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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).

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

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.

(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.

It’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?

As 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.

February 22-March 1, Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference: Cheesemaker Sheana Davis puts on one of the best gatherings of food and cheese producers in the country each year in Sonoma. Don’t miss the Sonoma Winter Artisan Cheese Fair at Ramekins Culinary Center (450 W. Spain St., Sonoma) on Feb. 23 with a sake and cheese tasting, beer and cheese pairing and mac ‘n cheese cookoff. Tickets are $60, online. 

March 2, Cochon 555: Now in its eighth year, the epic pork event of the season hits Napa’s Culinary Institute of America for a day of chef competitions, pig eating and general swine-flavored goodness. This year’s local competitors include Cindy Pawlcyn (Mustard’s Grill), Jason Kupper (The Thomas), Kelly McCown (Goose & Gander), Patrick Clark (The CIA), Dustin Valette (Dry Creek Kitchen), students of The Conservatory led by Larry Forgione and Dave Budworth of Marina Meats. With 1200 pounds of heritage pork, 30 chef-created dishes, live butchery as well as a barkeep competition, there’s plenty to oink about. Tickets are $125 per person, details online.

March 10-16, Sonoma County Restaurant Week: Fifty-plus Sonoma County Restaurants roll out special 2 and 3 course prix-fixe menus during the fifth annual Restaurant Week event. Prices range from $19 to $39 for dinners, and this year, two course lunch menus range from $10 to $20. See all the participants online.

April 12-13, Bottega Gran Fondo: Organized by a world-famous chef, it’s not a huge surprise that Michael Chiarello’s (Bottega, Napa) spring Fondo is as much about the food as the cycling. “We Ride to Eat!” says the tagline for the event, which is limited to 300 participants. In addition to the ride through Napa’s vineyards and farmland, five chefs (Brandon Sharp of Solage, Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park, Matt Accarrino of SPQR), six winemakers/sommeliers (Joel Gott, Larry Turley, Doug Shafer) and cyclists George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and Bob Roll and “special guests” Sam Beall (Blackberry Farm) and Gary Erickson and Kit Crawfor dof Clif Family Winery (and, uh, Clif Bars) will be in attendance. Riders have the opportunity to connect with “teams” of Chefs, Sommeliers or Pro Riders, traveling either 40 or 75 mile courses through the Napa Valley. Standard registration is $250 ($350 after March 15) and $650 for the VIP Package (film festival screening pass, VIP cocktails and dinner). Details online.

Sometimes I get bizarre cravings for food I’ve never eaten. Like fermented soy beans, those weird Japanese Pringles flavors (braised pork, mayonnaise, Grand Canyon french fries), or a bottle of menthol cigarette-flavored vodka.

The harder to find, the more my obsession grows until I can’t think about anything else. Must. Eat. Now.

Which is how my quest for Sonoma County Tostilocos began. I recently read about the popular Tijuana street  food consisting of a small bag of salsa verde-flavored Tostitos split open and topped with pickled pig skin, jicama, Japanese peanuts, cucumber, lime, hot sauce and a chile and fruit sauce called chamoy.  It seemed like an easy find in, say, Santa Rosa’s Roseland, where tasty Mesoamerican street food abounds.

Not so easy, it turns out. After a day of fruitless phone calls, a restaurateur friend broke the bad news, “They just aren’t that popular here”.

Undaunted, the search continued through the evening and onto Facebook. False lead after false lead led to near meltdown until my buddy Emily K. struck gold at Colores!  (433 Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa). Her excited texts started flying onto my phone with pictures of the full bag. Half eaten bag. Empty bag.

And so I got my Tostilocos, which were every bite as wonderful as one could hope. Crunchy, spicy, chewy, nutty and altogether addictive. Not to mention having a plastic-wrapped prize at the bottom of the bag (a temporary tatoo in my case). Mission accomplished. $5.50, Colores! ice Cream, Cakes and Food, 433 Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa.