Page 586 – Sonoma Magazine

For the love of pig!

March 2011

By biteclub

If you like local food and wine, and the idea of watching an entire pig morph from carcass into dinner doesn’t scare you, then you could do worse than a Sunday afternoon spent eating and drinking alongside 5 local winemakers, 5 local chefs, and their 5 porcine victims – all from heritage bloodlines, all sustainably raised by local farmers – at COCHON555.

The main event will surely be the rainbow of piggy plates offered up by some of Wine Country’s most talented cooks, including Sonoma County locals John Stewart and Duskie Estes of Zazu Restaurant, together with wine pairings from exciting, artisanal winemakers; the truly dedicated will also have a chance to eat a whole-roasted heirloom pig, sample some swine-inspired sweets (!), and then digest over a competitive display of high-speed butchery, a sort of urban dance-off with meat cleavers. Then, after enjoying the porky fruits of all this friendly but serious competition, 20 local food professionals and we, the people, will cast votes for our local High Priest or Priestess of Pork, and send them on to the 2011 national competition.

But for all the Herculean feats of butchery, the snout-to-tail gluttony, the participants’ livers pickled in wine, it’s the pigs that will be the celebrated, if unwitting, stars, because the whole event has been conceived by founder Brady Lowe as a means of supporting the sustainable farming of heritage-breed pigs. Says Lowe,

“One event cannot change the entire food production system (not yet, anyway), but we can celebrate people who are favorably tilting the scales back towards local producers.”

And how cool is that?

Restaurant Row

February 2011

By biteclub

Hundreds in line | Photo John Burgess, PD

I spent a long time talking to a downtown restaurant owner today. He wasn’t particularly happy to hear from me at first. With all the public hubbub around the food trucks versus the downtown brick and mortars, I can’t exactly blame him. Over the last several weeks, I’ve heard and seen a lot of unpleasantness hurled around — both in the media and behind the scenes and it is no exaggeration to say that a lot of local food industry folks are frustrated, angry, scared, confused, defensive or generally pissed off about the whole thing.

Sides are being taken and lines drawn. Public stances and private rumors don’t make for a cozy family table. But here’s the bottom line: It’s time to come together.

Munch Monday — Santa Rosa’s mobile food extravaganza that’s been at the heart of both elation and controversy — is in jeopardy. Last week Eat Fleet organizers decided to move the event to a new location at Sonoma and D Streets to placate downtown restaurant owners who felt the weekly mobile lunchtime gathering was hurting their business.

But permits have not been filed by the city allowing for that new location yet. A short term special events permit was granted for the Munch Monday event through February at the location between the post office and downtown library. Those have now have expired putting the event in a temporary limbo.

Why? The city is taking a lot of heat from brick and mortars for permitting and publicizing the event that started in January 2011. At the heart of much of the consternation are rough feelings that downtown Santa Rosa business owners weren’t consulted about the trucks or given any say in their welcome to downtown. Some businesses felt their presence made for unfair competition. Seeing potential in the exploding food truck trend perhaps the city embraced the pitch too hastily. Mindful of vocal existing business interests, yet wanting to promote new reasons for people to come downtown, they’re now between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Meanwhile, the mobile vendors are struggling to come to terms with their own success. Demand is high, but most have ridiculously small margins between success and failure. Things like weather and flat tires wreak havoc. Food, staffing and cost of business are surprisingly steep. No diplomatic expert is being paid to champion their existence, although they’ve clearly brought a lot of folks downtown both for the novelty and for a change in their food scenery. Instead, time and energy has been spent trying to defend themselves. I’d argue wasted time that could have been better spent on expanding the event and finding creative ways to work with downtown restaurants. I’ve heard many of their ideas, which are good. They just need to find a receptive home and willing listeners. And yes, they’ve made some mistakes, too.

Of course, the brick and mortars are facing their own more obvious challenges. The economy still stinks. February is always a terrible month for the restaurant business in Sonoma County. They’re frustrated with issues of parking and permitting downtown. Communication probably wasn’t what it should have been. I listened and talked to that downtown restaurant owner and came away with a better understanding and respect for his very real concerns and they’re not minor. There are very legitimate fears and concerns, and I appreciate the hard-work and livelihoods on the line.

But here’s the thing: The possible demise of Munch Monday isn’t going to keep anyone’s doors open. It won’t bring a flood of diners back downtown. Nor will it shut down the trucks. If Munch Monday goes away, it just makes for a void in the Santa Rosa food scene that will be filled elsewhere. Food trucks shouldn’t be a convenient scapegoat for other problems. And less money flowing into downtown isn’t in anyone’s best interest.

In my mind, there are some bigger issues to restaurants and food trucks can tackle together: Like downtown’s horrible parking situation, vulturous ticketing and creating a new unified front to diners. Talking smack in the media sounds desperate, no matter what side you’re on, and it’s just not tasty marketing.

As hard as they may be to see right now, there are some silver linings to be found in this sour pickle of a situation. The trucks have inspired downtown Santa Rosa restaurant owners to organize themselves into a formalized association. For years there’s been discussion about a restaurant cooperative, but the immediate need for a united voice, leadership and cooperative marketing has germinated this long-dormant seed.

Another hopeful ray of light is that some downtown restaurants are taking to heart some of the very things that make the food trucks so inspiring to eaters. This is a wake up call that resting on laurels is a bad plan and constant reinvention, great customer service and aggressive marketing work. When people are more excited to sit on a dirty curb and eat dim sum than to come into your restaurant, ask why.

No doubt there remains much more to told in this ongoing story – -because it’s a fight being waged in cities around the country. Downtown restaurant owners are slated to continue the conversation at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

But whatever your stand, it’s time to come together, start listening to each other and find a way to work together for the delicious future of our city.

Sonoma County Food Forum

February 2011

By biteclub

Sometimes a hundred Post-Its speak louder than words. Tiling a 20 foot wall of the Sonoma County Fairgrounds Showcase Cafe oversized, hand-written notes passionately outlined what local farmers want to see change in Sonoma County over the next ten years. The answer: A lot.

Bringing together more than 300 of Sonoma’s food producers, farmers, agricultural policy makers and local politicos, the inaugural Sonoma County Food Forum, held February 24, 2011, was a day-long gathering to hash out broad-reaching issues facing the local food system. Co-hosted by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, the University of California Cooperative Extension, Sonoma County Department of Health Services and Sonoma County Food System Alliance, it was an unlikely mix of suits and ties rubbing shoulders with muddy workbooks and jeans.

The idea: To give voice to Sonoma County’s dairies, produce farms and livestock ranches, often under-represented in the increasingly vine-covered landscape. That, and bring together the sometimes factionalized, political and geographically disparate local agricultural and food organizations in the county.

Between several panel discussions participants engaged what may have been the most constructive part of the day: Breakout sessions that logged their needs, worries and concerns. At hand, issues like the high cost of farming, barriers to entry, continued funding deficits and increased regulation, difficulties in marketing to the local population and increased needs to feed the hungry in our own community to name just a few.

By day’s end, the group chose just a handful to present to the County Board of Supervisors for possible action: A centralized processing center, cooperative marketing, assistance with regulations and better public education.

Want more details? Here’s an aggregated breakdown of the major issues presentd at the Forum…

1. The Public’s Engagement with local food: With up to 70% of our local foods leaving the county, there’s clearly a disconnect between Sonoma County customers and producers. Farmers say they can get better prices in Marin and San Francisco, where the audience is more eager to pay what the food costs to grow and produce. Local stores like Oliver’s and Pacific Market, along with farm markets showcase local producers, but without more education and interest, many consumers seek out lower prices at big box stores rather than looking for local foods. On the flip side, Oliver’s Market president Tom Scott said that 27% of his total revenue comes from products produced in Sonoma County.

2. Education and Financial Assistance : Food needs to be accessible. Many farmers would like to see more school gardens and relaxed restrictions on locally grown foods getting into the school lunch programs. Community garden projects remain a high priority. Many were supportive of new EBT policies at farmer’s markets to allow food-stamp clients to shop at the markets, but wanted to see accessibility to healthy, and locally grown food increase. One recommendation: School harvest days where children are encouraged to help pick and glean local foods. “The normal public is so removed from agriculture. I”d love to see five or six farms com together and have farm tasting rooms,” said Doug Beretta of Beretta Dairy. With a large number of hungry seniors, families and children in the county, efforts are also being focused on how to spread some of the bounty to those in need. “Thirty-five percent of those coming to the food shelters have to choose between food and other necessities,” said David Goodman of the Redwood Empire Food Bank. And junk food calories, he said, are almost always cheaper, citing a figure of $18.16 for 1,000 calories of nutrient rich fruits and veggies versus $1.76 for the same number of processed food calories.

3. Better processing and distribution: At the top of the list was the need for a centralized “hub” for Sonoma County food distribution. Many farmers waste precious time and money driving their produce throughout the county, when a centralized warehouse could allow for drop-off and pick-up in one location. Also high on the list: A multi-species meat processing center. Animal ranchers drive hundreds of miles to northern and central California meat-processing plants, which is stressful for the animals and costly for the producers.

4. Marketing: Several campaigns to label and market Sonoma-grown products have launched an failed over the years. Many are eager to see a new, better-funded program for cooperative marketing, also elevating the status of “Sonoma Grown” for consumers. “Sonoma County got mixed up into the world market and we lost our identity. Now we really need to sell local,” said Joe Pozzi, a Sonoma County lamb producer.

5. Help Farmers: One of the most-discussed topics were ways to make farming a more viable profession. From creating better government infrastructures for land access, streamlining permitting, policy changes on what they categorized as burdensome laws and zoning to a more ag-friendly policy on water, more just treatment of the labor force and saving the WIlliamson Act (which provides lower property taxes for dedicated farmland). Larry Potter of Petaluma Creamery also sees the need to make commitments to future farmers. “It’s about succession,” he said. Potter said he is currently working on a large-scale plan to buy properties for young farmers willing to work the land.

6. Eco-friendliness and Biodiversity: From solar panels to getting GMO’s out of Sonoma County, farmers are key proponents of environmental standards for the county. Monoculture and a lack of biodiversity were also key issues. Justine Ashton, a farmer from Glen Ellen is working to build solar panels on their property. “We need clean air and clean water. Let’s tell the truth, the air and water in this county is bad,” she said.

A tavola: Rustic at Francis Ford Coppola Winery

February 2011

By biteclub

Uncle Enrico pulls his chair up to to the table, smiles that charming half-grin of his and starts singing about the old days in Rome like Sinatra. While the kids all roll their eyes and mom grins knowingly, you can’t help but notice Cousin Giorgio in the background chewing that toothpick like he always does and filling everyone’s glasses with wine. Too bad he’s your cousin. And maybe it’s time to talk with Great Aunt Christine about that sixth martini she’s been nursing.

This is your family. At least for tonight.

Part dinner and part theater, this weekly experience launched in late January at Francis Ford Coppola’s ever-expanding Geyserville winery. Housed in restaurant, Rustic, it’s an experiment in family dining — with the family already built in. Though you may enter a stranger, the whole point of Coppola’s weekly “a tavola” is to leave as part of the famiglia.

How it works: There are no menus, no ordering. A hostess seats you (ours had a martini glass the whole night) and explains the concept. You’re in her kitchen and her family will serve you whatever she’s been cooking. Like any good Italian mama, she’s made a lot — about 20 dishes ranging from steak, pork loin and shrimp scampi to polenta, Caesar salad, green beans, beef ravioli, wild Scottish salmon, sweet sausage and, well, the list just goes on. And most of it tastes like your own Italian grandma made it.

“Family members” drop by the table on a rotating basis to see if you’d like whatever they’re serving up. Yes? However many servings you want are placed on communal plates in the center of the table and your card is noted. $7 a serving for proteins (like steak); $5 for pastas and $3 for sides. You can eat as much or as little as you like. Hint: Pace yourself. A bag of warm zeppole are brought to share when you sit down, and the food parade rarely stops from there.

For the dramatically squeamish, the concept isn’t quite as hokey or embarrassingly interactive as you might expect. As someone who refuses to play charades or engage in any sort of “interactive” theater, I can say with confidence that the cringe factor is low. In fact, it all feels pretty natural.

The staff work hard to stay in character, but also get the joke (Uncle Enrico told us he was working hard on his fake Italian accent). No one pushes it past the comfort zone, instead letting you dictate how much or little you want to engage.

So think of it as your weekly family dinner. Great food, great company, and plenty of wine. And while there isn’t a grocery bag full of foil-wrapped of leftovers, your weird cousin asking for a loan or a trunk of hand-me-downs waiting for you at the door (like your real family) you also get to sneak away without anyone pinching your cheek or telling you to call more often.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-bQ8KAZhqc[/youtube]
A tavola is held every Tuesday night from 5-9pm at Rustic, in the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. The event is quickly booking up, so reservations are strongly recommended. 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, (707) 857-1485.

Cyrus Pastry Chef Nicole Plue

February 2011

By biteclub

Cyrus pastry chef Nicole Plue's Farina Fritter with Rhubarb Lime Granita. Heather irwin/PD — Cyrus pastry chef Nicole Plue's Farina Fritter with Rhubarb Lime Granita

The language of a pastry chef is one of cream, butter, chocolate and spun sugars so delicate that the merest breath can result in catastrophe.

Which may explain why, despite their rich tongue and lavish wares, pastry kitchens are often zen-like sanctuaries behind clouds of white flour, hot ovens and whirring stand mixers. Let the chef de cuisine and saucier chest-beat and take their public bows. This unique kitchen breed does their talking directly to your sweet tooth.

Lauded patisserie Nicole Plue is no exception. Chef Douglas Keane’s most recent draft to the varsity lineup at Healdsburg’s Cyrus, she quickly and efficiently presents a series of Michelin-worthy desserts every bit the equal to his artful, multi-layered dishes. No pictures of her, thanks. Just the desserts.

Butterscotch Creme Anglaise with popcorn tuile, chocolate soil and vanilla rum ice cream

Plue’s list of ingredients and techniques is mind-blowing, though she rattles them off like the week’s grocery list. They’re inspired by a “magical” coeur a la creme (a creamy dessert), incorporating Fontainebleau (an ultra luxe sort of whipped cream), goat yogurt creme fraiche, rhubarb lime granita and fried farina fritters. There are pecan-caramelized milk chocolate covered cornflakes, a honeycomb parfait with milk chocolate mousse sprayed on top of a peanut butter milk chocolate bar and popcorn tuile (whisper-delicate cookies). I just nod my head like I know what she’s talking about, type like mad on my iPhone about and promise myself to Google it all later.

Despite the gold-plated ingredients, she describes her desserts as, “deceptively simple,” and “a party in your mouth”. This first lineup, she says, represent some of her “best of’s”.

Most recently from Yountville’s storied Redd and an ex-staffer at Julia’s Kitchen at Napa’s COPIA, Plue is a dessert darling. She’s been feted by Bon Apetit and the James Beard Foundation, worked in Martha Stewart’s kitchens and several notable New York restaurants. (You can read a 2005 interview I did with her while she was at COPIA here). But she won’t tell you any of that. Instead, makes sure the desserts are doing the talking for her.

Licking our fingers, the spoons and plates all we can say is: Loud and clear.

Cyrus, 29 North Street, Healdsburg, (707) 433-3311. Website

2 Guys, 1 Pool Table, & Some Barrels

February 2011

By biteclub

As a rule, I wince when I hear the words artisanal and Pinot Noir in the same sentence, conjuring as they do the pretension of restaurants that proclaim “house-made” and people who’ve watched the movie Sideways more than once. But exceptions prove rules, and every so often I’m lucky enough to be reminded of the origins of the term, the idea that wine-making is as much craft as science, and that small lots, made by hand, with obsessive attention to detail, can transcend the hegemony of critics and their point ratings.

Herewith, I humbly submit Exhibit A for the defense: Eric 1 and Eric 2, two dudes who comprise 2/3 of the diminutive RoadHouse Winery workforce, and who seem to insist on making tiny hand-crafted lots of exceptional Pinot Noir without cutting corners, no matter how diabolical the economics or difficult the labor. One might, if one were so affected, be tempted to call them artisans.

It’s worth noting that, while the word artisan has been in decline since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the word artisanal only entered the published lexicon in the early 1960s and, with more than a little irony, that the recent and meteoric rise in our usage of the latter has coincided with a precipitous decline in that of the former. To wit, I graphed the published incidence of both words over the past half-century, using Google Labs’ awesome Ngram:Surely, there’s a lesson there, something about the incessant marketing of “artisanal” products in the late 20th century occurring in parallel with the near extinction of “artisan” as a career… but I digress. This is artisanal wine-making, RoadHouse-style: To produce their first vintage, the winery staff – all 3 of them – shared a little studio above the production facility, so they could take turns running downstairs to do manual punch-downs, continuously, every 4 hours. Or this: I found out about these guys because my wife has a childrens’ dance studio, Wine Country Dance Space, down the street from their original tasting room, and it was hard not to notice a tasting room that allocates floor space to a pool table in lieu of tables of cheesy merchandise (you can get a cool T-shirt, although unfortunately not a rack of 8-ball, at their new facility by the Healdsburg Plaza).

Most of their first vintage – 2008 – has been sold out for a while now (they still have a little of their ’08 Russian River Pinot Noir and Dry Creek Zinfandel), but that’s OK, because the Erics are already pouring their exceptional 2009s, and will release them on April 1st. I tasted three ’09 bottlings, each sourced from a prime, but distinct, micro-climate within the Russian River AVA, and each of which offered a wonderfully unique expression of the region.

RoadHouse eschews “reserve” and “single vineyard” designations, preferring instead simply to make the best and most individually compelling wines they can, barrel by barrel, blend by blend, and only differentiates by the color of the label: The minimalist 2009 lineup includes a Yellow (from a variety of fruit sources), Purple (from the Windsor area, just east of Old Redwood Highway), and Black (from more westerly sites along River Road); they’re all offered at $40 pre-release, and they are all very, very good. Interestingly, although made in identical fashion (the same gentle handling, old-school techniques, and 18mo-snooze in French oak), they all have individual personalities, too, and that, as either Eric will tell you, is the whole point. If juicy, forward bright red fruits are your thing, check out the Purple, although my personal favorite, hands-down, was the Black Label, a rich slice of black forest cake in a glass, thick with black cherries, vanilla, and a darker, brooding side that I can’t quite put my finger on, but which reminds me just a little of a fine northern Burgundy, the slightest hint of the sauvage…

RoadHouse Winery Tasting Room, 240 Center Street, Healdsburg. Very highly recommended.
View Larger Map

Sunday Supper: Gather Round Wine Country’s Restaurant Tables

February 2011

By biteclub

Sundays just aren’t what they used to be. Instead of a quiet day for contemplation, reflection, long-simmering pots on the stove and family gatherings, they’ve become and extension of errand-running Saturdays. Or worse, pre-work marathon of emails, phone calls and undone reports. No wonder we’re all so cranky on Monday.

It’s time to bring back Sunday. If not in total, than at least to the table. And if not by mom’s hand, then by someone who’ll put as least as much love into the meal.

Throughout Sonoma County, chefs are inviting families to gather around their tables for hearty, comforting meals, often served communally. At once new and yet a very old tradition, it’s a way to reconnect and slow down around a shared plate of food — something we all too often forget to do — to break bread with those we love.But this time, you won’t have to worry about washing the dishes later.

Shimo Modern Steak: Cyrus Chef Douglas Keane’s new steakhouse can be a bit pricey for your average night out, but on Sunday, he welcomes locals with a stellar prix fixe line-up of prime rib, brioche sticky buns and veggies for $49 per person. (241 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, 433-6000).

Just down the street, locals are already flocking to the ultra casual Frank and Ernie’s. In the former Western Boot, it’s a no-frills affair with solid eats, including drop-dead delicious onion straws and Sunday prime rib for about $26. (9 Mitchell Lane, Healdsburg, 433-2147). Another great spot for your Sunday meat fix: Monti’s Rotisserie and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village. A Flintstone-sized slab of smoked prime rib with blue cheese butter and potato bacon latkes. Worth an extra splurge are the restaurant’s killer cocktails, like the Red Rickey with gin, ginger beer, lime and pomegranate. 714 Village Court, Santa Rosa, 568-4404.

Blue Label at the Belvedere: Miriam Donaldson and her crew are already getting rave reviews for their homey, made-from scratch cooking at Santa Rosa’s stately Belvedere. The former Humble Pie chef describes the restaurant vibe as, “Your favorite happy fat Auntie who drinks a little too much sherry.” With buffalo heads on the wall and weekly prix fixe Sunday dinners, it’s a convivial spot for families to chill before the long week ahead. Menus change weekly, but menu items include dishes like a giant soft beer pretzel, iceberg wedge with Pt. Reyes blue cheese and chicken jalapeno pie with creme fraiche. There’s usually one of Miriam’s killer pies around to finish things off. $30, 727 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-8705.

Santi: The popular supper club has moved to the last Sunday of each month. Served family-style, each month features favorite dishes from different regions. For February, the restaurant focuses on Emilia- Romanga region of Italy with antipasta of prosciutto di parma, tagliatelle Bolognese, a mixed grill of quail, rabbit and pork and Meyer lemon zuppa Inglese. 2097 Stagecoach Rd., Santa Rosa, 528-1549, $50 per person.

Estate: Sonoma’s cozy Cal-Italian trattoria serves up family style dinners for two or more throughout the week for $26 per person. Menus change up weekly, but include a multi-course meal with dishes like antipasti, ricotta gnocchi, roast lamb and beans with tiramisu for dessert. 400 West Spain St., Sonoma, 933-3663.

Bruno’s on Fourth: Rick Bruno’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes is as Sunday night as 60 Minutes and grandma’s fried chicken dinner. Grab a cup of Harry’s clam chowder and you’re set for the week ahead. 1226 4th Street, Santa Rosa, 569-8222.

Okay, so every night can’t be Sunday night. Suppers for every night of the week…

Monday Night Farm Suppers at Zazu: Three courses for $39 per person focus on hearty, rustic favorites like roasted lamb shoulder, and strawberry shortcake. 3535 Guerneville Rd., Santa Rosa, 523-4814.

Rustic’s A Tavola: Brand new to the table, A Tavola is part family dinner, part dinner theater at Francis Ford Coppola’s Rustic restaurant. With no set menu, roving waiters bring family-style plates around the dining room, offering up an assortment of dishes. Prices are determined by serving, so you can eat as much or as little as you’d like. Where things get even more fun: Wandering “relatives” like Cousin Giorgio, Uncle Roberto and cheek-pinching Great Aunt Christine make you feel like part of the family. Especially when someone starts singing. 5-9pm Tuesday, reservations recommended. 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, 857-1400.

Friday Night at Della Fattoria: Gather round the table each Friday night as Petaluma’s legendary downtown bakery stays open late and serves up hearty local fare like Osso bucco, polenta, short ribs and chicken cacciatore. Reservations are required, 141 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma, 763-0161.

Have a favorite we missed? Add yours!

Be A Big Cheese: Win Tix to Sonoma’s Cheese Rolling & Tasting

February 2011

By biteclub

While any cheese-lover worth their Camembert has sniffed, savored, grated, cubed and, let’s be honest, cut a cheese or two, chances are you’ve never rolled one to victory.

In what amounts to a queso-friendly Pine Derby for les fromagistes, Sonoma’s favorite cheese lady, Sheana Davis, will host Sonoma County’s first annual Cheese Rolling contest on February 27, 2011 in the gardens of MacArthur Place. And you’re invited.

Tell BiteClub what kind of cheese would blow away the competition in this dairy derby — from an sneaky rolled chevre to a hunky aged gouda. Style points for originality, aerodynamic qualities, and creativity.

One winner will be a celebrity cheese roller during the Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference’s Cheese, Beer and Wine Tasting reception, beginning at 1:30pm on Sunday, February 27. You’ll be in the company of such luminaries as Sonoma Mayor Laurie Gallian, Chef Justin Wangler of Kendall Jackson Estate, Chef John Stewart of Black Pig Meat, and cheesemongers from the Rainbow Grocery Coop. Tickets also include and afternoon of cheese beer and wine tasting — you know, to relax after all that intense competition. While there you can also check out some home cheesemaking demos with Ricki Carroll, the self-described “Cheese Queen.”

The event is a kick-off for Davis’ annual Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference, a gathering of cheesemakers, retailers, distributors and cheese enthusiasts that runs through March 2. More details here.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Enter your comment below. My bets are on the the cheddar.

Full rules here.

“Toxic Strawberries”: A Guest-Post Response

February 2011

By biteclub

[NOTE: The following post was submitted, at my invitation, in response to Get Your Neurotoxin Off My Strawberry, which I posted on this site last week. I am presenting it as I received it, unedited and unabridged. As such, it does not necessarily reflect an endorsement by, or opinion of, me or the Proximal Kitchen blog, and should not be construed as such.]

Methyl iodide… the other side of the story

Jim Sims, Emeritus Professor and Chemist, University of California, Riverside

As the researcher who first investigated methyl iodide for use as a soil fumigant, I’m writing to share a side of the methyl iodide story you don’t often hear.

To be perfectly up front, I’m an author on the 1996 patent “Methyl Iodide as a Soil Fumigant” assigned to the University of California Regents and licensed by Arysta LifeScience North America. I do share in any royalties coming from the patent. I didn’t harness methyl iodide for use as a soil fumigant because I wanted to get rich. I began experimenting with it because farmers throughout California and the rest of the world needed a viable alternative to methyl bromide—which is being phased out because it depletes the ozone layer.

The press touts scientists who discuss the “horrors” of methyl iodide use. I have personally used methyl iodide in the lab and in the field for more than 50 years and have not had any problems. Methyl iodide does not need to be treated as illustrated on the Pesticide Action Network’s web site. It is sold in screw cap bottles like hundreds of other chemicals. PAN claims that methyl iodide is more dangerous than methyl bromide because it is more reactive. Examination of the actual chemical literature shows that methyl iodide is three times less reactive than methyl bromide.

Here are the facts: Methyl iodide is a volatile liquid which is applied to the soil before planting to control fungi, bacteria, nematodes and weeds. It is not sprayed on any crop. No crop is planted until methyl iodide has completely dissipated…about two weeks after application. The compound is applied by small crews of experienced people under plastic tarps that keep the compound in the soil as long as possible. There is no residue of methyl iodide on the crop when it is harvested and so no risk of farmworkers in the field being exposed to it. And other protective measures are taken during application to keep residents or other people from being exposed the fumigant.

The Pesticide Action Network claims methyl iodide to be a “known” carcinogen, referencing its inclusion on the California Proposition 65 list of “known carcinogens, developmental or reproductive toxicants.” Methyl iodide was added to the Prop 65 list as a carcinogen on April Fools Day in 1988. But not all agencies or organizations who study cancer are in agreement that methyl iodide is cancer-causing. There are more than 100 carcinogens recognized by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cancer. Methyl iodide is not among them. In 1986 and 1987, the IARC ruled that methyl iodide is not classifiable as a carcinogen. In 1999, following a subsequent review, the Agency kept this classification intact. Also, the National Toxicology Program (NTP), another respected agency, does not consider methyl iodide a carcinogen. Neither do career scientists at the EPA…whose work at the agency long precede the “Bush-Era.” The truth is that smoking, dietary imbalances, chronic infections and hormonal factors are the most prevalent causes of cancer in our society today. And excluding lung cancer, cancer mortality rates have declined since 1950.

One should not expect that all scientists will agree on every question. Years ago, a group of scientists wrote a letter to the EPA voicing their opinion that methyl iodide should not be registered as a pesticide. The EPA responded to their letter, and explained how their assessment addressed every concern. That letter is posted on the EPA’s website. There were scientists at the EPA and at the DPR who had differing opinions. The same went for the independent Scientific Review Committee appointed by DPR. The committee supposedly overstepped their assignment and said methyl iodide could not be used safely. DPR decided it could.

Unfortunately, false and misleading information about methyl iodide continue to be circulated. In the midst of decrying its “potential effects” the opponents to methyl iodide use forget to provide a couple key facts: methyl iodide is a naturally occurring substance, produced in mass quantity by marine algae and plants. And, methyl iodide has been in use in the United States already for years in other states, without an issue.

Bottom line, I will continue to eat strawberries, grapes, peaches, carrots, plums, tomatoes, peppers and other fruits and vegetables that are grown using pre-plant fumigation with methyl iodide. At the end of the day California needs an alternative to methyl bromide. The other “alternatives” (solarization, soil disinfestation, crop rotation, steaming, etc.) are simply not effective. I believe methyl iodide is the right tool and that its registration was the right move for California.

Gumbo Smackdown, Feb. 19

February 2011

By biteclub

February 19, 2011
2nd Annual Gumbo Smackdown
Kendall-Jackson Wine Center
11 am – 3 pm
$35

This fierce competition will feature our own Executive Chef, Justin Wangler, battling against other celebrity chefs from the area. Last year’s winner will return to defend his title!

Each Chef will prepare his own gourmet gumbo dish for you to sample, and you’ll toss Mardi Gras beads to the chef making your favorite recipe. The winning chef receives the prestigious “Golden Crayfish Award” trophy which they will keep for a year. The winning chef also has bragging rights as “The King of Creole Cuisine”.

Tickets are limted and will sell out. Call Connie at 1.800.769.3649 to secure your place at the Smackdown!
Wine Club members : $20 per person
Club Member guests : $25 per person
General Public : $35 per person