The newest entrants into the mobile food game: SRJC’s Culinary Cubs. The cooking students are joining up with local truck guru Jeff Tyler (from Chicago Style Hot Dogs and the Bunslinger) to learn the ropes of food truck cuisine. The students are prepping for an all out challenge with other local foods trucks at the Shone Farm Fall Festival.
And speaking of trucks, a BiteClubber recently asked which of the original fleet of Sonoma County trucks are still rolling? The good news: quite a few. Awful Falafel, Fork, Charlie Bruno’s Chuckwagon, Fish On! Chips and Tyler’s Bunslinger have found continued success at various local venues, special events and festivals. Several are rumored to be in development, and a newcomer is Chicham’s Brunch and Grill. It’s worth mentioning some of the originals, Delicias Elenita and the Guerneville Taco Truck as always-solid choices.
Food writer Kathleen Hill will share her extensive collection of culinary implements and ephemera (one of the largest private collections in the world) at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art this fall. To raise funds for the “Kitchen Memories” exhibition, Ramekins Culinary School hosts a special event on August 8 at 6p.m. Tickets are $25 for wine, appetizers and a toast to Hill. Details online at svma.org/kitchen.
Jeremy Kohler, 10, Logan Kohler, 7, and Courtney Kohler, 5, prepare to dive into a tower of Frilly Chips from Sharkey’s at the Sonoma County Fair
Lobster corn dogs. Fried avocados. The Krispy Kreme hamburger.
The annual Sonoma County Fair has become is something of a pilgrimage for culinary adventurers who can’t wait to challenge their palates (and gullets) with the good, the not-so-good and the calorically questionable concoctions that grace the midways each year.
Sure, there are the tried-and-true standbys: Planked salmon at Johnny Garlic’s, comforting polenta at the Pasta King’s Spaghetti Palace, posole at Old Mexico and of course, Pronto Pups, Willie Bird turkey legs and Pennsylvania Dutch funnel cakes.
But are you foodie enough to tackle a bacon cheeseburger nestled between a glazed Krispy Kreme donut?
Longtime fair concessionaire Phil Delahoyde says this heart-stopping marriage of beef and yeasty goodness has long been a favorite at East Coast fairs, where Krispy Kreme donuts are a familiar sight. Inspired, his family has introduced it to Sonoma County at Stuffie’s Char-Broiler (on Magnolia) to moans of delight. Or horror, depending on your nutritional perspective.
Pace yourself for Delahoyde’s other devilish creations including the Lobster Dog (lobster salad dipped in corn dog batter and slathered with lemon aioli), the Frilly Chip (a foot-high pile of curly fried potato chips) and the fried avocado (an acquired taste) at Sharky’s Fish Fry (Shade Park).
But wait, there’s more. Just a day into the fair, Delahoyde said he’s still working on a few ideas, including a chocolate dipped banana wrapped in bacon that may debut later in the fair. And the much-anticipated hot dog sundae advertised in fair flyers? It’s a no go this year, but you can find it at his dad, Don Delahoyde’s concession stand at the Sacramento Fair. “Maybe I’ll do it next year,” said Phil.
Here are a few more new bites to search out at this year’s fair…
– Bacon Macaroni and Cheese (Sliders Gastro Pub & Sports Bar): A hefty plate of penne pasta doused in white cheddar sauce, topped with real bacon, potato chips and green beans. My favorite dish of the year, by far.
– Lagunitas Imperial Stout Brownie (Sliders Gastro Pub & Sports Bar): One of three brewery-inspired desserts, this one has fudgy cream cheese icing, berries and whipped cream.
– Make a Stand Lemonade (Grace Pavillion): More than a tasty bottle of lemonade spiked with yerba mate and ginger, Make a Stand “Kick” lemonade helps raise awareness about child slavery. Read about nine-year-old North bay student Vivienne Harr’s journey to raise more than $100,000 to help enslaved children at makeastand.com.
– Tostilocos (Pepe’s Aguas Frescas near the Community Theater): Chips with cucumber, peanuts, pork skins, jicama and bacon. Need something without the guilt? The stand also sells heaping fresh fruit cups you can slather with lemon juice and chili salt.
– Garlic Corn Dogs (Garlicky’s, Shade Park): Corn dogs, but with way more garlic.
After nearly thirty years, Petaluma breakfast landmark Three Cooks Cafe will soon have new owners and a new name.
Owner Bobby Mangano is retiring, and local restaurateurs Miriam Donaldson and Josh Norwitt will reopen the cafe as Wishbone in October.
You may remember Donaldson and Norwitt from their Cotati Penngrove venture, Humble Pie, and subsequent cafe, Blue Labelat Santa Rosa’s Belvedere. Plans are for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch “with all due style and love,” according to Donaldson. The name: A nod to Petaluma’s feathery chicken ranching history and “an all around merry thought,” she said.
Before Bobby departs, however, the couple encourage folks to stop by and say farewell. ” He deserves a fine send off for keeping it real for almost 3 decades,” she said.
It’s not secret I’m a huge fan of Chalkboard, which opened in the former Cyrus space in Healdsburg in may. But there’s even more to love now that they’ve expanded their service to include lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11:30am and continuing throughout the afternoon (making it a perfect spot for a leisurely late repast). The full menu is available, including the popular Dungeness crab tater tots, buttermilk fried quail and swoon-worthy Candy Bar, with brownie, caramel and nougat ice cream. 29 North St. at Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-473-8030.
Amy and Chris Ludwick of Grapevine Catering winners of Harvest Fair professional food competition. PD File / Jeff Kan Lee
Amy and Chris Ludwick of Grapevine Catering winners of Harvest Fair professional food competition. PD File / Jeff Kan Lee
A local catering company with plans for a restaurant and specialty food store have taken over the former Fresh! by Lisa Hemenway in Skyhawk Village.
Sound familiar? It is, and it isn’t, according to Grapevine Catering co-owner Amy Ludwick, who moved her 11-year-old company into the space this week. The cavernous 7,800 square-foot property has been subdivided into several smaller spaces, including a 3,500 square-foot catering kitchen for her growing catering biz, a commissary kitchen which will be rented out to start up food purveyors, a casual restaurant space and retail store.
“Think Oakville Grocery or Dean and Deluca,” said Ludwick.
Ludwick and husband, Christopher (who is the operation’s executive chef), relocated their business from West County due to space constrains and increasing demand from wedding and winery clients. “We’ve been growing 15 to 20 percent each year,” said Amy, noting that the existing business will help fund the new ventures.
The forthcoming restaurant, Earth’s Bounty Kitchen and Winebar is slated to open this fall-the first of their public ventures. “It’s a farm-to-table concept,” she said, focused on wood-fired dishes utilizing the existing oven and family-friendly fare. The retail store, anticipated for later in the fall, will focus on the couple’s line of Earth’s Bounty jams, sauces and nuts, along with small-batch artisan foods and other products inspired by Wine Country.
Offering commercial kitchen space for fledgling producers, however, remains close to the couple’s heart. “In the North Bay, it’s hard to find a good commissary ktichen that isn’t packed to the gills with other people,” said Ludwick. “We want to give back,” she said. Their first tenant will be Alexis Clark of True Love Cheesecakes, with plans for several more specialty producers to sign onto their lease. “We are definitely looking for small batch producers that are just getting started and need a shared kitchen to launch their new concept,” she said.
Dolores Cakebread has been honored by Les Dames d’Escoffier
Dolores Cakebread has been honored by Les Dames d’Escoffier
Cakebread Cellars co-founder Dolores Cakebread has been named a Grand Dame of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a culinary accolade that puts her the company of Julia Child, Alice Waters and Carol Brock, among other women chefs. Cakebread’s Rutherford winery has long promoted local foods, wine and food pairing, and cooking classes for both chefs and the public. Cakebread co-authored a popular cookbook featuring her own recipes in 2003.
Saturday, July 20: Grab your top hat, corset and perhaps a towel or two for the Greatest Slough on Earth, aka the Rivertown Revival in Petaluma. Hard to categorize, it’s a theatrical one-day event that includes art boat races on the Petaluma River (read hand-built contraptions of dubious water-worthiness), aerial acts, indie band performances, food, beer, wine and of course, $5 weddings. Yup. Really.
The event lasts from 11am to 8pm, and creative costuming is pretty much required. $5 entrance fee, Steamer Landing Park, 6 Copeland St., Petaluma.
Chef Billy Oliver takes over as toque at the Timber Cove Inn
The Timber Cove Inn, on the Sonoma Coast, has named Chef William Oliver as their executive chef. Perched on a cliff along Highway 1, the inn features the Alexander Restaurant and Sequoia Lounge. Oliver previously worked at Cook in St. Helena, the Farmhouse Inn and several area wineries. 21780 North Coast, Highway 1, Jenner, 707-847-3231.
So many folks have been asking about the quiet hiatus of BiteClub the last month. Here’s the deal:
Don’t worry, Biteclub isn’t dead. Just taking a quick beauty nap.
Asks one reader: “Been missing yr blog in the PD online, even b4 the ugly new format — where r u??”
Uh, working as the lead on the ugly new format. (Which obvious I don’t think is ugly!)
After nearly 8 years, it was time for a new Press Democrat. Change is hard, but I’m proud of the work we put into the site and its better functionality. For the next week or so I have to put all my efforts into making that experience as positive as possible for readers — fixing things here and there.
It’s been murder seeing friends and BiteClubbers in the real world who are missing our conversations about the food scene. I miss them too.
So I thank you for your patience and support as I do double duty on many fronts at the paper.
I desperately miss doing what I love so much, but hope BiteClub will be all the fresher and better when I return in a few weeks.
The newest entrants into the mobile food game: SRJC’s Culinary Cubs. The cooking students are joining up with local truck guru Jeff Tyler (from Chicago Style Hot Dogs and the Bunslinger) to learn the ropes of food truck cuisine. The students are prepping for an all out challenge with other local foods trucks at the Shone Farm Fall Festival.
