8 minute read
New & Notable
Churrasco Grill
churrascogrillfresno.com
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Tucked away in a business complex near the airport is this hidden gem Greek and Mediterranean eatery. Take-out orders are plenty, but they offer dine-in for those who have the time to spend. Locals love the explosion of flavors from their meat dishes, salads and claim-to-fame garlic sauce. Other favorite menu items are their fresh and fluffy pita bread and Fatoush salad paired with crunchy pita chips to scoop with. They serve good-sized portions, making special trips worth the drive.
Kemp BBQ
kempbbq.com
If smoked meats satisfy your cravings, then this recently opened barbecue restaurant should be top of your must-try list. They use real wood to slow smoke their meats and have plenty of delicious sides to choose from. Ribs and hot links also grace their menu and have been known to sell out. They promise to have their items hot and ready when you arrive at their Clovis location that offers both indoor and outdoor seating.
La Cubanita Bakery
lacubanitabakery.square.site
Locals can now get authentic Cuban food here in the valley. The owners launched their business to celebrate the
Cuban culture and to preserve the flavors they grew up eating in Miami.
They offer fresh-baked pastelitos infused with their signature preserves, handmade empanadas, croquetas and Cuban sandwiches pressed on fresh-baked Cuban bread. Finish up your meal with a Cuban coffee and flan or arroz con leche. They offer online ordering on scheduled days of the week and catering services.
Next time you’re in Fig Garden Village, make sure to stop by Out of the Barrel, one of only three locations in the state. They offer more than 30 taps of rotating microbrew, wine and ciders to immerse you in a small, independent and craft brewery experience – they are passionate about supporting small. Join in during one of their interactive trivia nights for a fun night out. Don’t forget your furry friend, who will be welcomed with open arms.
Mochi+Donut is a combination of a Japanese rice cake and American-style donut that originated in Hawaii. Its crisp exterior and chewy interior textures made with sticky sweet rice flour has locals addicted to each bite. These donuts have a unique and pleasing shape made of eight connected balls in a circular shape that’s popular among young people. Try flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, matcha and earl grey, to name a few, and they come with fun toppings like cookies, fruit and nuts.
This unique small-batch producer started out making one-of-a-kind non-dairy ice pops using seasonal produce grown in the valley where they sold them from a pop-up cart.
When ice pop season closes, they offer baked goods at local venues and shops. They often offer social media sales of special baked goods that tend to sell out quickly. You won’t find frozen fruit ingredients in their offerings. They pride themselves in sourcing fresh seasonal and local fruits. Hurry and order your ice pops or berry pie for your summer event.
Out of the Barrel
outofthebarrelbeer.com
Mochinut
mochinut.com
Ooh De Lolli
oohdelolli.com
family farm
The Loewen Family and Blossom Bluff Orchards in Parlier
Story by Melissa Mendonca | Photos by Edible Staff
IKE MANY YOUNG PEOPLE, Bryce Loewen, now 38, was eager to head off to the big city for college after high school. Leaving the
Central Valley wasn’t difficult for the aspiring animator who was eager to taste life in the bustling Bay Area. “Initially, the idea of moving to the big city felt like an adventure,” he says. “And it was.”
Now a key farmer and businessman at Blossom Bluff Orchards in Parlier, a farm his great-grandparents developed in 1931, he says, “A lot of different things led me back here.” For one, city life had become stifling. More importantly, he saw an exciting opportunity to help his parents and sister develop a dynamic direct marketing program for the 150 varieties of fruit they grow on their 78-acre farm.4 continued on page 17
“I’ve been involved in some respect pretty much all my life,” he says, noting that his parents moved to the farm when he was only 2 years old and he continued to support farmers market sales in the Bay Area when he was living there. “The farmers market scene is a vibrant, awesome place to be,” he says. “When we got into it, it was still relatively new. I love the community aspect of it, being directly connected to the consumer.”
This direct connection to the consumer ultimately swayed his decision to join his family, and raise his own, in Parlier on the Blossom Bluff Orchards land, which has four houses. “We’re a legacy five generations in here,” he says, noting that he and wife Natalie are raising sons Archer, 6, and Jackson, 3, on the farm. “The people who are actively involved in the farm actually live on the farm.” Loewen’s parents, Ted and Fran, live in one house and still contribute to farm activities, while sister Renata occupies another and keeps track of farm accounting and payroll.
By the time Ted and Fran took over the farm from Fran’s parents, they realized their business model had to change from the traditional style of selling a crop to a packing house. They diversified their fruit varieties and began direct marketing harvests via farmers markets and sales to restaurants and stores. “My parents get the credit for making the dramatic change in what we farm and how we farm,” says Loewen, noting that they weren’t initially interested in taking over the farm when Fran’s father started phasing out of the work. Ted is a lawyer and Fran was a teacher. 4 continued on page 18
As the craft brewing industry has skyrocketed, Loewen says, “We’ve found a strong demand for frozen fresh fruit for a lot of breweries.” He’s particularly proud of a relationship with Almanac Brewery in Alameda that his using their fruit for a whole line of sour nova seasonal blends. “It’s been a really neat connection for me to make. I’m a big fan of beer and it’s a great beer,” he adds.
At any given time, about 60 acres are in production, with some land left fallow for crop rotation. The farm is entirely certified organic. Kiwis are the newest and only vine crop, and are surrounded by a variety of trees that range from fall crops of persimmon and pomegranates to summer fruits like peaches, nectarines, apricots and hybrids like pluots and plumcots. Citrus crops range from navel oranges, Meyer lemons, grapefruit, blood oranges, kumquats and mandarins to pomelos and Mexican limes. In some cases, a crop may be from just one tree; in others, several are planted.
“The vast majority of what gets grown gets sold in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland,” says Loewen, noting a network of farmers markets, stores and restaurants where the fruit gets delivered. Blossom Bluff is also a popular vendor at the Vineyard Farmers Market in Fresno and The Market grocery store, and they bring fruit to The Gnarly Carrot in North Fork. The orchards’ website also offers dried fruit. “It’s the only thing I like to ship,” says Loewen. “Our carbon footprint is something I’m conscious of. I like the fact that we’re selling our fruit in a relatively small area.”
As summer nears, things are getting busier on the farm and Loewen expects his attention to turn to the task of harvesting and selling. “I get a lot of ideas in the off season that quickly dry out when summer hits and everything gets so urgent.” As for some of those plans, he says, “I’d like to get a little more dynamic about what we are growing on the farm. I’d like to get some animals. We have a couple chickens for eggs for the family. I’d like to get some ducks and get into egg production.”
The decision for Loewen and his family to continue the work and even grow it is one they all take pride in. “It’s hard work and it’s stressful, but there’s something special about it. We’re kind of in endangered species status as proper family farmers.”•
Blossom Bluff Orchards • www.blossombluff.com Find them on Facebook and Instagram
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