GRIST FOR THE MILL

GRIST FOR THE MILL edible

Powerless. That’s how we were and that’s how I felt when our electricity was turned off for three days due to high fire danger in the Santa Cruz Mountains just as we were finishing up this winter issue. So instead of being glued to my computer screen, editing stories and selecting photos, I found myself lighting candles, building a fire in the fireplace and trying to make the best of a bad situation by cooking up a comforting dinner. Under normal circumstances I probably would have gone online and downloaded Suzanne Goin’s sublime short ribs recipe— which has become a winter favorite at our house—or tried Andrea Nguyen’s recipe for Viet Beef Stew with Star Anise that I’ve been saving on my computer for months.

But instead I pulled out a faded and stained handwritten recipe card from long ago and started to make beef stew the way one of my first housemates used to make it back when we were all learning to cook from each other. Yep, it calls for Worcestershire sauce. And maybe it wasn’t as tasty and sophisticated as I remembered, but oh, what memories that hearty stew brought back!

Home cooking not only nourishes and comforts loved ones, it also is one of the most powerful ways to create lasting memories—especially during the exciting holiday season. With that in mind, we put together this special Home Cooking issue of Edible Monterey Bay and packed it with more recipes than ever.

Inside you’ll learn how to make four wonderful soups starting with farmer Jamie Collins’ Meyer lemon Avgolemono and then three recipes from Caroline Chambers, a Carmel cook who loves experimenting in her home test kitchen. To accompany the soups, EMB contributors Amber Turpin and Jessica Tunis team up for some fun in the kitchen, making their own crackers—perfect for entertaining. And chef John Cox shares his ideas for making organic, farmers’ market treats for your dog.

We also have a sweet spot with chef Michelle Lee’s frozen lemon-gingersnap pie and, a treat to take you through Valentine’s Day, hand-rolled chocolate truffles from Adrian Jimenez.

Of course, we also know our readers love to eat out, so Mark C. Anderson introduces us to four restaurants and five big city chefs who are transforming the Santa Cruz foodscape, and much more.

With the holidays upon us, please use our Dine Local Guide to help you find the best local restaurants and shop at our advertisers. They are businesses that care about the local food community and demonstrate it by supporting EMB.

We are so grateful for our advertising partners and amazing readers all year round, but especially at this time of year. Wishing all of you a warm and wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year,

MONTEREY BAY

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Deborah Luhrman deborah@ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281

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 • Elizabeth Birnbaum • Crystal Birns • Caroline Chambers • Jamie Collins • Laura Cook • John Cox • Ellen Farmer • Maria Gaura • Margaux Gibbons • Diane Gsell • Jules Holdsworth • Coline LeConte • Michelle Magdalena • Kathryn McKenzie • Zephyr Pfotenhauer • Patrick Tregenza • Jessica Tunis • Amber Turpin

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.