Edible Monterey Bay: Summer 2019 | No. 32

Celebrating the Local Food and Drink of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties

Member of Edible Communities

GRIST FOR THE MILL edible

On a blustery Saturday last March, my husband and I drove out to San Benito County to pick up frozen lamb at Paicines Ranch. It was one of those days when the hills were emerald green and brief showers alternated with bursts of sunshine. I kept my camera ready, hoping to capture a rainbow.

Buying meat directly from the ranch was something we’d wanted to do for a long time—as a way to eat locally and be sure the animal was cared for properly—but also because it seems especially difficult to find good tasting lamb.

After a brief tour of the ranch, we loaded up the cooler with lamb chops, shanks and ground meat—enough for a dozen summer barbecues. Even though you can find grassfed meats at local farmers’ markets, there’s something very satisfying about buying directly from the rancher, walking through the fields where the animals graze and seeing the spring grasses for yourself. And yes, the lamb is delicious.

That experience inspired the magazine’s new guide to local, pasture-raised meats, which you can read in this issue.

In fact, we probably should have called our summer edition The Protein Issue, because we also report on the comeback of Monterey Bay groundfish, such as rockfish, petrale sole, flounder, sand dabs and sablefish—local seafood that you’ll want to sample after reading Kathryn McKenzie’s story.

Additionally in this issue, we launch a new feature called Edible Provisions about local, artisanal food products: This time it’s sausages! And farmer Jamie Collins has a slew of recipes for homemade condiments you can serve on your sausages, pastured meat or local fish.

We also introduce you to two amazing strong women who are pushing the organic agenda forward: Prudy Foxx, through organic grape growing in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Kelly Damewood, the new CEO of California Certified Organic Farmers, through her policy work.

And there’s much more, including Sarah Wood’s look at the new Alta Bakery inside the historic Cooper Molera Adobe, a Salinas Valley couple practicing permaculture and Mark C. Anderson’s enduring love for all things taco.

To present each issue of Edible Monterey Bay we hold release parties for our readers, contributors, advertising partners and those who are featured in the magazine. Join us to celebrate the launch of this issue at two summer parties!

On June 19 we will be at Stockwell Cellars in Santa Cruz from 5–7pm, sampling their fine wines along with delicious appetizers by Adrienne Megoran of an epicurious lifestyle.

On June 24 we will be at the Hyatt Regency Monterey from 5–7pm, enjoying tastes from the new summer menu of chef Dan Elinan and meeting some of the farmers who provide local produce for the hotel. Details and sign-up links will be announced in our weekly newsletter.

Thank you for being part of the Edible Monterey Bay community. Happy summer!

MONTEREY BAY

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

Deborah Luhrman deborah@ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Sarah Wood

FOUNDERS Sarah Wood and Rob Fisher

COPY EDITOR Doresa Banning

LAYOUT & DESIGN Matthew Freeman and Tina Bossy-Freeman

AD DESIGNERS Bigfish Smallpond Design

Jane Bolling Design • Zephyr Pfotenhauer Melissa Thoeny Designs

CONTRIBUTORS

Mark C. Anderson • Alicia Arcidiacono

Elizabeth Birnbaum • Crystal Birns • Julie Cahill

Jordan Champagne • Jamie Collins

Margaux Gibbons • Diane Gsell • David Hills

Jules Holdsworth • Michelle Magdalena

Kathryn McKenzie • Laura Ness • Zephyr Pfotenhauer • Emily Thomas • Patrick Tregenza Jessica Tunis • Amber Turpin • Sarah Wood

ADVERTISING SALES

ads@ediblemontereybay.com • 831.600.8281 Shelby Lambert shelby@ediblemontereybay.com Kate Robbins kate@ediblemontereybay.com Aga Simpson aga@ediblemontereybay.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Mick Freeman • 831.419.2975

CONTACT US:

Edible Monterey Bay P.O. Box 487 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 www.ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281 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. We also welcome letters to the above address. Thank you.

Deborah Luhrman Publisher

EDIBLE NOTABLES TASTE OF HISTORY

Alta Bakery breathes new life into the beloved Cooper Molera Adobe complex in the heart of Old Monterey

BY SARAH WOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE MAGDALENA

If you pay close attention at Alta Bakery + Café, you might notice an enigmatic design dusted on a rustic loaf of bread or imprinted in the foam of an espresso drink. You’ll also see it decorating menus and labels, and it reappears on interpretive signs throughout the gardens, orchard and 19th century structures that make up the Cooper Molera Adobe complex where the bakery opened in April.

Is it a heart? An artichoke? A bow-legged dancer?

If it sparks your imagination, particularly about the compound’s early occupants and their world, then it’s doing its job. The symbol was created in the 1800s as a cattle brand for the property’s first owner— sea captain, merchant and ranch owner John B. Rogers Cooper—and is now being reclaimed as part of a bold experiment in saving historic places.

The iconic 2½-acre property has always been a touchstone in Monterey’s history: Built in the center of town when Monterey was the capital of Mexico’s massive territory of Alta California, its homes and businesses changed hands over the years among a who’s who of old Monterey families and long played a vibrant role in the economic life of the city.

P.J. Clark is operations manager and partner of the Alta Group.

Fast forward to the early 2000s, and the Cooper Molera was languishing. By then donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it had been preserved as a museum and gift shop managed by California State Parks. But the model, while well intentioned, didn’t provide enough revenues for critical upkeep, and the barns were redtagged because they needed a seismic retrofit. The only part of the historic buildings open to the public on a regular basis was the gift shop and the future of the whole complex was uncertain.

The vision for saving the property by weaving it back into the entrepreneurial life of the city came from developer Doug Wiele of El Dorado Hills-based Foothill Partners, who became interested in Cooper Molera while in town working on the Trader Joe’s complex. In 2010 he partnered with Monterey realtor and restaurateur Kirk Probasco—owner of the nearby Stokes Adobe restaurant—and over time, they won over the city and other stakeholders, most notably the National Trust, which gave Foothill Partners a 60-year lease agreement

Preceding page: Alta Group culinary director Ben Spungin (left) and baker Matt Somerville.

and is embracing the shared use concept as a model for helping historic places thrive all around the United States.

“The idea is to sustain these places and to preserve them for the long term, not by freezing them in time, but by putting them into active use and to give people lots of different ways to interact with them,” says Katherine Malone-France, interim chief preservation officer at the National Trust. “Cooper Molera is really about proving the concept.”

More than $6 million of improvements later, the property’s historic barns were leased to The Events by Classic Group and reopened last fall for weddings and special events. The Alta Group leased two adobes, including one where the forthcoming Cella restaurant will open. And the National Trust last September reopened its own centerpiece—the dynamic and interactive reconceived Cooper Molera Adobe museum co-directed by Margaret Clovis and Susan Klusmire.

“I think everyone should learn the history of everything. History moves us forward,” says Ben Spungin, the wildly creative pastry chef who was brought in by Probasco as partner and culinary director. The third partner and director of operations, P.J. Clark, was lured by Probasco from Sonoma.

Alta has been a passion project for them from the beginning and one could argue that through the project, the partners are also moving history forward.

Step inside and you’ll see an entirely modern and hip reimagining of the 1800s Pioneer Bakery: The design is open and airy, allowing abundant natural light to bounce from the bright white of the adobe walls and a gleaming Italian glass pastry case. A state-of-the art espresso machine overseen by manager Kali Grant delivers coffee drinks, which guests are invited to take with them to enjoy in the museum, where the furniture, rather than being roped off from visitors, is meant to be sat on, and its chess game is intended to be played with.

“We wanted to break all the rules of house museums,” MaloneFrance says, adding that visitors can wander in and out, thanks to the

free admission offered in repayment of a generous loan from the City of Monterey.

And history is woven throughout the new bakery and café. Along with photos and stories of past residents, Cooper’s cattle brands hang on the walls, and Clark had long communal tables for the indoor seating built from wooden planks reclaimed from the barns. References to Big Sur—where Captain Cooper grazed cattle—are everywhere, in redwood counters, a chunk of jade embedded in the face of the bread and pizza oven and the bakery’s focal point—striking wood shelving designed by architectural firm de sola.barnes.

Spungin spent hours pouring over the Cooper Molera archives, and found simple cake and pie recipes from one of the property’s last owners. He’s not using them, but is seeking to evoke a similar simplicity in Alta’s cuisine.

“We want to make things that are comfortable and recognizable for people, with incredible flavors,” Spungin says, adding that he’s starting with really great ingredients. Spungin is also starting with really great technique, having earned his chops at The French Laundry, Bernardus Lodge and Post Ranch Inn, among other places.

So while the menu looks as approachable as Spungin intends, with its toasts, egg bakes and morning pastries for breakfast and paninis, pizzas, salads, soups, fried chicken sandwiches and more pastries and custards offered in the afternoon, the creations are all more sophisticated than they might sound, and are executed whenever possible with housemade or housegrown ingredients, including breads from head baker Matt Somerville, formerly of Big Sur Bakery.

So for breakfast, your “obligatory avocado toast” will be on Somerville’s sourdough and sprinkled with edible flowers from the property’s historic garden, the croissant will be expertly executed on the bakery’s huge laminated dough machine, scones may contain fruit from the orchard and the jars of what look like simple puddings may instead be pot de crème or crémeux.

Not surprisingly for a master of witty and elaborate chocolate objects and installations, some of Spungin’s most dramatic references to

The design in each coffee drink is meant to evoke the history of the Cooper Molera Adobe.

the compound’s history are a working cuckoo clock that on closer inspection turns out to be made from chocolate and rusty 19th century “bolts” and “tools,” that are actually cocoa powder-coated chocolates cast from artifacts found on site.

In a sure sign that Alta is succeeding at generating interest in the property’s history, just weeks after the bakery opened, attendance at the museum had already tripled.

“Cooper Molera is a community asset that we’ve given back to the community,” Probasco says. “There is more traffic on this property than there has been in 20 years.”

And both the museum and the Alta Group still have much more in store.

The museum plans to start regular author talks, children’s tours and myriad special events, all made possible by revenues coming from the Cooper Molera’s commercial tenants.

Alta’s partners, meantime, after just installing outdoor seating and adding beer and wine to the menu, were as of press time planning to add live music in the garden, expand Alta’s hours somewhat into the evening and get ready to open Cella, a locally sourced and globally inspired sit-down restaurant. Cella will open in an adobe—the Spear Warehouse—that with its exposed adobe bricks and ceiling buttresses has been renovated to elegantly yet casually hint at its days helping launch the commercial artichoke trade. It will also have a firepit and outdoor seating that Clark is itching to fill.

“I’m so in love with this project and I can’t wait to see it grow,” says Clark.

Sarah Wood was the founding editor and publisher of Edible Monterey Bay and now serves as editor-at-large and works as a freelance writer and editor.

LOCAL SUSTAINABLE FRESH

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten & Dairy Free Options

EDIBLE NOTABLES ALL GOOD THINGS

Meet the owners of a Salinas Valley permaculture farm that grows unusual ingredients for top local chefs

BY JESSICA TUNIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE MAGDALENA

It’s tiny, just a quarter acre of mixed flowers and vegetables tucked into the vast plowed fields of monocropped lettuce that surround it, but the All Good Things farm is a microcosm, a seed of possibility, a beginning.

Owners TJ Silva and Carli Cullen are young themselves and if they have stars in their eyes, they also have their feet (and hands) firmly in the earth. Their permaculture-inspired garden in Chualar, riotous with color and garnished with chance seedlings left to flourish where they germinate, makes a beautiful kind of sense. It is not the sense of tractors and straight lines. It’s a sense of abundance that pervades the farm, an awareness of the inherent beauty and value of life cycles, a trust in the beneficence of ecosystems—and regular applications of compost.

“We grow intensively and enough for everybody,” says Silva, as we walk through the garden, stepping over cardboard sheet mulch inoculated with Stropharia mushroom spawn. “That means enough for the bugs, for the birds, for the ducks and for us.”

The garden (and garden is the word I keep returning to, though it is indeed a working farm; it feels like a garden, full of personality and whimsy) is full to the brim; in fact, it’s spilling over into the margins and creeping to the edges of a small plot, outside the fenced garden. The farm as an entity is growing, too; the farmers have recently begun to work another plot of land, nearby. Still small by conventional standards, the new

space is covered now in a rank overgrowth of poison hemlock, but the two can already see what it will become: an acre of food forest, with more fruits and perennials than their current garden has room for.

All Good Things farm began in 2017, a natural outgrowth of the excess from Silva and Cullen’s first attempts at subsistence farming. When they had eaten all they could, and given away to the neighbors all that they would take, the couple reached out to local food banks to take the rest, a practice that they still observe. A friend asked them if they planned to start a CSA, and the answer was a hearty “Sure, for you!” But the farm kept producing more than the growers could use themselves, and soon they realized that the CSA model could indeed provide a way for them to share the bounty of their harvests.

The farm now runs a CSA program for around 30 families from March through November, filling each box with a farmer’s choice blend of leafy greens like radicchio, mizuna, mustard greens and kale, as well as more obscure Asian greens and various heirloom vegetables from around the globe, which consumers may not have encountered before.

“Try one of these,” Silva says, grinning, as he plucks a pair of 6-inch-long seedpods off of what looks like a blooming mustard plant. It’s rat-tail radish, grown for its wavy pods. The flavor is pungent without being overbearing, harboring sweetness from the half-formed seeds inside the sheath of a crispy brassica exterior.

“We grow intensively and enough for everybody. That means enough for the bugs, for the birds, for the ducks and for us.”

TJ Silva and Carli Cullen grow edible flowers and greens for high-end restaurants and their CSA members.

CSA boxes will often include such delicacies as the rare radish pods or pepino dulce melons or Chinese cutting celery grown for its leaves rather than the ribbed stems we’re familiar with, as well as mixed bouquets of flowers. In each box, the couple includes recipes and cooking notes, especially for more unusual ingredients, exposing their customers to cuisines and cooking traditions beyond the fertile green fields of the Salinas Valley.

It’s not all tatsoi and tree tomatoes, though. The farm, and the proprietors’ vision, is also full of flowers. Cullen worked for local catering company A Taste of Elegance when she and Silva first started growing and at one point, her employer asked if she had any edible flowers. She did, indeed. From that first encounter has evolved a thriving set of relationships with high-end restaurants and caterers who source vegetables, edible petals and bouquets from All Good Things. You might have smelled their flowers or tasted their vibrant greens at Crema in Pacific Grove, or at La Balena or Il Grillo in Carmel, to name a

Silva shows off a banana passion fruit, an All Good Things CSA box, (below) dried herbs, teas and Rub-aDub salves.

few. Cullen and Silva also provide produce and flowers for catered events, forage for wild mushrooms in the winter months and grow vegetables and flowers on consignment for weddings and special events. “Chefs talk to each other,” Cullen says with a smile.

Silva agrees. “Word of mouth has been our best advertisement. And social media, which I was always against before, but it’s really helped us since we started this farm,” he admits ruefully. It was through Instagram that the duo was able to first connect with executive chef Hollie Jackson of Crema and La Crème catering. After that, their business took off as the good word began to spread, from chef to chef.

The pair hopes chefs keep talking to each other, building momentum for the future. While Silva and Cullen begin to clear the hemlock that covers their new growing grounds, they are already looking forward to a time when they will farm their own land and set up permaculture farming on a larger scale. Someday, they know, they’ll leave this sweet little plot behind. As we stand, surrounded by blooming brassicas and swelling onions, we imagine what it will look like then, the flowers all gone to seed, the rows softened and indistinguishable. So many wild seeds have been sown here that the ground will continue to sprout delicacies long after the two move on, telling the story of All Good Things in flavors and textures and the hum of pollinators, a tiny enduring oasis of diversity amidst plowed fields.

It’s only a few days after our meeting that I see fresh news from the All Good Things folks. TJ proposed to Carli, hiding the engagement ring in a box of dahlias they were planting. Spoiler alert: She said yes.

Jessica Tunis lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains and spends her time tending gardens, telling stories, and cultivating adventure and good food in wild places.

EDIBLE NOTABLES

ORGANIC ADVOCATE

CCOF’s new next-gen CEO aims to make California more organic

BY EMILY THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE CAHILL

Kelly Damewood leads a new generation to organic foods.

On most mornings, Kelly Damewood rides her sea foam green cruiser along West Cliff Drive to her office on the west side of Santa Cruz. From the lobby, she passes reception and winds her way through a collaborative workspace of short and tall desks to a modest but beautiful glass office in the corner. There she parks her bike, sips on her favorite juice from Central Coast Juicery and begins her day as the CEO of California Certified Organic Farmers. At 31 years old, she may still have a mountain of student debt, but every educational decision and career choice she has made has prepared her for the dream job she took on at the beginning of the year, and Kelly Damewood is passionate about a future that is increasingly organic.

“It takes a lot of different types of production to feed people organically,” she says. “I’m really committed to ensuring that CCOF is an inclusive certifier, that we certify everything and everyone…from the smallest quarter-acre farmer to some of the largest.”

CCOF was founded in 1973, making it one of the oldest and largest organic certifying agencies in the nation. It not only certifies organic farmers and producers but also tackles policy issues at the state and national levels. The CCOF Foundation invests in organic farmers and businesses with education and grants. To say that Damewood has a lot on her plate would be an understatement. But if anyone can do it, this millennial woman can.

After graduating from the University of Portland in just three short years, Damewood worked on an organic farm in Oregon with a friend. They admittedly knew very little about agriculture, but were soon running every aspect of the farm, from caring for the health of the soil to harvesting and marketing. The experience changed her life.

“It opened my eyes. I think for the first time in my life I felt connected in a way that I never felt before. I had a greater purpose,” she recalls.

During that farming experience she began to see the challenges that farmers face with laws and regulations. She began to understand how much law, policies and political systems impact the ability of people who want to grow and prepare better food. This awareness motivated her to attend Vermont Law School, one of the top environmental law schools in the country. Her goal was to build her skill set to address those systemic issues that face organic farmers. To further that aim, she then earned a master of law degree at a more traditional agricultural school, the University of Arkansas.

“It gave me a deep dive into the food and agriculture systems…and that was a really important time for me to figure out what I like working on,” Damewood says.

After graduating in 2014, she joined CCOF as policy director, tackling everything from water regulations to updating outdated state organic laws and national policy.

CCOF played an important role in the latest U.S. farm bill by working strategically to connect elected officials with organic farmers and producers—think organic farm tours with elected representatives. With Damewood’s help, the agency was able to attain bipartisan support for organic priorities including research funding.

“One of the powers of organic advocacy is that you can help bridge the gap between conventional agriculture and environmental conservation groups,” Damewood says. Clean air, water quality, soil erosion, protecting pollinators and supporting biodiversity are unifying issues.

That brings us to her latest undertaking: the Roadmap to an Organic California. This research project outlines how organic agriculture can sustainably feed the world’s population, while protecting the environment and promoting public health, social justice and prosperity. It is an impressive document filled with science and statistics and, among other components of the proposed plan, calls for increasing California’s organic acreage from the current 4% to 10% by 2030.

When asked how she feels about being identified as a millennial, female CEO, she admits that people were skeptical at first. After a national search with more than 500 applicants, her passion for the organic movement and her belief in the CCOF mission pushed her to the top of the list to replace outgoing CEO Cathy Calfo.

“Besides,” she says, “it is my generation that is growing the organic market right now.” According to the Roadmap to an Organic California, 8 out of 10 Americans buy organic food and 42% of organic consumers are millennials (ages 18–37). Because the original organic farmers and advocates are starting to retire, there has to be a new generation that will carry forth the legacy while embracing the future. “We have to be cultivating not just the next generation of organic farmers, but also organic leaders,” she says.

Having CCOF based in Santa Cruz is a dream for a food lover like Damewood. Good, local, organic food is a huge part of her life and she feels blessed to be surrounded by it. With vivid memories of growing up in a family that cherished home-cooked dinners, she loves hosting meals with friends. Being a CEO is a job of service and every day she serves as a liaison between the many groups that make up the CCOF. She works hard to balance the internal day-to-day details while keeping focused on the big picture. It’s a full life. A bike ride back along the coast to her downtown home then hosting a meal made of fresh, local, organic ingredients among her friends seem like the perfect way to end the day.

Always on the hunt for a great story, Emily Thomas loves to spin the yarn. Brewery owner by day, she is active in the Santa Cruz food culture and spends her days using organic beer to build community.

They admittedly knew very little about agriculture, but were soon running every aspect of the farm.

EDIBLE PROVISIONS sausagefest

PHOTO AND STYLING

BY ELIZABETH BIRNBAUM

Artisanal butchers around the Monterey Bay area can fill your summer grill with these handcrafted beauties. Here are seven of the best.

From top to bottom: Pig Wizard Sweet Moroccan Lamb, Zio Brand Jalapeño Cheddar, Freedom Meat Locker Portuguese Linguiça, The Meatery Weisswurst, Cowboy Sausage 1908 with Kurobuta Pork and Wild Fennel, El Salchichero Nettle, Corralitos Market and Sausage Co. Cheesy Bavarian.

Success Starts With Great Soil

G&B Organics soils and fertilizers are made from high-quality ingredients that are people, pet, and planet safe.

Available ONLY at independent garden centers

Aptos Landscape Supply

5025 Freedom Blvd. Aptos, CA 95003 (831) 688-6211

Del Rey Oaks Gardens 899 Rosita Rd. Del Rey Oaks, CA 93940 (831) 920-1231

Drought Resistant Nursery 850 Park Ave. Monterey, CA 93940 (831) 375-2120

The Garden Company 2218 Mission St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 429-8424

Griggs Nursery

9220 Carmel Valley Rd. Carmel, CA 93923 (831) 626-0680

Hidden Gardens Nursery

7765 Soquel Dr. Aptos, CA 95003 (831) 688-7011

Lakeside Nursery

190 Espinosa Rd. Salinas, CA 93907 (831) 632-2100

M. J. Murphy Lumber 10 W. Carmel Valley Rd. Carmel Valley, CA 93924 (831) 659-2291

Martins’ Irrigation

420 Olympia Ave. Seaside, CA 93955 (831) 394-4106

McShane’s Landscape Supply 115 Monterey Salinas Hwy Salinas, CA 93908 (831) 455-1369

Mountain Feed & Farm 9550 Highway 9 Ben Lomond, CA 95005 (831) 336-8876

The Plant Works 7945 Highway 9 Ben Lomond, CA 95005 (831) 336-2212

San Lorenzo Garden Center 235 River St. Santa Cruz , CA 95060 (831) 423-0223

Scarborough Gardens 33 El Pueblo Rd. Scotts Valley, CA 95066 (831) 438-4106

Seaside Garden Center 1177 San Pablo Ave. Seaside, CA 93955 (831) 393-0400

Valley Hills Nursery

7440 Carmel Valley Rd. Carmel, CA 93923 (831) 624-3482

WHAT’S IN SEASON CRAFTY CONDIMENTS

With barbecue season in full swing, make healthier, more delicious accompaniments

BY JAMIE COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL BIRNS

Have you ever wondered why organic mayonnaise made with a healthy oil is so expensive or thought about how much ketchup your household goes through each month? Or how some sauce or spread really tied your meal together or improved a snack? Making your own condiments allows you to choose healthier oils, avoid unwanted ingredients and create custom spreads that are so delicious. All you need are fresh, local ingredients, high quality oil, garlic, spices and a high speed or stick immersion blender!

At Serendipity Farms I am always playing around with various herbs, fruits and vegetables in the kitchen and now sell nutrient-dense spreads, salad dressings, hummus, pestos and dips at the farmers’ markets, alongside our fresh produce. It is not complicated to make great tasting condiments. The summer bounty offers so many options for creativity and an opportunity to put up some of the best flavors that will add brightness to your meals.

MAYONNAISE AND AIOLI

First you need fresh eggs, preferably pasture raised with nice bright yolks, and an oil of your choice that is liquid at room temperature. I like to use avocado oil because the flavor is neutral, but other neutral tasting oils include walnut, almond and macadamia nut. Olive oil is also good, but adds olive flavor, which is tasty but does not resemble traditional mayo like my childhood favorite: Best Foods. You may also blend olive oil with nut oils if you feel the flavor of olive is too strong. All of the forementioned oils are healthy oils to use, as is coconut oil, however it tastes very much like coconut—which may be good if you are making a tropical tasting aioli. If you do decide to use coconut oil, it needs to be fractionated, meaning in a liquid state at room temperature, or it will not work. Avoid using canola, sunflower, soybean, corn or any vegetable oils as they are typically genetically modified and processed using chemical solvents, which makes them full of omega 6 fatty acids, which can cause inflammation in the body.

Mayonnaise

1 32-ounce Mason jar, wide mouthed

1 egg, at room temperature

1 cup oil (avocado, olive or nut oil, of your choice)

2–3 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, or apple cider vinegar (I prefer citrus juice, but vinegar will work)

½ teaspoon dry mustard or prepared regular mustard or Dijon (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

Crack the egg into the jar, then pour the oil on top. Add the lemon juice, the mustard and the salt. Settle the immersion blender into the jar until it hits the egg at the bottom. Turn on immersion blender and keep it at the bottom of the jar for about 20 seconds or until you see the mixture turning into a creamy white color. Then, gradually pull the immersion blender out a few inches and keep it there until all the mixture at the bottom of the blender is creamy. Work your way up until it is all mixed.

I suggest doing the recipe above several times and transferring the yield into a bigger jar if you want more mayo than the recipe makes because adding the extra ingredients will create an imbalance in the jar, making it di cult to get the desired creaminess. Refrigerating will make the mayo rmer as the oil gets cold.

At this point you can add other ingredients to the mayo to turn it into aioli, like roasted or nely grated fresh garlic, dried herbs, paprika, cayenne or ginger. If you add fresh herbs like basil, parsley or cilantro, you will need to eat the aioli within two days. Otherwise, the herbs will start to go o and the avor will not be as tasty. My favorite aioli for sweet potato fries or crab cakes contains honey, garlic and Sriracha. Roasting small chunks of vegetables like fennel, sweet or hot peppers or leeks and blending them in will add depth and avor. These extra ingredients should be added after the mayo is completely emulsi ed. Homemade mayo lasts a week in the refrigerator, not as long as store bought, but is much healthier and fresher tasting!

No Egg Vegan Mayo

1 cup soaked and drained cashews

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon white vinegar

½ teaspoon nutritional yeast

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¾ teaspoon salt

1⁄3 cup water

Blend for 60 seconds and refrigerate!

GARLIC SPREAD

Many farmers are harvesting fresh garlic at this time of year, which is all the more reason to make my favorite simple garlic spread. You may also substitute leeks or onions in this recipe, but will need to cut them up in small chunks before roasting so the blender will be able to grind them up well. Toss 1 cup of garlic cloves or leeks in olive oil, or the oil of your choice. Roast until brown around the edges. Let cool and blend with 1 cup of oil, 1 teaspoon of salt. You can add honey mustard for an extra tasty spread, or some dried herbs or spices that you like. Thyme, curry or chili powder make it amazing, as can adding 2 teaspoons of orange, lime or lemon juice. I like to keep it simple with this one, letting the carmelized garlic shine since it is so versatile and great on everything from roasted chicken and veggies to sandwiches and rice dishes. It will last over a month in the refrigerator, so I suggest making a big batch because you are going to find yourself wanting to drizzle it on just about everything.

PESTO SAUCE

You can turn almost anything into a delicious pesto. In a high speed blender, add herbs, oil, garlic, an acid such as lemon juice, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower or hemp) or nuts (toasted pine, walnut or almond), salt and Parmesan cheese if you eat dairy. Otherwise, add nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. Aromatic herbs are in full swing during the summer. Good ones to make into pesto are basil, mint, dill, tarragon, cilantro, pea shoot and parsley. You can add vegetables like spinach, kale or arugula to bulk it up and increase the nutrient factor. There is no wrong way to make a pesto, just work with what is available, either using a single herb or various raw herbs and greens. In pestos, herbs and greens are never cooked.

Pesto Sauce

2 bunches of herbs, or 1 bunch of herbs and 1 bunch of greens

4 cloves raw garlic

1⁄3 cup nuts or seeds

½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese or ¼ cup nutritional yeast

½ cup oil

½ cup lemon juice (most recipes don’t call for lemon juice but I nd it helps preserve the herbs)

¼ teaspoon sea salt CHUTNEY AND BARBECUE SAUCE

Summer is the best time for stone fruit, and what a better way to savor the season than by making chutneys and barbecue sauces. Ask farmers at the market if they will sell their soft or bruised fruits that are typically pulled from the tables. Most farmers have a stash of fruit they would likely sell for a good price rather than compost at the farm later. If they don’t, ask for case pricing as there may be certain varieties they need to move. Chutneys are usually a freshly minced mix of both fruit and vegetables and are a refreshing side to fish or in place of salsa fresca. Try a piel de sapo melon from Happy Boy Farms, pair it with some cucumbers and fresh, raw sweet corn from Pinnacle farm, grab some cilantro, a red onion, jalapeño peppers, a few limes and some mint, add a dash of salt and it’s done—a tasty, fresh and interesting summer fruit chutney! Another way to make chutney is to cook down fruits like peaches and nectarines in brown sugar, spicy peppers, garlic, ginger, curry powder herbs and vinegar, and chiles, of course. Making barbecue sauce is similar to chutney but with a few different ingredients. I love making barbecue sauce out of fruit like blueberries or plums instead of tomatoes. I once made pulled pork sliders, slow cooked in a homemade blueberry barbecue sauce, which were topped with a mango fennel coleslaw on soft Hawaiian rolls for a birthday lunch. The guests all stopped talking. Fresh, homemade food will do that to people. Don’t you want to give it a go?

Fruit Chutney

4 pounds stone fruit, nectarines and peaches work well

1 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup honey

½ cup golden raisins

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon garam marsala

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 yellow onion, diced

1 serrano chile, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Combine all ingredients and let them sit in refrigerator to marinate overnight. In a saucepan, bring to a boil while stirring then lower to medium low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring now and then. Fills 5 ½-pint jars, which can be canned if desired. Lasts in refrigerator for 2–3 weeks.

This would be great as a glaze for chicken, brushed on for the last 10 minutes, on the barbecue or in the oven. It is also good on sh tacos or with soft cheese bruschetta.

Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small to medium onion, nely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 quart blueberries

3 chipotle chiles, ground, or 2 fresh jalapeños, minced without seeds

½ teaspoon paprika

1½ tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ cup unsulfured molasses

Juice of ½ lemon

Coarse salt and black pepper, freshly ground

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in bluberries, chiles, vinegar, molasses, paprika and lemon juice. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by a third, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then purée using an immersion blender (if you don’t have one, purée the sauce in a blender, in batches). Season with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate in a jar with tight- tting lid for up to 2 weeks.

Jamie Collins is the owner of Serendipity Farms and attends all of the Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets, where you can find its fresh organic fruit, vegetables and nutrient-dense prepared food items.

BACK OF THE HOUSE

LET’S TACO ’BOUT IT

Thoughts on tasty new taco developments as Monterey Bay approaches peak taco

BY MARK C. ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA FOOD STYLING BY DIANE GSELL

John Cox stands next to a flaming tornado and doesn’t flinch. Instead, he smiles.

It’s past 10pm in Mexico’s capital. We’re in a neighborhood called Narvarte at a place called El Vilsito, which functions as an auto repair shop by day then transforms into a booming taquería where locals flock until 2 in the morning.

They come for homemade tacos— volcanes (meat and cheese) , quesongos (mushroom and cheese) and gringa (cheese, al pastor and pineapple)—but the place is most famed for its tacos al pastor. It’s understood here that the marinated pork should always be shaved from one of these massive meat tornadoes after spinning on the roasting spit for hours.

Cox is here to study up for downtown Monterey’s Cult Taco, which officially opened May 1. That launch is part of a peak taco moment for Monterey Bay and wider Northern California, a window in time and taste that also includes Snap Taco taking off in Santa Cruz, Pescadero in Carmel and Cemitas in Davenport doing earthy tortillas from scratch, celebrated chefs like Thomas Keller crafting upscale Mexican and everyone from Yeast of Eden to C restaurant featuring tacos, too.

But Cult Taco takes a different approach than the seven Mexico City spots Cox and I chowed through in two nights. The Cult team draws ample inspiration from Mexican traditions, but also aims to overhaul the experience using technology and creativity.

The menu features items like white prawns with garlic mojo and cauliflower in handmade molé. The walls are covered with murals of crows, snakes and skulls painted by Oaxacan artist Ricardo Angeles.

A bigger departure from classic taquerías, and from the team’s mothership, Cultura comida y bebida, is the point of sale: Customers order on brightly colored iPads, pay exclusively with cards and receive food dropped off by staff members who rotate through working both the kitchen and the front of the house.

But there are some similarities between Cult and places we vis-

ited, including Molino El Pujol by Mexico City’s celebrated chef Enrique Olvera. The key ingredient: tortillas.

Molino mills its own masa and makes its corn-centric menu— think masa tamal with poblano pepper and raisins or elote corn cobs dressed with chicatanas (ants), coffee and costeño chiles—using ancient Mexican techniques. “By making tortillas, we’re trying to communicate culture,” Olvera likes to say.

After tasting a multitude of masas, Cox and Cult partner Michelle Estigoy landed on a specific sort of high-grade, white corn masa from a tiny family-owned unmarked storefront in Seaside, which they’re reluctant to name. While their collaborating cooks from Oaxaca adhere to a strict water-and-masa-only approach, Cox and Estigoy infuse their tortillas with a “tea” brewed from guajillo chile, onion and salt.

“We are not trying to be the Mexico City experience,” Cox says. “We’re trying to take it and tweak it through a chef’s lens.”

For Pescadero owner-operator Gabe Georis, the tortilla is similarly central, which is why he dedicated the small space adjacent to Barmel and Pescadero to all tortillas, all the time, at $5 per dozen out the door.

“A taco is as much about the tortilla as what’s in it, something that’s really popping with flavor and won’t fall apart no matter how juicy the ingredients might be,” he says.

I agree with him on that, and on what he says next:. “Anything you put in a tortilla is a taco. That’s the beautiful thing.”

Georis recalls a recent trip to a restaurant in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe, where the mightiest revelation was simply seared sweetbreads inside a mustard leaf and a fresh tortilla, nothing more. “F---ing phenomenal,” he says.

Pescadero’s homemade corn tortillas figure throughout its menu, most memorably with the molé-drenched enchiladas, enmoladas , and range of beer-battered, Baja-style taco plates, whether that’s the shrimp, rockfish or avocado.

“a taco is as much about the tortilla as what’s in it, something that’s really popping with flavor and won’t fall apart no matter how juicy the ingredients might be.”

Taco lovers Kyle Odell, Michelle Estigoy, Sarah Kabat-Marcy and Michael Marcy of Cult Taco (left), John Cox of Cult Taco (below), a tray of street tacos from Snap Taco (lower right).

Zachary Davis, Kendra Baker and Mark Denham of Snap Taco in Santa Cruz.

Tacos are jazz on a tortilla, ready for improvisation.

In Santa Cruz, Snap Taco co-owner and Manresa alum Kendra Baker, whose team is behind the popular spots The Picnic Basket and The Penny Ice Creamery, pledges allegiance to the tortilla, too. “It’s the same thing as a sandwich—what can it be if it’s on crappy bread?” she asks. “Tortillas can be really dry if you’re not careful, or chewy, or soggy, or greasy.”

Snap’s habit-forming tacos include the “Good Fortune,” pork with lime, fish sauce, mint, cilantro, toasted rice, shallot and cucumber; the roasted sweet potato; and the fried chicken with bacon and blue cheese.

“With all of our businesses, we really enjoy finding something that’s accessible to people exploring flavors,” Baker says.

With these spots cropping up, the creativetaco category is well-represented. So is the slot for hearts stolen by Mexico City, thanks to the likes of Mi Tierra Taqueria in the back corner of Broadway Avenue’s Latino mercado in Seaside, and the taco-truck category, starring PT Catering. The sweet couple behind it, Tuyet and Phuong Truong, park at Laguna Grande in Seaside and at the Marina landfill for breakfast and lunch customers every weekday.

Yet another category lurks: the high-end taco. While paying upwards of $15 for a taco plate will never feel quite right after finding addictive tacos for a few pesos, good product merits a premium. A question arises with the top-shelf taco, explored in a recent San Francisco Chronicle piece by food critic Soleil Ho: Who owns the taco?

She decides Thomas Keller’s new taquería La Calenda, which opened in Yountville at the beginning of the year, “is culinary appropriation done right” because, in part, the Guamúchil wooden platters, mezcal copitas (sipping cups) and clay pitchers are made by artisans in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero and prioritized on Calenda’s website, and the worm salt and cactus ingredients are used with respect—and aplomb.

So how do we dissect appreciation and appropriation? I’m like Kendra Baker and her business partner Zachary Davis, who say that

providence is important, but the emphasis should be on honoring the inspiration more than territorial boundaries.

“It is really about celebrating culinary traditions and artistry,” Davis says. “Art is of the artist, and not about appropriation. It’s a creative endeavor. That’s what’s happening here. When you’ve been in this industry for a while, [you] realize it’s not about finding people trying to take advantage of others. They do it out of love.”

Baker adds this: “We do it because we’re curious, and wondering how we can evolve food into something to share with others. Imitation is the highest form of flattery.”

Georis has a thought here. “My experience with friends in Northern Baja is everything is fair game,” he says. “They’re like, ‘Our fish tacos came from tempura and the Japanese,’ so they’re not afraid of influence anywhere that can make a taco taste better.”

Tacos can be great precisely because they can contain multitudes. Authentic is good. Creative is good. Simple is good. Jazz is good and tacos are jazz on a tortilla, ready for improvisation, and elements that simultaneously stretch and redefine how the form can function.

It’s harder to admit that elite tacos are OK, too. But truth be told, I want greasy oldschool tacos al pastor at a garage as much as I want pristine local fish tacos overlooking Monterey Bay. Executive chef Matt Bolton, the guy behind the sustainable dayboat-fresh rock cod tacos at C restaurant, provides a humble way to wrap it all up.

“Tacos are such an easy way to grab and eat something packed with flavor, with spice, with endless variations,” he says. “They [mean] never eating the same thing twice, unless you really want to.”

In other words, endless variation is a feature, not a flaw. But…can we go too far?

“No,” Bolton says. “There’s no such thing as too much taco.”

Mark C. Anderson is a freelance writer based in Seaside (and in his backpack). Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @MontereyMCA.

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ON THE HOOK ROCKFISH REBOUND

Groundfish make a comeback, but consumers need to get reacquainted

BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARGAUX GIBBONS AND DAVID HILLS

Fisherman Eric Hodge off the coast of Santa Cruz.

Photo by David Hills

Groundfish used to be the linchpin of California commercial fishing—a year-round, reliable catch of tender white fish that consumers were eager to buy. But that all came to a halt almost two decades ago after populations plummeted from overfishing.

Now, in a remarkable development, California groundfish—which include about 60 types of rockfish as well as sand dabs, Petrale sole and other bottom-dwelling species—have rebounded dramatically, some species decades earlier than anticipated, thanks to long-term fishing restrictions and careful monitoring of fishermen’s catch.

It’s an environmental success story that shows the resiliency of nature and what can be achieved when people work together for a common goal.

As of Jan. 1, fishing restrictions for 10 previously impacted species have been loosened, which the Pacific Fishery Management Council says will bring back hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to California fishing communities. One roadblock: The processing and distribution industry that used to exist around local fishing is all but gone from the Monterey Bay.

Chefs, seafood distributors and a variety of organizations are now working hard to put that infrastructure back in place, to re-energize the fishing business and allow consumers to once more savor super-fresh seafood caught on the Central Coast.

Much re-education is in order to familiarize cooks with the different species of groundfish, which have been out of the supply loop for so long.

“It’s not some crazy new kind of fish,” says Monterey Bay Aquarium executive chef Matt Beaudin, who spends much of his free time talking to other chefs to persuade them to get groundfish back on their menus. “It’s really versatile and forgiving—quick cooking, mild and sweet, and can be poached, roasted, pan- or batter-fried with great results.”

“Fishermen are really the heroes of this recovery—they teamed up to save the industry,” says Beaudin. “They helped get it back. Now it’s up to us to get people excited about it.”

“It’s an all-around success story,” says Jana Hennig, executive director of Positively Groundfish, a nonprofit trade group that is trying to encourage demand among restaurant chefs and home cooks. “It really gives us hope that things can turn around and be sustainable going forward.”

LOCAL AND SUSTAINABLE

Although the restrictions were needed to save certain badly overfished species, a number of unintended consequences took place, according to Sherry Flumerfelt, who heads the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust. Not being able to harvest groundfish put some fishermen out of business; it also affected Monterey Bay seafood distributors, who, without a steady supply of fish available, had no alternative but to shut down local operations that processed and distributed groundfish.

Taking those fish out of the supply chain meant that consumers increasingly have turned to other sources, often overseas, when looking to put a fish dish on their tables. Many millennials have never cooked or eaten Pacific rockfish, sand dabs or sole, simply because it wasn’t an option.

Tilapia, for instance, has filled the demand for a mild white fish. A member of the cichlid family, it is farmed throughout the world and typically imported from Asia and Latin America.

Foreign-produced seafood is inexpensive and readily available, although it carries an unseen price tag in terms of environmental impact, points out MBFT marketing and supply chain manager Roger Burleigh, who notes that 90% of seafood sold in the United States is imported.

Seafood from other countries, whether farmed or wild caught, is often not regulated in the same ways as it is in the U.S., not to mention that transporting it from the other side of the world leaves a large carbon footprint that contributes to global warming.

Pacific groundfish, going forward, is a sustainable choice because

Many millennials have never cooked or eaten Pacific rockfish, sand dabs or sole, simply because it wasn’t an option.

Sherry Flumerfelt and Roger Burleigh of the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust.

of the regulations now in place, as well as new fishing equipment that is easier on the environment and results in less bycatch. Most U.S.-caught species are now considered best or good alternative choices by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch consumer guide. And, Hennig says, that’s what consumers are looking for—wild-caught, local and sustainably produced seafood.

Hennig and her team are now attempting to re-educate foodies about the advantages of Pacific groundfish, from its environmental sustainability to its versatility in the kitchen, by distributing chef-prepared samples at major food shows across the country.

NEW GEAR, NEW MARKETS

Managing wild fisheries has been a joint effort by scientists, fishermen and government agencies over the past few decades, out of necessity. The populations of about 10 different groundfish were so severely depleted that the fishery was declared a federal disaster area in 2000, and sections of the Pacific Ocean were closed to fishing altogether.

Flumerfelt says that a program was put in place to buy back commercial fishing permits, and in 2011, a new quota system called Catch Shares was put into place. Fishermen have also been required to have observers on their boats who carefully weigh the catches and note what species have been caught, so that there is 100% accountability.

At the same time, new fishing gear has been developed that has reduced the amount of bycatch—other species inadvertently swept up. Groundfish were often fished by trawlers, which got a bad reputation for damaging fragile ocean floors and gathering up unwanted fish in weighted nets. But new modified equipment has made that much less likely, according to founder/CEO Alan Lovewell of Real Good Fish, a community-supported fishery and seafood distributor based in Moss Landing.

Groundfish is caught in a variety of other ways in addition to trawling, including long lines, trolling lines and jigs—and people who do want to avoid trawl-caught fish can refer to Seafood Watch, which lists types of groundfish and the methods by which they’re harvested.

Real Good Fish received a federal grant that is allowing it to research new equipment, assisted by Monterey Bay fishermen, with an exempted permit to harvest chilipepper rockfish using a trolled hook and line assisted by cost-effective electronic monitoring gear. The hope is that such a setup would reduce the need for a human observer, which costs fishing vessels $500 to $600 a day. RGF’s fishermen will also report back on the abundancy of chilipepper rockfish in certain areas during the two-year project.

Monterey Bay Aquarium also received a grant and is working on a different innovation with scientist Andre Boustany, who says his gear will give fishers the ability to keep rockfish alive after capture so they can be sold into the live fish trade. Of Lovewell’s research, he says, “Our two teams are trying to work together on the two projects to find ways to optimize both goals.”

With the news of the rebounding fish stocks, hopes for the local fishing economy have also rallied. It is projected to add as many as 900 new jobs in West Coast communities and $60 million in income just this year, according to an economic analysis by the PFMC. In addition to commercial fishing, some 219,000 recreational fishing trips are projected.

Connecting the consumer with local groundfish is the next piece of the puzzle. For commercial fishing to go forward, the infrastructure must be there to get fish to the consumer. Part of the hoped-for solution centers on Monterey’s Wharf 2, where at press time, the Monterey City Council was mulling over awarding leases to companies there that will process and distribute groundfish.

Right now, Flumerfelt says, the only way to buy locally caught rockfish, sole or sablefish is to get it from one of the few fishermen who sell directly from their boats or to buy it from one of the CSFs, such as Real Good Fish in Moss Landing or H&H and Ocean2Table in Santa Cruz. Some area fish markets and independent grocery stores may also have it on hand, if they buy from local fishermen.

Burleigh hopes to organize a weekly fishermen’s market in Monterey, similar to a farmers’ market, where people could come and shop for fresh-off-the-boat seafood. But that’s sometime off in the future. In the meantime, he is helping coordinate promotions at area restaurants that highlight groundfish, such as the recent Get Hooked restaurant week, where local chefs created rockfish and sablefish specials.

Get Hooked also connected chefs and fishermen, with profiles and photos of the fishermen who caught that seafood on display in the restaurants, so that guests could see who was catching their dinner.

“Monterey Bay provides an abundance of sustainable seafood options,” says Burleigh. “We want to draw attention back to our local seafood bounty and the incredible fishermen who catch it.”

Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in North Monterey County, writes about sustainable living, home design and health for numerous publications and websites.

WHAT ARE GROUNDFISH?

Don’t be surprised if you aren’t familiar with the term “ground sh.” It’s a designation applied to particular species in the Paci c Fishery Management Council’s ground sh shery management plan. Because there are more than 90 species in this group, it’s sometimes di cult to keep track of exactly what they are. But in general, they are sh that live on or near the bottom of the ocean, and do not migrate.

• Rock sh are the predominant group among ground sh. The PFMC’s plan covers 64 di erent species of rock sh, including yellowtail, canary, shortbelly and vermilion rock sh, as well as bocaccio, chilipepper, cowcod, yelloweye, thornyheads and Paci c Ocean perch.

• Flat sh include 12 species, such as Petrale sole, starry ounder, turbot and sand dab.

• Round sh encompass lingcod, cabezon, kelp greenling, Paci c cod, Paci c whiting (hake) and sable sh.

• Other species include rat sh, nescale codling and Paci c rattail or grenadier.

Rock sh In Red Chimichurri Sauce

Courtesy Joshua Plesh, chef, Wild Fish in Paci c Grove

Wild Fish in Paci c Grove is all about the seafood, and that’s right up Joshua Plesh’s alley. e restaurant’s executive chef is a big fan of ground sh and he’s delighted to hear that more types will be available in the months to come.

With rock sh, sable sh and Petrale sole on the menu, it’s de nitely something that Wild Fish is getting behind. e restaurant was one of more than a dozen Monterey Peninsula establishments that participated in the Get Hooked week to promote locally caught seafood.

Plesh says this recipe is easy for home cooks to prepare, and since a whole sh is used, it is also visually stunning for a dinner party.

1½–2 pounds whole rock sh (We use a variety called chilipepper at the restaurant)

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 bunch parsley, chopped

4 sprigs oregano, chopped

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons chili akes

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine garlic, vinegar, parsley, oregano, smoked paprika and chili akes. Using a whisk, stir while slowly drizzling in olive oil to emulsify the mixture. Season with salt and set sauce aside.

For the rock sh, before roasting it, gut and scale the sh.

Make a cut along the underside of the belly, from the head to ¾ down the sh. Open the cavity and pull out all of the matter you nd inside and discard, as well as the gills. Rinse the cavity under running water.

Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut o the pectoral ns on either side of the sh. Cut o the dorsal ns and any sharp spines that run along the top or bottom of the sh.

Using a sh scaler or the back of a knife, scale the sh, running your knife from the tail to the head repeatedly on both sides, under cold running water, until the sh feels smooth when running your hand over its full length. (Put a plastic bag in the sink to catch scales for easy cleanup.)

Now it’s time to roast your rock sh. Score both sides of the sh. Season both sides and the inside cavity with olive oil, salt and a few sprigs of oregano. Place the sh on a soaked wet cedar plank or a roasting tray, and place in the oven at 400° F for 20–24 minutes, depending on size, ipping the sh halfway through the cooking process. The sh is done when the esh near the spine is just warmed and the sh starts to ake easily with a fork.

Coat the top of the roasted sh with the red chimichurri sauce and some herbs from the garden and enjoy.

behind

the bottle

GRAPE GOSPEL

Prudy Foxx spreads the word on holistic vineyard management throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains

BY LAURA NESS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE CAHILL AND JULES HOLDSWORTH

Viticulture consultant Prudy Foxx has a dirty little secret. In fact, it’s all about dirt. While the French term terroir is indelibly more romantic, it all comes down to the soil and all the life that is teeming inside of it. If the soil isn’t healthy, nothing that grows in it can be optimally beneficial for those who consume it. The food chain, wine included, depends on healthy soils.

“In farming, at least what has become regarded as ‘conventional’ farming, it’s all about inputs to maximize yield,” says Foxx. “This is exactly the opposite of the goals of ultra-premium wine production.”

Foxx has a deep love of all things earth (she’s even married to a geologist) and puts it to work daily as a viticulturist in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where she is widely known as the vine whisperer. A graduate of Western Washington University in environmental science, she fell in love with grape vines while working at Mount Baker Vineyards in Washington. The chance to work with winemaker Randall Grahm called her to Bonny Doon in 1983 and since then she’s become one

of the most highly sought after grape growing consultants in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.

She is on a mission to spread the word, and the joy, of holistic vineyard management: methods that are proven to deliver the best possible wine with the least impact on the environment. Ditching Roundup is the first step. Don’t even get her started on that topic.

“I want to put the ‘culture’ back into viticulture by bringing back a sensitivity to the whole environment that is the vineyard, a holistic view, if you will,” she says. “The soil below the vines is just as important as what is above. There is an amazing living community of precious micro-organisms thriving in healthy soils that have been shown to impact grape and wine flavor.

“In addition, the areas surrounding the vineyards, and even what grows on the vineyard floor, all influence the quality of the fruit by providing habitat for beneficial insects and promoting natural soil amendments through biological degradation of vegetative material.”

Foxx works with some of the best-known vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, including Storrs, Beauregard, Lester, Christie, Bargetto, Regan, Saveria and Zayante. Most are sustainably farmed and have adapted organic practices, but have not gone through the organic certification process. Storrs is the only one that is currently certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers.

ORGANIC METHODS

In the Corralitos area, Lester Vineyards, planted in 1998 by Dan Lester with assistance from Prudy and her husband Mark, and Saveria Vineyards, planted in 2001 by George and Carol Saveria, are practically across the street from one another on Pleasant Valley Road. Saveria is on an ancient alluvial plain with lots of sandy loam, and a high mineral content. Foxx directly equates this to the big structural complexity of the wines, “They are clear and clean and precisely structured.” Lester, meanwhile, is on colluvial soils that have washed downslope, and contain more organic matter. “The wines tend to be much earthier, with a velvety texture and complexity. They reflect the earth beneath them,” says Foxx.

She pauses to relate a story about being in Burgundy, tasting wines from vineyards that have never used herbicides. “The soils are teeming with life, smells and texture. The French say what is alive in the soil leads to the unique flavors of the wine. We noticed that the cheeses and the wines from any given town in France would have similar flavors, which makes sense, because the vineyards use the manure from local cows!”

Right from the start, Foxx insisted that vineyards she helped establish in Corralitos must never use Roundup.

“Lester and Saveria have never used herbicides. They are not registered or certified organic, though they use compost and cover crops and all kinds of organic practices in addition to conventional sprays,” says Foxx. “Christie has just converted away from herbicides. If you look at the vines at Lester, it looks brown under all the rows because the ground cover is naturally dying back. This is a different weed community because we’ve never used Roundup.”

“Weeds are carbon, and will feed the soil,” says Foxx. “But some are leachy and fibrous and take nutrients away from the vines. Others are good, and add air and water around the vine roots, which increases drainage. Have you noticed orchards that are sprayed with herbicides have standing water all over when it rains? That’s because there are no weed roots to break through the soil and create natural inlets of drainage.”

Cover crops help rainwater better penetrate the soil. Foxx’s favorite choices for a simple effective nutrient rich cover crop are bell beans and fava beans, which are both legumes and help fix nitrogen in the soil.

The two biggest threats that vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains have to deal with besides weeds are the fungus Botrytis and powdery mildew. Organic sprays can be used to control the inevitable mildew that results from fog pressure, but they have to be applied precisely at the right time.

Viticulturist Prudy Foxx practices organic growing methods and (left) Pamela and Steven Storrs with one of their organic weed eaters, a Babydoll sheep.

“Timing is everything,” says Foxx. “You have to understand what is going on in the vineyard. Canopy management is critical to controlling Botrytis. By opening it up and allowing it to dry out, you can cut sprays by 80%.

Photo by Julie Cahill

Photo by Jules Holdsworth

SUPERIOR WINES

At nearby Hidden Springs Vineyard, Pamela and Steven Storrs have dedicated themselves to growing organically and obtaining CCOF certification. Sheep play a key role as they naturally turn cover crop into fertilizer. But the sheep will pretty much eat anything within reach. Says Pamela, “We closely monitor them to make sure that they do not reach up and grab even one of the tasty leaves. So far so good, but as the shoots grow longer, the sheep will need to leave!”

Asked to comment on how Foxx has helped them over the years, Pamela says: “Wow…Prudy has been such a large part of our viticulture program both here at Storrs and at a number of vineyards that are so important to us, like Christie and Saveria. Her support for organic and open-mindedness about biodynamic practices has been profound as we have moved forward, especially with our estate vineyard, Hidden Springs. Having Prudy on our side, helping us to find ever better organic solutions to the challenges that we face everyday in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has been a huge part of our success.”

Says Ryan Beauregard of Beauregard Vineyards, who stopped using Roundup years ago at her insistence, “She is the best of the best. We value our relationship beyond words and we are thankful to be working with her. I relate the consultation and labor services she provides to the high quality wines we produce.”

And then, there’s Regan Vineyards, Bargetto Winery’s 40-acre estate vineyard in Watsonville. Foxx introduced practices that literally changed

the life of Bargetto’s vineyard manager. “You can take time off in August now, because by then the vineyard will more be able to take care of itself. We will stop disease pressure before it starts,” Foxx told him.

Says owner John Bargetto, “Prudy has been a very valued vineyard consultant for Regan Vineyards for over 10 years, and has helped us maximize the quality of wines. She has been part of the reason Bargetto Winery has been winning these wonderful awards for Regan Estate wines, especially over the last four or five years. I’m very appreciative of her grapevine whispering abilities.”

Asked if there was a point of resistance to Foxx’s recommendations, Bargetto says, “I resisted ending traditional sulfur sprays, but moved to organic Stylet Oil…worked out fine.”

Foxx has a real soft spot for Zayante Vineyard, planted in the late 1980s by Greg Nolton and Kathleen Starkey, who sold the property about four years ago. Pesticides have never been used here, and it was always dry farmed. Says Foxx, “Zayante is abundance. The own-rooted vines are thick, rich and beautiful. The soils are deep, black and well-drained. You can feel how thriving with life the soil is, earthworms everywhere.”

And the wines are abundantly alive.

Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.

Photo by Jules Holdsworth

EDIBLE GUIDES

BY LAURA NESS

Do you want some of the healthiest, most sustainable natural protein available? Think pasture-raised meats. In the old days, before factory farms turned the food chain upside down and inside out, farmers let their animals graze naturally on grasses that spring from the earth. Livestock turned green carbohydrates into protein, while recycling the rest to create healthy manure, which was then used to build soil and fertilize other crops. This is the ultimate closed-loop recycling system, aka regenerative agriculture.

Choosing pasture-raised meats avoids the intense resource consumption involved in feedlots, where most beef sold as “natural” or “organic” is still finished off with corn and grain. If you truly want to return to your roots, buy strictly pasture-raised and finished meat directly from local farmers and ranchers.

Pasture-raised protein is plentiful in the Monterey Bay foodshed, if you know where to find it

Paicines Ranch shepherdess Jess Maier runs her Katahdin flock back home after a stay at Calera Vineyards, photo by Alicia Arcidiacono.

CALIFORNIA KUROBUTA – PORK

It doesn’t get more “off the grid” than the 15-acre wind and solar-powered organic farm Jack and Sara Kimmich have owned in rural San Benito County since 1998. Here, they raise Berkshire pigs in pastures and woods where they munch on grasses, cattails, bugs, grubs, nuts and roots, just like wild pigs do. Seasonally, they get to eat high on the hog, with fresh apples, grains and vegetables from neighboring farms and grain processors. No corn, soy, antibiotics or growth hormones for these happy piggies.

Choosing Berkshires was smart. Known for their super juicy tender meat, they are redder in color than other pork, with real flavor, unlike bland store-bought pork. Naturally high fat marbling endeared the breed to Japanese chefs, who dubbed them Kurobuta, known as the Wagyu of the porcine universe.

Jack’s son, Thomas (meatknifefire.com), specializes in whole hog barbecues. I saw him in full pigskin action at a recent 49ers Foundation event at Carmel Valley Ranch, where grilled Kurobuta pig brought squeals of delight to children and adults alike. “It’s such an impressive way to throw a party!” says Kimmich.

Want some? Join the Meat Club for individual vacuum-sealed and frozen cuts. Or order half and whole pigs, that you can have butchered to order by the meat cutter of your choice.

Location: San Benito County Email: info@californiakurobuta.com

Availability: Meat Club pickups on the third Monday of each month at First City CrossFit in Monterey, the third Tuesday of each month at the Felton Farmers’ Market and at Harley-Davidson in Morgan Hill on select Saturdays. Half or whole hog and whole roasters also available.

CORRAL DE TIERRA CATTLE CO. – BEEF

Cattle rancher Mark Farr owns and grazes about 800 acres on his home ranch in Salinas, and leases another 3,000 acres. His herd of black Angus cattle enjoys a bucolic lifestyle, grazing primarily on conservation properties in the Santa Lucia Mountains (including land owned by the Big Sur Land Trust), where they live a stress-free life, without the need for hormones or antibiotics.

“Demand for local, grassfed, consciously raised beef is increasing. People want to know the farmers,” says Farr, whose dad ran both Red and Black Angus. He raises about 100 head annually, processing two or three at a time, which are generally between the ages of 2½ and 3½ years, based on their condition, although he finds the best meat comes from cattle over 8 years old. Farr laments the shortage of slaughterhouses and butchers in the state, a frequent comment from others interviewed for this story.

Farr is looking for more ranch land to graze, as cattle need at least 30 acres per animal annually, and his own ranch is all dry farmed. “Cattle are great for preserving the landscape while browsing grass, weeds and poison oak,” says Farr. In contrast, goats eat everything in sight.

His USDA-certified, dry-aged beef has a flavor and texture that aren’t found in store-bought meat. “My customers over age 60 constantly tell me this is the meat they grew up on. I have three new customers who started eating meat again,” he says.

Location: Salinas Phone: 831.595.6229

Availability: Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) farmers’ market and direct. Buyer’s Club offers monthly variety boxes (minimum 10 pounds for $100;

$1,000 for one year) and whole or half beef. Variety boxes can also contain locally raised lamb and pork, including jerky and sausages.

FOGLINE FARM – CHICKEN

For more than 10 years, Caleb Barron of Fogline Farm has been humanely raising free-range, organic, non-GMO-fed Cornish Cross broiler chickens on 25 acres of coastal farmland (Rodoni Ranch and Pie Ranch) north of Santa Cruz.

Barron got hooked on livestock when taking classes in sustainable agriculture at UC Santa Cruz, and from there became an apprentice at the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems. He is committed to producing superior meats, and Fogline Farm has become synonymous with high-quality chicken.

The birds are moved to fresh pasture areas every day and anyone who has tried his poultry knows how succulent it is. Says Barron, “Our fresh poultry is responsibly raised, the old-fashioned way, with integrity. It’s low density (production), they have fresh air, fresh pasture and abundant sunshine. They love basking in the sun and being in the spring grass.” He also feeds them certified organic feed and produces about 500 chickens weekly.

He sells primarily at farmers’ markets, where he is joined by Ryan Abelson with his eggs from Pajaro Pastures and Berkshire hogs pasture raised at Your Family Farm in Paicines.

Location: Santa Cruz Phone: 831.212.2411

Availability: Downtown Santa Cruz, Downtown Carmel, MPC, Cabrillo College and Live Oak farmers’ markets, also Santa Cruz Food Lounge and Staff of Life. Good Eggs delivers seven days a week.

(Clockwise from top left) Fogline Farm chickens, photo by Caleb Barron, LeftCoast Grassfed cattle and LeftCoast Grassfed beef, photos by William Milliot, Corral de Tierra cattle, photo by Mark Farr.

Old Spots cross piglets at Stenvick Farm, photo by Laura Stenvick.

LEFTCOAST GRASSFED

TOMKAT RANCH – BEEF

According to Kathy Webster, food advocacy manager for TomKat Ranch, “We focus on regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to improving soil health, climate stability, water quality and availability, animal welfare, human health, economic prosperity and biodiversity.”

LeftCoast GrassFed raises and processes only about 40 head of cattle per year, which sell out quickly. “We have raised Black Baldies (Angus-Hereford cross) for many years, and recently introduced Devon bulls to our herd to help us adapt our grassfed genetics to fit our Mediterranean climate,” she says.

When asked what makes LeftCoast beef unique, Webster says, “Our beef has a terroir that reflects our rich coastal soil and diversity of grasses—both annual and perennial. We harvest animals when the grasses start to turn a golden hue and it provides a sweet, earthy flavor to our dry-aged beef.” If you’re craving a taste, the ranch sells its ground beef to Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero for hamburgers.

Location: Pescadero Phone: 650.879.2147

Availability: Downtown Santa Cruz and Westside Santa Cruz farmers’ markets.

MONKEYFLOWER RANCH

LAMB, PORK, CHICKEN

Rebecca King and her family purchased the 40acre Monkeyflower Ranch, named for the sticky monkeyflower found there, in 2008. With a herd of about 100 sheep, she started a commercial dairy in 2009, making about 4,000 pounds of cheese annually, and has added a steadily growing yogurt business. She now also pasture raises hogs and chickens, which are fed an organic, antibiotic-free diet that includes spent grains from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and Venus Spirits. Produce from Happy Boy and Prevedelli Farms supplements their diets.

“Dairy is our primary focus, but meat comes along with it because you need babies to keep the milk coming,” she says. “We have 200 sheep, mostly for milk, but we sell 50 to 60 lambs seasonally.” Her Adopt-a-Ewe program costs $500 up front and includes half a lamb or a sampler pack of pork, plus cheeses and yogurt, every other week for six months, with 13 pickups (at farmers’ markets and Happy Girl Kitchen) for a $600 value.

She raises Gloucester Old Spots hogs, bred

for barnyard life, for their incredibly flavorful meat. Her three sows and a boar produce a litter of 8–12 piglets every six months. “I am so fond of our pork: it’s tender, juicy and incredibly flavorful. Our customers tell us the same thing. There’s no need to brine! I love raising pigs because they are so forgiving and they love to eat everything,” King says.

She recently started offering lamb by the cut, and also raises chickens for eggs and meat.

Location: Royal Oaks Phone: 831.761.3630

Availability: Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market, Staff of Life and New Leaf in Capitola.

MORRIS GRASSFED – BEEF

“Grassfed and finished beef is the ultimate nutrient-dense, low-calorie health food superfood,” says writer and rancher Julie Morris, who, along with husband Joe, has been at this for 25 years now. Annually they raise around 300 head of an Angus-Hereford cross ideally suited to the local pastureland, which includes their home ranch in San Juan Bautista, coastal ranches in Watsonville and an inland ranch in Paicines. They take orders from January through mid-March for quarter, half and whole cows, and are already sold out for 2019.

Unlike meat factories, Morris Grassfed lets its cattle mature to at least 18–22 months, when their butts are nice and fat looking. Why is it important that beef is both grassfed and finished? “Cattle may be grass fed for a few months, then rounded up and finished at a feedlot, where they are eating grain,” says Morris. What’s the grassfed difference? “We love our fat as much as the corn-fed guys,” says Morris. “And, in fact, grassfed beef is loaded with fat, the good kind, omega 3, which is what your brain really needs.” How’s the flavor? Rich, she says: richer than conventional beef. Much like wine, she says the meat reflects the terroir from whence it came. Closer to the ocean, a bit more salty, and you can taste arid savanna in cattle raised in Paicines, where it’s hot and dry.

In a recent article about the “Impossible Burger” and “clean meat,” the lab-generated alternative, Morris writes, “A grassfed cow is the original and purest form of plant-based meat. A cow’s rumen does naturally what Bill Gates’ millions fund in a laboratory: creates protein out of green plants.”

Location: San Juan Bautista Phone: 831.245.5367

Availability: Direct. Join waiting list on website (morrisgrassfed.com).

PAICINES RANCH – LAMB, BEEF

For decades, the historic 7,000-acre Paicines Ranch was grazed by cattle. Striving for a more regenerative approach to agriculture, the team at the ranch introduced Katahdin sheep, which shed naturally, meaning they don’t need to be shorn. About 80 will be harvested this year, and more going forward. The ranchers also grow organic grapes in a vineyard designed to be managed by sheep. And the ranch is also finishing grassfed cattle again, primarily Angus, with meat available for sale starting this summer.

Both sheep and cattle graze on a combination of rangeland and farmland, where forage crops and grains are grown. Thanks to holistic planned grazing, where livestock are rotated among pasture areas, perennial grasses are returning. Generally, less than 50% of the grass or crop is grazed, giving plants time to recover. All the land at the ranch, including the lawns at the event center, is managed in this way.

Says Sallie Calhoun, co-owner of Paicines Ranch, “As a society, we appear to have concluded that in order to ‘feed the world’ we have to destroy ecosystems. Instead, we believe we can grow food, fuel and fiber in ways that produce more food and more nutritious food while improving ecosystems if we partner with, rather than dominate, nature.”

Many customers claim Paicines Ranch lamb to be the best ever. Says Calhoun, “We believe this is due to the sheep breed, the age at which we harvest and their excellent diet. While meat raised on grain in feedlots has a huge carbon footprint with lots of other negative impacts, our meat has a positive effect on the planet and people.”

Location: Paicines Phone: 831.628.0288

Availability: Order from website (paicinesranch.com/pastured-meats). Pickup at the ranch, plus limited delivery options.

PAJARO PASTURES – CHICKEN, LAMB, PORK, GOAT

Ryan Abelson’s love of ag began at UC Santa Cruz, where he grew his own salad at the Chadwick Garden. Apprenticing at Fogline Farm with Caleb Barron gave him an appreciation for animal husbandry and rotational grazing. He tried a run at rabbits, but found it impossible to make a living, so he turned his focus to eggs. “Everyone loves eggs,” he says. Last year, he made a trade of a dozen rabbits for a breed sow with

his friend Matt from Pretty Good Advice restaurant and, suddenly, he was in the pork business.

At his 12½-acre farm in Soquel, he’s now raising about 300 chickens (Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds and Rhode Island Whites), along with lamb (Black Bellies), pigs (Old Spots, Berkshires and Hampshires) and Boer goats (primarily for meat for chefs and private events). They feast happily on perennial grasses that include mustard and chicory, under the watchful supervision of Anatolian Shepherd and Great Pyrenees dogs. The grazers are also treated to spent grains from Sante Adairius brewery, old bread from a local bakery and lots of certified organic produce that would otherwise be scrapped in the summer. “It’s unbelievable how much they eat, and how fast!” says Abelson.

He also grows some impressive weed for the medicinal market, using chicken manure, then feeds the plant scraps to the animals, who gobble it up happily. Can you think of a more fitting recycling scenario? “The animals are my boss,” says Abelson, who sells them whole. “Animals don’t come in pieces. We need to celebrate them in their entirety. Yet people just want bacon and pork chops.”

Location: Soquel Phone: 310.507.3857

Availability: Downtown Santa Cruz, Downtown Carmel, MPC, Cabrillo College and Live Oak farmers’ markets. Meat is also available directly from the farm.

Location: Hollister Phone: 831.801.9765

Availability: San Francisco Bay Area farmers’ markets and Eating with the Seasons CSA. Eggs and bone broth can be purchased at Star Market in Salinas.

STENVICK FARM – PORK

You’ll find Laura Stenvick at local farmers’ markets when she’s not playing with piglets on her 60-acre farm 1½ miles up Tassajara Road in Carmel Valley. When she and her husband bought the property here five years ago, they inherited some chickens and thought about getting goats. Then she acquired two Gloucestershire Old Spots sows from a lady in Prunedale. A year or so ago they got a heritage boar, and it was meat game on, as the first litters arrived.

PASTURE

CHICK

RANCH CHICKEN, TURKEY, GOAT

Proud to wear the badge of “Pasture Chick,” Lisa Knutson specializes in multiple species grazing on her 285-acre Hollister ranch, where she currently raises chickens, turkeys (seasonal) and goats, all for meat. She tells us, “Our new hens are bred to live on pasture. If their livestock guardian dog barks (Knutson has 22 of them, mostly Akbash), they get behind her and follow her to the safest part of their pasture. We have 2,500 layers and they each lay 5–6 eggs a week.” She processes 350 Cornish Cross birds every other week, as well as a limited number of Broad-Breasted turkeys for the holidays.

With the onset of the drought, she eliminated sheep. “The goat meat (Cashmere and Boer) has been such a hit, we decided to forego the idea of a dairy and just focus on pastured goat meat.”

The goats eat strictly pasturelands, which contain rye grass, clover and thistles, and they are routinely rotated throughout them. In addition to grass, chickens require grains to keep them healthy and growing. “Laying hens are fed a grain supplement specifically designed for egg production, and meat birds get a supplement to build lean body mass and strong bones. We do not feed any hormones or antibiotics,” says Knutson.

As people become more aware of where their food originates, demand for Knutson’s product has risen. “We added a honey-brined, fully cooked half-chicken and chicken bone broth; both are sold frozen and are very well received,” she says.

She began researching farmers’ markets and sold at her first one earlier this year in Carmel Valley. She’s also at Old Town Salinas and will bring selections of frozen cuts to the Pacific Grove farmers’ market this summer.

Stenvick is besotted with the cuteness of the piglets. “They are so fun and entertaining—and so clean! Much more fun than chickens!” she declares. Three kinds of poultry—chickens, turkeys and peacocks—roam the farm, providing eggs, mostly for the pigs. Everybody wins.

Pigs are also far more productive than goats, which have 2–3 kids per litter, versus 10–14 piglets per pig litter, twice yearly. Stenvick plans to add a Berkshire sow this summer. She pastures them, but in this high and dry spot in the woodsy heights of Carmel Valley, they would starve if she didn’t supplement their diet. She does that with a non-GMO pellet feed that is corn and soy free, with no antibiotics or growth hormones.

J&R Natural Meat and Sausage in Paso Robles processes the pigs into bone-in chops, roasts, ribs, sausages and several kinds of bacon, all nitrate free. This isn’t that “other white meat” you buy in the store. “People see fat and think it’s bad,” says Stenvick. “But this meat is incredibly marbled and redder. It needs hardly any seasoning. All our cured and smoked cuts are done with just salt and turbinado sugar.”

Location: Carmel Valley Phone: 831.402.5455 Availability: Carmel Valley, Old Town Salinas and Pacific Grove farmers’ markets.

10 EASY WAYS TO THE PRESERVATIONIST STOP WASTING FOOD

Save money and help save the planet with these thrifty tips

BY JORDAN CHAMPAGNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARGAUX GIBBONS

Food waste is a huge problem impacting the environment. In fact, reducing food waste is the third most important change we can make in our everyday lives to lower carbon emissions and reverse global warming, according to a worldwide project called Drawdown, which identifies 100 solutions to rapid environmental change. Its top solution is reducing refrigerants and number two is using more wind turbines to generate electricity—things that aren’t nearly as easy to do at home.

The challenge is intimidating and encouraging at the same time. The report finds that globally nearly one-third of food grown or produced goes to waste. In low-income countries, most of the food waste occurs in production, storage and distribution. But in medium to high-income countries such as the United States, food waste occurs more frequently by consumers who reject imperfect produce or buy more food than they need. The great part of this for us is that we can make a huge difference in our daily habits of buying and consuming food and become part of the solution.

The amount of food wasted in the U.S. is astonishing, up to 40%, as estimated by the National Resources Defense Council in a 2012 study. The group reported the average American household throws away $2,200 of food each year (that’s a trip to Hawaii!). The same study says 20% of food that the average American buys is never eaten and 90% of wasted food is thrown away too soon.

So, why am I writing about this in The Preservationist column? Food preservation is the old school way to avoid food waste. Preserving the harvest can help support the mindset that you do not want food to go to waste. This is the foundation of Happy Girl Kitchen. It all started 20 years ago when I was working on a small organic farm that grew diversified row crops. It was August and I was astounded by the mountain of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes that would never make it to market, or to a grocery store or a plate in a restaurant or a home. These tomatoes were perfectly ripe, but could not withstand the travel or time. So I built 10-by-40-foot drying racks and started slicing and drying tomatoes. Thus Happy Girl Kitchen was born.

Over the past 17 years we have preserved hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce that otherwise would not have found a home.

A field of beets that was going to be tilled in, apricots that were too blemished to sell (but delicious) and perfect strawberries that came back from market. One time a farmer called me with 1,000 pounds of Bearss limes that went yellow after a frost. No one would buy them, because no one wants to buy yellow limes. So I said yes and created Bearss lime marmalade. We preserve 25,000 pounds of tomatoes a year at the peak of harvest. We also co-pack for farmers and return their own produce preserved in jars that they sell to consumers at their farmers’ market stands or put in CSA boxes.

Not wasting food can become a lifestyle choice that has many benefits. It is better for the planet, and it saves you the money and energy that it takes to buy all of that wasted food. It can make life simpler. You don’t have to preserve hundreds of pounds of produce to feel like you are making a difference! Here’s a list of simple things you can do to eliminate food waste in your everyday life.

Jordan Champagne is the co-owner and founder of Happy Girl Kitchen Co. She has a passion for preserving the local, organic harvest and loves sharing her secrets at workshops she teaches in Pacific Grove and at Cabrillo College Extension in Aptos.

IDEAS FOR REDUCING FOOD WASTE

Recipes can be found in previous Preservationist articles or online.

MAKE CHEESE

Do you have milk that is slightly sour or is just past the sell by date? Make ricotta!

Simply heat milk to 200° F and add lemon juice until it separates (about ¼ cup lemon juice per quart of milk). Strain curds and salt and season. It will keep for 1 week.

MAKE PICKLES

Too many veggies? Make CSA pickles. Simply chop mixed vegetables into a jar, add spices and cover with vinegar brine or even old pickle juice and pop in the fridge for 2 weeks until they are ready to eat!

PRESERVE IT

Do you have bad looking (ugly) fruit?

You can simply start a shrub or syrup by sprinkling some sugar and lemon juice over it and then nding a recipe. Or you can freeze it for smoothies.

MAKE BROTH

Collect vegetable trimmings in a container in your fridge for a few days. When you are ready to make broth, transfer into a pot, cover with water and simmer for hours. Tired vegetables are also great for soup.

CREATIVELY REPURPOSE LEFTOVERS

Save leftover rice to turn it into fried rice or sweet breakfast porridge the next day.

MAKE CANDY

After you are done juicing your lemons or oranges, you can make candied citrus peels with them!

MAKE PESTO

If you have greens or herbs that are about to go bad, you can make pesto using basil, cilantro, kale or arugula. You can also make it from carrot greens, beet greens or radish greens rather than tossing them out. Simply blend with olive oil and sea salt, and slather on everything!

PRIORITIZE AND ORGANIZE

Cook according to what is going to go bad rst in your refrigerator and think creatively to use up that perishable food.

THROW A PARTY!

Invite friends over for dinner if you have too much food to get through.

COMPOST

When all else fails, composting diverts waste from the land ll and makes healthy soil for our planet. You can also feed other animals like chickens, goats and bunnies with produce that would otherwise be composted.

Dine Local GUIDE

APTOS

Persephone 7945 Soquel Drive 831.612.6511 • persephonerestaurant.com

With a namesake like the mythic Persephone, this restaurant in Aptos proclaims its deep reverence for seasonal cooking. emes central to harvest, winter and spring are core to Persephone’s story, and are re ected in the changing menu at this ne dining destination, where chef Cori Goudge-Ayer presents inventive, ingredient-driven creations. e restaurant is a family-run passion project, bringing together parents, siblings and a long history of culinary arts in a beautifully redesigned space overlooking Aptos Creek. Open W–Su 4:30–9pm.

BIG SUR

Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn

47900 Highway 1 831.667.2800 • postranchinn.com

Executive chef Jonny Black uses exceptional ingredients, many grown on site, deliver a unique gastronomic take on the Big Sur experience. Lunch o ers a 3-course prix xe menu, while dinner features a 4-course prix xe menu. Choose from almost 3,000 di erent wines from the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list. Arrive before sunset for breathtaking views from this iconic restaurant’s oor-to-ceiling windows and cli side terrace. Open daily for lunch noon–2:30pm, dinner 5:30–9pm. Advance reservations required. Please note that dinner guests will not be admitted before 5pm.

CAPITOLA

East End Gastropub

1501 41st Avenue 831.475.8010 • eastendpub.com

East End Gastropub is the newer baby sister to the popular West End Tap & Kitchen, but aside from sharing owners and chefs, East End’s beautiful, recently renovated modern interior is entirely di erent from West End and o ers its own robust, sophisticated, beer-friendly menu. Chef Geo rey Hargrave has created dishes that are familiar yet innovative, such as crispy gigante beans with smoked creme fraiche and coq au vin. Share plates, pizzas and salads come in generous portions for a familystyle meal. e restaurant also o ers its own brews, along with local rotating taps and a strong wine list. Open Su 10:30am–9:30pm, Sa 10:30am–10pm, M– 4–9:30pm, F 11:30am–10pm. Brunch Sa–Su 10:30am–2:30pm. Happy hour M–F 4–6pm.

Mijo’s Taqueria

200 Monterey Avenue, Suite 2 831.465.0228 • mijostaqueria.com

Serving the local community and visitors alike in Capitola Village, Mijo’s Taqueria features bold and unique avors in a new age taqueria setting. Chef Anthony Guajardo’s passion for cooking developed from being in his Mexican and Italian grandmothers’ kitchens growing up. Eager to combine his authentic family recipes with a modern culinary twist, he opened Mijo’s, conveniently located just a quick walk from the beach and available for dining in or ordering to go. Open M, F, Sa 11am–7:30pm, Tu–11am–6pm, Su 11am–7pm.

Roasted Fogline Farm chicken is served at Il Grillo in Carmel, along with lots of Italian-inspired dishes.

Photo by Patrick Tregenza

e Penny Ice Creamery

820 41st Avenue

831.204.2523

• thepennyicecreamery.com

Open Su– noon–9pm, F–Sa noon–10pm See e Penny description under Santa Cruz for more.

Shadowbrook

1750 Wharf Road 831.475.1511 • shadowbrook-capitola.com

A Santa Cruz County landmark since 1947, the worldfamous Shadowbrook continues to be an overwhelming favorite with locals and visitors alike. Its ne food, extensive wine list and unparalleled setting and ambiance have earned it numerous awards, including Northern California’s “Most Romantic Restaurant” and “Best Date Night Restaurant.” Gift cards and reservations available online. Open M–F 5–8:45pm, Sa 4:30–9:45pm, Su 4:30–8:45pm.

CARMEL

Aabha Indian Cuisine

3690 e Barnyard 831.250.5940 • aabhaindian.com

For authentic Indian food in Carmel, look no further than Aabha Indian Cuisine, which o ers lunch and dinner daily at e Barnyard. Master chef Bhupender Singh has more than two decades of experience in creating tantalizing dishes, with expertise in balancing spices and complex avors. Chef Singh began his career working at Bukhara restaurant in New Delhi, one of the 50 top restaurants in the world, later opening popular restaurants in the Bay Area and Sonoma. Open daily for lunch bu et 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner 5–9pm.

Allegro Pizzeria

South West corner of e Barnyard 831.626.5454

Carmel’s neighborhood pizzeria for over 30 years, Allegro features eclectic award-winning pizza, as well as traditional Italian fare. With private dining rooms and patios, Allegro is a great spot for any event with complete meals to match any budget. Featuring pizza, pasta, seafood & steak as well as an array of new pub fare inspired by the on-site craft brewery. Kids make their own pizza, puppies eat free and gluten free, vegan & keto choices are available. Yes, we deliver! Open M– 11:30am–8:30pm, F–Sa 11:30am–9:30pm, Su 11:30–9pm.

Aubergine

Monte Verde Street at Seventh Avenue 831.624.8578 • auberginecarmel.com

Located within the romantic L’Auberge Carmel, a visit to Aubergine feels like a trip to Europe. Executive chef Justin Cogley was named one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs of 2013. He has been nominated multiple times for a James Beard award and it’s no wonder—he’s an eloquent and imaginative interpreter of ne seasonal ingredients. Executive pastry chef Yulanda Santos delights with stunning and inventive desserts. Open daily 6–9:30pm.

Basil Seasonal Dining

San Carlos street between Ocean and Seventh avenues (Paseo Courtyard) 831.626.8226 • basilcarmel.com

“Organic, local and seasonal” are not just buzzwords at Basil. is cozy restaurant in the Paseo Courtyard was awarded three stars from the national Green Restaurant Association. Owner Denis Boaro and executive chef Bryce Hansen provide inventive dishes, a full bar and great selection of California and Italian wines, including Old and New World. Check website for information on monthly winemaker dinners and other events. Many vegan and vegetarian entrées available. Heated, dog-friendly outdoor seating. Open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:30am, Sa–Su brunch 11am–2pm.

Billy Quon’s SUR

3601 e Barnyard, Suite A-21 831.250.7188 • surcarmel.com

SUR is the latest restaurant for Bill and Teresa Lee, who over the years have created local favorites like Bahama Billy’s and Bixby Bistro at e Barnyard. Executive chef Herman Hernandez gets rave reviews for an exciting and eclectic menu. Favorites include his famous Southern fried chicken and wa es, sherman’s bouillabaisse, let mignon, burgers and a variety of vegetarian dishes. SUR has a full bar and holds two happy hours nightly, from 3–6pm and 8–9pm, plus happy hour all night every Tuesday. A wide selection of local wines is available. SUR has a special doggie menu for canine patrons! Open Tu–Su 11:30am–9pm, all-day menu served continuously.

Covey Breakfast Restaurant

8000 Valley Greens Drive 831.620.8910 • quaillodge.com

Overlooking a pond and manicured grounds, the newly remodeled Covey Breakfast Restaurant includes motorcycles from the Moto Talbott Museum in Carmel Valley in a nod to Quail’s annual motorsports event, while chef Brian Kearns captures the essence of a home-cooked Carmel Valley meal. e weekday à la carte menu includes nourishing skillets, eggs benedict and huevos rancheros; on weekends, enjoy an enhanced American breakfast buffet. Both indoor and outdoor seating come with beautiful views. Open daily 6:30–11am.

Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand Organic Kitchen

7250 Carmel Valley Road 831.625.6219 • earthboundfarm.com

At its newly renovated Carmel Valley Farm Stand, Earthbound Farm’s 100% certi ed organic kitchen delights with housemade soups, sandwiches, a newly expanded salad bar, baked goods and fresh juices and smoothies. Food is available to be enjoyed on our beautiful grounds or for takeaway. Experience picturesque Carmel Valley as you stroll through Earthbound’s organic gardens and learn about its pioneering local heritage and commitment to organic integrity. And as always, pick up some fresh, local organic fruits and veggies. Visit our website or check out Facebook for hours, special events and classes!

Edgar’s at Quail

8000 Valley Greens Drive 831.620.8910 • quaillodge.com

Taste the fresh ingredients harvested from local organic farms that are hand selected by Edgar’s executive chef Brian Kearns and exquisitely prepared by his culinary team into the savory dishes available on its new menus. Set in the clubhouse of Quail Lodge & Golf Club, Edgar’s restaurant and bar features a casual elegance with its indoor and outdoor reside dining located alongside the natural backdrop of the golf course and Santa Lucia Mountains. Edgar’s at Quail is proudly guided in the principles of sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and focuses on local farm-to-table options. Open daily 11am–9pm.

États-Unis French-American Bistro

Dolores Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues 831.238.6010 • etatsuniscarmel.com

French comfort food made with locally sourced organic ingredients is a winning combination for États-Unis, helmed by award-winning chef Soerke Peters. e cozy, casual restaurant in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea features favorites like quiche Lorraine, sweet or savory crêpes, escargot, bouillabaisse and beef cheek bourguignon, as well as housemade pâtés, charcuterie and hearty hors d’oeuvres, perfect for enjoying with a glass of wine. Open daily 7am–3pm, –Su 5–9pm.

Folktale Winery & Vineyards

8940 Carmel Valley Road 831.293.7500

• folktalewinery.com

Folktale Winery is renowned for its wines, but great food is also on the menu there. e winery o ers small bites that are perfectly paired to its vintages, from the artisan cheese and charcuterie boards to Folktale’s deviled eggs with Baker’s bacon or Imperial caviar, and Niman Ranch meatballs. Salads and vegetarian options are also available, as is a selection of savory atbreads. ey’re just the thing to enjoy while taking in the idyllic beauty of the setting and enjoying a wine ight of Folktale’s nest. Tours and special wine and food pairings are also available by reservation. Winery open noon–8pm, F–Sa 11am–9pm, 11am–8pm, kitchen open noon–8pm.

From Scratch Restaurant 3626 e Barnyard 831.625.2448 • fromscratchrestaurant.com

When

When a restaurant is called From Scratch, customers expect a meal prepared with the freshest ingredients and cooked to perfection. at’s exactly what you get when you dine at this charming family-owned spot. Breakfast is served all day, featuring hometown favorites such as eggs Benedict, made-to-order omelets, French toast made with homemade cinnamon bread and huevos rancheros. A variety of lunch specials is available, including soups, salads and sandwiches. A pet-friendly patio welcomes those who come in with furry friends. Open daily 8am–2:30pm. Lunch served starting at 11am.

Il Grillo

Mission Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues 831.238.9608 • ilgrillocarmel.com

A more casual yet equally outstanding sister to Carmel’s La Balena, Il Grillo is staking out its own creative culinary personality with the addition of longtime local chef Brandon Miller. Homemade desserts are by Emily Garcia. Both Miller and Garcia share a wealth of local food knowledge and traditions shine through their cooking. Dinner menus are driven by local and sustainably raised ingredients, with beautiful and delicious results. Garden seating available. Open M–Sa 4–9pm.

La Balena

Junipero Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues 831.250.6295 • labalenacarmel.com

Winner of EMB’s 2014 Local Heroes award for Best Chef/ Best Restaurant, La Balena has a seasonal menu that changes daily but always expresses an inventive take on the rustic food of a Tuscan trattoria. e outstanding culinary team sources ingredients from local organic farms and prepares the restaurant’s pastas and slow-cooked me ats from scratch daily. Owners Anna and Emanuele Bartolini have created an excellent Italian wine list and a warm, inviting atmosphere, complete with back garden seating. Open Tu-Su 11:30am-3:30pm, 5-10pm.

Lafayette Bakery & Café

3659 e Barnyard, Suite E-22 831.915.6286

Whether it’s a rustic loaf of bread or a delectable French pastry, you’ll nd what you’re looking for at award-winning Lafayette Bakery & Café, a favorite stop for both locals and visitors to e Barnyard. Master baker Jean-Bernard Vial and the rest of the Vial family bring their French heritage to their authentic artisan breads and handcrafted pastries such as custard brioche and almond croissants. Co ee, baguette sandwiches and salads are also served with a smile. Open M–Sa 7am–6pm, Su 7am–4pm.

Enjoy family.

TASTING ROOM-SAN CARLOS & 7TH, CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA FAMILY-OWNED & ESTATE GROWN SINCE 1972 • SCHEIDFAMILYWINES.COM

KURT GOLLNICK – COO, TYLER SCHEID – PROJECT MANAGER, SCOTT SCHEID – CEO, HEIDI SCHEID – SR. VICE PRESIDENT, AL SCHEID – CHAIRMAN, FOUNDER

Robata Grill & Sake Bar

3658 e Barnyard, Lower Level 831.624.2643 • robata-barnyard.com

Robata Grill & Sake Bar in e Barnyard has been a locals’ favorite for more than three decades, providing traditional Japanese cuisine and a sushi bar. e perfect place for any occasion, the restaurant features a full bar and wine list as well as a good selection of sake and Japanese beer. Robata welcomes private parties and o ers catering as well. Open M–Sa, lunch 11:30am–1:30pm, dinner at 5pm.

Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse (7D)

Seventh & Dolores 831.293.7600 • 7Dsteakhouse.com

e heart of this restaurant is a classic steakhouse, but with the energy and in uences of coastal California and beyond. e restaurant, owned and run by the team behind Folktale Winery, is both a favorite neighborhood spot as well as a place to celebrate special occasions. Executive chef omas Snyder chooses all-natural meats from Niman Ranch that include 28-day, dry-aged beef, all humanely and sustainably raised, in addition to fresh local seafood and housemade desserts. Open for lunch 11:30am–3pm and dinner 5–10pm daily as well as brunch Sa–Su 11:30am–3pm.

Waypoint Bar & Deck

8205 Valley Greens Drive 831.620.8910 • quaillodge.com

Locals and visitors alike have an exciting and beautiful new spot to stop for a whiskey ight, local craft beer, creative cocktails, wines by the glass or bottle, and contemporary small bites and appetizers made with local, sustainable ingredients. e new Waypoint Bar & Deck offers monthly chef specials like “Bubbles & Birdies” (fried chicken and Champagne) and a tantalizing regular menu featuring such items as chef Brian Kearns’ beef Shortrib Nachos with Charred Avocado, Roasted Heirloom Carrots, burgers, atbreads and duck fat fries. Also available for private events, rental fees apply. Open W–Su 5–10pm.

CARMEL VALLEY

Jerome’s Carmel Valley Market

2 Chambers Lane 831.659.2472 • jeromescarmelvalleymarket.com

Already known for its specialty groceries, meats and fresh local produce, this beloved market is now serving classically French-trained chef Jerome Viel’s delicious hot prepared foods, sandwiches and mostly organic salad bar for eating at comfortable outdoor seating or takeaway. e o erings start with breakfast burritos, croissants and other French pastries in the morning, followed by favorites such as coq au vin, spaghetti carbonara and chicken enchiladas for lunch. On Friday afternoon, the big paella pan appears just in time to take some home for dinner. Open M–Sa 7am–7pm, Su 7am–6pm.

Lucia Restaurant & Bar

Bernardus Lodge & Spa • 415 W. Carmel Valley Road 831.658.3400 • bernarduslodge.com

Indulge in artisanal California country cuisine, awardwinning wines and an expansive heated outdoor terrace with the nest restaurant view in Carmel Valley. Named for the Santa Lucia mountain range and wine appellation that beckons to the south, renowned chef Cal Stamenov serves both his signature tasting menu and dishes à la carte. Wine list is equally notable. A private chef’s table and wine cellar are also available. Enjoy live music Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings and at Saturday and Sunday brunch. Open daily 7am–10pm.

Trailside Café and Beer Garden

3 Del Fino Place 831.298.7453 • trailsidecafecv.com ose needing to refuel after a day on the trail can head

Ayoma Wilen

to Trailside Café for home-cooked meals in Carmel Valley. Beer lovers get to choose from 50+ draft and bottle choices, and sports fans can watch games on the HDTVs. Locals are treated to specials on Mondays and Tuesdays. On the weekends enjoy live music in the beer garden. Check out the calendar on its website for more details. Dog friendly in outdoor areas. Open daily 8am–9pm.

DAVENPORT

Whale City Bakery

490 Highway 1 831.423.9009 • whalecitybakery.com

Davenport’s artistic charm and oceanside location make it hard not to slow when you pass through on Highway 1. ose in the know always stop at the historic Whale City Bakery. e bakery tempts with housemade breads, pastries, mu ns and pies—and that’s only the beginning! Whale City also o ers a full restaurant that serves up comfort classics and other hearty dishes. e bar and live music every ursday attract a loyal local following. Open daily 6:30am–8pm.

FELTON

e Cremer House

6256 Highway 9 831.335.3976 • cremerhouse.com Housed in the oldest building in Felton, e Cremer House showcases progressive, made-from-scratch food and drinks with a nod to its historic mountain surroundings. is alehouse has lled a niche in the San Lorenzo Valley, bringing to this restored and revered property craft beer, cider and wine on tap, and combining it with organic and sustainable fare made with local ingredients. Open Tu– , Su 11:30am–9pm, F–Sa 11:30am–9:30pm.

Wild Roots Market

6240 Highway 9 • 831.335.7322 (Felton) 13159 Highway 9 • 831.338.7211 (Boulder Creek) wildrootsmarket.com

Wild Roots’ 100% organic produce, natural groceries, organic meats and FishWise-certi ed seafood all go into the prepared foods o ered by the store’s full-service deli, salad and soup bar and juice bar. Open daily 9am–9pm. Enjoy on the patio or take home.

KING CITY

e Cork & Plough

200 Broadway Street 831.386.9491 • thecorkandplough.com It’s no wonder that e Cork & Plough is a favorite stop for travelers on the Hwy. 101 corridor and Salinas Valley locals alike. e downtown location is convenient; the hip, airy room and its massive tinted concrete bar are inviting; and the terri c food is prepared by chef/proprietor Travis Childers and his team with super-fresh ingredients directly from local farms. If you’re not the designated driver, don’t miss the cocktails crafted with housemade infusions by head bartender Rob Marshall or the wines and beers carefully curated by co-proprietor Anna Childers. Open Su– 11am–9pm, F–Sa 11am–10pm.

MONTEREY

e Club Room

2 Portola Plaza 831.649.2698

• portolahotel.com/dining/the-club-room

e Club Room inside the Portola Hotel & Spa o ers a fresh, seasonal, breakfast bu et featuring made-to-order omelets, assorted housemade pastries and mu ns, sliced cold cuts, ne artisan cheeses, bottomless mimosas and much more all for $19.95. Dine in the cozy reside dining room, or breathe in the fresh coastal air on the outdoor, petfriendly, heated patio. Open for breakfast daily 6–11am.

the C restaurant + bar

InterContinental e Clement Monterey

750 Cannery Row 831.375.4500 • ictheclementmonterey.com Step into the C restaurant + bar, and the bustle of Cannery Row will seem like a world away. Elegant yet relaxed, the C o ers stunning ocean views from its oor-to-ceiling windows and oceanside deck. Executive chef Matt Bolton provides equally gorgeous food, imaginatively prepared from sustainably sourced seafood, meats and produce. Creative cocktails include international specialties, as well as sparkling wine ights from around the world. Open daily 6:30am–10pm, Happy Hour 4–7pm Su– . Live Music F–Su noon–3pm, –Sa 6–9pm.

Jacks Monterey

2 Portola Plaza 831.649.7830 • jacksatportola.com

Jacks Monterey o ers “California Cultural Cuisine” and seats guests beneath the trees in a glass-topped atrium where they can enjoy the sun by day and the stars at night. Re ecting the palette of the Monterey Peninsula, the new space is decorated with ocean blues, driftwood browns and the greens of coastal ora. Chef Danny Abbruzzese’s new seasonal menu provides a melting pot of avor proles from the entire California coastline and other exotic locales. Open for lunch daily 11:30am–4pm, dinner daily 4–11pm, Sunday brunch with live music 11:30am–3pm.

Paci c Rolls & Bowls

475 Alvarado Street 831.200.3474

e eatery that led the revival of Alvarado Street is now getting its own makeover. After remodeling, e Poke Lab is now Paci c Rolls & Bowls, with a new look and new menus. PRB will continue to o er signature poke bowls, as well as salads, nori rolls and bahn mi sandwiches. Pick your protein from among Kalbi barbecue beef, shoyu chicken, pork belly, ginger tofu, ahi tuna and more, and then select toppings and extras. Online ordering and delivery will be available. Check the Facebook page for updates.

Peter B’s Brewpub

2 Portola Plaza 831.649.2699 • peterbsbrewpub.com

Experience Monterey’s original craft brewery, Peter B’s Brewpub, located behind the Portola Hotel & Spa. Enjoy great food and award-winning handcrafted beers. Watch your favorite game on one of 18 HDTVs or enjoy the petfriendly heated patio with re pits. Peter B’s is open daily with nightly Happy Hour from 4–6:30pm, as well as late night happy hour Su– 9:30–10:30pm. Open Su 11am–11pm, M– 4–11pm, F 4pm–12am, Sa 11am–12am. Sunday breakfast and football 9:30–11am (Sept.–Dec.).

Schooners Coastal Kitchen & Bar

Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa

400 Cannery Row 831.372.2628 • schoonersmonterey.com

Sit out on the newly remodeled oceanside patio if you can, but it’s still considered seaside dining if you are seated inside the dining room, where polished wood, bay windows and seafaring décor seem like the interior of a sailing ship. Schooners Coastal Kitchen & Bar serves sustainable seafood and prime steaks. e restaurant takes a creative Californian approach to soups, fresh salads, sandwiches and wood- red atbreads, paired with a diverse wine list featuring local favorites. Open daily 6:30am–11pm.

TusCA Ristorante

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa

1 Old Golf Course Road 831.657.6675 • monterey.hyatt.com

Blending the beauty and bounty of Tuscany and Califor-

PACIFIC GROVE

Happy Girl Kitchen Co. 173 Central Avenue 831.373.4475 • happygirlkitchen.com

e menu changes daily at Happy Girl’s airy and bright Paci c Grove café, but the food is always delicious, organic and reasonably priced. e sandwich of the day is $6.50, and a bowl of the soup of the day is $6. To drink, you’ll nd kombucha on tap and freshly roasted Verve co ee brewed to perfection. Homemade baked goods include a daily scone, cookies and turnovers. Check the website for information on seasonal workshops. Open daily 7:30am–3pm, co ee and tea served until 5pm.

Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar 542 Lighthouse Avenue 831.920.2662 • jeninni.com

Inspired by avors of the Mediterranean, Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar’s rich and decadent cuisine takes you on a journey from Morocco and Spain to the Levant, birthplace of owner and sommelier, amin Saleh. Don’t miss chef Matthew Zimny’s charred octopus, lamb burger with signature eggplant fries and occasional paella nights and other special events. Open every day except Wednesday, 5pm until close. Happy Hour—”sips and snacks”—4–6pm.

Passion sh 701 Lighthouse Avenue 831.655.3311 • passion sh.net

If you’re looking for a restaurant with playful, spectacular food and a scrupulous commitment to sustainability, this green-certi ed restaurant is hard to rival. e elegant dining room is celebratory yet relaxed, and the awardwinning wine list features many sustainable names and is priced at retail. Chef Ted Walter’s menu is ever changing with the seasons, but always includes delicious organic local produce, inventive slow-cooked meats and an array of sustainable seafood choices. Open daily 5pm.

Wild Fish 545 Lighthouse Avenue 831.373.8523 • wild- sh.com

Owners Liz and Kelvin Jacobs welcome you to feast on the bounty of nearby waters and farms at their 100% local and organic seafood house, where chef Joshua Plesh creates exquisite dishes like crispy sable sh and sword sh au poivre, accompanied by succulent native seaweeds. Fresh oysters, innovative salads, house-baked bread and sides like ngerling potatoes with poppyseed crème fraîche or baby carrots with wild nettle pesto, make this a dining destination. Did we mention English sticky to ee pudding? Or the live jazz on Friday nights? Open for lunch F–Tu 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner Su– 5–9pm, F–Sa, 5–9:30pm.

PEBBLE BEACH

e Bench

e Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Overlooking the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, e Bench at e Lodge at Pebble Beach delivers an eclectic menu inspired by international styles and methods, which uses the innovative technique of wood roasting and open- ame cooking. You can also enjoy one-of-a-kind craft cocktails, as well as an array of draft beers and wines by the glass. Open daily 11am–10pm.

Gallery Cafe

e Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Overlooking the rst tee of Pebble Beach Golf Links, Gallery Cafe o ers a wide selection of breakfast choices, from light smoothies to omelets and pancakes. For a casual lunch, try the excellent burgers or choose from a delicious selection of artisan sandwiches, plus the best milkshakes this side of the 1950s. Open daily 6am–2pm.

Pèppoli at Pebble Beach

e Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

At Pèppoli, the scents of Italian herbs and spices ll the air, and the décor transports you to a cozy Tuscan villa. e menu is big and bold, ripe with traditional pastas, seafood and meats. e extraordinary wine list is matched by equally impressive dishes, including delicious desserts, all with stunning views of Spanish Bay. Open daily 5:30–10pm.

Roy’s at Pebble Beach

e Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

It’s all about big avors and the gorgeous ocean view at Roy’s at Pebble Beach. Fresh seafood is front and center, where sushi, sashimi and blackened rare Ahi tuna are prepared to perfection, but many exciting meat dishes and island salads are also featured on the extensive Hawaiianfusion menu. Add a dynamic wine list, exceptional desserts and an energetic environment, and you have one impressive dining experience, all overlooking Spanish Bay. Open daily for breakfast 6:30–11am, lunch 11:30am–5pm, dinner 5:30–10pm.

Stave Wine Cellar at Spanish Bay

e Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

A combined wine lounge and retail shop, Stave Wine Cellar is a luxurious yet casual space that is ideal for special wine dinners or gathering with friends and colleagues. You can pair varietals by the glass with a menu of cheese and charcuterie plates. In addition to nearly 30 wines and eight craft beers by the glass, Stave has more than 200 wines for purchase by the bottle, including a wide selection of coveted bottles. A knowledgeable sta , including certi ed sommeliers are on-hand. Open Tu–Sa 2–10pm, Su–M 2–7pm.

Sticks

e Inn at Spanish Bay 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sticks is the perfect place for seasonally diverse C alifornia cuisine in a lively sports bar atmosphere. Savor a tasty meal, a cold draft beer, specialty cocktail or one of the many appetizers, while enjoying sports on at-screen TVs. Outside on the patio, enjoy seating next to a re pit while soaking up gorgeous views of e Links at Spanish Bay and the Paci c Ocean along with nightly bagpiper music. Ask about specials and new menu additions. Open daily 6am–9pm.

Stillwater Bar & Grill

e Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318

• pebblebeach.com/dining

Stillwater Bar & Grill prides itself in o ering the freshest and most avorful in sustainable seafood and organic produce. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner—or Stillwater’s famous Sunday Brunch—the menus are sure to delight. Shell sh lovers will marvel at the bountiful seafood tank, while those who prefer turf to surf can choose from a variety of meaty options. Each of these delectable feasts is enhanced by fantastic views of Carmel Bay and the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Open daily 7am–10pm.

e Tap Room

e Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

e Tap Room is more than a legendary 19th hole with an outstanding selection of draft and bottled beers, vintage wines and top quality spirits. It’s also a world-class steakhouse serving up hearty all-American fare, from burgers to prime rib to let mignon. Renowned for its extensive collection of prized golf memorabilia, e Tap Room is a comfortable and inviting place for watching televised sporting events or recounting your successes on the courses of Pebble Beach. Open daily 11am–12am.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

Vertigo Co ee Roasters 81 Fourth Street 831.623.9533 • vertigoco ee.com

Artisanal co ee roasted on site as well as fresh pastries baked in-house, brunch items, local craft beers plus woodred pizzas have made Vertigo a locals’ favorite as well as a great nd for visitors en route to the San Juan Mission, Pinnacles or other area attractions. Open M–W 7am–3pm, –Su 7am–9pm.

SANTA CRUZ

Alderwood 155 Walnut Avenue 831.588.3238 • alderwoodsantacruz.com

Alderwood, a neighborhood oyster bar and restaurant for people looking for a fun and friendly night on the town, puts its emphasis on cocktails and beef, with a wide variety of steaks cooked over its wood- red grill. Partner and chef Je rey Wall—an Iowa native and previously opening chef at Atlanta’s top-rated Kimball House farm-to-table restaurant—believes in local sourcing and makes good use of the the downtown Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market, practically across the street. Open Tu–Su 4pm–close, Happy Hour 4–7pm.

an epicurious lifestyle 104 Bronson Street, Suite 13 831.588.7772 • anepicuriouslifestyle.com

An event-based commercial kitchen and dining space in the historic Seabright Cannery building, an epicurious lifestyle is available for unique private events and hosts a monthly, seasonal family-style dinner for 20 that is open to the public. Other public events also have a limited number of tickets; check the website for future dates and to sign up for email invites.

Bistro One Twelve 1060 River Street, Suite 112 831.854.7458 • bistro112sc.com

Driven by the farm-to-table philosophy of French-trained chef Shannon Madison, Bistro One Twelve is the dining destination and gathering spot for the Santa Cruz Tannery Arts Center. Its “Decidedly Local, Aggressively Seasonal” menu is plant forward, with food layered to accommodate various dietary options. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with Taco Tuesday and Trivia ursday; local craft beers and carefully curated wines available. Open M–W 8am–6:30pm, –F 8am–9pm, Sa 10am–9pm, Su 10am–2pm

Charlie Hong Kong 1141 Soquel Avenue 831.426.5664 • charliehongkong.com

Charlie Hong Kong has been providing the Santa Cruz community with healthy, sustainable, affordable and high-quality food since 1998. e colorful, casual eatery’s delicious fusion of Southeast Asian in uences and the Central Coast’s local organic produce has made it an inclusive, family-friendly, neighborhood favorite. Its slogan is “love your body, eat organic,” and its cuisine is proof

that fast food can be good for you. All signature dishes are vegan with the option to add meat or sh. Gluten-free modi cations available. Dog friendly. Open daily 11am–11pm.

e Crow’s Nest 2218 E. Cli Drive 831.476.4560 • crowsnest-santacruz.com

A perfect spot to enjoy lunch or catch a sunset over the harbor, the nautical-themed Crow’s Nest is a Santa Cruz institution that never goes out of style. ere’s always something happening, from free seasonal ursday night beach parties to comedy nights and happy hours. Famous for its salad bar and house-smoked salmon, e Crow’s Nest is a member of Seafood Watch and is a certi ed green business. Open daily for breakfast 7:30am–11:30am; lunch M–F 11:30am–2:30pm and Sa–Su 11:30am–3pm; dinner M–F 5pm, Sa–Su 4:30pm.

Laílí 101B Cooper Street 831.423.4545 • lailirestaurant.com

Exotic avors of the Silk Road are served in a stylish dining room decorated in eggplant and pistachio colors and on a hidden candlelit patio. Locals rave about Laílí’s homemade naan served warm from the oven with a selection of Mediterranean dips. ere is a wide variety of deliciously spiced vegetable dishes and all meats are hormone free and free range. Open for lunch Tu–Su 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner 5pm–close.

La Posta 538 Seabright Avenue 831.457.2782 • lapostarestaurant.com A cozy neighborhood bistro not far from the Santa Cruz yacht harbor, La Posta chef Dante Cecchini prepares traditional rustic Italian cuisine using local ingredients. e emphasis is on simple, seasonal selections, with the balance of the menu re ecting whatever produce is freshest right now. A sister restaurant of Soif Restaurant and Wine Bar, La Posta also o ers a great selection of wines. Open Tu– 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–9:30pm, Su 5–8:30pm, M closed.

Pearl of the Ocean 736 Water Street 831.457.2350 • m.mainstreethub.com/pearloftheocean Award-winning chef/owner Ayoma Wilen goes beyond the expected traditional spice-infused dishes of Sri Lanka, creating locally inspired daily specials using fresh, organic produce from farmers’ market produce and sustainably harvested seafood. Customer favorites include butternut squash curry, crab curry and wild salmon curry. To round out the avor experience, there is a dizzying array of sides, like coconut leek sambal and kale mallam. e warm colors, altars and blessings that decorate the space help guests get a sense of Sri Lanka’s world-class hospitality, culture and beauty. Open for lunch daily 11am–2:30pm; dinner Su– 5–9pm and F–Sa 5–9:30pm.

e Penny Ice Creamery 913 Cedar Street 831.204.2523 • 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. Dozens of exotic avors rotate seasonally, but two favorites are chocolate caramel sea salt and strawberry pink peppercorn. Open daily noon–11pm.

See also e Penny under Capitola.

e Picnic Basket 125 Beach Street 831.427.9946 • thepicnicbasketsc.com

Across the street from the main beach, owners of e Penny Ice Creamery have opened an alternative to boardwalk

fast food. Sandwiches, organic salads, co ee and beer, all from local food artisans, and of course Penny’s popular ice cream, are all on o er to eat in or outside with your feet in the sand. Open daily 7am–4pm. Expanded hours some weekends and holidays. Expanded hours during summer.

Snap Taco 1108 Paci c Avenue 831.824-6100 • eatsnaptaco.com

is festive taco spot draws its inspiration from food traditions around the world, with imaginative tacos created using the best fresh, local and sustainable ingredients. Great for a quick bite or gathering with friends and family. Choose from snacks, tacos, bowls and sandwiches on the menu, as well as draft beers, the Snap Rita, and specialty cocktails. Open Su– 11:30am–9:30pm, F–Sa 11:30am–10:30pm.

Soif Restaurant and Wine Bar 105 Walnut Avenue 831.423.2020 • soifwine.com

Inspired by the o erings from local farmers and provisioners, Soif’s cuisine shows California air with super, seasonal dishes, all paired with local and exotic wines (and a great burger!). A cozy, new bar o ers cocktails in addition to the best wine selection in town. e bottle shop next door provides a world-class selection of wines and a welcoming seating area for sipping and tasting. Raw oysters and live jazz every Monday. Open M– 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–10pm. Retail Shop & wine bar opens at noon Tu–Sa, and at 5pm Mondays.

West End Tap & Kitchen 334D Ingalls Street • 831.471.8115 westendtap.com

At West End, perfect for any parent who is looking for a happy hour to satisfy the whole family, adults and kids alike can’t get enough of the duck fat popcorn, fried calamari and atbread pizzas. A diverse, season-driven menu with o erings like seared scallops with mascarpone and lemon risotto, trumpet mushrooms, Marcona almonds and tarragon-basil vinaigrette, and a long list of craft beers, ciders and wine options make West End a Westside staple. e outdoor patio is perfect for people watching amidst the bustling Swift Street Courtyard. Open Su– 11:30am–9:30pm, F–Sa 11:30pm–10pm.

SCOTTS VALLEY

Kitchen Table/1440 Multiversity 800 Bethany Drive 844.544.1440 • 1440.org

1440 is the number of minutes in each day, and at the new learning destination in Scotts Valley, 1440 represents the many opportunities there are to be mindful in this life we live. at philosophy certainly translates to the food we choose to eat, which makes the onsite Kitchen Table a wonderful canvas for showcasing the vibrant, healthful and delicious ingredients we have available locally. Chef Kenny Woods, who came here from Arizona to be part of this unique project, brings an intensive and enthusiastic culinary background to creating plant-based menus that change with every meal, every day, for the diverse, global community that gathers here. Registration for a 1440 program, personal getaway or special event is required to dine at Kitchen Table.

SEASIDE

sonal Dining and a native of Northern Italy, named the restaurant for the Italian word for taste and his enthusiasm for delivering delicious authentic Italian food and great service that can be seen in the happy faces of his diners. e bright red-tiled, wood- red oven just inside the entrance sets the restaurant’s festive tone, making you feel like you are in Italy. Gusto specializes in fresh pastas, pizzas, housemade mozzarella as well as unique desserts using the best quality ingredients and organic ours from Italy. Our team strives to support local organic farmers, foragers and shermen bringing you fresh, tasty and sustainable ingredients. Open daily 11:30am–2:30pm, 4:30–9pm.

WATSONVILLE

Gizdich Ranch

55 Peckham Road 831.722.1056 • gizdich-ranch.com

Visitors from all over love this third-generation, familyrun farm business that popularized the “pik-yorself” experience just east of Watsonville’s Interlaken neighborhood. Tour the farm, pick fresh apples or berries or watch the action inside the juice-pressing barn. No one leaves hungry if they spend time at the bakery-deli that pleases with its fresh pies, shortcakes and pastries, along with hearty sandwiches and box lunches. is family friendly experience is also a treat for kids, who will enjoy the wide-open spaces and the homemade popsicles. Open daily 9am–5pm.

Gusto

1901 Fremont Boulevard 831.899.5825 • gustopizzeriapasta.com

Gusto owner Denis Boaro, owner of Carmel’s Basil Sea-

LAST CALL SUMMER GARDEN SYRUP

Perfect for herbal, fruity cocktails

By JESSICA TUNIS AND AMBER TURPIN

Here’s a little secret—we never make this syrup the same way twice. Every year the garden is slightly different, and as the seasons shift and dance, each week reveals new peaks of ripeness. The sage blooms and fades, the hyssop comes on slow and steady and the rose geranium sprawls across the path, just so. Wander the garden or the farmers’ market and pick what looks most green, most flowery, most succulent. Herb and fruit pairings are suggested below, but truly, this syrup is a formula for cocktail success no matter the season. Drink it with friends, for the ultimate summer pairing.

3–4 lemons and limes

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 small bunch fresh, mixed garden herbs (choose 3–4 of the following: lemon grass, hyssop, basil, lemon verbena, rosemary, thyme, savory, lavender, black sage, rose geranium, tarragon)

Wash and quarter the citrus, leaving peel on. In small saucepan, heat the water and stir the sugar in to dissolve. Add the quartered citrus. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, using a potato masher to muddle the citrus periodically. Remove from heat, add the herbs

and allow to steep as the syrup cools, about 15 minutes.

Strain the herbs and citrus from the cooled syrup and discard. Place syrup in the refrigerator to chill (can be stored for a week).

Prepare the other ingredients for your cocktail. In a shaker, place ice, 1½ ounces spirit of choice,* 2 ounces Summer Garden Syrup and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

Pour cocktail into glass, up or over ice. Garnish with two slices, spears or chunks of fruit of choice* and a sprig of garden herb. If you want

to be real fancy, freeze melon cubes and use the frozen fruit in place of ice cubes. Enjoy!

*Note: Some suggested spirit/fruit combinations are:

Tequila Blanco / Watermelon / Summer Garden Syrup

Venus Spirits Summer Gin ( avor pro le of juniper, pineapple, passion fruit and tiki spices) / Peach or Nectarine / Summer Garden Syrup

St. George Aqua Perfecta Basil Eau de Vie / Honeydew Melon / Summer Garden Syrup

Mocktail / Fruit / Summer Garden Syrup / Sparkling Water

Photo by Jessica Tunis