Bloomfield Farms’ Nick Papadopolous holds a perfect head of baby lettuce in his hand. Grown organically on his family farm with patience and care, its crop-mates have gone to some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area. But like most farmers, Papadopolous ends up with boxes of perishable produce — including the baby lettuce —  that go unsold after farm markets and pick-ups each week.

The clock is ticking on these perishables, which often end up being fed to livestock instead of people. So Papadopolous created CropMobster — a social-media alert system that instantly connects locals with food-gleaning events, “flash sales” and work-trade opportunities to take advantage of produce (and plants) in need of an immediate home. On a recent Monday, I nabbed a box loaded with kale, greens, herbs and seed potatoes for $25 after a friend picked up a pallet from Bloomfield.

Papadopolous is working to bring more farmers and ranchers into the fold as well as social agencies (which are often too overwhelmed to pick up and use large amounts of left-over produce each week). Want to get in on the Mob Alerts? Check out CropMobster.com.

After a lengthy renovation, Michelin-starred Sante Restaurant (at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn) reopened Friday. Expect to see more natural light and “sleek, minimalist design” as well as 56 additional outdoor seats. A new lobby bar is expected in early July.

The re-opening menu is a mix of new and old dishes including poached Maine lobster, braised rhubarb duck breast, bacon-wrapped rabbit loin, Niman Ranch beef “tasting”, warm donuts and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, open nightly from 6-9p.m., reservations at 939-2415.

If you were to pick the best meal of the week, it would obviously be Sunday brunch — that lazy mid-day feast that remixes the best of breakfast and lunch into a single, gut-busting repast. And if you were to pick the best place to do it for the best cause imaginable, it would be the April 13, 2013 partnership of Zazu Restaurant + Farm and the Ceres Community Project.

From 9a.m. to 2p.m., teen chefs from the Sebastopol non-profit will help prepare and serve bacon waffles, gourmet mushroom bruschetta, breakfast tostadas, wild salmon and grilled asparagus and flat iron steaks with Chef Duskie Estes and Ceres’ mentor chef, Rob Hogencamp.

All proceeds for the brunch event will benefit the Ceres project, which has provided more than 150,000 free, nourishing meals to families in medical crisis. The program relies on more than 600 teens to help prepare the meals. Three courses, $39. Reservations at 523.4814.

Which ‘wich will win? The Second Annual ‘Wich Hunt sandwich competition — a sandwich cook-off for Sonoma County’s top toques — happens next Saturday, April 6 at the Battle of the Brews’ Craft Cup. Competing fat Grace Pavillion for the title of Best in Class Sandwich are dozens of restaurants including La Rosa Tequileria, Backyard, Kin Windsor, Jackson’s Bar and Oven, Monti’s, John Ash & Co, Zin, Healdsburg Bar and Grill, Kettle’s Vietnamese Bistro and many others. The exclusive pre-Battle event also includes tastings of craft brews and tasting of all the sandwich competitors.

For details and tickets: BattleoftheBrews.com.