hive, Bentonville, AR
Rob McDaniel, SpringHouse, Alexander City, AL
Jose Mendin, Pubbelly, Miami Beach, FL
James and Julie Petrakis, The Ravenous Pig, Winter Park, FL
Steve Phelps, Indigenous, Sarasota, FL
Ryan Prewitt, Pêche Seafood Grill, New Orleans
Hari Pulapaka, Cress, DeLand, FL
Horacio Rivadero, The District Miami
Henry Salgado, Spanish River Grill, New Smyrna Beach, FL
Alon Shaya, Domenica, New Orleans
Michael Stoltzfus, Coquette, New Orleans
Isaac Toups, Toups’ Meatery, New Orleans
Sue Zemanick, Gautreau’s, New Orleans

 

Best Chef: Southeast
Billy Allin, Cakes & Ale, Decatur, GA
Jeremiah Bacon, The Macintosh, Charleston, SC
Colin Bedford, The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro, NC
Kathy Cary, Lilly’s, Louisville, KY
Ashley Christensen, Poole’s Downtown Diner, Raleigh, NC
Scott Crawford, Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary, NC
Todd Ginsberg, The General Muir, Atlanta
Damian Heath, Lot 12 Public House, Berkeley Springs, WV
Vivian Howard, Chef & the Farmer, Kinston, NC
Scott Howell, Nana’s, Durham, NC
Meherwan Irani, Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
Kevin Johnson, The Grocery, Charleston, SC
Josh Keeler, Two Boroughs Larder, Charleston, SC
Matt Kelly, Mateo, Durham, NC
Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Daniel Lindley, St John’s Restaurant, Chattanooga, TN
Steven Satterfield, Miller Union, Atlanta
Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis
Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto, Hillsborough, NC
Tandy Wilson, City House, Nashville

 

Best Chef: Southwest
Charleen Badman, FnB, Scottsdale, AZ
Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s, Cave Creek, AZ
Bowman Brown, Forage, Salt Lake City
David Bull, Congress, Austin
James Campbell Caruso, La Boca, Santa Fe
Rob Connoley, The Curious Kumquat, Silver City, NM
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Jennifer James, Jennifer James 101, Albuquerque, NM
Matt McCallister, FT33, Dallas
Frederick Muller, El Meze, Taos, NM
Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston
Jeff Osaka, Twelve, Denver
Jonathan Perno, La Merienda at Los Poblanos Inn, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM
Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
Silvana Salcido, Barrio Café, Phoenix
Alex Seidel, Fruition, Denver
Chris Shepherd, Underbelly, Houston
John Tesar, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, Dallas
David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas
Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston

 

 

New Rosso Restaurant: Rosticceria

By biteclub
rosticceriaA Biteclubber spotted some action at the former Sassafrass on Dutton Road in Santa Rosa, and it turns out the space will be a third Rosso restaurant concept, an Italian-style Rosticceria.
The forthcoming eatery will be open for breakfast, lunch and happy hour, featuring house baked pastries, breads, Roman pizzas, sliced meats, oysters, porchetta, espresso and a variety of sandwiches and appetizers. “It’s slow food fast,” said co-owner Kevin Cronin, who was inspired by the famous Peck in Milan and childhood memories of San Francisco’s Liguria Bakery.
Final details are still in the works, but expect a super casual walk-up bar, a small but well-curated wine and beer list (and lemonade bar) and a lively patio for after-work gatherings. So far, no dinner service is expected, and the space will be shared with Rosso’s expanding catering business. Opening this spring.

 

‘Lost in Paradise’ forum highlights homelessness in Sonoma County

By Sonoma Magazine Staff
Elizabeth Hale of Committee on the Shelterless (COTS), center, and Judy Murphy, a Mary Isaac Center volunteer, right, tearfully listen as a former homeless person recounts how their life was changed for good with help from Catholic Charities during “Lost in Paradise: A Forum on Homelessness in Sonoma County” at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

As the leader of a homeless services center – and former homeless drug user – Mike Johnson knows it’s crucial to have help available when someone wants to get off the streets.

But when a homeless person in Sonoma County says “I’m ready,” those services often aren’t there. There aren’t enough emergency beds, temporary living spaces or permanent affordable housing for the estimated 4,300 homeless residents.

“The bottleneck is both at the front end and at the back end,” said Johnson, the executive director of the Committee on the Shelterless, or COTS, in Petaluma.

Johnson was among several community leaders to participate in a panel discussion Wednesday night on the causes and impacts of homelessness in Sonoma County in a forum presented by The Press Democrat and Sonoma Magazine.

The “Shine A Light” discussion, before a packed house at the Glaser Center in downtown Santa Rosa, is the first of an occasional series of forums on community issues, Press Democrat Executive Editor Catherine Barnett said.

The forum was prompted by an illuminating Sonoma Magazine article, written by Press Democrat Staff Writer Jeremy Hay, that chronicled the lives of several young people living on the streets of Santa Rosa.

The experts discussed difficulties assisting the estimated 10,000 people who are homeless at some point in a given year in Sonoma County. A one-day census of the homeless population counted 4,280 homeless residents, 1,128 of whom were under age 24 and 277 under age 18.

The waiting list for housing at the COTS Mary Isaak Center in Petaluma is eight weeks, Johnson said.

Sonoma County Third District Supervisor Shirlee Zane, right, speaks passionately about how her religious beliefs compel her to aid the homeless during "Lost in Paradise: A Forum on Homelessness in Sonoma County." (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, right, speaks passionately about how her religious beliefs compel her to aid the homeless during “Lost in Paradise: A Forum on Homelessness in Sonoma County.” (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

The answer to a person in urgent need is: “Stand in line for two months. Sorry. We can’t help you for two months,” he said.

The picture is equally as dire on the other end of the continuum: Burbank Housing operates about 2,800 affordable housing units in Sonoma County. The waiting list is now at 7,400 applicants.

Jennielynn Holmes, director of shelter and housing for Catholic Charities, spoke of a family who recently became homeless for the first time. The mother, father and their 14-year-old daughter are living in the family’s truck under the new “safe parking” program at the county fairgrounds, which allows as many as 50 vehicles on site this winter.

But, Holmes said, “We can do better than that.”

That sentiment was echoed by others on the panel, including Chuck Cornell, executive director of Burbank Housing, Matt Martin, the executive director of Social Advocates for Youth and Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane.

Acting Santa Rosa Police Chief Hank Schreeder spoke of the combination of homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness that leads to police intervention when it affects the quality of life of others.

“Contrary to popular belief, the police can’t solve homelessness and the jail is not a shelter,” he said.

Zane and Cornell advocated for more affordable housing units, while others urged “systems of care” that treat the causes of a person’s homelessness and support them through to permanent housing.

Shadowing the discussion was disagreement about SAY’s Dream Center in Bennett Valley, a controversial proposal to create a 63-bed transitional housing facility for homeless youths and those who have aged out of foster care.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.

Urgent Plea: Help Ease a Family Tragedy

By biteclub
Photo by Paige Green.
Photo by Paige Green.
Photo by Paige Green.

Sorry for the quick post here (I’m in two weeks of digital training, 8 hours a day), but this was so important that I wanted to make sure it got out to BiteClubbers asap.

I try not to overwhelm readers with every Kickstart campaign, “vote for my recipe” and “help this person”, but this situation really tugged at my heartstrings. Here’s the story…

A West Marin family, the Porrata-Powells, were recently told their four-year-old son, EZ (Zeke) had Stage 4 cancer. As if that wasn’t enough of a heartbreak, EZ’s father, Roneil, died unexpectedly in his sleep just two weeks ago. And now, mom Alex and her two children are struggling to make ends meet and help EZ with his diagnosis.

To help out, several local farms and ranches are raising funds for the family. Victorian Farmstead, Tara Firma Farms and BN Ranch have launched the  “EZ Pound of Ground” Fundraiser (details below), with 100% of proceeds supporting the Roneil Powell Memorial Fund.

In the first four days they have sold 32 EZ Pounds for $20 each. They’ve also received over $800 in donations, leaving many more EZ Pounds to sell! That’s over $1400 that will go to Alex and her kids. If you can’t afford to donate you can still help. PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK OR THE ONE ONFACEBOOK! It might just reach someone who can help, and every EZ Pound matters.

“Mother and children are being put through a series of tests of courage and character that will make you question everything you know to be true,” said Adam Parks of Victorian Farmstead.

I’m going to let Adam’s kind words (he also lost a child to a rare disease) explain further.

It is a situation that I can’t imagine, and that’s coming from someone who has lost a child to a rare disease. You can’t prepare, even when you are given time. And to have your world crushed overnight is to much to comprehend. So, as I would expect, the West Marin community I grew up in is rallying in epic ways. There are auctions, benefits, offers of meals, transportation, child care and even a yoga and meditation benefit! All that is great, but I need to use my place in the world to do some good in my circle of influence. That’s YOU!
 
Victorian Farmstead has partnered with Tara Firma Farms and BN Ranch to raise money for this family in a way that EVERYONE can participate in. VF and TF are each putting 100 one pound packs of ground beef up for sale for $20 each. BN Ranch is adding in in 100 one pound packs of ground turkey! 100% of this money will go to Alex and her kids. You can buy these at our butcher shop or any of our farmers markets starting Saturday, February 8th. Ground turkey will be available the following week. If you want to help and we are either sold out or you would like turkey, we will give you an IOU card for your $20 this weekend. All you have to do is ask for a pound of ground for Alex.
 
I can’t make it any easier. Find $20. Clean out your ash tray and couch cushions. Don’t have $20??? Donate what you can. Have a lot of $20 bills??? Donate and leave the ground beef for us to sell to someone else. Live too far away??? Mail a check. I will ship the beef. I have the most loyal followers in the history of the meat business (???) and I’m using my “ask” for this family. Please.
+++++++
HERE IS HOW TO HELP
  • VF and TF are each putting 100 one pound packs of ground beef up for sale for $20 each available now. BN Ranch is adding in in 100 one pound packs of ground turkey available starting in a week.
  • 100% of this money will go to Alex and her kids.
  • You can make your purchase at the Victorian Farmstead new butcher shop newCommunity Market in Sebastopol. Or, starting February 8th, stop by any of our farmers markets (details on right hand side of  this website).
  • Note:
    • If you want to help and we are either sold out or you would like turkey, we will give you an IOU card for your $20 this weekend. All you have to do is ask for a “pound of ground for Alex”
    • You can also pay online and recieve an IOU via our PAYPAL

Rancho Recall: The End of Sonoma County Beef?

By biteclub
Racho Meats in Petaluma
Racho Meats in Petaluma
Rancho Meats in Petaluma

(This article was written on Feb. 10, just as the news of the recall was hitting the national press. I wrote this piece to inform people of what we knew at the time — which was very little. I hope you’ll continue to follow the Press Democrat’s great reporting on the Rancho recall here…)

++++++++++

The headlines are terrifying: 8.7 Million Pounds of Possibly Diseased Meat Recalled.

Petaluma’s Rancho Feeding Corp. is under fire after two recalls, the latest involving millions of pounds of “possibly diseased meat” according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). It received one of the most serious warnings, a Class 1 Recall, a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.

But here’s the thing…no one is saying the meat actually was diseased. And no one has reported any illnesses from the beef, most of which has already been sold and consumed according to producers.

The issue at hand is that the meat “did not receive a full inspection” from a USDA inspector  It didn’t get a stamp of approval from the USDA. For a year.

“We suffered through this a month ago,” said Tara Smith, owner of Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma, describing the recall of 40,000 pounds of Rancho beef in January. Smith was among the producers directly affected, losing about $8,000 of beef which she claims was organically raised and processed according to proper health and safety procedures.

“The USDA guy practically lives there. He has to be there whenever processing is going on,” said Smith. “If there was a sick cow that showed up, they would turn it away,” she added. “There should have been no recall,” she added, saying the media hype is not only unfair to Rancho, but to the many producers who now have to inform their customers of the recall affecting more than a year’s worth of meat.

She also clarifies that the meat in question wasn’t hamburger or steaks, but offal and carcasses. Meaning you probably didn’t cook any of the meat in question on your barbecue last summer. So don’t freak out. (Here is a list of retailers who carried the meat).

Worst case scenario? We lose the last USDA-certified beef processing plant in the Bay Area (we’ve already lost chicken processing), leaving many local ranchers with no choice but to haul their animals several hours away–stressing the animals, creating higher carbon footprints and crippling extra costs for artisan meat producers throughout the North Bay and beyond.

“This isn’t going to kill the [locally sourced meat] movement we have going on, but its a massive inconvenience and could put some people out of business,” said Adam Parks of Victorian Farmstead Meats, based in Sebastopol. Parks sells chicken, pork and beef from his own farm and other local producers.

Parks is among several local beef purveyors who used Rancho’s facility for “custom cut” (small scale client who can specify how the meat is butchered) and will now have to recall all of the meat they’ve sold in the past year. “Honestly 99 percent of that meat has already been consumed and no one ever got sick. But I’ll have to find the bar codes for all of the beef sold in the past year and contact all of our customers. That kind of paperwork puts a lot of stress on small producers,” Parks said.

Though there’s not yet any official accounting for what amount of the 8.7 million pounds of recalled meats is still in existence, Parks estimates that only about 100,000 pounds of meat sold between Jan. 1, 2013 and Jan. 7, 2014 (the official dates of the recall) havn’t yet been eaten. “It’s a big shock value to say 8.7 million pounds but the vast majority of that beef has been consumed,” he said.

As to exactly what might have happened, Parks echoes other local producers who say the facility was clean, had a vet on staff to monitor the welfare of animals and was family-run operation with deep roots in the community. “These folks are family friends. This isn’t a factory farm, this is a local business,” said Parks. “Did they make mistakes? I’m sure that they did. Its’ impossible to wade through all the stuff the USDA requires.”

“It seems politically motivated. It seems like the USDA is saying to Rancho, ‘We want you out of business’,” said Parks.

Whether the recall will affect his customers’ confidence, Parks says he isn’t worried. “My commitment as the owner of Victorian Farmstead Meats is to my customers. If I say the meat is good, it’s good. If I way it’s well slaughtered, it is. The bottom line is that I’m confident about my meat,” Parks said.

With a dearth of USDA inspectors this situation seems almost inevitable. The USDA’s own 2013 report regarding pig processing states that “some inspectors performed insufficient post-mortem and sanitation inspections, its programs lacked sufficient oversight and the FSIS could not always ensure “humane handling” at slaughter plants. Producers say USDA inspectors were always present during processing at Rancho, leaving the question as to exactly what wasn’t inspected.

Rancho owner Jesse “Babe” Amaral has not spoken to reporters about the closure, but Smith, who said she has spoken at length to him, claims he doesn’t even know why the USDA is doing the recall and has not received any official documentation with details of the alleged transgressions and how they might be rectified.

“I don’t believe the USDA is here to help us as farmers. They push a set of procedures that make food efficient, regardless of all the other things that matter: The nutrition of the food, the land, the life of the animal,” said Smith.  “As family farms, we’re not able to turn the tide on this,” she said.

Let’s hope a solution comes soon, because as one of the world’s leaders in local, sustainably and humanely raised food, Sonoma County MUST continue to have a way to process meat in a financially stable, environmentally sane way.

So is Rancho off the hook?  The Rancho meat processed in the last year may have been unfit for human consumption. But so far, we don’t know whether it was a clerical error by the USDA or something more worrisome. We just don’t know.

What I’m saying is that unless people have been sickened and/or there is concrete evidence of grave unsanitary or humane practices (which have not come to light), it isn’t to our benefit to jump to conclusions and cheer the closure of our last local beef processor.

Because if Rancho closes, expect your local meats to be, well, not so local. And some small, artisan beef producers to be, well, out of business. And what little local beef processing remains to either go underground and be non-USDA approved (frankly, I trust local ranchers more than large-scale corporations) or become so prohibitively expensive that factory-farmed meats from far flung countries will start looking pretty darn good.

At least that’s how I see it. What’s your take?

ALPHABET SOUP
USDA: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), also known as the Agriculture Department, is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for developing and executing government policies that will help farming, agriculture, forestry, and food communities thrive. It’s overall goals are to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, improve nutrition and health by providing food assistance and nutrition education, and protect natural resources, and foster rural communities. (source)

FSIS: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

FDA: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services – which is one of the United States federal executive departments. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medicine, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), and veterinary products. The FDA also enforces other laws, including sanitation requirements on interstate travel and control of disease on products ranging from certain household pets to sperm donation for assisted reproduction. (source)

NACMPI: Established in 1971, the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) advises the Secretary of Agriculture on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities.

 

Where to Get Your (Cheap) Twinkie Fix

By biteclub

twinkIt’s hard to know exactly how to feel about the fact that Big Lots (the closeout retail chain) will now be host to Hostess Thrift Outlets. Now, you’ll be able to snap up Twinkies, CupCakes, Zingers, Ding Dongs, Donettes, Snoballs and other sugary Hostess products to 40% off at Big Lots locations around the country.

On the plus side, there’s no shame in celebrating the return of the Twinkie (in moderation). Hostess Thrift Outlets shuttered en masse in late 2012, to the horror of many sweet-treat fans. For most folks, there’s probably at least one Hostess item that brings back fond memories of childhood.

On the minus side, the move feels a little predatory. Yeah, here comes the Twinkie Buzz Kill.

Big Lots caters to a large demographic, but if you’ve ever spent time in one, it pretty quickly becomes apparent that much of the clientele are trying to squeeze their pennies pretty hard–not by choice but by necessity.

Offering up highly processed, nutrient deficient, sugar-laden treats at a deep discount can’t help but be attractive to families on a tight budget. Speaking here from experience as a single mama feeding two kids, practicality often dictates quantity over quality.

Call it the Ramen Noodle conundrum: Five $1 bags of freeze dried soup can feed you for a few days. Five dollars worth of organic chicken will barely be enough for one meal. If you only have $5 what do you buy?

http://youtu.be/52ulWSp3Ylc

In a perfect world, healthy snacks and organic produce would be the highly discounted items at Big Lots and Twinkies would cost an astonishing $10 each, making them a once-in-a-blue-moon treat rather than a cheap source of nourishment.

But the world isn’t perfect, and we continue to make the worst foods for our health the cheapest and easiest to stuff into our craws.

So, what’s your take? Are cheap Twinkies awesome or awful?

 

 

 

Coddingtown: Three New Restaurants Coming

By biteclub

jacksAs Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa continues its reinvention, three significant restaurants are slated to open this spring and summer. They will join the already-opened Chipotle, Whole Foods & Taproom, BJ’s Brewery, Quizno’s, Subway, Baskin Robbins and Starbucks.

The first to open will be Sea Noodle Grill, from the owners of Sea Thai Bistro (Santa Rosa, Petaluma). The restaurant is slated for an April opening in the former Fresh China location after an interior overhaul.

Jack’s Urban Eats, a Sacramento-based fast-casual chain is slated for May. The popular salad, sandwich and “carved meats” restaurant has nine other locations mostly in the Sacramento/Davis/Roseville area.  Menu items include Chinese chicken salad, Thai prawn salad; hearty steak, turkey and barbecue sandwiches (yes, there’s a veggie); kid-friendly chicken strips, fries; carved meats (tri-tip, roasted turkey); and homey sides of mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, veggies, soup and baked cheese bread.

Finally, Coddingtown Grill will also be opening this year (likely late summer). Details are still vague on the concept, but the restaurant owner is currently developing a similar grill concept at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton (also a Simon Mall) that will open this spring. The Coddingtown Grill space will likely be near the front of the mall near Starbucks, said mall reps.

One other Coddingtown spring opening will be Jamba Juice, bringing the number of eateries at the mall to eleven.