Edible Monterey Bay: Fall 2011 | No. 1

4GRIST FOR THE MILL

6EDIBLE NOTABLES

Fall foraging: collecting sea salt in Big Sur • Mundaka’s Gabe Georgis on creating community, one restaurant at a time • Lightfoot Industries discovers a recipe for happy, successful youth • A new guide to our local foodshed. Holman Ranch rolls out its own wines and olive oil.

12INTERVIEW ERIC SCHLOSSER

The author of Fast Food Nation talks with EMB about our locavores’ paradise, why eating sustainably is a social issue, and why he’s so optimistic.

16WHAT’S IN SEASON BIG SUR BAKERY’S SAVORY PUMPKIN BREAD

Michelle Wojtowicz’s seasonal recipe and a guide to the local fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts being harvested now.

18IN THE FIELDS PHOTO ESSAY

Salinas Valley farm workers by artist Jim Kasson.

21OUT TO SEA

A NEW TAKE ON THE FISHMONGER

Monterey Bay’s first CSF, a CSA for fish-lovers, will help sustain local fishermen.

24EDIBLE

ISSUES SAVING SCHOOL LUNCH

A national trend takes innovative forms at local schools as chefs and administrators join forces to change the way kids eat.

30ON THE FARM A FARM OF THEIR OWN ALBA incubator nurtures pride and produce.

32ROADSIDE DIARIES A NIGHT AT THE CACHaGUA GENERAL STORE

An Upper Carmel Valley adventure.

38THE PRESERVATIONIST QUINCE JELLY AND APPLE BUTTER

Happy Girl Kitchen Co.’s Jordan Champagne loves fall.

40EDIBLE HISTORY ABALONE

The history, lore and science of the Monterey Bay’s beloved gastropod.

44ON THE VINE GRAHM’S GAMBLE

Santa Cruz icon Randall Grahm’s most ambitious project ever finally gets into the ground; his Cellar Door and its new chef shine.

49DINE LOCAL GUIDE

A guide to some of the region’s best restaurants and cafes that emphasize local ingredients.

52Map of the Region/Advertiser Guide

Some of the best of everything that the region has to offer, on a convenient map!

55LOCAL LIBATIONS GOOD JUICE

At Oswald in Santa Cruz, Hans Losee serves it up fresh.

56FARMERS’ MARKETS

A comprehensive guide to the farmers’ markets of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties.

Cover photograph of abalone by John Cox

Contents photograph of Whaler’s Cove by Rob Fisher

GRIST FOR THE MILL

It’s a huge pleasure and honor for me to introduce this inaugural issue of Edible Monterey Bay—and to thank the many people who’ve helped bring it to life. These are tough times for magazines, especially new ones. But in the coming months, I think you’ll find that this isn’t just any magazine.

Edible Monterey Bay is a magazine with a mission, and that mission is to help connect the people of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties who grow, harvest and prepare our food with the people who eat it, and to celebrate the amazing bounty of food and wine being produced here. We’ll especially highlight people who go about their business in sustainable ways.

We’re also excited to help the different communities within the region get to know one another better—and we hope you’re game to start exploring!

In these pages, you’ll read about salt foragers in Big Sur, Bonny Doon founder Randall Grahm’s bold new winemaking adventures in San Juan Bautista and school lunch heroes in Santa Cruz and all around the region.

Marking the 10th anniversary of his landmark book Fast Food Nation, local author Eric Schlosser talks with us about the state of our food system and why he’s feeling positive about it. A number of chefs and farmers speak about what’s important to them—and one chef, Michael Jones, will teach you a skill you never knew you’d need. Artist Jim Kasson shares a photo essay of farm workers, and chef John Cox of Cassanova and La Bicyclette takes us back in history to trace the rise and fall and slow recovery of abalone in our area.

On our website, you’ll find all kinds of additional features: a calendar listing food and wine events coming up around the region, biographies of our talented contributors, a listing of community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, recipes and more.

If there is a theme to this issue, it’s community—how important it is, what a vital role food plays in it all and what great rewards are in store when we’re intentional about creating it.

And speaking of community, I’d like to mention that Edible Monterey Bay is no island unto itself, but is one of 70 magazines in the Edible Communities family of locally owned and edited food magazines. Together, the group in May was honored with the James Beard Foundation’s first-ever Publication of the Year Award and I’d like to congratulate all my Edible colleagues and to thank them for their generous help in making our local Edible a reality.

Finally, I’d like to thank you, our readers, for caring about local and sustainably produced food. I hope you enjoy this issue, and use the beautiful map on page 52 to explore our area and patronize the advertisers who’ve given us critical support and enthusiasm when we needed it most. They provide some of the best of what the region has to offer, and they’ll appreciate your business!

Sincerely,

edible monterey bay

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR

Sarah Wood

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rob Fisher

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Deborah Luhrman Lisa Crawford Watson

COPY EDITORS

Doug Adrianson • Doresa Banning

DESIGNER Melissa Petersen

WEB DESIGNER Mary Ogle

CONTRIBUTORS

Renee Brincks • Jordan Champagne

Jamie Collins • Cameron Cox

John Cox • Susan Ditz • Kurt Foeller

Ted Holladay • Jorge Novoa

Richard Green • Jim Kasson

Linda Ozaki • Richard Pitnick

Sara Remington • Pete Rerig

ADVERTISING

Shelby Lambert • 831.238.7101

INTERNS

Kalia Feldman-Klein • Katie Reeves

CONTACT US:

Edible Monterey Bay 24C Virginia Way Carmel Valley, CA 93924 www.ediblemontereybay.com 831.238.1217 info@ediblemontereybay.com

Edible Monterey Bay is published quarterly. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. Subscriptions are $28 per year at www.ediblemontereybay.com. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us. Thank you.

“If there is a theme to this issue, it’s community— how important it is, what a vital role food plays in it all and what great rewards are in store when we’re intentional about creating it.”

Edible Notables Fall Foraging: Salt from the Sea

by Jamie Collins

Salt. Our bodies wouldn’t function without it, and food wouldn’t taste as good either. Experts disagree on how much salt a person needs to maintain good health. In his book Salt: A World History, author Mark Kurlansky notes that estimates range from two thirds of a pound to 16 pounds per year. Salt deficiency can cause headaches, weakness, nausea and even death, if the deprivation goes on long enough. The human love of salt is probably a natural defense mechanism that causes us to keep on reaching for it.

Kurlansky writes that ancient nomads got their salt from their cattle, which instinctively migrated towards salt ponds. Cultures that raised crops had a harder time meeting their salt quota: While a diet of vegetables is high in potassium, it contains little salt. So farmers began trading cultivated crops for salt, helping to make it a valuable commodity. Roads were built to transport and trade salt, revolutions were started over it, and eventually, people were paid with salt. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression “worth his salt.”

Nowadays, salt is still used as a precious currency here on the Central Coast, when autumn takes foragers down Big Sur’s cliffs to collect naturally forming sea salt.

The Big Sur Bakery serves its famous bread with unsalted butter and an array of sea salts to sprinkle to one’s liking. One of the salts is collected locally by Big Sur resident Brett Engel, and bartered for pastry chef Michelle Wojtowicz’s “death by chocolate” cake for his wife’s birthday each year. “We tend to use it sparingly since it is hard to come by,” Wojtowicz said of the salt. “I use it to garnish caramel desserts and Phil will use the salt to finish off a fish dish right before serving it,” she added, referring to her husband, chef Philip Wojtowicz.

Engel has been foraging salt from a closely guarded spot in the rocks just above the ocean in Big Sur for the past 20 years, ever since an alchemist friend shared the location of the pool, which Native Americans may have once used. The salt pond is the size of a bathtub and about 12 to 16 inches deep. Salt begins to collect in the pool, and

in others formed by depressions in rocks close to the ocean, after the summer sun evaporates seawater splashed into the pools by high winter surf.

Engel makes the annual pilgrimage each September, once the sun has done its work and the tides are low enough to allow the treacherous trip by rope down to the rocks.

“We first take the prized salt bloom, which looks like little flower buds on the top of the larger salt crystals below,” Engel said, “referring to fleur de sel, or “flower of salt.” “We only take what we can each carry up the ropes in our backpacks, which is about 40 to 50 pounds.”

“Each year the harvest is different depending on the weather— if the summer was foggy the salt may not have dried much, yielding less. The year of the Big Sur fires the salt ponds were filled with ash and the taste was surprisingly smoky and good.”

Engel has learned that the best time to collect salt is before the pampas grass goes to seed within the first two weeks of September: If they wait too long the salt will be filled with seeds. Engel says all salts taste different, and describes the taste of the salt he forages as buttery and delicious.

Todd Champagne of Happy Girl Kitchen Co. has also foraged sea salt in Big Sur with Engel, but just in small quantities for his family’s personal use. Happy Girl’s commercial organic kitchen in Pacific Grove uses large quantities of sea salt to preserve lemons and produce its pickle collection, and must buy its sea salt in bulk. Currently, Happy Girl sources it from the South San Francisco Bay–area label Giusto’s Natural Sea Salt and Sonoma Sea Salt.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to harvest your own sea salt, two local artisan salt companies produce sea salt from Monterey Bay by collecting seawater and evaporating it in special greenhouses: Monterey Bay Sea Salt (www.montereybayseasalt.com) and Monterey Bay Salt Co. (www.montereybaysaltco.com).

Photograph by John Cox Sea salts naturally vary in color and taste.

Edible Notables Sustainable Community

by Sarah Wood

Gabe Georis misses the Mediterranean Market, a specialty store and deli that operated at the corner of Ocean and Mission when he was growing up in Carmel in the 1980s. Not because of the sandwiches he bought there, but because of what happened when he and other customers congregated next door in Devendorf Park to eat them.

“Locals used to go there,” Georis said. “But nobody stayed in the store. You’d see everybody in the park—there was this whole social scene directly attributable to the store.”

Georis, an offspring of the Carmel family that for more than 30 years has run the highly regarded gastronomic empire that includes Georis wines and the restaurants Casanova, Corkscrew and La Bicyclette, has for the last couple of years been establishing a strong following for his own restaurant, the Spanish tapas spot Mundaka.

Mundaka, named for the Spanish surf town, is all about sustainability. It’s filled with character-laden reclaimed fixtures and it sources its seasonal menu from local organic farms—efforts that help promote conscious consumers and preserve the region’s family-farm culture, the environment and everyone’s health. And like all the Georis enterprises, the food, prepared by chef Brandon Miller, is transporting.

But like a growing number of restaurateurs around the region, Georis is seeking to help nurture and sustain community through the very experience of eating in his restaurant.

In many cases, people are doing this with communal tables, as at Bonny Doon’s Cellar Door and Lightfoot Industries’ supper clubs in Santa Cruz, FUD’s pop-up restaurants in Monterey and Dory Ford’s new incarnation of Point Pinos Grill in Pacific Grove, as well as the expanding number of dinners held on farms and in vineyards by the likes of the Bernardus Lodge and Winery, Hahn Estates and many others. (Getting people to eat with strangers, though, can take some coaxing, as Randall Grahm explains on page 47.)

“It’s not really just trying to create a restaurant; it’s trying to help build a sense of community back up,” Georis said of his own effort.

In Mundaka’s case, as at the others, diners can eat with strangers at communal tables, but Georis’s method is somewhat subtle, cagey. You might not even notice it, but there are no stools at the bar. So patrons, rather than being able to stake out a fixed spot, have to share space—and start conversations with someone they probably don’t know. Providing live music and dancing is perhaps a more conventional method, but the Mundaka strategy is working—in a town that of late has not been known for its nightlife.

“Everybody likes to listen to music and dance. People come in and boogie. Eighteen-year-olds to 70-year-olds are shaking it out,” he said.

Georis especially laments the city’s loss of more bohemian days, before a surge in real estate prices and other factors over the last few decades put pressure on the city’s sense of community and its youth culture, making intergenerational crowds shaking it out rare.

But he’s been encouraged to see other businesses create gathering places that appeal to the young, like the new restaurant Vesuvio’s roof bar. And as a result, the city is beginning to shed its sleepy reputation and is staying open later.

Next, he’d love to see the city’s iconic beach transformed into more of a catalyst for community.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you could have tables and chairs at the bottom of Ocean Avenue, in the sand?” Georis said. “We all respond to our environment, so if you create the environment, people will follow along.”

Mundaka is located in the Carmel Square shopping center on San Carlos St. between Ocean Ave. and 7th Ave. For more information, go to www. Mundakacarmel.com.

“How do you create more community feeling? You create public spaces where people get to know each other.”

Photograph by Richard Green

Gabe Georis speaks with guests at Mundaka

“How do you create more community feeling?

Edible Notables

Lightfoot’s recipe for reinventing school

by Susan Ditz

fered in conjunction with Delta Charter High School in Santa Cruz. Lightfoot will also continue its supper clubs at DIG, and will be available for hire to cater events. Eventually, Kubas hopes to expand the program across the U.S.

Lightfoot is a hybrid nonprofit/for-profit organization, so it can operate a nonprofit academy while giving kids real-life business experience working with its roving restaurant.

The aim, Kubas said, is to provide marginalized teens with entrepreneurial training, an innovative curriculum and meaningful apprenticeships and, in so doing, develop the participants’ social, environmental and fiscal responsibility. The students learn about nutrition, farming, food preparation and food service. They attend yoga classes, learn social media proficiency and receive hands-on experience in developing new products and marketing a wholesale food line.

“It’s designed around a culture of achievement, with real incentives, reachable goals and in-depth integration with the teachers, and with the same graduation requirements of traditional high schools,” Kubas said. “We take a whole-person approach, giving young people critical guidance and marketable skills, so they can become fully engaged, responsible citizens.”

Kubas, who drew on her experience as a parent, restaurant consultant, soccer coach and teacher to conceive Lightfoot, became a proponent of sustainable vocational education years ago, “because people are diverse, so there can’t be just one method of education, and education needs to take a relevant, whole systems approach,” she said.

Santa Cruz social entrepreneur Carmen Kubas had one of her biggest aha! moments last spring, in the middle of a hot, crowded kitchen at her regular Saturday night supper club at DIG Gardens.

In the midst of what some might see as controlled chaos, Kubas realized that her vision for a sustainable vocational training program focused on food and the restaurant business was working: Her highschool-aged participants were using their newly acquired professionalism to pull together and do a nearly flawless job helping chef Loren Ozaki prepare and serve a delicious gourmet meal.

Kubas is the founder of Lightfoot Industries, one of a growing number of Central Coast organizations providing sustainable agriculture and culinary vocational education for youth. Rancho Cielo in Salinas, Food What?! (part of the Life Lab at UCSC) and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s Natural Bridges High all provide such programs. The groups are coalescing into a veritable movement around food-centered educational programs. (See related story p. 28.)

This fall, Lightfoot will move from a 10-month pilot project to a full four-year high school vocational program for 23 students, of-

“Vocational education is often seen as less valuable and desirable than college prep, but we need the infrastructure of skilled workers and artisans who are critical to the health of our economy—they are just as important as doctors and lawyers. And to be successful today, all high school students, regardless of whether college prep or not, need to learn the three principles of sustainability: social, environmental and fiscal responsibility.”

During the pilot program, Kubas saw every student grow—especially in discovering how to think for themselves. Each had a story.

“Kyle started out very shy and awkward as a busser and evolved into my lead server, who earned a stipend by showing up and pitching in for everything,” she said. “Enrique is another success story for us—he was totally introverted in the beginning, but learned how to speak up and delegate when he was put in charge of the dish area. He’s returning to do an internship in product development.”

Lightfoot’s weekly supper club dinners at DIG Gardens (420 Water Street, Santa Cruz) will be starting up again on September 30th. See www.lightfootind.com and diggardensnursery.com for the latest event information.

Photograph by Linda Ozaki

Lightfoot founder Carmen Kubas with one of her students

Edible Notables

By Deborah

Did you know that in our region, Monterey County alone boasts more than 150 wineries? Whether you’re a longtime resident of Santa Cruz, Monterey or San Benito Counties or just passing through, the new California Welcome Center that opened over the summer just off Highway 101 in Salinas aims to help you get to know and enjoy the area better.

The center provides maps, information and a concierge service that can make hotel reservations and sell tickets to such attractions as the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The center is focused in particular on the region’s agriculture and wine, and will serve as a catalyst for development of farm tours and winery visits, both popular tourism products elsewhere in the state.

“I call it Napa version 2.0,” said Craig Kaufman of the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau, which runs the center. “We have so many wonderful agriculture businesses here that people don’t know about, and what is being done at some of our wineries is truly amazing.”

It is a destination whose time has come. “We have what people are looking for in healthy eating and good wines,” he added.

Wine tourism is still in its infancy in the Salinas Valley, compared with places like Napa and Sonoma counties. For example, few people know that there are so many wineries in Monterey County or that it boasts nine different appellations or unique growing areas.

Visitors looking to sample Salinas Valley wines are directed to the River Road Wine Trail, which starts just south of Salinas and winds its way past 14 visitor-friendly wineries along the banks of the Salinas River south to Soledad. Or they are sent to tasting rooms in Carmel Valley, which include the award-winning Heller Estates and its certified 100% organic vineyards.

Farm tours are expected to get under way soon. Kaufman said they would begin with nationally known brands like Taylor Farms and Fresh Express—both producers of pre-packaged salads—and Ocean Mist, which grows 70% of the nation’s artichokes.

“You’ve got nearly 2 million people a year who come through here on their way to the Monterey Bay Aquarium who would also be interested to know how their food is grown,” he said, emphasizing that locals will also be welcome on the tours.

Developing agrotourism or winery tourism is not part of the county’s general plan, and that makes the permitting process for farm stays and wine tasting rooms extremely complicated. While tourism officials acknowledge the need to preserve farmland, they also report it can take years to open a new tasting room and that wineries are not yet allowed to operate bed-and-breakfast accommodations.

Sites related to writer John Steinbeck and the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas are also promoted by the new center. European tourists are especially drawn to the Steinbeck literary trail and enjoy visiting spots mentioned in his famous books, such as East of Eden and Cannery Row.

The Welcome Center is located in the Westfield Shopping Center at 1213 N. Davis Rd. on the West Laurel Drive exit off Highway 101. It is open 9am–7pm daily. In addition to travel information, it provides for the basic needs of travelers and their pets, with public restrooms, picnic tables next to a cool pond and a dog walking area.

“I call it Napa version 2.0. We have so many wonderful agriculture businesses here that people don’t know about, and what is being done at some of our wineries is truly amazing.”

Attention adventurous locavores and oenophiles!

Luhrman

photo courtesy of California Welcome Center

The welcome center is already attracting plenty of business.

Edible Notables

Holman Ranch launches new homegrown products

By Renee Brincks

Five years after acquiring Holman Ranch, its owners are adding a new chapter to the property’s storied history. The first estate-grown wines and olive oil from Holman Ranch Vineyards have hit shelves, and construction of a new on-site winery wraps up this fall.

The late Dorothy McEwen, who owned Holman Ranch from 1989 to 2005, first introduced vines to the resort grounds. Though she planted only 1 1/2 acres, her goal was to build a 25,000-case winery. Current plans are more modest—2,000 to 3,000 cases a year at most, according to Holman Ranch Director of Hospitality Hunter Lowder—but guided by a similar vision.

“We focus on the past of the ranch—the history, romance, memories—and the future,” she says. “And it’s all about using the land for what it does best.”

Lowder was attending a wedding at the old Hollywood hideaway when she learned it was for sale following McEwen’s passing. She persuaded her parents, whose European travels had left them with dreams of tending grape vines and olive trees in their retirement, to take a look at the 400-acre property. They were skeptical, initially, because the land was more than they envisioned for themselves. Still, Lowder insisted that they visit.

“They saw the mountain views and the hacienda and really saw the potential,” she says. “It’s not just about having a family vineyard; it’s having a family business.”

Thomas and Jarman Lowder took over Holman Ranch in 2006 and began renovations that modernized the grounds, stables and 1928 stone hacienda building. They planted 17 additional vineyard acres, and the winery will be completed in the coming months. A series of caves dug into the hills houses the crush pad, barrels and storage facilities.

“It’s a very low-impact, low-footprint, modular type of winery,” Lowder says.

Though the facility will not be open to the public, guests can sample Holman Ranch wines at a new Carmel Valley Village tasting room

opening later this year. Neighboring restaurant Will’s Fargo pours them, as well, and a wine club is in development. Selections include a 2009 Pinot Noir aged in French oak, and 2010 wines ranging from Pinot Gris and Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc and rosé of Pinot Noir.

“We really wanted to be a Pinot house because we’re located in the Carmel Valley appellation, which is a small and very rare appellation. All our wine is from estate-grown vines; we don’t bring in any grapes, and we don’t sell our grapes,” Lowder explains.

She says the earliest releases, which “came out pretty complex and tasty,” have earned positive feedback for their originality. The Pinot Noir, for example, falls somewhere between the traditional flavor of a French Burgundy and the fruit-forward blends from the nearby Santa Lucia Highlands.

“We wanted to try and span the generations of different wine drinkers,” Lowder says.

In addition to growing the property’s wine program, the Lowder family also planted a grove of 100 Tuscan-varietal olive trees at Holman Ranch. Only a small quantity of this year’s extra-virgin, coldpressed olive oil remains.

“It has a little bit of a spice on the back of the throat, and a little bit of greenness, but it’s buttery on the finish,” says Lowder.

Like the wines, the olive oil is particularly popular with people who have ties to the property.

“The romance and history of Holman Ranch and Carmel Valley ... you get a piece of that,” says Lowder.

To order wine or olive oil from Holman Ranch Vineyards, call 831.659.2640 or email wines@holmanranch.com. Resort, wedding and vineyard information is at www.holmanranch.com.

Photograph courtesy of Holman Ranch

Holman Ranch is located on 400 acres in Carmel Valley

INTERVIEW

ERIC SCHLOSSER

The author of Fast Food Nation and co-producer of Food Inc. sits down with Edible Monterey Bay at the Wagon Wheel.

Interview by Sarah Wood Photograph by Richard Pitnick

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of Fast Food Nation, the seminal work by award-winning investigative jouralist and local resident Eric Schlosser. The book exposed the ills of the highly centralized and industrialized U.S. food system, and in many ways set the agenda for efforts to reform it over the last decade. His next book, Reefer Madness, provided fuel for the movement to improve the plight of migrant farm workers.

Since Fast Food Nation came out, Schlosser has also become a devoted food activist, focusing on improving food safety and farm worker rights, curbing childhood obesity and bringing about a more sustainable food system in general.

In May, he helped organize with the Washington Post a major conference on the future of food. His comments and those of many other leaders of the sustainability movement can be found on the Post’s website.

This past summer, Schlosser took time out from the books he’s working on now—one on nuclear weapons and another on the prison system— to talk about food, our region and why he’s optimistic about the future.

Edible Monterey Bay: You moved to the Monterey Bay area from New York City a few years after Fast Food Nation was published. What brought you here?

Eric Schlosser: I lived in Big Sur a while ago, and my wife and I got engaged there. We’ve always considered the Central Coast one of our favorite places in the world. It’s quiet and beautiful and a great place to raise kids. I write about a lot of dark things, and this whole area offers a good counterbalance.

EMB: Where do you like to eat?

ES: We love the Big Sur Bakery, Nepenthe, Mundaka, Carmel Belle, La Bicyclette, Katie’s, Akaoni, Hanagasa, the Wagon Wheel. And we also like eating at home.

EMB: You started your writing career by editing your college humor magazine, but as you say, your journalism gets into pretty grim areas; in fact, you’ve explored and exposed all manner of exploitation of the weak by the powerful. What do you do to find respite from these heavy topics?

ES: You know, most people assume that I must be a pretty bleak guy, with my office walls painted black, listening to thrash metal bands like Slayer and Megadeth all day. But I try hard to enjoy the day. Fundamentally, I’m optimistic. I’m driven by the belief that things don’t have to be the way they are. And that may be what helps me to explore these dark subjects for long periods of time. There’s a lot of laughter in our household, usually at my expense. And when life starts feeling grim around here, you can just walk outdoors, look around and put things in the right perspective.

EMB: You never planned to write about fast food—Rolling Stone asked you to. And yet, writing about it seems to have changed your life: You’re an extremely private person, but you became an ardent food activist. Are you glad your path took you down this road?

ES: I feel lucky beyond words to have written a book about issues that I care about—and to find that other people care about them, too.

EMB: What reforms have you been most gratified to see come to pass?

ES: The most gratifying thing hasn’t been any specific legislation or reform. It’s been the sea change in attitudes that’s occurred since the late 1990s, when I first began to investigate our food system. So many of the issues that once seemed to be on the fringes of society— like food safety, childhood obesity, animal rights, the need for healthy, organic food—have entered the mainstream. I wrote Fast Food Nation because I thought these things weren’t being discussed and debated in the media. And now they are, on a daily basis. I’m not taking credit for the change. I just feel incredibly relieved that it’s happened. And there’s no turning back. When most people see how this industrial food system really works, they don’t want to be part of it any more.

EMB: What about the Food Safety Modernization Act?

ES: Like everything that Congress does, it was a compromise. But it was also a good first step toward improving food safety without harming small producers.

EMB: What continuing problems with our food system are you most concerned about?

ES: I’m concerned about the overuse of antibiotics by factory farms. It’s created superbugs that threaten everybody, regardless of whether you eat this industrial meat. I’m concerned about the ways in which companies still market unhealthy food to children and prey upon the poor. I’m concerned that genetically modified foods and the meat from cloned animals are being sold without any labeling. I’m concerned about the cruelties inflicted every single day on the livestock at factory farms—and on the workers who harvest and process our food. These battles are far from being won.

EMB: A lot of fast-food chains have added salads and other “healthy” items to their menus. But in its August edition, Consumer Reports magazine disclosed that only 13% of respondents to its first survey of fast food customers said they’d chosen something “healthy” on their last visit to a fast food outlet. What do you make of that?

ES: I’m delighted when any of these chains puts something healthy on their menu. McDonald’s just announced that they’re going to add

fruit to their happy meals. That’s great. But it would’ve been a lot greater if they’d done it 10 years ago. I question the sincerity of these moves. It’s all about PR and marketing. But if that’s what gets someone to do the right thing, well, it’s better than nothing.

EMB: Despite America’s lingering bad food habits, you say critics have it all backwards when they say that being a foodie—and more to the point, being a conscious eater and supporting sustainable food production—is elitist.

ES: Wealthy people will always eat well. We don’t need to worry so much about them. They’re doing fine right now. The people who need organic food the most are the people who pick our fruits and vegetables by hand. And the people who live in agricultural communities. And most of all, their children. Tens of thousands of farm workers are sickened every year by pesticide exposure. These are incredibly toxic poisons. We need to get these pesticides out of rural America, out of the water, the households, the air. And we need to get them out of our food. As for the urban poor, they are being sold some of the most heavily processed, unhealthy food on earth. And they can least afford the obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure that soon follow. Our current food system is profoundly elitist. I think a living wage, and a safe

workplace, and access to good, healthy food are basic human rights. And right now millions of Americans are being denied them.

EMB: In this issue, we quote a local school food services director saying that some farm worker parents avoid feeding their kids vegetables because they’re so familiar with pesticides and don’t want their children to be exposed to them.

ES: I am much more concerned about the pesticide residues in the air, the dust, and the clothing of farm workers than I am about the pesticide residues in their food. We need to get these poisons out of everybody’s homes and out of the environment.

EMB: What do you think are the best hopes now for getting farm workers into fields where they don’t have to worry about pesticides—and getting more organic food on their tables, and those of other lowincome Americans?

ES: If people who can afford organic food buy a lot of it, the supply will increase and the price will come down. That’s how the market works. It will increase the amount of acreage that’s organic—and the number of people who can buy organic.

EMB: Are you hopeful that the 2012 farm bill will help?

ES: We’ll see. Despite all my optimism, it’s hard to be hopeful about anything in Washington, D.C., especially this Congress. But I do think there will be a strong push to make the bill take into account the interest of consumers, not just agribusiness companies.

EMB: Are you encouraged by shifts in public sentiment and agricultural practices in our own region?

ES: I am encouraged. There are a lot of farmers here, big and small, who are trying to do things more sustainably. And if you want to be a locavore, it’s hard to imagine a better place in this country to eat local.

EMB: Your book Chew on This aimed to deliver the message of Fast Food Nation to teenagers, and it became a New York Times bestseller. Aside from giving our kids books like yours to read, what else can we do to raise our children to be responsible eaters?

ES: I’m a big believer in trying to make people think, instead of telling them what to do. And that applies, most of the time, to kids, too. I think once they understand how the current system works, they’re eager to eat differently. For me, it’s all about being aware. And action follows from that.

EMB: What do you think are the most important things we can each do as individuals to reform our food system?

ES: Support your local farmer. Try not to give money to food companies that are causing great harm. And get engaged, one way or another, with groups that are trying to make change on a local, state or national level. There are about a dozen or so companies causing all these problems—and more than 300 million Americans. We ought to be able to change how that dozen behave.

EMB: Do you think that “sustainable” will ever become “conventional” in the agricultural world?

ES: It won’t happen overnight. But as the real costs of the current system become clear—and as the companies responsible for the problems are made to pay for them—the pace of change will accelerate. This industrial, “conventional” way of farming is clearly unsustainable. So we’re going to have to embrace a new way, and the sooner the better.

EMB: When it comes to fast food, you’ve said that after writing Fast Food Nation, you stopped eating at most chains other than In-N-Out Burger. Do you miss any of the rest?

ES: My diet is far from pure. But I have zero desire to eat that processed, industrial stuff. When I want to eat a burger, fries, pancakes or a chocolate chip cookie, I want the real thing, not some phony imitation of it. The best thing about McDonald’s is the toilets, which are generally clean.

What’s in Season? Big Sur Bakery’s Savory Pumpkin Bread

By Renee Brincks Photograph by Sara Remington

For Michelle Wojtowicz of Big Sur Bakery, autumn means menus built around seasonal delights such as quince, apple and, of course, pumpkin.

Pumpkins don’t have a dominant flavor, she says, so they mix well with sweet potatoes, Butternut squash and a variety of spices. The restaurant’s popular pumpkin yeast bread, seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and sea salt, puts a surprising twist on the traditional fall fruit.

“It’s a table bread—it’s a bread to have with dinner, or to make French toast out of in the morning, or to use for croutons. It’s not a sweet bread,” Wojtowiczsays. “You get all the flavors of a pumpkin pie, but in more of a savory option.”

To sample the pumpkin bread, visit the Big Sur Bakery this fall season, reserve a seat for the restaurant’s traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner or make it yourself at home with this recipe from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook.

Pumpkin Bread

Big Sur Bakery

1 pound fresh or canned pumpkin purée

10 whole allspice berries

4 whole cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 3/4 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon powdered milk 1 egg

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (packed) light or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

Makes two pumpkin-shaped loaves

Start the night before: Put the pumpkin purée in a sheet of cheesecloth. Bundle it up and tie it. Put a rack inside a large pan, suspend the bundle over the rack, and let it drain in the refrigerator overnight to release the excess moisture, leaving behind only the dense pulp.

The next day, remove the pan from the refrigerator. Discard the liquid collected in the bottom, and reserve the pulp in the cheesecloth.

Grind the allspice and cloves in a spice grinder, and combine with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

Pour 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water into a bowl, and rain the yeast over it. Stir, and set it aside to activate for 5 minutes.

In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the yeast mixture with 3 cups of the flour and the powdered milk, egg, brown sugar, sea salt, and pumpkin purée on very low speed. Over a 1-minute period, add the spice mixture and the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, a scoop at a time. Add the butter and mix until combined. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula (the dough should be sticky), and then mix on high speed for 5 minutes. The dough will become shiny, somewhat firm, and less sticky. Transfer the dough to a bowl that’s large enough for the dough to double in size. Place the bowl in a large plastic bag, tie it loosely, and set it aside in a warm place in the kitchen until the dough has doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it in half. Pinch off a nugget of dough about the size of a walnut from each of these halves; these will be used as the stems of the pumpkins. At this point you should have two large pieces of dough and two walnut-size pieces. Flatten each of the dough pieces with the palm of your hand and roll them into loose balls. Cover with a plastic bag and let them rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Michelle Wojtowicz oversees bread baking and desserts at Big Sur Bakery.

Local foods in season now:

Fruit: Apples • Avocados • Figs • Grapefruit • Kiwi Melons • Lemons • Persimmons • Plums • Pomegranates Oranges • Peaches • Pears • Quince • Raspberries Strawberries • Tomatoes • Nectarines

Vegetables: Artichokes • Arugula • Basil • Beets • Bok Choy Broccoli • Brussels Sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots Cauliflower Celery • Chard • Collards • Corn • Cucumber • Eggplant Garlic • Kale • Leeks • Lettuce • Mushrooms • Mustard Greens Onions • Bell Peppers • Potatoes • Radishes • Spinach • Squash Sprouts • Sunchokes • Turnips • Wheatgrass

Nuts Almonds • Chestnuts • Pinenuts • Pistachios Walnuts

Fish Albacore Tuna • Cabezon • California Halibut Dover Sole • Lingcod • Market Squid • Pacific Sardine Petrale Sardine • Rock Crab • Sablefish • Shortspine Thornyhead • Spot Prawn • Swordfish

Source: CAFF and area farmers’ market operators

Reshape the dough pieces into tight balls. Line two medium bowls with a linen napkin and dust them generously with flour. Put one of the large dough balls in each bowl. Top each large ball with a small dough ball. Loosely cover each bowl with plastic wrap, giving it room to expand, and let the dough rise in a warm place in the kitchen until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and put a baking stone on it. Place a cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it 2 inches deep with water (to increase the level of moisture inside the oven). Preheat the oven to 450°.

Gently turn one of the pumpkin breads into your hands. Put the bread on a floured pizza peel (a flat wooden or metal shovel with a long handle) with the stem side up. With a razor blade or a sharp paring knife, make 1/4-inch-deep cuts into the bread, from the stem to the bottom, to create the ribs of the pumpkin. Immediately slide the bread directly onto the baking stone. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.

While the first pumpkin bread is baking, place the second one in a cooler spot to prevent it from over-proofing.

The bread is done when a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 200°. Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Repeat the process for baking the second pumpkin.

IN THE FIELDS FARM WORKERS

A photo essay

Photographs by Jim Kasson

A big part of Edible Monterey Bay’s mission is to tell the stories of the people who grow and harvest our region’s food.

Elsewhere in this issue we’ve interviewed several farmers, including a vintner, a couple of abalone producers and three vegetable growers who got their start through the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), which helps former farm workers and other low income people acquire and run their own farms. One farmer, Jamie Collins, wrote about salt foraging.

Here, the magazine pays tribute to the thousands of farm workers in our area, which is believed to host the largest concentration of such workers in the country. Farm workers labor without the same legal protections as other workers, often under arduous conditions and frequently with exposure to toxic pesticides. Farm workers with no legal status in the U.S. lead an especially precarious existence.

The photographs in this essay were created by Carmel Valley artist Jim Kasson as part of his series “This Green Growing Land.” Aiming to create archetypal images that represent all farm workers, he used stylization and abstraction in the images. Kasson achieved this effect by taking the photos from a moving car and using panning to focus on some aspects of the scenes he portrays, and blur others. He then printed the photographs in muted pastels.

Edible Monterey Bay is very grateful to have the opportunity to publish some of the images in this series, which can be found in its entirety at www.kasson.com.

—Sarah Wood

Opposite, from top to bottom: Picking Strawberries, Davis Rd., Salinas; Burning Debris, Old Stage Rd., Salinas; Boxing Lettuce, Harris Rd., near Spreckles. Overleaf, top to bottom: Discing in Gypsum, Castroville Rd., west of Salinas; Irrigation Worker, Castroville Rd., west of Salinas; Worker and Sunflowers, Molera Rd., near Castroville.

A NEW TAKE ON THE FISHMONGER

Monterey

Bay’s first CSF, a CSA for fish-lovers, will help sustain local fishermen

By Pete Rerig Photographs by Richard Green

Kathy Fosmark knows fishing. There are five generations of the life in her blood, and few people are in a better position to understand the nuances of the trade in Monterey.

“Thirty years ago, most of the fish and crab my family caught were sold to the local community, often right off the boat,” says Fosmark. “Now nearly all our crab goes to China and our albacore goes to Spain. The relationship between fishermen and consumers has changed so drastically, and it’s harder and harder to make a living from the sea.”

Taxes, fuel, safety inspections, crew salaries, insurance premiums—it’s little wonder why the local fleet has diminished in recent years. “We have so many forces challenging us now—stock quotas and permit acquisitions take a huge bite out of our profits and hamper our access to the ocean—and the result is young people don’t want to get involved in the business,” adds Fosmark, who also chairs the nonprofit Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries. “What we need is more desire from the public for fresh catches from local waters. We need to reconnect people with the seafood they eat.”

With a continually evolving set of rules and regulations governing what can and cannot be caught, for the past 15 years the friction between fishermen and conservationists has become highly contentious. “The layers of precautionary management have led to a lot of uncertainty about the future,” says Steve Scheiblauer, Harbor Master for Monterey. “Unfortunately, fishermen here are undervalued, and they don’t have a strong enough connection to their consumer base. Throw in rising gas prices and a dwindling availability of fish, and the situation becomes even more bleak.”

Now, there’s help on the horizon—a community-supported fishery, or CSF, modeled on the widely popular farm-produce subscription programs known as community-supported agriculture (CSA).

Enter Alan Lovewell and Oren Frey, both of whom are Sea Grant fellows and graduates of Monterey Institute of International Studies. “Alan was the first one to notice the real lack of CSFs on the West Coast,” says Frey. “There are organizations from Maine to Florida that

Oren Frey at Monterey’s harbor

have been operating for decades, and yet in California there are only three—one in Half Moon Bay, currently available only to Google employees, and others in San Luis Obispo and San Francisco. So the time is ripe to get a CSF up and running on the Monterey Peninsula.”

The premise behind a CSF is simple: Customers buy a share or membership in the program, and each week they receive a box of fresh-off-the-boat seafood. And because the week’s catch is dictated by what’s in season and can be caught in a responsible, sustainable way, each week will bear surprises.

“We’ll work with a buyer/processor, who’ll act as a middleman between the CSF and the fishermen. They’ll control quality and negotiate prices, making sure everyone involved is getting the best deal available.”

It’s possible, Frey adds, that a share won’t be available to customers each week, which adds to the educational aspect of the program. “The lion’s share of seafood consumed in the U.S. travels

thousands of miles to get here. But when weekly boxes contain only what’s available locally at any given time, people will understand the quality of what they’re getting, as well as the importance of responsible fishing and consumption.”

As much as this will be a boon to the local food community, it will help the fishermen who participate even more. “By guaranteeing them a higher price for their catch, they can avoid the market fluctuations that plague the industry,” says Frey. “The fishermen will have a more stable consumer base, and they’ll be able to expand their business and reach a larger market.”

And there are myriad other benefits, like bringing consumers and fishermen together in a decidedly non-antagonistic way. “We want the CSF to connect people in the community. Customers can put a face to the fishermen who provide their catch. We can make them aware of conservation issues, and hopefully end the polarization be-

“We want the CSF to connect people in the community. Customers can put a face to the fishermen who provide their catch. We can make them aware of conservation issues, and hopefully end the polarization between those who make their living from the ocean and those activists trying desperately to protect the environment.”

tween those who make their living from the ocean and those activists trying desperately to protect the environment.”

One person on the front lines of the issue is Jim Anderson, who runs the CSF arm of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen’s Association, started with the help of Google, Inc., and currently available only to the company’s employees. “We’re still a relatively small outfit, with just a handful of boats,” says Anderson. “But the response and support from Google has been extraordinary. We’ve been up and running for only a month, and the fishing hasn’t been great, but everyone involved sees good things coming in the near future.”

Lesley Milton, who belonged to a CSF in Seattle before she moved to the Monterey Bay area, is eager for Local Catch Monterey to get up and running. “Getting my weekly shipment was always a highlight of my week,” she says. “I knew that what I was eating was incredibly fresh and was helping local fishermen. It was just one small way that I could make a big impact on the environment as well as the local economy.”

Local Catch Monterey is still in the planning and organizational stage, but the general plan is to offer shares on a seasonal basis, with customers paying fishermen up front for three months’ worth of fish. As EMB went to press, Frey and Lovewell were leaning towards offering a choice of full or half shares. The weekly cost of a full share would average about $32 for three pounds of fish and the weekly cost of a half share would be about $16 for 1 1/2 pounds of fish. The species will vary with the season.

One downside of the model is that because the shares must be purchased up front, the program won’t be able to cater to sponta-

neous cravings or specialized shopping lists for that special fish you want for that specific number of people you’re having on the particular date you’re having a dinner party.

But the upside of the limited flexibility of the model is that it is sure to leave plenty of business for more traditional fish purveyors in the area.

Frey and Lovewell hope to begin selling shares by early 2012. “We want to create the framework, and then let the CSF grow organically. Our major goal is to build relationships in the community— we want to show that fishermen and conservationists don’t need to work against each other, that with practical collaboration everyone can come out a winner.”

And for Fosmark’s family and other fishermen plying the waters of Monterey Bay and beyond, that’s the best news possible. “If the public really wants the types of products the CSF provides, the boats will come back and the industry will grow,” she says. “There’s real value in programs such as Local Catch Monterey—we just need to rebuild the community connections that have been lost.”

How can you help? If you’re interested in becoming a customer, signing up on Local Catch’s waiting list will help the organization gauge interest. To sign up and learn more, go to www.localcatchmonterey.com

Saving School Food

By Deborah Luhrman

Photographs by Deborah Luhrman and Richard Green

Photo by Richard Green

Not long after signing on to manage food services for Santa Cruz City Schools, chef Jamie Smith was moving out an old piece of kitchen equipment when he spotted a greasy, smiley-faced disc of processed potatoes on the floor.

“That potato product thing had been there for six months at least,” he said. “It had been through heat and cold, wet and dry, yet it showed no visible signs of decay. Mold wouldn’t even grow on that scary thing, but still it was counted as a vegetable by the USDA!”

This fall, a vortex of factors is combining to ban those kinds of frankenfoods from the cafeteria and make school food part of the lesson plan for teaching kids how to become healthy eaters.

At the center of the vortex are British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution TV show, as well as Jan Poppendieck’s groundbreaking book Free for All: Fixing School Food in America, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity. But equally influential is our own Central Coast Farm to School program, which is now part of the Healthy Kids Act signed by President Obama last December.

Perhaps it is not surprising then that school food, once the turf of lunch ladies in hairnets, is now attracting rock-star chefs like Smith— who got his start at New York’s famed Union Square Café and once owned Santa Cruz’s popular Sestri restaurant. In Monterey County, chef Dory Ford—formerly of the Ventana Inn and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and now chef at Point Pinos Grill in Pacific Grove—prepares school lunches, as does Earthbound Farm Executive Chef Sarah LaCasse.

They are joined by dozens of tireless food service directors, school board trustees and PTA members throughout the Monterey Bay area who are working in fits and starts to health-up and transform the food kids eat at school.

“My goal is to make people understand that nutrition is as important as education,” said Kimberly Clark, head of Student Nutrition for San Lorenzo Valley schools. “You can have a wonderful teacher who imparts wonderful knowledge, but if the student is not well-nourished and not able to absorb that information, then it is all pointless.”

Starting from scratch

So with slight variations and different degrees of transformation, depending on the school, it’s out with the potato smileys, French fries, ice cream, sodas and flavored milks. Banned are all desserts, corn dogs, chicken nuggets and even burgers—because Chef Smith thinks USDA school beef is “gross” and too frequently subject to health recalls.

What’s in is a back-to-basics, balanced meal made “from scratch” using local produce as much as possible.

“We used to have Sponge Bob milkshakes and sherbet, but now the school food tastes better and we get healthy things like teriyaki rice bowls and fruit,” says 11-year-old Gabby White, who goes to Branciforte Middle School in Santa Cruz and likes the changes.

Cooking school food “from scratch” is one way to eliminate potentially harmful preservatives, dyes and binders that pre-packaged foods may contain. But it goes beyond health benefits.

“Pre-packaged food leads us to have no attachment to where the food came from, to who made it or who’s serving it, so we are empowering our local workforce by using fresh, local foods and reducing our carbon footprint too,” said Smith—who was one of two Califor-

Gardens as classrooms

Spread out on 10 acres alongside Carmel Middle School is a paradise of flowers, fruit trees and lush organic vegetable gardens called the Hilton Bialek Habitat. Begun in 1995 as an outdoor science classroom and named for a beloved member of the board of the Carmel Unified School District, it has blossomed into a multi-purpose oasis where students learn everything from gardening to ancient history and ecoliteracy.

On a recent sunny morning, garden director Tanja Roos was teaching a group of students about the kinds of plants grown in Roman times and foods the gladiators might have eaten, like the dates topped with goat cheese and honey that she handed out for the kids to sample.

“When they study Mesopotamia, we dig irrigation channels and plant fava beans,” she said. “And when they study ancient Egypt we make papyrus. It makes history come alive!”

Next period, the sixth-grade ecoliteracy class straggled in. Ecoliteracy is a required daily six-week class designed to teach kids “where we are in 2011 on planet earth.” They learn how sustainability is reflected in everyday lifestyle choices like food, clothing, shelter, energy use and transportation.

And they learn the FLOSS principle. No, it is not a way to get bits of celery out of the teeth, but simple guidelines for making healthy food choices. FLOSS, as any sixth grader could tell you, is an acronym for Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Sustainable.

New this fall is a $1.1 million LEED-certified cooking classroom in the garden. It is the first “green” public school building in Monterey County and was built entirely with recycled or renewable materials. It features alternative energy sources, rainwater catchment for irrigation and a living roof planted with wildflowers and native grasses. The living roof is a good insulator, helping keep the classroom warm in the winter and cool on hot days. It also provides a habitat for the beneficial bees and other pollinators needed to keep the garden growing.

Tanja Roos teaching ecoliteracy at Carmel Middle School. Opposite: Jamie Smith, food services director for Santa Cruz City Schools.

Photo by Deborah Luhrman

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Courtesy of Myra Goodman and Sarah LaCasse, Earthbound Farm serves 6-8

Filling

1 pound chicken, boneless breast or thigh

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cups peeled, diced potatoes (1 large or 2 small)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas

1/2 cup chicken stock

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dry thyme

Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion, carrot, celery and potatoes over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add garlic and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Add chicken, corn, peas and stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are soft. While the chicken and vegetables cook, in a separate pan melt butter and then add flour. Whisk to combine and then add milk, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Add the white sauce to chicken-vegetable mixture and stir well to combine. Remove from heat and pour into an 8x8” pan.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Biscuit Topping:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir together well. Cut in butter using two knives or low speed hand mixer. When the butter is incorporated into dry ingredients, add milk and stir until dough is just combined. Drop by tablespoons on top of pot pie mixture and bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.

Please go to the EMB website to find two more recipes shared by Goodman and LaCasse: Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese, and Turkey Meatballs with Linguini.

nia school chefs invited to Washington, D.C., this summer to take part in the USDA’s Produce University, designed to get more fruits and vegetables into the nation’s cafeterias.

Stealth health School lunches that lucky kids are enjoying this fall include things like pasta Bolognese made with ground turkey, pork chile verde, roast turkey sandwiches on whole-wheat buns, fish tacos, roasted yams, salad bars, veggie burgers and everybody’s favorite—pizza!

Yes, pizza can be a healthy option. When made with a wholewheat crust, it becomes an edible plate for any combination of fresh toppings and kids almost always like it.

“The most important thing to consider is: Will kids eat it?” said Ford, of Point Pinos Grill. His catering company, Aqua Terra Culinary, provides school meals for Stevenson School in Carmel, Chartwell School in Seaside, and is in talks to expand into Pacific Grove schools. Ford blends fresh vegetables into his pizza sauce, makes a whole-wheat crust from scratch and uses low-fat, low-sodium mozzarella—so it’s healthy but the kids don’t notice.

His mac and cheese with turkey sausage is another favorite and all meals are served with fresh fruits and vegetables. He says kids often try foods like tomatoes at school that they refuse to eat at home, because they see friends eating them.

“It’s not a hard sell. I’m not the food police and I don’t do school lunches because it is the foundation of our business, but as a way to give back to the community, to make sure kids are eating well and learning to appreciate healthy foods,” he added.

Organic and local

Watching kids turn into adventurous eaters is one of the most rewarding parts of the job for Myra Goodman, cofounder of Earthbound Farm, whose Carmel Valley–based Farm Stand serves up 100% organic lunches to students at nearby All Saints Day School.

Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound Farm and Sarah LaCasse, Earthbound’s executive chef.

Photograph courtesy of Earthbound Farm

“What’s exciting is that there are now lots of foods in the cafeteria that kids never really embraced before, like beets in the salad bar or roasted yams and soups that the kids are really liking. So there’s kind of a positive peer pressure to try new things and be an adventurous eater,” she said.

While Goodman hadn’t originally planned to be a school lunch provider, she was convinced by her sister—who has a daughter at the school—and by Earthbound Executive Chef LaCasse. In addition to helping develop healthful young eaters, she sees it as a way of keeping kitchen staff fully employed year-round, even during the slow winter season.

Each day vegetarian and nonvegetarian meals are offered, the most popular being linguini with turkey meatballs, quesadillas and chicken potpies. (See recipe box opposite and EMB website.) For breakfast, they serve a healthy bar made with carrots and sweetened with applesauce.

Earthbound’s Farm Stand also hosts field trips for local schools with the goal of waking up the taste buds of young eaters. “We want to create those childhood memories of that sweet melon, that juicy peach and that sweet pea and fresh carrot,” said Goodman. “When kids taste delicious produce that is truly fresh at its peak of flavor— which is often seasonal and local and organic—then they are going to realize that they love fruits and vegetables.”

Farm to School

While not all schools are so fortunate as to be neighbors with Earthbound Farm, there’s a good chance that wholesome produce is growing within a few miles of every school in the Monterey Bay area.

“We’re blessed with all these fruits and vegetables that we can get locally,” said Irene Vargas, director of food services for the Alisal Union School District in Salinas—a large district that provides nearly 19,000 free breakfasts, lunches and snacks to children every day with funding from the USDA.

Because it is a poverty district, Alisal has been able to pioneer many government programs designed to get more fresh produce into the schools. In the early 1990s it was one of the first districts in the country to install salad bars and, starting in 2003, won a USDA grant to implement the “eat five a day” campaign promoting fruits and vegetables.

You might think that kids in the Salinas Valley are born with a love for fresh produce, but it is not so. “Even kids whose parents are farm workers sometimes don’t eat fresh produce at home,” said Vargas. “Often farm worker parents are very aware of all the pesticides used in the fields and don’t want their children exposed to them.”

The Farm to School program, run by CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers) in our area, was designed to tackle those problems. Started in Watsonville, it has now expanded to 350 classrooms throughout California, including school districts in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties—where almost all third-grade classes participate. Since receiving funding from the Healthy Kids Act last year, requests for assistance from more districts are flooding in.

Farm to School has a two-pronged approach: It offers technical assistance on getting local produce into cafeterias, while at the same time working to get kids excited about eating more fruits and vegetables, and where their food comes from.

Food What?!

Sitting at a picnic table under a big, shady walnut tree up at the UC Santa Cruz farm, students from area high schools were getting a lesson in how to write a resume. Under the category of experience, they were instructed to write “Successfully completed youth empowerment internship”—strong words aimed directly at potential employers.

Empowering young people through growing and cooking their own food is the goal of the 5-year-old Food What?! program headed by teacher Doron Comerchero. Each spring and fall, 52 teenagers are selected to take part in the 12-week internship, which is a youth arm of Life Lab, the Santa Cruz–based science and environmental educational organization. The students plant and tend to organic vegetable gardens and learn to cook healthy lunches with the produce, including dishes like quesadillas stuffed with kale, broccoli and red peppers, spanakopita, pasta with homemade pesto, whole-wheat pizza topped with green vegetables, and even vegetable sushi.

They also participate in practical skills workshops in communications, public speaking, resume writing and financial literacy. On completion of the internship they are paid $175, which according to Comerchero is an important motivational factor.

“My mom works late and I got tired of eating Ramen noodles for dinner,” said 16-year-old Tyler Espinosa. “So I joined Food What?! to learn how to cook, but I found out that I really like plants and now I’ve got a job at ProBuild nursery.” Other teens said their weekly Food What?! internship lunch was the only time they ate vegetables at all.

During the summer months, the best interns are hired to run the farm and sell their fresh, organic harvest to needy families at heavily discounted prices—all with the goal of youth empowerment and getting more healthy foods onto the tables of more Santa Cruz families.

The Santa Cruz District, for example, has some direct contracts with apple growers Gene Silva and Gizdich Farms in Watsonville. It also buys through ALBA (Agriculture and Land Based Training Association), which operates a type of cooperative so that organic produce from small local farmers such as Happy Boy Farms and Swanton Berry Farm can be purchased by large institutions like the school district.

But Farm to School is probably best known for its efforts in the classroom. The Know Your Farmer program brings farmers into the school and organizes class field trips to local farms, while Harvest of the Month provides each classroom with a box of fresh produce and a lesson plan to help teachers introduce each food to the students. Thirty-two different products are rotated through the Harvest of the Month program—from rutabagas to kiwis.

Exposing children to fresh fruits and vegetables and letting them pick them at a farm or, better yet, grow produce themselves, is one of the best ways to teach healthy eating. That is why school gardens are sprouting up throughout the area, along with garden-based programs for teaching about ecology. (See sidebars.)

New rules

The new USDA guidelines for school food being implemented this fall are part of the Healthy Kids Act signed by President Obama last December. They bring menus more in line with government dietary recommendations. They also reflect the switch from the old carbheavy food pyramid approach to the new plate symbol—which shows that half of a meal should be made up of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The new standards provide districts with an additional six cents per subsidized lunch to accomplish the following:

•Limit the amount of starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn and peas to one cup a week.

•Increase the amount and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

•Increase the use of whole grains.

•Require unflavored milk to be 1% fat and flavored milk to be fat-free.

•Limit salt and trans fats.

Some lawmakers in Washington—backed by the potato, processed food and dairy lobbies—have blasted the new guidelines as another example of big government meddling in the personal lives of its citizens. They are also trying to slash USDA funding for the upcoming year, which could put some programs in jeopardy. But administration officials say the national epidemic of childhood obesity makes healthy improvements absolutely necessary.

Salinas Valley produce growers have a lot to gain from the new guidelines and are squaring off for an ag battle. Led by Central Coast Congressman Sam Farr, they invited the USDA’s top nutrition official to visit our area on August 30. As EMB went to press in August, Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, was scheduled to tour local fields, a packing plant and a school cafeteria to see the new guidelines in action from field to fork. He was also set to take part in a round table where local growers and school lunch providers offered their advice on how to push back against critics in Washington.

Food What?! interns tend their crops on the UC Santa Cruz farm

Photo by Deborah Luhrman

Fighting fast food

Parents have generally reacted favorably to these improvements in school food, but it is still hard to gain acceptance from kids. They are accustomed to fast food and when given the chance will go off campus to buy it instead of eating in the cafeteria. In Salinas, for example, vendors surround the schools before and after class, selling Cheetos, Red Bull and ice cream. In Santa Cruz, fast food restaurants or convenience stores are often walking distance from campus and earn up to 40% of their revenues from students.

Last year on average only about 150 students out of 1,000 ate in the cafeterias at Santa Cruz high schools. The others went off campus. Short of closing the campus cafeterias, the district is embarking on a marketing campaign with a name change, hoping to make cafeterias fun and school food “cool.” Cafeterias are being re-named the Surf City Café and taste tests will be conducted to introduce kids to the upgraded food.

While it is hard to innovate in a time of school budget cuts, the district will also experiment with offering free, healthy breakfasts in the classroom for every student at Gault Elementary School—something other schools like those in the Pajaro Valley have been trying for some time.

“The kitchen is competing with the classroom for budget dollars, but we’re going to persevere,” said Santa Cruz School Board President Cynthia Hawthorne, who has been the driving force behind the transformation in the city’s school cafeteria food.

“Serving breakfast is the most effective way to make sure every child, including those who may not have had much supper the night before at home, is prepared for academic success,” she added.

To help educate parents and the community at large, Santa Cruz is joining together with districts throughout the area to sponsor the School Food Festival on Saturday, October 8, from 9am to noon at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College to showcase what they have achieved.

As Hawthorne, whose youngest daughter just graduated from Santa Cruz High, put it: “We have a moral obligation to do this for our children. Children have a right to healthy food and when communities are falling short we need to come together to make sure the rights of children are respected.”

Watermelon is a hit at Santa Cruz’s Branciforte Middle School

Photo by Richard Green

ON THE FARM A FARM OF THEIR OWN

ALBA incubator brings pride and produce to the community

By Renee Brincks Photograph by Richard Green

ness plans, prepare soil, set up irrigation systems, control pests and market her crops.

Despite its challenges, she finds her new career fulfilling.

“It gives me something that is mine,” Bravo said. “I grew these things. I feel really proud.”

ALBA first helped aspiring farmers 10 years ago, though its roots reach back another three decades. The organization’s predecessors launched local programs supporting agricultural workers and beginning farmers in the 1970s. Today, ALBA’s major efforts include offering courses for growers-to-be, matching select graduates with ground and managing a produce distribution outlet called ALBA Organics. Longtime executive director Brett Melone left ALBA this summer, but organization representatives say the mission remains the same: Advance economic viability, social equity and ecological land management among limited-resource and aspiring farmers.

Interested individuals start by applying and interviewing for spots in ALBA’s farmer education program. Many participants are Latino, and about one-third are women. Nearly three-quarters of the students are current or former farm workers.

“We seek low-income people with agricultural experience and entrepreneurial drive,” said Gary Peterson, ALBA’s communications and development director. “We’re able to enroll about 30 adult learners each year, typically ranging from 18 to 50 years of age.”

ALBA staff members and industry experts lead classes and field experiences, sharing the practical information students need to seek employment or build their own farming operations. Graduates are invited to create a business plan and compete for a spot in the ALBA incubator. Approximately eight participants are accepted annually; each leases a half-acre parcel for a fraction of the regular market rate and pays a per-use fee for shared machinery and irrigation equipment. Thriving farmers can rent additional acres for up to seven years, topping out at around 10 acres at ALBA’s full commercial rates. At that point, program administrators help growers find their own land in the region.

The goal is to provide a low-risk environment that prepares students for long-term success, explained Peterson.

“That lease rate increases each year if people continue in the farm incubator program,” he said. “Beginning farmers get a fairly real sense of the resources and routines and commitment it takes to run a successful small farm business.”

The first time Maria Olga Bravo watched growers tending land leased from the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), she was ready to sign up!

“I fell in love,” said Bravo, who grew up picking strawberries with her father. “It was the family atmosphere...small farmers had their acre or two, and they had their wife or their husband or their uncle there, and they were all picking the produce.”

Five years after that initial visit, the 52-year-old mother of four grows vegetables south of Watsonville at ALBA’s 195-acre Triple M Ranch. She earned the chance to sow there after completing a sixmonth, 150-hour curriculum and qualifying for ALBA’s small farm incubator. Bravo, who worked a desk job for 20 years before a company shutdown left her unemployed, now knows how to write busi-

“To be successful in this type of work, you have to be there every single day and be able to work hard,” said 21-year-old Octavio Garcia, who farms nearly four acres at ALBA’s Salinas property. He believes he would not be farming without the support of ALBA’s instructors and field managers.

“They really help us. They try to give us as much information as they can. They are patient with us.” Garcia said. “It’s really hard to become a farmer outside of ALBA because everything is really expensive, and ALBA makes it cheaper and easier for us.”

“It typically takes three to four years before someone leaves their day job to be a full-time farmer,” Peterson said. “Five years after leaving our farm incubator, 80% of those farmers are still in business elsewhere.”

Maria Bravo beams while standing in her field.

ALBA statistics show that incubator participants net an average $10,000 of income during their first three years, $33,000 in years four through six and $50,000 or more once they reach commercial farming status.

“That’s a trajectory that is obviously the very basis of our program: to help create wealth in low-income communities in our region by leveraging vocational skills and entrepreneurial drive with education and access to resources,” Peterson said.

The nonprofit also promotes greater access to healthy food. The ALBA Organics line sells produce harvested by program participants to Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Dominican Hospital and other outlets.

Because the graduates supplying produce to ALBA Organics must maintain the organic certification they earned while working on ALBA’s land, they help shape the region’s growing organic agriculture industry. At the same time, by providing technical assistance to community organizations, ALBA has helped triple the number of farmers’ markets in Monterey County in just six years. Its growers also establish community-supported agriculture (CSA) services and set up farm stands at local churches and schools.

Marsha Sayuri Habib, who graduated from ALBA’s farmer education program in July, sells vegetables at Santa Clara University and started a CSA that is part of an Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley diabetes prevention program. She also operates a farm stand in a low-income San Jose neighborhood where nutritious food isn’t widely available.

The 28-year-old UC Berkeley graduate was already farming near Hollister when she enrolled in classes through ALBA. Her ultimate goal is to make both culinary and cultural connections, introducing beginning farmers to urban organizations that want to make affordable fruits and vegetables available to underserved populations.

“It’s hard to market organic products in a low-income neighborhood where people don’t have a lot of extra money. Organics have a reputation of being for [wealthy people], and that’s certainly the case if a farmers’ market is marketing to that population,” Sayuri Habib said. “But I think the crop of ALBA farmers coming out, sometimes they’ll want to have some markets that are higher paying...but a lot of them also want to feed their people and not be charging exorbitant amounts.”

A recent ALBA survey found that the organization’s farmers do, in fact, measure success by more than just income. Like Sayuri Habib, they value the ability to give back.

“It speaks to what the farmers have in mind for themselves,” Peterson said. “They want not only to build a future for their families, but also to feel like they’re investing in themselves and in the community.”

For information on ALBA programs, or to support the organization, visit www.albafarmers.org or call 831.758.1469.

ROADSIDE DIARIES A NIGHT AT THE CACHAGUA GENERAL STORE

An Upper Carmel Valley Adventure

by Cameron Cox Photographs by Jorge Novoa

In case you have ever wondered, here is how to open a Champagne bottle with a saber:

1. Remove the foil and wire basket.

2. Score the glass just below the rim with a knife or glass cutter; this will be your target point.

3. Grip the punt—that’s the concave bottom portion of the bottle—with your nondominant hand. Gripping the bottle with a rag or towel will give added traction.

4. Tilt the cork end of the bottle away from you.

5. With your dominant hand, take a Hungarian saber and place it flat against the side of the base of the bottle, cutting edge pointed toward the cork.

6. All in one swift, fluid motion, slide the blade towards the cork, slicing off the top of the bottle at the target point.

7. Retrieve severed glass and cork.

8. Pour Champagne. Drink. Repeat.

Please don’t attempt this at home. It is as dangerous as it sounds. But do take note; it could come in handy should you find yourself chatting away over dinner with Chef Michael Jones, because he just might insist that you do it. (Careful with that last step.)

Jones can be found deep in the hills of Cachagua (that’s KuhSHAH-wa), a region of Upper Carmel Valley some 25 miles east of the Carmel coast and a world away, at his Cachagua General Store. On most days the unassuming store front serves as grocer for the community of off-the-gridders, winery employees and other working people who live nearby, and a base for Jones’s high-end organic catering company, A Moveable Feast, which he began in 1976. On Sundays, Jones morphs the place into a casual brunch spot; on Monday nights,

Clockwise from top left: Diners; the General Store; Michael Jones; Jones’s eldest son Brendan; roasted baby beet salad with coconut chevre and balsamic reduction; beef bone marrow bruschetti with shiitake, butter capers and parsley; the author with Jones and La Guigole; (center): soccer between seatings.

he and his staff escape the routines of catering to let their creativity rip, staging a fine dining event the likes of which you probably won’t experience anywhere else.

A quick Google search for Cachagua General Store will most likely take you to a smattering of very polarized Yelp reviews that vigorously rant or rave about the restaurant’s food, service and rustic atmosphere. You’ll also find the Cachagua General Store blog site, which serves as sounding board, soapbox and endless archive for Jones’s own heated rants and raves about, well, anything. Local and global politics, town gossip, personal histories, food-borne illnesses and pathogens are just a few of the topics you’ll find there. It’s enough to send you to Cachagua based on intrigue alone.

Just finding the Cachagua General Store can feel like a minor triumph in and of itself. The drive from Carmel takes 45 minutes to an hour, the last stretch climbing along a dizzyingly winding road replete with stunning views of oak-studded hills and grassy valleys and a slalom course around road kill and careening locals who really can’t be bothered with you and your cautious pace. So if you set out for a Monday night dinner, take care, buckle up and keep to the

side of the road. And remember: If your goal is to actually make it back home in one piece, it would behoove you to either take it easy on the champers or designate a more responsible friend to drive your dinner party back to safety.

Pulling into the dirt parking lot on a recent evening, our party of three could hear the happy buzz of the 6:30 diners (there are two seatings, the other at 8:00) oozing out of the barn-red building, backed by various critter noises we later learned came from chickens, roosters and peacocks. All else was dead quiet, making this little establishment seem like the only life force around.

We were greeted by Peyton and Pauline Bryan, who had just finished their dinner and stood lingering outside to digest a bit before their walk home. They live at the other end of the road and claim that they quite frankly “don’t need to go any farther” than CGS. They haven’t missed a Monday Night Dinner since they began in 2006.

“It’s our date night,” Pauline explained. “We’ve been coming to the General Store for its different incarnations. It was a pool hall and then a bar before Michael took it over.”

Monterey Bay Marketplace

Joining our conversation was Dylan, Jones’s youngest son, who comes down from Santa Cruz to help out with Monday Night Dinners. It was between seatings and he was taking a break from the kitchen.

“Yeah, the General Store used to be on the side of the dining room because it was bigger, and the bar was on the smaller side where the store is now,” Dylan said, describing the CGS’s evolution since Jones bought it in 2003. Peyton chuckled. “For a while we sat next to a big cooler full of milk and cheese. Some people would come in for groceries while we were eating!”

Dylan smiled and added dryly, “Yeah…Cachagua’s a little different.”

Peyton and Pauline began their walk home and we headed inside. We were already late for our reservations at the bar.

Stepping into the dining quarters of the place felt a bit like entering a pirate ship setting sail through the set of Deliverance. The air was warm and muggy and boozy. Wood paneling crawled up the walls to meet the wood ceiling above; candlelight, chandeliers, flags and bottles filled the room.

Diners were casually laughing and talking—sometimes yelling— across the room at each other over wine barrels, green and white checkered tablecloths and steaming plates of food. A handkerchiefed dog wove his way through the crowd as a stuffed elk head looked out over the whole scene. A few men near the paper curtains, (yes paper, with folds drawn in with a pen) were playing harmonica and banjo and I was convinced Jack Sparrow would come busting through the door at any moment, wielding a shotgun and a lasso.

At the other end of the room lay the bar and behind it the open kitchen, where a handful of young men, most in their 20s, were prepping and plating away with Chef Michael Jones at the helm, his wild silver hair tucked under a black beret. Darting back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, he gave us a nod as we walked in.

The hostess informed us that they’d had a few last-minute cancellations. Later, we’d feel lucky to have come on an unusually slow night, as it allowed time for a lesson in “Champagne sabering” and a chance to hear how Jones started cooking.

“That’s a funny story,” he began. “I was studying electrical engineering at Cornell and my housemates and I lived in a farmhouse outside Ithaca, New York. We had pigs and cows and a garden.” The landlord decided to open an inn in the farmhouse; Jones and his friends were subsequently evicted, but they were still given access to the garden.

One October evening, while harvesting peppers and corn, Jones looked up to see “guys busting out all the doors of the restaurant, running towards their cars, and there’s the chef chasing this guy up the driveway towards the road with a knife and I’m, like, ‘cool!’” He was hooked.

The chef, Etienne Merle, had lost his temper over a server who mispronounced the term “flambé” and, after scaring off his entire staff, came running to Jones and begged him to help. The two of them served 150 dinners. It was opening night.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Jones said of his first shift with Merle, which totaled about 50 hours and was only interrupted for the occasional truffle omelet and bottle of Beaujolais. “It was like

being at the Olympics. It was like Thermopylae. It was just nuts.” Jones continued to work for Merle over the years and to this day they are friends.

Jones graduated from Cornell and took a job in London as a laser research officer for the British government. “I lasted six weeks,” he said, laughing. “The first day they handed me a book and said ‘Take this home and read it’ and I said ‘Oh no, huh-uh, not me. I have reservations at the pub. I’m working 9 to 5.’ I wanted to have a life.”

After leaving London, Jones landed a job at a winery in Burgundy. He later turned his focus to food and spent four years apprenticing in Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Kosovo, Turkey, England and New York. “In France I was getting eight bucks a day. At the end of the stagier [apprenticeship] you can afford to go to dinner there and then have just enough money to get you to the next place.” Upon returning to the United States, he opened a restaurant with some friends in Telluride, Colorado. In the late ‘70s he put down roots in the Monterey Bay area, eventually opening the acclaimed Carmel restaurant Silver Jones, and raising his three sons, who have all been a part of the family food business.

When asked what it’s like to cook with his kin, Jones replied, “It’s all we know.”

Jones’s eldest son, Brendan, started cooking with his father when he was 3 and has trained in various restaurants in Spain, including Michelin two-star-rated Mugaritz, outside San Sebastián. Despite a tough Irish outer layer, Jones is pretty gooey with pride over his son’s accomplishments. “Within one week, Brendan was in the snake pit next to Andoni, the executive chef at Mugaritz,” Jones boasted.

When asked if Brendan was the executive sous-chef of CGS, they both laughed, as if to say, “We don’t do that here.” Jones tried to explain: “You see, in these Michelin restaurants in Spain, they have a

chef, they have a science guy, and then they have a concept guy. Brendan is the concept guy of CGS.”

Brendan contributed to many of the items on the night’s menu, and the influence from Spain was apparent. The dishes were rustic yet refined, with a touch of whimsy: roasted bone marrow bruschetti with shiitake and parsley, beef tartare with tarragon ice cream, roasted baby beet salad with coconut chevre and balsamic reduction. This is not the kind of food you’d expect at a dusty roadhouse in the sticks—but then again, nothing here is what you’d expect.

Remembering ... “Cachaugua’s a little different.”

Indeed. At Cachagua General Store, things are different, and all things seem possible.

At this single location, you can stock up on groceries and propane for the week, stuff yourself with organic eats at the Sunday brunch with the locals, get saved at a church service later that afternoon, attend an ESL class taught by Jones’s 84-year-old mother, grab a beer and a game of “hillbilly bocce” out back, reappear on a Monday night for the most affordable gourmet meal around (the aforementioned roasted bone marrow is just $8.50, for example), all the while surrendering yourself to the very real possibility that at any point during your visit, you might trip on a chicken.

Jones’s advice for first timers: “Bring your sense of humor.”

Though lighthearted about some things, Jones is wildly serious about the topic of food and its origins. His personal stance on the organic vs. “conventional” issue: “Why go out of your way to f--- with the food?! You put garbage in, you get garbage out.”

Those who seek farm-to-table eateries will feel right at home at CGS, as Jones has been a big supporter of local and organic foods since well before a movement mobilized around them.

“On Mondays nights, he and his staff escape the routines of catering to let their creativity rip.”

Some of the produce used at CGS is grown by its neighbors—like Joanie, who has been coming to the Monday Night Dinners for two years. Her favorite part about the dinners is seeing “all the characters that hang out here ... You might have to wait two hours for your meal but you love it because you’re surrounded by people who are so interesting. Across-the-board interesting.”

She had come that night to trade fava beans and eggs for CGS’s pork four ways. Jones readily welcomes the barter system. “I’ve got kids coming in here tonight who grow us 12 different kinds of eggplant, padrone peppers, all this crazy sh--. They eat whenever they want and we don’t charge them.” He then added, with great sarcasm and irony, “but luckily we’re rich and it doesn’t matter. Money is an outmoded concept.”

Joking aside, there is some truth here. Money doesn’t seem to hold near as much weight at CGS as it does in any conventional restaurant. There are more important forms of currency at play. In looking at the prices, it seems almost impossible that the Monday Night Dinners and Sunday brunches could ever pull a profit.

But that was never the point.

The Monday Night Dinners have become a destination for those who seek out adventurous organic food and don’t mind the drive (there are in fact several nearby tasting rooms to break up the trip, see listing on the EMB website), but Jones started serving meals at CGS to give the hardworking locals an opportunity to have a fine-dining experience without breaking the bank.

The Sunday brunch in particular is “something we do for the local knuckleheads,” Jones said. “Say you live here. So it’s Sunday morning and we’re not sure you’ve had a meal that was not from a microwave in the last week, so we serve pastured eggs, Nueske bacon, pancakes with homemade buttermilk, coffee, Odwalla orange juice ... all for $10 if you are a local, $12.50 for town people.” Arguably one of the best deals around.

We’d finished our dessert and Jones returned with a bottle of Champagne, a bar towel and La Guigole, his “Champagne saber.” He ran through the motions with me on how to successfully “saber” the bottle open, I took a swing and “thwack!” the top went flying. While

my cohorts and I scoured the floor for severed glass, Jones walked the foaming Champagne bottle over to the nearest table and poured a round. It was on the house, “since their eyesight was technically in jeopardy,” Jones said. Fair enough.

His delivery is often gruff, salty and unapologetic, but always entertaining. At the core lies a generosity of spirit that extends far beyond the CGS walls.

“He’s a helluva good guy,” said Dave Fox, a Cachagua resident of 26 years and CGS regular. “I tell you what, in the first year I knew him, I seen him do more for more people than I’d seen anyone do in my entire lifetime.”

When Dave’s eyesight was failing and he awaited surgery, Jones helped out. “He was giving me credit at the store and everything till I could get back to working. He made this beef stew with mushrooms...that sh-- was good.”

When word hit the community that Pablo, a Cachagua resident of many years, was ill and dying, Jones repeatedly sent workers from the store to his trailer in the woods with plates of food. In a time when technology has whittled human communication down to texts, tweets and Facebook posts, these neighborly acts feel sadly archaic, wildly refreshing and, on the whole, hopeful.

In a CGS blog post dated January 19, 2011, Jones praised restaurateur Tony Tollner for offering up his Carmel-based Rio Grill to host a fundraiser for Rachael Short, a local photographer who had been critically injured in a car accident: “I always tell people that the word ‘restaurant’ comes from the verb ‘to restore.’ We used to be a solace and shelter back in the day, and an important part of not just commerce, but society and communication. Some places still are.”

Yes, like this one.

Cachagua General Store

18840 Cachagua Rd. • 831.659.1857

For two of Jones’s recipes, Panzanella and Crema Inglese Valrhona, and a listing of Carmel Valley wine tasting rooms to be found along the way to CGS, please see the EMB website.

THE PRESERVATIONIST AUTUMN

By Jordan Champagne

Quince Jelly and Apple Butter

Autumn: It’s my favorite time of the year. We have all had a tasteful journey through cherries, peaches, plums, tomatoes, cucumbers and all the other flavors made manifest under the summer’s sun. We have worked hard to preserve the bounty of this season’s harvest: Strawberry jam, crushed heirloom tomatoes, honeyed cherries, pickles and, of course, apples all help to preserve summer’s energy, captured in a jar to keep us going all winter long. It is time to celebrate! Let the harvest festivals begin!

It is autumn and the old-timers are coming out of the woodwork. Look…they are firing up their 1950s GMC pickups and loading them with half-ton bins of apples. The “built like a workhorse” trucks wind their way down the hills into downtown Watsonville, eventually pulling up to a local landmark: Martinelli’s apple pressing facility. The farmers are in their 80s and remember when Watsonville had a few more apple orchards and a few less roads and the ones that did exist led to Martinelli’s.

In the spirit of those local traditions revolving around apples and food preservation, Happy Girl Kitchen Co. is planning an apple cider pressing party! Come and celebrate autumn and the apple harvest of the region. Community, family and friends are invited to come together and preserve some of the local apple harvest.

The Harvest Pressing Party will be on September 17 from noon to 5pm at our café in Pacific Grove. We will press apple cider, make apple butter and apple sauce and feast on apple cobbler. All will share in the work—and in the loot! Happy Girl Kitchen will have one ton of local organic apples on hand, so tell your friends… Oh, and don’t forget to bring those carboys for the hard cider lovers among us!

Here is a peek at two recipes, Quince Jelly and Apple Butter, that can be wonderful at such fall parties. I have sized them so they can be done at home with one or two friends, if you just cannot make it to the harvest party. Enjoy and happy harvesting!

Quince Jelly

Courtesy of Jordan Champagne of Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

Quince, a cousin to the pear and apple, is a nearly forgotten fruit. Many folks let them fall dejected to the ground, unappreciated because quince are unpalatable when raw. Like biting into an unripe persimmon or banana, the quince is very astringent and chalky. Once cooked, its yellow color melts into a rosy pink and a sweet floral essence is released.

Quince is a wonderful fruit for jelly making because it has such a high content of pectin. I always reduce or completely omit the use of sugar when I adapt recipes with the exception of making jelly: Sugar is what gives jelly its beautiful thick, quivering consistency. I can remember many failed experiments trying to reduce the amount of sugar, and have resolved to simply use less jelly on my toast instead! Quince can also be made into butter, sauces or preserved whole, but I think jelly really illuminates its essence very well.

5 pounds quince 8 pints water 2 cups sugar (I prefer evaporated cane juice) to each 2 1/2 cups of quince juice 12 large rose geranium leaves

Wash quince and chop roughly—including peels and cores.

Place in pot with water and simmer gently for about 50 minutes, or until soft and pulpy.

Strain through a jelly bag or cheesecloth.

Measure the juice and return to cleaned pan. Should have about 10 cups. Heat up juice and add appropriate amount of sugar until completely dissolved.

Bring to a boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached, about 15 minutes. Hot pack into jars.

Yields 10 1/2 pints of jelly.

Happy Girl Kitchen Co.’s café, the site of Happy Girl’s fall harvest party, is located at 173 Central Ave. in Pacific Grove. For more information, go to www.happygirlkitchen.com.

For Champagne’s Apple Butter recipe and her basic canning instructions, please go to the EMB website.

Photo courtesy of Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

EDIBLE HISTORY ABALONE

The local history of a gourmet gastropod

Story and photographs by John Cox

At the turn of the last century, bohemians flocked from north and south to the area around Carmel-by-the-Sea. They came for refuge and for revelry. They painted, sculpted, photographed and wrote. They spent long hours on the white sandy beaches, drinking and singing, and eating abalone.

Sometimes they sang about abalone.

These artists and writers who celebrated our local abalone offer one of the most vivid chapters in the history and lore of Monterey Bay’s beloved gastropod. But the story of the region’s abalone obsession begins much earlier, and as with many a love affair, there were twists and turns along the way.

At Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, which has been something of a touchstone in abalone’s local history, an old trail leads down toward the water at Whaler’s Cove. Along the way, an iridescent stratum of crushed shells in the sea bank offers a glimpse of abalone feasts long past.

This bay has been a refuge and source of sustenance for humans for as long as its history has been recorded. Some 3,000 years ago, the Ohlone were attracted to the area by the abundance of abalone and mussels within the coastal tide pools. Their only competition for collecting the mollusks came from resourceful sea otters that would use rocks to crack open the hard shells.

Ancient shell piles, or middens, indicate that abalone were once a large part of the indigenous diet as well as an early form of currency.

When the first Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaino surveyed the coast in 1602, abalone was likely the last thing on his mind. But his arrival sparked a chain of events during the next 400 years that came close to completely eradicating abalone along California’s Central Coast.

As the Spanish made their way up the coast from Mexico, looking for silver and gold, they dispatched Alaskan natives and Russian trappers to hunt the population of sea otters. Their pelts were highly prized in China and could be traded for mercury, a critical component in the amalgamation process that enabled miners to collect fine particles of gold and silver. In fewer than 20 years, the local otter population dwindled from a peak of 16,000 to less than 100. With the sea otter population decimated, and the Ohlone tribe devastated by the Spanish occupation, the abalone began to reach unprecedented numbers in shallow tidal areas.

After a strenuous two-year voyage on a small sailing junk, five Chinese fishing families arrived at Point Lobos in 1851. As they began to explore the area they were amazed by the number of

(Opposite)The old cabin at Whaler’s Cove at Point Lobos, built in the 1850s by Chinese fishermen. An abalone cannery was once located just down the hill from the cabin.

Abalone Crudo

Courtesy of John Cox, chef at Casanova and La Bicyclette in Carmel.

Serves 4

My favorite way to enjoy the subtle flavor and unique texture of fresh local abalone is to serve it raw. As with all shellfish, knowing the source of the abalone and ensuring its quality is the most important step in the recipe.

4 small live abalone

1 watermelon radish

1 lemon cucumber

1 bunch basil or Opal basil

1 Meyer lemon

8 wild fennel flowers (or fennel pollen)

1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh cracked Tellicherry pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil (preferably a young, tannic variety)

Clean abalone (see www.ediblemontereybay.com for abalone cleaning instructions)

Using a razor sharp knife, slice the abalone lengthwise as thinly as possible.

Slice the radish, cucumber and ½ lemon into thin round slices.

Arrange slices of cucumber, radish, lemon and abalone on 4 individual serving plates and decorate with basil leaves and fennel flowers.

Sprinkle the plates with Maldon sea salt and Tellicherry pepper.

Squeeze the juice from the remaining ½ lemon over each plate.

Drizzle the plates with olive oil and serve immediately.

Alternately: You can mix the ingredients as you would a salad and serve it in the abalone shell.

For John Cox’s instructions for cleaning abalone and his recipe for Abalone with Heirloom Tomatoes and Capers, inspired by Ernest “Pop” Doelter’s classic recipe, go to the EMB website.

How to grow an abalone: patience, water and kelp

There are less than half a dozen commercial abalone farms in California, plus a handful of research institutions studying and raising species at risk of becoming endangered or extinct.

Two farms grow abalone on the Central Coast: one in Davenport (American Abalone) and another on Municipal Wharf Number 2 in Monterey (Monterey Abalone). Both outfits raise Haliotis rufescens, the red variety of abalone.

The farms share similar production methods. Both feed their abalone local kelp and keep them in ocean water. The most significant difference in the two operations is that Monterey Abalone keeps its abalone in large metal baskets suspended directly in the bay below the commercial wharf, whereas American Abalone raises abalone in onshore tanks, which are constantly pumped with fresh sea water. American also has a hatchery for spawning abalone, while Monterey relies on purchasing young abalone to be raised in its open-water pens.

Both farms have been commended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program as ecologically responsible and sustainable operations. Since abalone is an indigenous species and eats local kelp, neither of these farms has an adverse impact on the environment.

Even better, Trevor Fay of Monterey Abalone anticipates that, as the captive red abalone reach sexual maturity, they may release reproductive material that could actually stimulate the sparse wild population.

Each week Monterey Abalone harvests six tons of kelp to feed its 200,000 resident gastropods. This seems like a huge amount, but Monterey Abalone’s entire harvest represents less than .02% of annual kelp growth within the harvesting area.

In Davenport, where the abalone grow in land-based tanks, the facility requires 2,000 gallons of fresh ocean water per minute to be pumped into storage tanks and aerated and distributed to the various tanks used for the different stages of farming. This process requires much more energy than suspending the cages directly in the ocean, but it has the advantage of giving the farmer more control over the environment. In theory, a farmer can better moderate water temperature, cleanliness and even acidity when dealing with a closed system—protecting the abalone from warming trends, for instance, as were seen during the major El Niño events of the 1980s and ’90s, which harmed the local abalone population.

Tom Ebert, of American Abalone, acknowledges the drawbacks of the energy required in this method. “PG&E powers the pumps currently,” he said, “but we are working on getting wind turbines from the state to subsidize energy costs.”

Who are the buyers? Ebert recalls when 95% of his business was in exports to Japan. Now, he says, “People in China want to buy abalone from California. I get calls monthly, but right now we only sell domestic. We have built relationships with good customers over time and can’t take on new wholesalers.”

Even though American Abalone has difficulty keeping up with demand, it still opens its doors to sell abalone to the public each Saturday.

abalone along the coast. They would locate the mollusks in the frigid water and quickly pry them loose before the animals could fully anchor themselves to the rocks for protection. If a harvester was not quick enough, there would be no hope of removing the giant shell. Stories have been told of people who drowned under the incoming tide when their fingers became lodged between the shell and a sharp rock crevice.

Once harvested, the abalone were separated from their shells and processed with a succession of short blanches in scalding salt water, followed by drying and smoking. This delicacy was sent to gold mines in the Sierra Nevadas or shipped by the fishing families to their home in Canton, China. The leftover shells were cleaned and exported to Europe for use as buttons or mother-of-pearl inlays.

Abalone are unique in the fact that they can be shipped fresh for several days by stacking the shells to allow one abalone to feed off the algae and barnacles attached to the top of the shell beneath it. In this way, fresh abalone, along with less-perishable smoked abalone, dried squid and shark fins, were sent to markets in San Francisco.

By 1879, the small Chinese fishing village at Whaler’s Cove had exhausted the abalone population close to shore and had moved outward to more fertile fishing grounds. But 18 years later, Gennosuke Kodani, a young Japanese entrepreneur, brought a team of skilled divers and state-of-the-art equipment from Japan to the old fishing camp to harvest the larger abalone from deeper waters in the bay. A diver would be shoehorned into a cloth and rubber suit, and then ferried out further off from shore.

Once at the gathering area, the diver would put on a heavy glassand-metal helmet and drop overboard. His support team would stay above, pumping a large, two-handled bronze bellows that provided air to the diver below. Though it was an incredibly hazardous operation, it was highly profitable. After just a few years, Kodani convinced landowner Alexander Allan to partner in a successful cannery and export business.

Outside of the Chinese and Japanese immigrant populations, most people on the Central Coast had not yet cultivated a taste for the giant sea snail.

An inquisitive chef named Ernest ‘Pop’ Doelter was one of the first cooks to introduce abalone to western palates, beginning in 1910.

The German native was game to experiment with various ways of serving the exotic mollusk, one of which used lye as a tenderizing agent. Eventually the recipe Doelter was seeking emerged from his childhood: Wiener schnitzel, thinly sliced veal, pounded, breaded, fried and served with lemon. This simple preparation was an instant success, and to this day remains one of the area’s most popular ways to eat abalone. Pop Doelter quickly gained a local following, especially from the artists and writers living in and around Carmel.

In 1915 Doelter showcased his recipe to great reviews at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco. Chefs from up and down the coast quickly integrated abalone into their menus, and by 1957 the statewide abalone catch was well over 5 million pounds. Doelter also attempted to popularize his use of “abalone nectar” as a powerful tonic, and was known to entertain guests on his boat by dancing on the bloated carcasses of harpooned basking sharks. Neither of these practices was as well received as his timeless recipe.

Over the course of the 20th century, California took steps to preserve the abalone population. As early as 1915, the state had completely banned the practice of drying and exporting abalone. As the quantity available continued to diminish, demand steadily increased and abalone prices rose to historic heights.

Today, state law prohibits commercial abalone diving and limits sport divers to keeping just two dozen abalone per year. Sadly, this is unlikely to change any time soon, because, despite a tremendous effort by marine biologists and conservationists, the wild stock does not appear to be recovering. (See sidebar “Losing the Mating Game.”)

This turn of events has naturally inspired mariculture farms to begin experimenting with raising abalone for harvest. Aside from sport divers and their lucky friends, most of the abalone eaten locally comes from sustainable abalone farms like American Abalone of Davenport and Monterey Abalone of Monterey. (See related story, p. 42.)

Not surprisingly, the scarcity of abalone renders it a pricey, exotic commodity. A small, live abalone from one of the local abalone farms costs around $6 or $7 and yields only enough meat for a single appetizer portion.

Preparing abalone today is like working with a living artifact—a rare ingredient with enormous regional and historical significance. Those who have a taste for it—especially people who grew up eating it or diving for it in their youth—are helping to keep the abalone farms busy.

“Over the years, I have talked to a lot of people,” said Tom Ebert, owner of American Abalone of Davenport, “and the older generation remembers when abalone was plentiful. Now people have a real sentimental value, and we fill a niche or void for people in their 60s who used to go diving themselves. I love helping those guys.”

Abalone can be purchased locally through American Abalone at www.americanabalone.net, or through Monterey Abalone at www.montereyabalone.com.

Losing the mating game

To fully understand why efforts to boost wild abalone stocks have not demonstrated more substantial results requires at least a basic understanding of how abalone reproduce. Peter Bridson, aquaculture research manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, explains the process like this: “Abalone are broadcast spawners; they are triggered by temperature changes in the water or benign chemical stimulation.”

Imagine if, in order to reproduce, people had to release thousands or even millions of balloons into the air. Males would release blue balloons, and females would release red balloons. When a red and blue balloon made contact there would be a small chance they would produce a baby. Given this scenario, it would seem highly probable that any densely populated area, such as San Francisco, would promote quick population growth due to the sheer volume of balloons in the air at any given time.

Conversely, in a place such as Big Sur, with a relatively small, secluded population, the growth rate would be much lower. The probability that neighbors would release balloons at the exact right moment, and that the wind would carry those balloons in the proper direction, becomes greatly diminished with a smaller population.

In the case of abalone, the reproductive material can only float a few days before it becomes useless. The decline in overall population density has reached a point where reproduction is extremely slow and, in some localized cases, nonexistent.

“The abalone population may have reached a bottleneck where the smaller genetic pool makes it more difficult for them to adapt to oceanographic conditions,” said Robin Pelc, fisheries research manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “Genetically similar abalone will be less able to adapt to changes in their environment.”

Tom Ebert at an abalone tank. Photo by Richard Green

ON THE VINE

Grahm’s Gamble

A risky quest to make a unique American wine in San Juan Bautista

By Kurt Foeller Photographs by Ted Holladay

Randall Grahm zags when the rest of the wine industry zigs. And his uncanny knack for turning enough of his risky zags into highly visible marketing successes for Bonny Doon Vineyard has made him one of the most well-known—and often controversial—wine professionals in the United States.

Who put screw caps on premium wine bottles when market research said affluent customers wouldn’t buy them? Grahm, in 2000. Who said “I’d rather have a frontal lobotomy than a [James] Laube in front of me?” Grahm, in 2002, when it seemed like many winemakers would forsake their personal winemaking styles for a 90-point Wine Spectator Score. And who built not one but several successful wine brands out of grapes previously unknown to American consumers such as Muscat, Malvasia, Mourvedre and Carignane when most wineries were planting more Chardonnay and Cabernet?

You get the picture. He’s a daring visionary and experimentalist in an industry that tends to avoid risk.

“I’ve done some nutty things in my career and not all ended well. I don’t know how I’ll fare at the sanity trial when that day comes, but it’s been a nice ride,” he said with a distinct seriousness during an interview in the Bonny Doon tasting room recently.

But Grahm, now 58, clearly isn’t afraid of his sanity trial. Nor of failure. If he was, he’d just retire now, instead of pushing forth on the most ambitious endeavor of his 30-year winemaking career: to create from seed a unique vin de terroir, the hallowed French term for a natural wine whose character comes principally from its place of origin, without much human intervention or modern winemaking manipulation.

If you read the standard prose on winery websites and labels, you might think that all wines are vins de terroir. But Grahm sees the opposite as being true. Aside from Ridge Montebello from the Santa Cruz Mountains and a few other exceptions, he views 99.98% of American wines as being to some degree “vins d’effort,” or wines that are marked significantly by human efforts, often including smart sciRandall Grahm at his San Juan Bautista ranch. From left, weeding the new vineyard, seedlings to be planted and a handful of biochar.

ence and vineyard practices that deliver profound consistency and generally pleasing flavors at reasonable prices.

Californian wineries are the masters of vins d’effort, according to Grahm. And this is a good thing: Your next $35 bottle of California wine will probably be technically sound, broadly appealing and rank well on the critics’ 100-point scales. It might be delicious. But for Grahm, the downside of technical perfection and consistency is that it comes at the cost of originality. It’s possible that a Chardonnay made in California

“…if I get this right, a wine will be produced that doesn’t taste anything like anything that ever existed before.”

could taste very similar to one made in Eastern Washington or even Australia.

Today, Grahm would rather make a natural wine such as Coenobium, a quirky white wine made by Trappist nuns in Italy, which “tastes like nothing else you’ve had lately, or perhaps ever,” he said. He realizes that the American market opportunity is small for a wine like Coenobium. But he doesn’t care.

Making It Right

—in San Juan Bautista

Grahm is first to admit that he played a significant role in popularizing vins d’effort over the past 30 years in the United States. All of his previous wines to some extent fall into this category, which is something that gives him great pause when he thinks about his legacy as a winemaker. “I don’t regret making any of these wines. I just wish that I didn’t make them for so long.”

Several years ago, he decided enough was enough. He needed to push his portfolio toward the other side of the winemaking continuum towards vins de terroir: less like his mass-market Cardinal Zin, and more like his DEWN Bien Nacido Syrah. And after a bout with osteomyelitis and the birth of his daughter Amélie, he determined it was time to stop procrastinating on this dream project. So he sold off his Big House and Cardinal Zin brands and rolled that money into the purchase of a 280-acre site in San Juan Bautista.

Why San Juan Bautista? “This region is my power center, and the only one that I really know,” said Grahm, a long-time Santa Cruz resident. “I started my winemaking career driving up and down Highway 156 every day when I was borrowing space at Calera.” And on a more supernatural note, Grahm admits that he first saw the parcel in a dream. When he visited it two months later with a real estate broker, his intuition went crazy, and he did the deal.

A Side Bet on Biochar

Like every plot of land, the San Juan Bautista site has its challenges, which only become greater with the method of farming Grahm intends. The vineyard doesn’t get enough rainfall to support dry farming practices, which produce more terroir-driven wines. So Grahm is plowing into the soil biochar, a form of highly porous charcoal that increases water retention by as much as 30% and promotes beneficial microflora and soil fertility. Its production (by heating biological matter in the absence of oxygen) helps offset global warming by capturing carbon in a stable, sold form; putting it in the ground can sequester the carbon for thousands of years.

Grahm discovered biochar when he learned about an experimental vineyard project conducted by Hans-Peter Schmidt in Switzerland. It showed significant differences between the biochar-enhanced vines and their experimental control group—including greater vine growth, increased nitrogen content in vine leaves and much higher levels of amino acids in grapes. The latter finding is especially exciting to winemakers, as amino acids play an important role in the juice fermentation process and contribute to disease resistance in the plants.

Grahm is likely the first American winemaker to use biochar. He hopes that it will not only inspire more sustainable farming practices

in the industry, but that it will prove to be a strong amplifier of flavor and of life force in wine grapes.

The wine is a long ways off, but this past summer Grahm got his first indication of things to come when his employees began harvesting and cooking the broad array of vegetables and herbs that Bonny Doon has planted on the San Juan Bautista ranch.

“I’m definitely the boy who cried terroir,” Grahm told assembled guests at one of his Cellar Door restaurant’s communal dinners in June, “but so far the produce is off-the-charts, ridiculously intense, minerally intense, it’s just super, super flavorful.”

Jarod Ottley, who as executive chef of the Cellar Door is used to cooking with fresh organic vegetables from area farms, agreed that the combination of organic, biodynamic, dry farming and biochar techniques on the ranch is yielding a more intense flavor than usual. Also, he noted that even the shelf life is enhanced: As an example, he said when some forgotten cherry tomatoes were discovered at the restaurant a week after they’d gone missing, they were still “just beautiful, vibrant and delicious.” And that is also great news for Grahm’s project, as a resistance to oxidation is a characteristic that Grahm is seeking to help his wine develop superior complexity.

Daunting Odds

A far greater challenge than natural irrigation or the use of biochar is Grahm’s plan to create a brand new grape variety itself, said Andy Walker, professor of oenology at UC Davis. “He’s hybridizing a grape variety from seed, which is rarely done in the wine industry, and nobody has made a commercial success of such an endeavor.”

Walker is assisting Grahm with the varietal science aspects of the project. He is a huge advocate of creating unique varietals in the United States (his department brought us the Symphony grape in the 1990s), but said that the wine industry is averse to such practices. In addition, Grahm’s attempt to create a new varietal is inherently more costly and risky. One of the only other winemakers attempting it in California today is Sashi Moorman of Stolpman Vineyards. He recently planted 7,000 seeds and said that they will likely give rise to 8–10 viable plants that end up producing good wine.

The sheer complexity of selecting and producing a viable varietal that grows well in the first place, let alone proves to be well matched to the climate and soil that it is raised in, creates a matrix of mind-boggling possibilities that may very well take a hundred years and tens of millions of dollars or more to find out. But Grahm will rely on the success of approximation and pattern recognition to shorten that process as much as possible. And even if the time span is short, he admits that there will be no way to get a full return on his investment, even if he charged $100 a bottle from the start.

“There’s a good chance I may not know if this is a success or failure before I die. Some scientists and wine critics believe it will never work,” said Grahm. “But if I get this right, a wine will be produced that doesn’t taste anything like anything that ever existed before. And at the same time, it will be haunting and delicious and inspiring.”

Not About Success, But Legacy

More than 150 years ago, famed biologist Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors only the prepared mind.” Daunting as the odds may seem for

The Cellar Door’s next act

The Cellar Door is nothing if not an expression of the inspiration of Bonny Doon Vineyard founder Randall Grahm, so it’s no wonder that as Grahm reinvents his winery, the restaurant is undergoing a transformation, too.

The Cellar Door was founded in 2009, with David Kinch, of the Michelin-starred Manresa consulting and Kinch’s protégé, wunderkind Charlie Parker, in the role of executive chef. Parker left late last year to take over Plum in San Francisco, and the Cellar Door’s new executive chef is Jarod Ottley, who was Parker’s sous-chef and is something of a wunderkind himself.

“Maybe if anything it’s slightly calmer, maybe a little more understated,” Grahm said of the restaurant and its food since Ottley took over, adding that he’s very pleased with Ottley and how the restaurant is evolving.

Indeed, Ottley, who was born and raised in Toronto, can be as understated in demeanor as Grahm can be expansive, but his food is inventive, beautiful and delicious, and there’s no sign that he’s missed a beat in taking over the kitchen.

“The restaurant has its own lifeblood,” Ottley said. “There’s a certain thing we do here. It’s unadulterated, fresh and artistic.”

Ottley graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and before joining the Cellar Door, cooked at other such restaurants as 1300 on Fillmore in San Francisco, George in Toronto, and Santa Cruz’s Pearl Alley Bistro. He spent more than a year as Parker’s sous-chef before taking over Parker’s mantle.

Just 23 years old, Ottley got his first professional cooking gig at 17, and his experience in the kitchen started much earlier, as his father was a chef in Toronto. “I kind of grew up in a lot of kitchens,” Ottley said. “I have vivid memories of being kneehigh and watching my father cook.”

In addition to Ottley’s cooking, these days Grahm is pleased with the Cellar Door’s wine list, to which he is adding what he considers to be vins de terroir from around the world (previously the restaurant only sold Bonny Doon’s own wines). He’s also excited about the organic, biodynamic produce grown at Bonny Doon’s new San Juan Bautista ranch (see related story, p. 44) that the restaurant is now serving and, most of all, Bonny Doon’s Wednesday night communal dinners.

“It’s sort of my little obsession, my little social experiment. I really want people to eat together if it kills them,” Grahm said. “We’re, as a society, so private. As a result, I think there’s a kind of social estrangement.” Grahm is serious about this: He charges an enticing mere $25 for the elaborate prix-fixe, three-course dinner including a glass of wine on Wednesday nights. The night we were there he proudly held forth on the goings-on at the winery and its wine club. Once the amuse-bouche (burrata and deeply vivid and velvety pesto made from basil grown at the Bonny Doon ranch) and the next two courses were served, Ottley explained the history of sunchokes and the many steps (and nice wood-fired oven) it took to create the succulent and delicious entrée of glazed Arctic char with sunchoke and date purées. We left happy, not only from a terrific meal, but from having made new friends with our tablemates. The Cellar Door is located in the winery’s tasting room at 328 Ingalls St., off the Swift Street Courtyard. For more information, go to www.bonnydoonvineyard.com

See EMB website for a recipe from chef Ottley.

Grahm’s vin de terroir project, Walker believes Grahm is uniquely prepared to pull it off. And that’s not only because of his ability to make great wine over three decades, but also because Grahm is instinctively a great marketer.

“Let’s just say that he comes up with the perfect new varietal in a short amount of time. The next hurdle is marketing this new wine in an industry that’s resistant to change.”

So which grape seed did Grahm choose to start with? Vitis berlandieri, a native from the ditches of Texas. He likes its drought tolerance and ability to root deeper than any other grapevine known on earth, and because he believes its flavor characteristics can be bolstered by grafting onto it other varieties such as Grenache and Sagrantino. By the end of the year, he plans to have a total of 20 to 50 acres planted.

Whether Grahm’s project will succeed remains to be seen. But more important to him is taking the opportunity to try something

— Sarah Wood

completely different and make a significant contribution to the future of the American wine industry.

“Who knows unless it’s tried? You can potentially have 10,000 new varietals. If you have the wit, if you could discern a few that are special … then you could really have something. And beyond wine— disease resistance and a higher life force, these are beautiful things.”

While there are many wine industry professionals skeptical of the methods and near-term prospects of Grahm’s vin de terroir project itself, it seems there are few who aren’t cheering him on. John Locke, wine director of Soif Wine Bar in Santa Cruz, hopes that Grahm can produce a commercially viable wine that would fit on Soif’s terroirdriven wine list someday. But more than that, Locke hopes that the project will succeed to the point where it becomes a significant part of Grahm’s legacy, and results in a potentially huge discovery that could change the wine world as we know it.

Dine Local Guide

Big Sur

The Restaurant at Ventana 831-667-2331 • www.ventanainn.com

A peaceful fireplace setting and rustic wood interior give way to a legendary terrace with some of the most amazing views Big Sur has to offer. Chef Truman Jones’s cuisine uses fresh, seasonal and sustainable ingredients sourced from local farms and foragers and reflects his memories of growing up on a farm and his experience working in some of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants. The restaurant’s menu changes frequently and its wine list is award–winning. The Ventana Bistro is available for private events. Open daily for lunch 11:30am–4:30pm, dinner 6:00–9:00pm.

Boulder Creek

New Leaf Community Market

13159 Highway 9, Boulder Creek • 831.338.7211 • www.newleaf.com

The perfect place to stop for made-to-order sandwiches, trail mix and picnic supplies for hikers on their way up to Big Basin or Castle Rock State Parks. All ingredients are fresh and natural, meats are hormone-free, produce comes from local growers. Open 9am–9pm every day.

Carmel

Carmel Valley Ranch

1 Old Ranch Rd., Carmel • 831.625.9500 • www.carmelvalleyranch.com

A soaring ceiling and picture windows framing coastal oaks bring the outside in at Carmel Valley Ranch. Chef Tim Wood describes his cuisine as “sophisticated rustic.” He takes freshness to lofty heights, sourcing vegetables from the Ranch’s own organic garden and Swank Farms at the height of ripeness—and often enough that he never has to refrigerate it, thus avoiding the flavor-flattening that occurs when the sugar in refrigerated produce turns to starch. The restaurant also features local olive oil and wines and house-made ice cream and honey. Open for breakfast M–F 7am–11:30am, lunch M–F 11:30am–5pm, dinner Su–Th 5–10pm and F–Sa 5–10pm, and brunch Sa–Su 11:30am–3pm.

Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand

7250 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel • 831.625.6219 www.ebfarm.com/OurFarmStand

Organic is essential at Earthbound foods. In addition to fresh organic produce, prepared foods and gourmet groceries, the farm stand has a colorful salad bar and a certified organic kitchen that turns out homemade soups and bakery goods daily. Take out or eat at outdoor tables set in the garden. Open M–Sa 8am–6:30pm, Su 9am–6pm. “(See back cover of this magazine for Earthbound’s special offer of a free small organic ice cream or homemade organic frozen yogurt.)

Grasing’s

Sixth Street & Mission, Carmel • 831.624.6562 • www.grasings.com

In an ivy-covered Carmel house lit by enormous wrought-iron chandeliers, Chef Kurt Grasing serves ultra-fresh coastal cuisine and upscale bar food for sharing. The dinner menu features chop house favorites, local farm-raised abalone and an eclectic variety of California wines at reasonable prices. Open M–Th for lunch 11am–3pm and dinner 5–9pm, F–Su for brunch 10:30am–3pm and dinner 5–10pm.

Mundaka

San Carlos Street between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel 831.624.7400 • www.mundakacarmel.com

A convivial Spanish restaurant and tapas bar hidden away at the back of a Carmel courtyard, Mundaka is named for a coastal town in the Basque country and has a loyal following of locals. A surprisingly authentic kitchen led by chef Brandon Miller produces organic specialties to share like patatas bravas, croquetas, tiny lamb chops and paella. Open for dinner 5:30pm–late every day.

Carmel Valley

Bernardus Lodge

415 W. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley • 831.658.3400 • www.bernardus.com

Chef Cal Stamenov oversees the kitchen for two restaurants at Bernardus Lodge. Elegant Marinus features starched white linens and gleaming crystal in a Tuscan yellow dining room. The menu changes daily and blends top California ingredients with decadent French preparations. Private parties can book dinner in the award-winning wine cellar or at the chef’s table in the kitchen—where Julia Child and dozens of celebrities have dined. Next to the croquet lawn, Wickets is a more casual option with simpler preparations of exquisite local ingredients and produce from the lodge’s own organic garden. Sit next to the fountain on the sunny patio and try a brick-oven pizza topped with wild mushrooms or duck confit. Marinus: Open for dinner W–Su 6–10pm; Wickets Bistro: Open for breakfast 7–11am, lunch 11:30am–3pm and dinner 6–10pm, with light all-day menu from 2–6pm.

Capitola

New Leaf Community Market

1210 41st Ave., Capitola • 831.479.7987 • www.newleaf.com

The New Beet Café at the entrance offers great alternatives to fast food, serving economical daily specials, wraps, pizza and homemade soup and smoothies—with free wi-fi in the dining area. Inside, a full deli has made-to-order sandwiches, healthy takeout salads and entrée items. Open 8am–9pm every day.

Photo by Rob Fisher

Whole Foods Market

1710 41st Ave., Capitola • 831.464.2900 • www.wholefoodsmarket.com

An inviting hot food bar offers Asian, Middle Eastern, Mexican and vegan dishes, as well as several kinds of soups made fresh daily. Stop in for picnic supplies, takeout or eat your meal at the sidewalk tables surrounding the store. Open 8am–9pm every day.

Felton

New Leaf Community Market

6240 Highway 9, Felton • 831.335.7322 • www.newleaf.com

New Leaf offers the best fresh food made and grown here on the Central Coast. Made-to-order sandwiches, salads and hot foods are all-natural. No nitrates, no hormones, antibiotics or artificial ingredients. Open 9am–9pm every day.

Half Moon Bay

New Leaf Community Market

150 San Mateo Rd., Half Moon Bay • 650.726.3110 • www.newleaf.com

Green plate specials offer healthy natural lunches for $5 daily and full dinners for $9.99. Lunches like Diestel turkey wraps and tri-tip sandwiches change daily. Hot dinner specials include classics like meatloaf with mashed potatoes and Smart chicken Parmesan. Open 8am–9pm every day.

Monterey

Monterey Bay Aquarium Café and Restaurant

886 Cannery Row, Monterey • 831.648.4870 www.montereybayaquarium.org

Sweeping views of the Monterey Bay are the focal point of the upscale restaurant inside the Aquarium. Executive Chef Jeff Rogers prepares sustainable seafood approved under the Aquarium’s seafood watch program. Preparations range from New England clam chowder to Thai-style mussels, with child-friendly options as well. Complimentary binoculars offered for viewing sea life in the bay. Open 11am–5pm. A selfservice café is open 10am to 5pm. Aquarium admission required.

Stone Creek Kitchen

465 Canyon del Rey Blvd., Monterey 831.393.1042 • www.stonecreekkitchen.com

A glass-walled kitchen in the middle of a spacious cookware shop turns out imaginative Mediterranean deli treats and sweets to take away or eat under the market umbrellas outside. Petite baguette sandwiches—like grilled chicken, artichoke hearts and Boursin cheese—are little works of art. Don’t miss the pistachio/cherry chocolate bark or the paella Fridays. Open M–F 10am–7pm, Sa 10am–4pm, closed Su except during November and December.

Whole Foods Market

800 Del Monte Center, Monterey • 831.333.1600 • www.wholefoodsmarket.com

This busy market at the Del Monte Center has everything needed for a picnic at the beach. Fresh to-go sandwiches, salads and dinner entrées all made with natural or organic ingredients can be eaten at the café tables outside or taken with you. Open 8am–9pm every day.

The Wild Plum Café, Bistro and Bakery

731 Munras Ave., Monterey • 831.646.3109 • www.thewildplumcafe.com

Tucked away in downtown Monterey, the Wild Plum is a local favorite for its fresh breakfast pastries and takeout entrées, like lasagne, sesame chicken and sustainable seafood. Everything is homemade on the premises and owner Pamela Burns haunts three farmers’ markets each week for the most delicious seasonal, local produce. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Tu–Sa 7:30am–8:30pm, Su–M for breakfast and lunch 7:30am–5:30pm.

50 edible monterey bayfall 2011

Grove Market

Pacific Grove

242 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove • 831.375.9581 • www.grovemarketpg.com

Golf lovers should come by just to see the collection of antique clubs and tournament memorabilia that adorns the walls. Food lovers will enjoy the deli counter with sandwiches, breakfast burritos, sliders with caramelized onion, vegetarian lasagne, and a different homemade entrée each day. Open M–Sa 8am–7pm, Su 9am–6pm.

Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

173 Central Ave., Pacific Grove • 831.373.4475 • www.happygirlkitchen.com

The menu changes daily at Happy Girl’s airy and bright Pacific Grove café, but the food is always delicious, organic and reasonably priced: The sandwich of the day is $5.50 and a bowl of the soup of the day is $4.50. To drink, you’ll find kombucha on tap and Blue Bottle Coffee brewed fresh. Homemade baked goods include a daily scone, cookies and turnovers. When it’s time to go, take home some famed Happy Girl preserves or another local artisan food product from the café’s wide selection. Open daily 8am–3pm.

Santa Cruz

Charlie Hong Kong 1141 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz • 831.426.5664 • www.charliehongkong.com

Charlie Hong Kong has been providing the Santa Cruz community with healthy, fresh, high-quality food since 1998. The restaurant’s fusion of Southeast Asian influences and the central coast’s local organic produce is what has made it a neighborhood favorite. Its slogan is “love your body, eat organic,” and its cuisine is proof that fast food can be good for you. Open daily from 11am-11pm.

Companion Bakeshop 2341 Mission St., Santa Cruz • 831.252.2253 • www.companionbakeshop.com

After five years on the farmers’ market circuit, Companion has opened its own bakery/café. It has a brick oven, where organic sourdough bread is baked throughout the day, and a long communal table for sharing a coffee with your neighbors. Eight kinds of sourdough bread and seasonal pastries are made with local, organic ingredients. Open Tu–F 7am–1pm, Sa–Su 8am–2pm, closed M.

Gabriella Café 910 Cedar St., Santa Cruz • 831.457.1677 • www.gabriellacafe.com

One of the city’s most charming dining spots, Gabriella Café serves a California-Italian menu starring organic produce from local growers and the nearby farmers’ market, as well as humanely raised meat and sustainable seafood. There is a candlelit patio and a cozy dining room that showcases the work of local artists. Open for lunch M–F 11:30am–2pm, dinner every day 5:30–9pm, brunch Sa–Su 11:30am–2pm.

New Leaf Community Market

1134 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz • 831.425.1793 • www.newleaf.com

New Leaf’s headquarters in an old bank building on Pacific Avenue is a worthwhile stop for all foodies. Crowded with gourmet natural foods, it also has a deli with sandwiches, salads and hot entrées. A dining area out front is great for people watching and listening to street musicians. Open 9am–9pm every day.

New Leaf Community Market

1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz • 831.426.1306 • www.newleaf.com

The Westside New Leaf has a large deli counter and coffee bar, with a big selection of sandwiches, salads, bakery items, soups and other hot foods. You can eat at an instore counter or at tables outside. There is a community classroom here for frequent cooking classes. Open 8am–10pm every day.

Penny Ice Creamery

913 Cedar St., Santa Cruz • 831.204.2523 • www.thepennyicecreamery.com

Lines out the front door of its converted Spanish bungalow are evidence of Penny’s popularity. All ice cream, including bases, is made from scratch on the premises using local organic ingredients when possible. Flavors change seasonally, but two favorites are bourbon bacon chocolate and strawberry pink peppercorn. Open Su–W noon–9pm, Th–Sa noon–11pm.

The Picnic Basket

125 Beach St., Santa Cruz • 831.427.9946

Across the street from the main beach, owners of the Penny Ice Creamery have opened an alternative to boardwalk fast food. Sandwiches, organic salads, coffee and beer, all from local food artisans and of course the Penny’s popular ice cream are all on offer to eat in or eat outside with your feet in the sand. Open 7am–midnight every day.

Ristorante Avanti

1711 Mission St., Santa Cruz • 831.427.0135 • www.ristoranteavanti.com

A popular Mediterranean-style neighborhood bistro with a warm wood-paneled dining room. Food is prepared naturally and simply using local organic produce, wholesome oils and real Italian cheeses and meats. Avanti’s reputation is deeply engrained in the sustainable farming practices of the area. Hidden in a strip mall, this is a real gem. Open for lunch M–F 11:30am–2pm, for dinner Su–Th 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–9:30pm.

River Café

415 River St. Suite K, Santa Cruz • 831.420.1280 • www.rivercafesantacruz.com

A popular spot for breakfast and lunch at the Old Sash Mill, the River Café now serves dinner on Thursday and Friday nights. All meals are made with seasonal, local and organic ingredients, prepared with a Mediterranean flair. Homemade granola and quality panini. Dining inside or on their redwood deck. Open M–W 6:30am–6pm, Th—F 6:30am–10pm, Sa 6:30am–6pm, Su brunch 10am–3pm. Come by and visit their new organic produce and flower stall on Tuesdays 11:30-4:00pm.

Verve

816 41st Ave., Santa Cruz • 831.475.7776 • www.vervecoffeeroasters.com

Award-winning baristas and carefully selected coffee beans, hand-roasted on the premises, make Verve a must-stop destination for coffee connoisseurs throughout the Monterey Bay area. A short walk for the surfers at Pleasure Point, the café is bright and modern and always smells great. New locations opening in Seabright and downtown. Free cuppings offered on Fridays. Open M–Th 6am–7:30pm, F–Sa 7am–8:30pm, Su 7am–7:30pm.

Vivas Organic Mexican Food

1201 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz • 831.425.8482 • www.vivasorganic.com

A splashing fountain suggests an old Mexican patio but the food is a modern, organic and delicious take on south-of-the-border classics like tacos, tostadas, quesadillas and burritos. All meats and vegetables are organic. Local juices, organic white and brown rice are available, as well as vegan options. Open M–F 10am–10pm, Sa–Su 9am–10pm.

Whole Foods Market

911 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz • 831.426.9901 • www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Too busy to cook? Head for the prepared foods section of Whole Foods Market, where everything is natural or organic and as much as possible is locally grown. There are ethnic specialties, salads, soups, fresh pizza and a coffee bar, with tables out in front of the market. Open 8am–9pm every day.

CAFES & SPECIALTY FOOD MARKETS

Companion Bakeshop

2341 Mission St., Santa Cruz 831.252.2253 | companionbakeshop.com

Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand 7250 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel 831.625.6219 | ebfarm.com

Grove Market 242 Forest Ave., Paci c Grove 831.375.9581 | grovemarketpg.com

Happy Girl Kitchen Co. 173 Central Ave., Paci c Grove 831.373.4475 | happygirlkitchen.com

Monterey Bay Aquarium Café & Restaurant 886 Cannery Row, Monterey 831.648.4870 | montereybayaquarium.org

New Leaf Community Markets 1134 Paci c Ave., Santa Cruz 831.425.1793 | newleaf.com 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz 831.426.1306

6240 Highway 9, Felton 831.335.7322

13159 Highway 9, Boulder Creek 831.338.7211

1210 41st Ave., Capitola 831.479.7987

150 San Mateo Rd., Half Moon Bay 650.726.3110

River Café

415 River St. Suite K, Santa Cruz 831.420.1280 | rivercafesantacruz.com

River Ranch Cafe @ Carmel Valley Ranch 1 Old Ranch Rd., Carmel 831.625.9500 | carmelvalleyranch.com

Star Market 1275 S. Main St., Salinas 831.422.3961 | starmkt.com

Stone Creek Kitchen 465 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Monterey 831.393.1042 | stonecreekkitchen.com

e Penny Ice Creamery 913 Cedar St., Santa Cruz 831.204.2523 | thepennyicecreamery.com

e Picnic Basket 125 Beach St., Santa Cruz 831.427.9946 | facebook.com/thepicnicbasket

e Wild Plum Café, Bistro and Bakery 731 Munras Ave., Monterey 831.646.3109 | thewildplumcafe.com

Verve 816 41st Ave., Santa Cruz 831.475.7776 | verveco eeroasters.com

Verve Roastery & Co ee Bar 104 Bronson St., Santa Cruz “Coming Soon”

Verve 1540 Paci c Ave., Santa Cruz “Coming Soon”

Whole Foods Markets 1710 41st Ave., Capitola 831.464.2900 | wholefoodsmarket.com 800 Del Monte Center, Monterey 831.333.1600

911 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz 831.426.9901

EDUCATION & NONPROFITS

Lightfoot Industries 101 Cooper St., Santa Cruz 831.234.9482 | lightfootind.com

Monterey Bay Aquarium 886 Cannery Row, Monterey 831.648.4800 | montereybayaquarium.org

St. Dunstan’s Church Haiti Committee P.O. Box 101, Carmel Valley 831.624.6646 | saintdunstanschurch.org

Sustainability Academy 98 Del Monte Ave. #204, Monterey 831.655.3593 | sustainabilityacademy.org

EVENTS

Big Sur Food & Wine Festival P.O. Box 31, Big Sur 831.869.1341 | bigsurfoodandwine.com

FARMS & CSAS

Bounty of the Valley 40123 Central Ave., Green eld 831.594.1065 | bountyofthevalley@yahoo.com

Earthbound Farm 7250 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel 831.625.6219 | ebfarm.com

Serendipity Farms 455 Canyon Del Rey Blvd. #303, Monterey 831.726.9432 | serendipity-organic-farm.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System 450 E. Romie Lane, Salinas 831.757.4333 | svmh.com

HOTELS & LODGES

Carmel Valley Ranch 1 Old Ranch Rd., Carmel 831.625.9500 | carmelvalleyranch.com

Ventana Inn & Spa 48123 Highway 1, Big Sur 831.667.2331 | ventanainn.com

Bernardus Lodge 415 W. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley 831.658.3400 | bernardus.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS & DESIGNERS

Richard Green Photography 17796 Riverbend Rd., Salinas 831.809.2631 | richardgreenphotography.com Studio Holladay Design & Photography 503 Swift St., Santa Cruz 888.304.4405 | studioholladay.com

RESTAURANTS

Charlie Hong Kong 1141 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz 831.426.5664 | charliehongkong.com Gabriella Café 910 Cedar St., Santa Cruz 831.457.1677 | gabriellacafe.com Grasing’s Sixth St. & Mission, Carmel 831.624.6562

Local Libations Good Juice

Hans Losee serves it up fresh

By Lisa Crawford Watson Photograph by Richard Green

Hans Losee grabs two large basil leaves plus two plump blackberries, and muddles them together in a glass. He adds a bit of simple syrup, a little more than a jigger of bourbon, an ounce or two of lemon juice and a splash of soda water to taste. He pours it into a tall Collins glass over ice, calls it the Briar Patch and serves it to a college kid celebrating a big birthday, a group of girlfriends, some silver-haired seniors and anyone else interested in trying classic spirits flavored with fresh, local ingredients.

Losee got the basil from Route 1 Farms, and the blackberries at Melody Farms, both in his native Santa Cruz, where he has been tending bar for almost three years at Oswald Restaurant, a contemporary American café with a seasonal bar selection.

“The Briar Patch is refreshing, with full fruit,” said Losee. “It is one of my signatures here at Oswald. Our chef has always done seasonal California cuisine with French complements, so I wanted to work with that when I came on board. The theme was there, but I brought the fresh drink program to the bar.”

Losee began bartending as a way to put himself through college at San Francisco State University. By day he was a business administration/pre-med student; by night he tended bar at Chaya Brasserie in the City, a salon where sake meets Sauvignon Blanc, and everyone likes a good martini.

“I knew I wanted to pursue a creative, service-oriented profession,” said Losee, “and I really wanted to tend bar. I knew a lot of the spirits, but I didn’t yet have the technical skills. I spent a lot of time memorizing names and ratios, and started making new and vibrant cocktails, using fresh, local, seasonal produce.”

Losee just created a cocktail made with purple plums, gin, lemon juice, a little yellow chartreuse and a hint of thyme. He’s thinking about calling it Plum Thyme, or it may be Just in Thyme. He also does his own version of the Negroni cocktail: a short gin aperitif traditionally made with 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, 1 1/2 ounces Campari, 1 1/2 ounces gin and an orange twist for garnish, except he introduces apricot.

“I try to make cocktails,” he said, “that appeal to anyone who wants a refreshing drink without all the ‘sacchariny’ flavored syrups. If you want a fresh experience, it is always best to use the actual fresh fruit, herb or vegetable.”

Losee recently established Artisan Elixirs, an organic soda company whose first flavor, golden ginger, is available for sale at select local grocery stores, restaurants and bars.

Oswald Restaurant: 121 Soquel Ave.; 423-7427

Open Tu–Th 11:30am–9pm, F 11:30am–9:30pm, Sa 5:30–9:30pm, Su 5:30–9pm.

Hans Losee in action.

Monterey Bay Farmers’ Markets

Please support your local farmers’ markets:

GREENFIELD

SALINAS

Monterey County

CARMEL

Barnyard Shopping Village

3690 The Barnyard, Carmel 831-728-5060 • www.montereybayfarmers.org Tuesdays, 9am–1pm Open May–September

CASTROVILLE

Castroville Farmers’ Market

11261 Crane St., North County Recreation Center, Castroville 831-633-3084 • www.ncrpd.org Thursdays, 4–dusk (8pm) Open May–October

The Sundays Market

S. El Camino Real at Huerta, Greenfield 831-674-5591 Sundays, 9:30am–3pm Open May–August

KING CITY

King City Farmers’ Market

905 Broadway St., South Valley Auto Plaza, King City 831-385-3814 • www.kingcitychamber.com Wednesdays 4–7pm Open May–October

MARINA

Marina Certified Farmers’ Market

215 Reservation Rd., Marina 831-384-6961 • everyonesharvest.org Sundays, 10am–2pm

MONTEREY

Del Monte Shopping Center

—Whole Foods parking lot 1410 Del Monte Center, Monterey 831-728-5060 • www.montereybayfarmers.org Sundays, 8am–noon Open May–October

Monterey Fairgrounds

Certified Farmers’ Market 2004 Fairgrounds Rd., Monterey 831-235-1856 Mondays, 10am–dusk Open year round, weather permitting

Monterey Peninsula College 980 Fremont St., Monterey 831-728-5060 • www.montereybayfarmers.org Fridays, 10am–2pm

Open year round, rain or shine

Old Monterey Market Place

321 Alvarado at Pearl Street, Monterey 831-655-2607 • www.oldmonterey.org Tuesdays, 4–7pm (winter), 4–8pm (summer) Open year round, rain or shine

PACIFIC GROVE

Pacific Grove Farmers’ Market

Central & Grand Avenues, in front of Jewell Park, Pacific Grove 831-384-6961 • www.everyonesharvest.org Mondays, 4–7pm (summer), 3–7pm (winter) Open year round

Alisal Community Farmers’ Market

632 E. Alisal St. at N. Pearl (“Gabby Plaza”), Salinas 831-384-6961/796-2888 • www.everyonesharvest.org Tuesdays, 9am–5pm

Open June–November

Alvarez High School Farmers’ Market

1900 Independent Ave. at Boronda Road, Salinas 831-905-1407 • champfarmermarkets@comcast.net Sundays, 8am–2pm

Open year round

Boronda Square Farmers’ Market

North Sanborn & Boronda Roads, Salinas 831-905-1407 Fridays, 4–8pm Open year round champfarmermarkets@comcast.net

Natividad Hospitals Farmers’ Market

1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas 831-402-4705 Wednesdays, 11:30am–5:30pm Open March–November

Salinas Old Town Marketplace

100 S. Main St. & Central Avenue, near Steinbeck Center, Salinas Saturdays, 8am–2pm Open year round www.oldtownsalinas.com/market.asp

Toro Park Elementary CHAMP

Certified Farmers’ Market

22500 Portola Dr., Salinas 831-905-1407 Thursdays, 4–8pm Open March–October champfarmermarkets@comcast.net

SEASIDE

Seaside Farmers’ Market

University Plaza

1760 Fremont St. at Echo, Seaside 831-905-1407 Mondays, 4–8pm

Open year round champfarmermarkets@comcast.net

SOLEDAD

Soledad Farmers’ Market

Front Street & Encinal Street, Soledad 831-737-8033 Thursdays, 5–8pm Open May–September oldtownsoledad@yahoo.com

San Benito County

HOLLISTER

Hollister Farmers’ Market

Fifth Street at San Benito, Hollister 408-804-1234 • www.downtownhollister.org Wednesdays, 3–7pm Open May–September

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

San Juan Bautista Farmers’ Market

Washington at Third, San Juan Bautista Sundays, 11am–3:30pm Open April–November

Santa Cruz County

APTOS

Aptos Farmers Market—Cabrillo College

6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos 831-728-5060 • www.montereybayfarmers.org Saturdays, 8am–noon Open year round, rain or shine

Seascape Village Farmers’ Market

Seascape Village, Aptos 831-685-3134 Sundays, 11am–2pm May–October

FELTON

Felton Farmers’ Market

St. John’s Catholic Church 120 Russell Ave. at Hwy. 9, Felton 831-454-0566 • www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org Tuesdays, 2:30–6:30pm

Open May–October, rain or shine

SANTA CRUZ

Downtown Santa Cruz Market

Lincoln and Cedar Streets, Santa Cruz 831-454-0566 • www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org Wednesdays, 1:30–6:30pm Open year round, rain or shine

Live Oak/Eastside Market

East Cliff Shopping Center 21511 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz 831-454-0566 • www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org Sundays, 9am–1pm

Open year round, rain or shine

Santa Cruz Saturday Market

San Lorenzo Park 137 Dakota Ave, Santa Cruz 831-515-4108 • www.thesantacruzsaturdaymarket.org Saturdays, 10am–6pm Open May–November

UCSC Farm & Garden’s Market Cart

1156 High St. at Bay, Santa Cruz 831-459-3240 • casfs.ucsc.edu Tuesdays & Fridays, noon–6pm Open June–October

Westside Santa Cruz Market

2801 Mission St. near Western Drive, Santa Cruz 831-454-0566 • www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org Saturdays, 9am–1pm Open year round, rain or shine

SCOTTS VALLEY

Scotts Valley Farmers’ Market

Scotts Valley Community Center 360 Kings Village Rd., Scotts Valley 831-454-0566 • www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org Saturdays, 9am–1pm Open year round, rain or shine

WATSONVILLE

Watsonville Certified Farmers’ Market

Peck & Main Streets, Watsonville 831-234-9511 Fridays, 3–7pm Open year round, rain or shine

Watsonville Fairgrounds

Certified Farmers’ Market 2601 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville 831-235-1856 Sundays, 8am–4pm Open year round