Edible Monterey Bay - Summer 2024

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

The Boss

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Sanctuary For All: Happy Girl’s Bhakti Farms combines sustainable living with spirituality; Patent Pending: Local glassblower invents gravity-defying whiskey glass; Kitchen Chops: Cheryl Simons cooks for jazz greats and their fans at Santa Cruz’s Kuumbwa Jazz; Mood Cooking: Caroline Chambers’ second cookbook is for

like hers

ROAD TRIP

NURSERIES Nurseries worth a special stop during you summertime

With the classics, it’s

Commemorating 25 years of Seafood Watch involves major progress, but isn’t all celebration

An ode to the unsung stone fruit

Harissa Roasted Veggies with Whipped Feta

Rose Rice Pudding

COVER PHOTOGRAPH Cherry Clafoutis by Patrick Tregenza

CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPH

Caterpillar at Bhakti Farms by Michelle Magdalena

GRIST FOR THE MILL

Who’s ready for summer?! We made it through a long winter and rather rainy spring, and now it’s time for picnics, barbecues, visits to the beach and lots of outdoor adventures. We’re glad you are pausing, ideally with a refreshing beverage at hand, to spend time with Edible Monterey Bay magazine.

In this edition you’ll meet a winemaker who loves hawks, a chef who loves jazz and a glassblower who has stumbled on a gravity-defying way of drinking whiskey.

You’ll find out what the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program is doing to mark 25 years of educating chefs and consumers about how to enjoy seafood without depleting our oceans.

And since we aim to make every issue useful, we take you into the kitchen to try some new summertime recipes. Local chefs show us how to make a sensational feta whip, a tahini goddess salad and three varieties of simple, yet fancy French desserts. For foragers and gardeners, there are also ideas for cooking with an unexpected ingredient: roses.

It has always been our objective to bring together local people and businesses that are dedicated to a sustainable lifestyle; one that celebrates our Monterey Bay area foodshed. In this Summer issue, in addition to the editorial content, there are 114 businesses taking part and supporting our work—a whopping record-breaking number of advertising partners for us.

Some of them are part of a new feature we hope you’ll like called The Summer Table on pages 28-29. It features select artisanal goods and foods you can seek out and indulge in throughout the summer season.

We are so grateful to enjoy the support of our local food community and the appreciation of readers like you. Have an awesome summer!

Deborah Luhrman Publisher

Our Mission

At  Edible Monterey Bay , our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

Deborah Luhrman

deborah@ediblemontereybay.com

831.600.8281

FOUNDERS Sarah Wood and Rob Fisher

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mark C. Anderson

COPY EDITOR Doresa Banning

LAYOUT & DESIGN Matthew Freeman and Tina Bossy-Freeman

AD PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Tracy Smith

AD DESIGNERS Bigfish Smallpond Design

Julie Greene • Coline LeConte • tracysmithstudio Zephyr Pfotenhauer

CONTRIBUTORS

Isabel Baer • Analuisa Béjar • Diane Gsell

Michelle Magdalena • Glen McDowell

Kathryn McKenzie • Laura Ness • Ashley Drew Owen • Geneva Rico • Nadine Schaeffer Jillian Steinberger • Laura Sutherland • Patrick Tregenza

Michael Troutman • Amber Turpin

ADVERTISING SALES

ads@ediblemontereybay.com • 831.600.8281

Shelby Lambert shelby@ediblemontereybay.com

Kate Robbins kate@ediblemontereybay.com

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Fran Fitzharris fran@fitzharris.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Mick Freeman • 831.419.2975

CONTACT US:

Edible Monterey Bay P.O. Box 487 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281 info@ediblemontereybay.com

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EDIBLE NOTABLES

SANCTUARY FOR ALL

Happy Girl’s Bhakti Farms combines sustainable living with spirituality

BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE MAGDALENA

On this hillside in Cachagua, there is so much to look at: brilliant green grass, wildflowers everywhere, magnificent oak trees and a neighbor’s donkeys grazing peacefully in a faraway pasture. And yet, Jordan Champagne is searching for something more elusive—her two cows.

“Gayatri! Malati!” Champagne calls, and calls again, but to no avail. On this particular day, the dairy cows are nowhere to be seen, probably full of grass and napping in a secret spot on this warm afternoon. But it is a fine day to get a sense of Bhakti Farms, a passion project for Jordan and her husband Todd Champagne, which is all about nurturing land, animals and people.

“It's all about simple living and higher thinking,” says Jordan as we walk one of the narrow trails around the property, still looking for the cows and giving me a tour along the way.

“We’re doing away with the clutter of everyday life,” she says, pointing out the “sunrise bench,” a meditation area carved into a hillside that is her favorite place to start her day. The colorful riot of native wildflowers along the trail includes shooting stars, lupine and baby blue eyes, the palette changing as the earth warms into summer. Seasonal streams run freely from all the spring rain, and the quiet is only occasionally punctuated by birdsong.

The Champagnes are best known to the local food community as the founders of Happy Girl Kitchen, which is both a popular

brand of preserves and the name of their vegetarian café in Pacific Grove. Now Jordan and Todd are developing a nonprofit farm to serve as a unique educational center and gathering place among the rolling hills south of Carmel Valley.

The Champagnes have long been advocates and teachers of the do-it-yourself food lifestyle, devoted to putting up food the old-fashioned way, as demonstrated in their line of jarred pickles, jams and jellies. They learned these skills decades ago working on small farms in Norway, Sweden and Vermont, where preserving food was a necessity due to the short summer growing seasons.

The couple established Happy Girl Kitchen in Aromas in 2002, and opened their Pacific Grove café dedicated to organic, simple and sustainable foods, and also as a space to teach others to preserve food. Jordan has continued to spread her knowledge through workshops for all ages as well as her longtime Edible Monterey Bay column, “The Preservationist,” and her 2020 cookbook, It Starts With Fruit: Simple Techniques and Delicious Recipes for Jams, Marmalades and Preserves (Chronicle Books, $29.95).

First graders from Classical Christian Academy Monterey Bay visited Bhakti Farms to learn how to make ice cream from scratch.

Now the Champagnes are working to provide an additional kind of nourishment, for mind, body and soul.

Five years ago, they bought 26 acres on Cachagua Road and began the long process of reclaiming it as farmstead, clearing the longneglected property of thousands of pounds of crushed metal, old carpeting and construction debris.

The couple rehabilitated an old farmhouse there and made it their home. Now, with the help of several employees who live on the property, they’re continuing to improve the site, with buildings that include a brand-new dairy room for milking and processing, a 30-foot yurt and a glamping platform. Plans call for planting a fruit orchard, as well as measures to combat French broom, an invasive plant that plagues many areas of the Central Coast.

Bhakti Farms became a nonprofit last year with the intent of being a land-based learning community that combines the Hindu tradition of bhakti with principles of sustainable living. Jordan is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of Silicon Valley (ISKCON) and has been studying the philosophy of bhakti yoga for 25 years, a spiritual practice centered on loving devotion.

“I feel in a way that my whole life has led up to this,” she says. “I feel very fortunate to have done a lot of healing in my life through meditation, food choices, being in nature and other lifestyle choices. I have had to do a lot of healing of generational trauma and I have gathered and regularly used many tools to do that. The most important tools come from the ancient Vedic wisdom of the bhakti tradition.”

Eventually the farm will serve as an educational center for the community, with workshops and retreats.

Vedic philosophy teaches how to transform qualities like anger, envy and greed into gratitude, compassion

In Hinduism, cattle are sacred, and as you might expect, there is a lot of loving devotion directed at the resident cows of Bhakti Farms.

and nonviolence, she says, and finding one’s path to serving others comes through meditation and other practices.

In Hinduism, cattle are sacred, and as you might expect, there is a lot of loving devotion directed at the resident cows of Bhakti Farms.

“I’ve been so content ever since we got the cows,” says Jordan, who lavishes attention on them, often petting and hugging them. In addition to grazing on the farm, the cows get to eat fruit and vegetable pulp left over from daily juice extractions, as well as veggie scraps and day-old scones from Happy Girl Kitchen.

The cows are kept there according to a practice of nonviolence known as ahimsa. “We will take care of them for their whole lives,” she says, adding that she hopes to eventually be able to hold workshops on how to make cheese, yogurt and buttermilk. She also intends to add to the herd, ideally rescued farm animals, which would comprise an animal sanctuary.

The educational aspect of the farm is taking several forms. Currently, it’s being used for gatherings and workshops for the ISKCON community, including meditation and yoga retreats, mainly held in the yurt and on its surrounding deck.

The Champagnes are also planning to open the farm to Cachagua and Carmel Valley locals by hosting farm days once a month, and have invited the Carmel Unified School District to send summer school students to visit the farm on field trips and for pickle making classes.

“Whether it is coming out and hugging the cows, pulling invasive vegetation, moving rocks, pushing your kid on a swing overlooking the valley, playing in the creek and eating great food, whatever it is it can all be healing and inspiring and confidence building, especially for kids who are disconnected from nature or their food choices,” says Jordan. “We have groups of kids starting to come out and having those impactful lifechanging moments. I have seen this for years in our summer culinary

camps at Happy Girl and now it is so great to see it out on the land.”

It’s important for Bhakti Farms to be a resource for these communities, Jordan says, because people living in the modern era can benefit from reconnecting with nature and the land.

“On a recent interview that went viral on the Dr. Chatterjee podcast, Dr. Gabor Maté said, ‘Play is so important and joy is so important. We can always keep playing in the enchanted forest,’” notes Jordan. “Why did that get so much attention? We forget to play in the enchanted forest! We hope that Bhakti Farms can remind people of that.”

Bhakti Farms • bhaktifarms.org

Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in north Monterey County, writes about the environment, sustainable living and health for numerous publications and websites. She is co-author of Humbled: How California’s Monterey Bay Escaped Industrial Ruin.

DOWNTOWN DINING

EDIBLE NOTABLES PATENT PENDING

Local glassblower invents gravity-defying whiskey glass

BY DIANE GSELL

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY PATRICK TREGENZA

The topic of patents often brings to mind images of mad scientists toiling away in their lab coats. But what if the innovator is an artist who opts instead for a t-shirt? Whose patentable “unique invention” solves the problem of how to sip whiskey chilled by spherical ice in the most elegant, gravity-defying way? That’s the kind of invention our rapidly expanding community of cocktail and craft ice artisans can rally behind.

Monterey glassblower Anthony Dennin wasn’t aiming for a new way of doing something, which is an official requirement for patentability. Rather, he was attempting an old way of doing something when a misstep sent him on what would prove to be a worthy tangent.

Using a well-established technique to freehand a glass vase, Dennin was flattening out the bottom when he accidently indented it way too much. He tried to fix the vase by upping the air, but that addition, combined with the placement of the jacks he was using, created a ring. Not one to be discouraged by flat out failure, he leaned into his error and further exaggerated the irregular base in hopes of creating a utilitarian purpose for the feature. Three prototypes and two studio days later, the Orb Glass was born.

The vessel’s built-in pedestal keeps ice centrally located, providing uniform chilling of the spirit while ensuring minimal condensation on the glass for a pleasing grip. That alone might push the design into patentable territory. But there also are two hidden features that elevate the user experience to an even higher category of just plain fun.

For starters, the vessel can spontaneously morph into a high-end drinking game when sipping brings the ice off its perch and getting it back there becomes a grown-up version of cup-and-ball. And the glass has an even more dazzling trick up its sleeve for those patient enough to delay their first sip.

In another happy accident, Dennin discovered this feature when he was so busy cooking dinner that he forgot he’d poured himself a drink. Rediscovering his refreshment, he dove in only to find the most intriguing attribute of all. As he tilted the glass to take a sip, the sphere of ice unexpectedly remained firmly affixed to the pedestal and stayed put sip after sip.

The science behind that gravity-defying feat is a tale of two conflicting air pressures. While Dennin was distracted by his culinary pursuits, the alcohol was busy melting the ice enough to form a tight seal around the ringed pedestal. At the same time, the ice was cooling the small pocket of air trapped beneath

Glassblower Anthony Dennin discovered his patented design by accident.

The sphere of ice unexpectedly

remained firmly affixed to the pedestal and stayed put sip after sip.

it, lowering its pressure in comparison to the ambient air. As much as gravity wanted that ice to fall when the glass was tipped, it was outmatched by the strength of the high-pressure air essentially pushing the ice in place while the low-pressure air was unable to escape.

But enough about science and back to how a community of artists, co-workers, friends and family, plus a generous lawyer wise enough to listen to his wife, helped take Dennin’s invention to the next level.

As luck would have it, a patent attorney was present at a party that Dennin’s mom hosted in her Sacramento home. Drinking from a prototype, he experienced the Orb Glass’ best trick firsthand and, on his wife’s insistence, agreed to help Dennin navigate the patent process pro bono. The inventor would have to be patient as, understandably, paying clients would have to come first, but in the end, he would be the grateful recipient of the kind of expert legal assistance that’s typically priced way beyond the budget of working artists.

This is the kind of support Dennin has received all along his professional path both in his hometown of Sacramento and his adopted coastal California glass community. One could say that his glass career, like so many pursuits in the 2010s, all started with a Groupon. Realizing how much he enjoyed learning the rudimentary techniques of making glass beads taught at his high school, his mom used the aforementioned e-commerce platform to gift her son a oneday class at a professional glass studio for his 18th birthday.

Dennin was hooked and soon he embarked on a lively journey that took him to junior college, San Jose State University, a wine-country trophy shop and the Berkeley outpost of a high-volume Seattle-based glass company. Though the Berkeley gig was a grind, it did result in Dennin meet-

ing Nathan Sambar, who ultimately invited him to join his crew at Monterey GlassWorks in Sand City.

Sambar was brave enough to start an innovative glass studio when the uncertainty of the global pandemic made business ventures risky. Part of his progressive vision included generously building time into the schedule that crew members could use to work on personal projects at the studio. A CAD modeling whiz, Sambar even computerized the plans for the cherrywood mold that Dennin designed to streamline production of the Orb Glass.

What’s next on the product launch list now that a patent protects Dennin’s brainchild? Patenting the mold itself to guard against mimicking the design in materials other than glass, building inventory, getting an e-commerce website up and running, and perhaps coming up with a name more compelling than Orb Glass will ensure that the glassblower’s summer is a busy one.

Up until this point, his highest-profile glass moment was when his work from the trophy shop repeatedly popped up in television graphics promoting ESPN’s coverage of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Race Series. Perhaps his Orb Glass will earn him notoriety within a rather different circle of fans.

For more information or to purchase an Orb Glass, email Dennin at beachedglass@gmail.com or follow him at @beached_glass.

Diane Gsell has been a Monterey Bay area food stylist and lifestyle writer for more than 20 years. She’s grateful to have witnessed the local food community become amazingly vibrant in recent years. Gsell doesn’t drink whiskey, but if she did, she most certainly would insist on spherical ice and handmade glassware. Follow her at @dianegsell.

EDIBLE NOTABLES KITCHEN CHOPS

Cheryl Simons cooks for jazz greats and their fans at Santa Cruz’s Kuumbwa Jazz

BY LAURA SUTHERLAND

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GENEVA RICO

World-class musicians have long called out Kuumbwa Jazz Center from the stage to praise its intimate club setting and the respectful attention that audience members give performers. But a few months ago, when five-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves played the club, she called out chef Cheryl Simons’ dinners during her set.

“I love the food here,” she raved. “It feeds the spirit, and it feeds the soul. It looks good and tastes good—you eat it and you feel good—and you’re not all hung over from too much food.”

That’s the trick with chef Simons’ dishes. Her food has this uncanny ability to taste delicious and fill you up without overdoing it, whether it’s a chicken tagine with olives, saffron and preserved lemon or a savory lamb and butternut squash stew.

You clean your plate and somehow you’re still clear headed and easily able to immerse yourself in the music without all your brain cells diverted to digesting food. After one of her dinners, you feel both nourished and focused.

“Things taste extra sexy with lots of butter, but that’s not how I cook,” points out Simons. “I make lots of chicken and fish to keep things healthy and I like to add flavor with herbs and spices, so I use salsas, tapenades and relishes to add seasoning. Plus, those types of sauces can be room temperature, which makes it easier to get dinners out fast.”

Shows at Kuumbwa Jazz typically start at 7pm and doors open at 6pm. “We have an hour to get out 50 to 60 dinners so I have to

choose dishes that can be prepped and ready to go,” she says. “We always have a meat and a vegetarian chili on the menu, a salad, appetizers and an array of desserts, like carrot cake, gluten-free orange turmeric cake, vegan chocolate mousse cake, and cookies and brownies. But on concert nights there is one more formal dinner option that people can pre-order or buy at the show.”

Artists almost always have dinner at the club before or after their performance, and sometimes they have special food requirements in their contract rider, like “we need four hot dinners for the band, fish only” or “no red meat and no cream sauces” or “gluten free,” so Simons will create a menu around that. “Many of the big bands coming directly from Cuba seem to want chicken and rice—their comfort food,” says Simons, “so that’s what I make on those nights.”

But most of the time the chef is free to create whatever she wants that she knows will work given the artists’ requests and the time and service constraints, not to mention the kitchen’s close quarters.

“Right now, I’m really into Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors—there’s so much crossover.

I’ve recently become a fan of hawaij, a Yemini spice blend that has various interpretations but usually includes black pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cardamom. When gypsy jazz group Hot Club of San Francisco recently played, I made an aromatic hawaij spiced roast chicken served with roasted potatoes and salad.”

Simons has been cooking at Kuumbwa since the early 1980s when she started out as a volunteer. A decade later, when the head chef left, she took over, and today she’s one of two paid staff people in the kitchen. The rest are volunteers.

Chef Cheryl Simons seldom steps into the spotlight, but her pre-show dinners delight the stars and the audience.

Artists love coming here knowing they’ll get a great meal and see lots of old friends and familiar faces.

Simons has cooked for jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie (top), Wynton Marsalis (middle), and Christian McBride, with Tim Jackson (bottom).

“There are usually seven or eight of us in this tiny kitchen,” she says. “It’s a real dance to make sure we don’t constantly bump into each other. We have prep workers, cooks, salad makers, order takers, servers and more, all moving around fast in this tiny space. Everyone is here for the music and it’s an open kitchen, so sometimes I have to remind people not to wash dishes or even tear off a piece of foil during a solo.”

Some of the volunteers have been helping out for decades, like Fran Ewo, who started volunteering in the kitchen in 1979 and is intimately familiar with the challenges. “Cheryl has to schedule and work with an ever-changing group of volunteers,” she says. “Plus, no big restaurant supply trucks deliver the products that we use; we shop the day of the show.”

“Cheryl’s volunteers love her and are very loyal to her,” points out Kuumbwa co-founder and artistic director Tim Jackson, who won the Award for Artistic Excellence from Jazz at Lincoln Center in April. “She’s helped create the Kuumbwa ecosystem, and artists love coming here knowing they’ll get a great meal and see lots of old friends and familiar faces.”

The list of musicians who have enjoyed Simons’ dinners reads like a Who’s Who of Jazz Greats: Dave Brubeck praised her cooking from the stage at the end of a European tour, calling his meal at Kuumbwa “the best food I’ve had this entire tour.” Dizzy Gillespie teased Simons after his dinner by trying to pay for his cup of coffee (she wouldn’t let him). When seven-time Grammy winning jazz bassist, composer and arranger Christian McBride plays the

club, he loves to put on an apron and pop into the kitchen to help out.

The list of other Grammy winners who play at Kuumbwa is lengthy, like jazz drummer, composer and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington who, along with the audience, feasted on green curry with black cod, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots and spinach over basmati rice when she recently played the club.

One of the most sought-after young jazz stars today is saxophonist, composer, arranger, educator and Grammy nominee Lakecia Benjamin, who has shared stages with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and The Roots. When she played Kuumbwa not long ago, chef Simons paired her concert with pistachio-and herb-stuffed chicken with roasted garlic and tomato crostini, and an arugula salad with mint, tomatoes and feta—and Benjamin brought down the house.

2025 will mark Kuumbwa’s 50th anniversary as an internationally respected jazz venue, and chef Simons has been slicing, stirring, roasting, baking and creating for most of those years. Her dinners have fueled countless heady evenings of musical artistry and improvisation where performers and audiences leave inspired and comfortably sated. As volunteer Fran Ewo says, “Kuumbwa is more like going to a friend’s place for dinner…that is, if your friend has also invited some of the best musicians in the world.”

Santa Cruz-based writer Laura Sutherland covers culinary, craft beer, wine and family travel for numerous publications and websites. More at LauraSutherland.net.

In the face of a closed door, she just figured out how to open it on her own.

Photo: Breana Janay Smith

EDIBLE NOTABLES MoodCooking

Caroline Chambers’ second cookbook is for people with busy lives, like hers

BY AMBER TURPIN

Writing a book is no small thing. Anyone who has done it will describe the massive task from start to finish that is required, and that’s if everything goes according to plan. Carmel Valley author Caroline Chambers published her first cookbook in 2017 aptly titled Just Married: A Cookbook for Newlyweds, shortly after she wed husband George. Her second book, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, comes out August 13. So much has happened in between the two books, including a pandemic, a stint as an Edible Monterey Bay contributor and the births of the couple’s three sons, Mattis (age 5), Calum (age 3) and Cashel (age 1). Recipe development has also changed.

“My first book, Just Married, was published in 2017. Back then, the market was so different, it was before Instagram and TikTok videos were the way people got information. In 2019, after my first son, the way I cooked changed drastically—no specialty ingredients, it just really transformed. So I came up with this concept of what to cook when you don’t feel like cooking. I wrote a proposal, pitched it to Chronicle [Books], but they said no because the climate had changed so much. Book publishers don’t spend the money on the marketing, you have to do it yourself. I was so disappointed, I had this great idea, but everyone said no. They all liked the concept, but I didn’t have a big enough platform,” Chambers says.

But that’s where an extra dose of determination and resilience came into play. During a time when many people were pivoting in so many ways, the pandemic became an opportunity for Chambers. Instead of giving up on her great idea, she spent all her “free time” growing her Instagram following and reaching new audiences through a Substack newsletter, which now has more than 155,000 subscribers. Eventually, those publishers who rejected her initial proposal started reaching out.

“I had just had my third son and my agent called me and told me that Union Square was really interested,” she says. “At this point I had turned my ‘what to cook’ concept into a newsletter on Substack and it became very popular there. I had ironically used it as my rallying cry to get new subscribers, as in ‘just subscribe to me here, screw publishers!’ And then all these publishers came knocking at the door.”

This turn of events is a great example of Chambers’ tenacity; in the face of a closed door she just figured out how to open it on her own. All while raising three tiny kids. It’s obviously not easy, but she seems to have the ability to take it all in stride and find balance amidst the chaos.

“The way that I think about how to structure my days is all about how to maximize time with my kids, while still having the career that I want and get what I want accomplished. So that means there are weeks that I don’t get a lot of sleep. It’s not something I recommend for longevity, but I know that I’m in such a crazy specific time of life. It is a unique moment in time with three kids in ages that are very needy of my time, and also a point in my career that is very needy for my time,” she says.

It’s a tricky balance and one she struggles with, but she knows that a stressed out, anxious mother is not good for anyone. For that reason, she tries to get in a hike at least four days a week. “I’m so much more creative and at the top of my game when I’m exercising, outside, spending time with friends. I play tennis many times a week. I’ve figured out those things are very important,” she explains.

Mostly, she cooks. She is always in the kitchen playing around with new recipes, for her newsletter and for her social media channels, which is very time consuming. She also has a weekly podcast that comes out every Wednesday, so she is doing regular interviews with a gamut of guests. And then there are all the phone calls, meetings, sponsored content and promotion of the new book. In Chambers’ words, “It’s a lot of moving pieces.”

Reflecting her jam-packed lifestyle, the new cookbook is formatted in an unusual way. “Instead of broken up by categories like ingredients, or courses, it is organized by time,” she explains. “There’s this audience of busy young professionals, busy parents, who can look at the recipes in terms of the time it takes to prepare them.”

There is also a table of contents that sorts recipes by typical ingredients, like chicken, beef, or fish, as well as by mood. For example, it might say, “what to cook when you feel like showing off,” or “what to cook when you are craving comfort food” or “when you don’t feel like cooking at all.” This approach is exactly how Chambers cooks. “This is my own life. I don’t go by chapter, I go by mood,” she says.

Let’s guess what kind of mood she was in when the following recipe came to be. It feels at once impressive, comforting and easy, hitting all the marks of one of those back pocket recipes you make over and over again. Which basically sums up Chambers’ work in a nutshell. She has generously shared this spiced wonder with us ahead of her book release, and it’s sure to grace your table whatever mood you might be in.

Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Photo: Eva Kolenko

Harissa Roasted Veggies with Whipped Feta

Courtesy Caroline Chambers, from her book What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking “Sometimes all I want for dinner is a heap of really well-seasoned roasted vegetables,” says author Caroline Chambers. “I chop up whatever veggies need to be used up, throw it all on a sheet pan, make a sauce while it’s cooking, and 30 minutes later: dinner. This whipped feta elicits positively indecent responses out of my guests every time I serve it—it’s ridiculous.”

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas

1 pound medium carrots

1 large red onion

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons harissa, plus more for serving

2 teaspoons honey

Kosher salt

1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese

½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt

½ lemon

Handful of fresh soft herbs, such as parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, or a mix

Handful of toasted nuts, or ¼ cup toasted seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

2. Dump the chickpeas into a colander. Drain them, but do not rinse.

3. Arrange a few layers of paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet, then pour the drained chickpeas on top. Use another paper towel to pat them very dry. Discard all the paper towels, then shake the chickpeas into an even layer. There will be some chickpea skins on the baking sheet now— no need to pick them out. They’ll roast up into crispy little bits and be delicious!

4. Cut the carrots on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick slabs and thinly slice the onion. Add the carrots, onion, olive oil, harissa, honey and 1 teaspoon salt to the chickpeas and toss to coat well.

5. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the carrots are golden on the outside but fork-tender.

6. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the feta and yogurt. Zest and juice the lemon into the blender and add a pinch of salt. Blend on high speed until smooth, scraping down the sides as

needed, 30 to 45 seconds. If it’s too thick and your blender is having a hard time mixing, add a bit of water, a splash at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.

7. Chop the herbs and nuts.

8. Taste the roasted veggies and add more salt as needed. Stir in the herbs.

9. Spread a nice spoonful of whipped feta over the bottom of your bowl or plate and top it with a pile of roasted veggies and a sprinkle of nuts. Add another dollop of harissa on top if you love spice. Serves 4.

RIFF Omit the harissa and honey, and instead toss a big spoonful of pesto into the veggies after they’ve roasted. Serve with burrata instead of whipped feta.

SHORTCUT Skip the whipped feta and just crumble some feta on top. Find prechopped butternut squash or sweet potatoes at the grocery store and use instead of carrots.

Reprinted with permission from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers © 2024. Published by Union Square & Co. Photos © Eva Kolenko.

WHAT’S IN SEASON

Eat your Roses

An edible journey of delectable flower foods

BY NADINE SCHAEFFER

Roses are beloved for their flowering charm in the garden. They speak of romance and beauty, luxury and aristocracy. They offer up the allure of the most perfect complex fragrances. So it may come as a slight surprise to learn that roses also have a rich and deep history of use in the kitchen as well. Wild roses grow naturally and prolifically on three continents—Europe, Asia and North America. Here in the Monterey Bay area, we have

the delightful California wild rose, Rosa californica, called mamawkwa in the Mutsun language, which was used by Indigenous people for both a food and a beverage of soaked blossoms.

With such natural abundance, it’s no wonder roses were a prized ingredient on the tables of royalty and commoner alike throughout the centuries. Sweet and savory, meat and vegan dishes, appetizer, main dish and dessert, perfume and drink. Roses can do it all.

Roses are in the same plant family as apples, Rosaceae, so of course they are delicious.

FLOWER EATERS

Roses are in the same plant family as apples, Rosaceae, so of course they are delicious. The petals call out to be tasted, in all their shades of pink, red, coral, crimson, gold, yellow, cream, white and lavender. Don’t be shy. Take a fresh petal and taste it on your tongue. The white inner edge can be a bit bitter, so just tear it off and enjoy the rest. Roses come in thousands of different varieties and each one can offer a slightly different scent and taste. Follow your nose. A deep fragrance is a good indicator of a tasty rose, and the flavors will vary with notes of fruits like green apple or strawberry, pine, jasmine tea, honey, myrrh and musk, changing with the time

of day and location as well as variety.

Rose petals can be used in salads, to top a soup, as a garnish on any plate and as a beautiful decorative element for cakes and pastries. Small rose buds can also be incorporated into quick stir-fry dishes and soups. Buds can also be roasted along with vegetables for a particularly fragrant accent. To create a complex flavor combination, add rose petals to a standard pesto recipe with pine nuts, olive oil, basil and Parmesan for a more floral variation of the classic preparation.

Certain flavors have been paired with roses traditionally. Cardamom and pistachios in Persian foods are a common combo, lavender for the French and violets for the British. Almonds, lemons and jasmine

are other delectable foils for the flowers.

Drying rose petals and buds extends their tragically short usage window. Fresh petals and buds will last only a day at room temperature, and maybe two to three days if stored in the refrigerator. Carefully dried petals and buds, however, can be stored and used for up to a year while retaining color, scent and flavor. To dry them, put them in a dehydrator at 95° F for 12 hours, or until completely dry to the touch. Leaving them in a warm and dry location to air dry works as well. Then store the dried petals in dark glass containers out of the sun and heat, sprinkle for a bit of sparkle on any sort of special occasion.

ROSE HIPS

Not only are rose flowers themselves edible, but the seeded “fruits” that form after the flower fades, known as rose hips or rose haws, are also comestible. The word hips has been used to refer to the fruit of the rose plant since at least the 14th century in Old English. The rounded form of the human shape is reflected in the plump berries that linger on the rose bush long after the flowers have fallen to the winter chill.

Rose hips are most delicious if left on the rose bush until after the first hard freeze. December to January is when I collect them here, making sure not to deadhead the flowers of my favorite rose hip varieties in the fall months. Collect them when they are bright red, before they begin to shrivel and turn brown. Not all rose varieties will make great hips. Rugosa roses, the species found wild and those hybridized from these wild forebears, tend to have the largest, reddest, tastiest hips.

They can be used in everything from bread to pie, and tea to wine, but most commonly in the West they are made into rose hip jam. The Swedish are said to make a soup out of rose hips, called nyponsoppa, which I would like to try someday, and I have read a tasty mead can be made of them as well. Whether eaten raw, cooked or otherwise processed, the tiny hairs inside rose hips must be removed. They are quite literally an itching

The author is a certified rose geek and grows more than 500 rose bushes on her farm in Watsonville.

powder ingredient. To remove these hairs, slice the rose hips in half and scoop out the hairs with a small spoon.

Rose hips are extremely high in vitamin C, which explains some of their popularity in the dark cold wintertime when little else in the way of fruit was historically available. They also contain the antioxidant carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. They have not been named a superfood yet, but I see it coming.

THE LIQUID ROSE

Mixologists and tea lovers alike can use rose petals in their creative concoctions. Rose and Meyer lemon lemonade is a perfect spring beverage—just muddle 1 cup of rose petals into the classic lemon juice, honey and sugar mixture, strain them out and serve fresh. Fresh rose petals also make a beautiful topper to more boozy beverages.

Rose syrup can take a craft cocktail to the next level. Rose petal tea has a long and venerated history, enjoyed from Japan to Persia long before this floral tisane made it to these western shores and lands.

Our ancestors figured out many methods to preserve the delicate precious essence of rose in a variety of different fluid forms. The simplest is rose water, which contains only two ingredients, rose petals and water. To make a beautifully colored rose water, use deep red, crimson and fuchsia pink petals. Gather 2 cups of petals, rinse them free of any dirt and then place them in a small pot. Cover the petals with water, and gently heat the water to 200° F, just under a boil, until most of the color from the petals has moved into the water, which should take 10−15 minutes. Strain out the petals and refrigerate the infused water until use. A portion of the rose petals can also be crushed in a mortar and pestle to make a more potent extraction.

Rose water itself can be added to any drink, smoothie, yogurt and many desserts. It can be used as the base for a cold fruit soup or for my personal favorite, rose rice pudding, recipe on page 27.

Distilling rose water is the next step up, using ice and heat to create a more concentrated rose water. The internet is full of instructions on how to do this, and with such

simple ingredients, it’s fun to experiment. Rose water becomes rose syrup by adding an equal amount of granulated white sugar or honey to rose water, and following the same basic process. Rose water and rose syrup are also made commercially and can be bought in higher end stores as well as online.

GROWING CULINARY ROSES

To use roses as food, it is critical to source flowers or rose hips grown purely and naturally without sprays. Most commercial rose growers use pesticides and insecticides liberally, so eating a grocery store or florist bouquet is not recommended. Instead, grow your own or find a kind friend with untreated roses in their garden. Gather your petals, buds and/or hips, and give them a quick rinse to remove any dust or tiny insects. Then lay them flat in a single layer to dry.

The Monterey Bay area climate is perfect for roses. As long as you have a sunny spot in your garden, balcony or porch, you too can grow roses and ensure a delicious floral accent for all of your feasts. I grow thousands of roses on our farm in the Pajaro Valley, and some of my favorite disease resistant varieties for fragrance, bold colors, bouquets and most importantly, culinary uses include: Peter Mayle, sweet mademoiselle, Olympiad, stiletto, DeeLish, summer romance and parfuma.

There are more than 5,000 named rose varieties, so feel free to experiment with whatever varieties you may have at hand.

Remember, roses are a symbol of love because they are hungry, they are thirsty, and they will cut you. Water them deeply, once or twice a week depending on the weather. Feed them frequently as well, around once a month in the spring and summer, with a balanced organic fertilizer. Wear gloves or specialty rose “gauntlets” available online when you are tending to your plants to avoid the thorns.

Nadine Schaeffer is a farmer, artist, grower of odd fruits, lover of all roses, lapsed linguist, embarrassed epicurean and inadvertent menagerie keeper living on California’s Central Coast. Birdsong Orchards is her farm in the Pajaro Valley, where she grows over 200 varieties of fruit trees and 1,000-plus roses.

Rose Rice Pudding

Recipe and photo courtesy Nadine Schaeffer, owner, Birdsong Orchards

The simple backdrop of rice pudding allows the subtle rose flavor to shine in this easy dessert.

1 cup arborio rice or other short grain variety

4½ cups whole milk

1½ cups water

2 teaspoons ground cardamom, plus more to taste

½ cup granulated white sugar

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons rose water or to taste

6 tablespoons almonds, blanched and slivered Rose petals, fresh or dried, for garnish (optional)

Combine the rice with milk, water and cardamom in a heavy medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a

vigorous simmer, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is very tender and the milk has been reduced by almost ½, about 30 minutes.

Stir in sugar and continue to cook, stirring more frequently, until the pudding is the consistency of a thin porridge (it will thicken as it cools), another 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat, add salt and then stir in the rose water. Serve room temperature or chilled, topped with the slivered almonds and optional dried or fresh rose petals. Serves 6−8.

The Summer Table

A gathering of goods made in the Monterey Bay area

HOSTED BY GRIGGS NURSERY

Known for its wide selection of plants and garden supplies, Griggs Nursery in Carmel Valley recently hosted a delightful summer indulgence. Ken and Catherine Griggs and their children Sydney and Matthew enjoyed an ice cream celebration of local purveyors, as fresh, colorful and tasty as summer itself. In addition to cultivating vibrant landscapes, the Griggs family is rooted in community service and supports CASA of Monterey County, which helps children in foster care.

1

Granola

Vanilla Chai, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, Coconut Macadamia

Solstice Foods | Available at farmers markets @solsticefoods.santacruz

Cutting Board and Radical Ice Cream Set Made from Recycled Skateboards

Selcouth | 13766 Center St. G-5, Carmel Valley @selcouth | selcouthcv.com

Monterey County Honey

Pacific Coast Apiaries | Available at farmers markets @pacific.coast.apiaries | pacificcoastapiaries.com

Old World Swiss Style Yogurt and Raw Milk

Schoch Family Farmstead

Available at Star Market, Cornucopia, Elroy’s and farmers markets schochfamilyfarm.com

Cookie Smash Ice Cream Sandwiches

Moonscoops Ice Creamery | 110 General Stilwell Dr. Suite 104, Marina @moon.scoops | moonscoops.com

Special Occasion Cake

The Perfect Crumb Bakery | 301 Lighthouse Ave. #B, Monterey @theperfectcrumb | theperfectcrumbbakery.net

2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir

McIntyre Family Wines | 24 W. Carmel Valley Rd. Carmel Valley @tastemcintyre | mcintyrevineyards.com

You Pick Roses

Birdsong Orchards | 613 Lakeview Rd. Watsonville @birdsongorchards | birdsongorchards.com

The Bitter Ginger Shrub Trio

Strawberry-Carrot-Ginger Shrub, Ginger-Lime Shrub, Strawberry-Lemon Shrub @thebitterginger | thebitterginger.com

Edgey Plates, Edgey Cake Stand, Leaves Palm Frond Bowls, Leaves Large Banana Leaf Bowl

Annieglass | 310 Harvest Dr. Watsonville @annieglass | annieglass.com

Curated by Aga Simpson | Photo by Glen McDowell

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COOKING WITH THE SEASONS

COAST BIG SUR

Chef Nicolaus Balla is ready for summer

BY AMBER TURPIN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

ISABEL BAER

If you have been to COAST Big Sur, then you already know about the splendid views, the flavorful food and the curated art to be found there. If you have not been yet, then you need to plan a visit immediately.

Meantime, executive chef Nicolaus Balla shares a recipe that exemplifies the magic of the simple menu at COAST, and that reflects his signature approach to preservation, seasonality and creativity in using whatever produce is available and in its entirety. Balla arrived at COAST Big Sur during the pandemic, after stints at standout San Francisco restaurants including Bar Tartine, Nombe, O Izakaya Lounge and Turntable by Lord Stanley, then he decided to stay.

His summer salad prominently features one of the chef’s favorite ingredients, tahini, in a blended dressing that coats any and every seasonally appropriate summer vegetable. This is essentially a great dressing recipe, and the rest is up to you to improvise with what you have an abundance of or what looks most appealing at the farmers market.

COAST Big Sur offers picnic fare as well as lunch and ice cream.

Tahini Goddess Salad

Courtesy Nicolaus Balla, executive chef, COAST Big Sur

“This is a great meal by itself with a loaf of bread and a couple of dips or as the accompaniment to a summer feast,” says Balla. “I like the versatility of the tahini dressing. Not only is it great on salads with a variety of summer veggies but it is also great as a marinade for fish and chicken and a sauce for grilled veggies.”

For the dressing

1 cup sesame tahini

½ cup lime juice

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup dried apple pieces

½ cup apple juice

½ cup neutral salad oil

6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled

1 whole Serrano chile

2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 bunch chopped cilantro

Purée all ingredients, except the tahini, in a blender on high speed until very smooth. Then, add them to a bowl and whisk in the tahini.

For the salad

6 heads little gem or romaine lettuce, washed

Summer vegetables: baby radishes, carrots, sweet peppers, cherry or slicing tomatoes, blanched green beans or Romano beans, grilled summer squash, sugar snap peas, etc. Tahini dressing (recipe above)

For the garnish

Avocado slices

Cilantro leaves

Basil leaves

Toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds

Avocado oil

Black pepper

Cut the lettuce into quarters lengthwise. If the leaves are large, cut in half again so the leaves are 2 to 3 inches long. Cut the summer veggies into halves, quarters or bite-sized pieces.

Place the prepared lettuce and veggies in a mixing bowl and gently mix with enough dressing to slightly coat everything, but not so much that there is dressing pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Transfer the salad to a serving platter and drizzle with an extra spoonful of the tahini dressing. Garnish with plenty of crunchy seeds, freshly ground black pepper, basil and cilantro leaves, sliced avocado and a drizzle of avocado oil. Serves 6-8.

Chef Tips

• Taste a tiny bit of the chile before using. If it is very large or very spicy, only use ½ in the dressing.

• Cutting the lettuce lengthwise creates a nice counterbalance to the bite-sized, crunchy veggies.

• The beauty of this salad is the ability to mix and match whatever is in season. Feel free to use whatever catches your eye at your nearest farmers market or grocery store.

Organic, Sustainable, Handcrafted Craft Brews and Locally Sourced Wines

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LOCAL FOODSin Season

JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST

FRUITS

*Apples • ****Apricots • Avocados • Blackberries

****Blueberries • *Boysenberries • Cactus Pears • **Cherries

Figs • ***Grapes • Lemons • **Loquats • ***Melons

Nectarines • Olallieberries • Oranges • Peaches

***Pears • Plums • Raspberries • Strawberries • Tayberries

VEGETABLES

**Artichokes • Arugula • **Asparagus • Basil • Beets • Bok Choy

Broccoli • Cabbage • Cardoons • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celeriac

Celery • Chard • Chicory • Collards • Corn • Cress • Cucumber

Dandelion • Eggplant • Endive • Fava Beans • Fennel

Garlic

• Green Beans • Kale • Leeks • Lettuces • Mushrooms

Mustard Greens • Onions • Pea Greens • Peas

***Peppers, Bell • Potatoes • Radishes • Spinach

Summer Squash • Tomatoes • Turnips

SEAFOOD

Abalone • Halibut, California • Lingcod

Rock Cod (aka Snapper, Rockfish)

Sablefish (aka Black Cod)

Salmon, Chinook/King

Seabass • White Squid, Market

Sole (Dover, Petrale) • Spot Prawns

Tuna (Albacore)

*Comes into season in June **Ends in June

***Comes into season in July

****Comes into season in August

*****Goes out of season in July

All fish listed are rated “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s

Seafood Watch program and are found in abundance in local waters. See seafoodwatch.org for more information.

From Our Kitchen to Yours Fresh Artichoke Hearts & Chef Butter montereyfarms.net

MONTEREY FARMS CHEF BUTTER

• Gourmet Compound Butters

• Hand crafted from fresh ingredients

• Quickly transform everyday cuisine into a culinary masterpiece

Home chefs and professionals everywhere are excited about Chef Butter. Unique and fresh ingredients combined with grade AA sweet cream butter make culinary creations quick and easy. Added to any protein, vegetable or grain, Chef Butter elevates common ingredients to unparalleled deliciousness. With intense and unique flavors, easy to use Chef Butter will change your life in the kitchen. Try all 6 unique flavors!

MONTEREY FARMS ARTIHEARTS

• The only California grown ready-to-eat artichoke hearts available

• Hand-trimmed & prepared in small batches

• Quality, taste, and texture unlike any other

Monterey Farms artichoke hearts are made from hand trimmed artichokes grown on the central coast of California. Lightly seasoned and steamed for a tender crunch and fresh from the field taste, our ArtiHearts are unlike any other. Try all of our unique flavors eaten right out of their pouch or incorporated into your salads or main dishes. No briny taste, no tough leaves, ArtiHearts are made using 100% heart meat. A must try!!

Monterey Farms Inc. 1354 Dayton St, Suite H Salinas, CA 93901 831.757.7297

Vote for a local Monterey Bay area farmers market to be recognized in America’s Farmers Market Celebration™. Please scan the QR code below for more details.

MONTEREY BAY Farmers Marke t s

CRUZ COUNTY | SUMMER

Thank You to Our Sponsor - American Farmland Trust

Tuesday

Felton Farmers Market

1:30pm-5:30pm • food trucks open until 6pm May through October 120 Russell Avenue • 831.454.0566 santacruzfarmersmarket.org

El Mercado

2–6pm • April through October Ramsey Park, Watsonville 831.726.4257 • pvhealthtrust.org

Wednesday

Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market

1pm-5pm • Year-round Lincoln and Cedar Streets • 831.454.0566 santacruzfarmersmarket.org

Friday

Watsonville Certified Farmers Market

2–7pm • Year-round

Watsonville City Plaza, Peck & Main Streets

831.588.7366

facebook.com/watsonvillefarmersmarket

Mountain Farmers Market

2pm-6pm • May 3 to October 25 23845 Summit Road, Los Gatos 831.588.7366 instagram.com/mountain_market_

Saturday

Aptos Certified Farmers Market

8am–Noon • Year-round 6500 Soquel Drive • 831.728.5060 montereybayfarmers.org

Scotts Valley Farmers Market

9am−1pm • May through November

5060 Scotts Valley Drive, Boys & Girls Club Parking Lot 831.454.0566 • santacruzfarmersmarket.org

Westside Santa Cruz Market

9am–1pm • Year-round

2801 Mission Street • 831.454.0566 santacruzfarmersmarket.org

See opposite side for Monterey & San Benito Counties

America’s Farmers Market CelebrationTM (AFMC) raises awareness of the essential markets like those listed here that are making a difference for farmers, ranchers, and communities. From June 1 - July 31 you can vote for your favorite market to help them earn national recognition and a cash prize! Learn more at markets.farmland.org.

Sunday

Live Oak Farmers Market 9am–1pm • Year-round LOCATION TBD • 831.454.0566 santacruzfarmersmarket.org

Capitola Certified Farmers Market

11am–4pm • Year-round 1855 41st Avenue • 650.290.3549 wcfma.org

Corralitos Farm & Garden Market 11am–3pm • Year-round 127 Hames Road • 831.724.1332 wayne@catalyst2001.com

Monday

Pacific Grove Certified Farmers Market

3–6pm • Year-round

Central and Grand Avenues

831.384.6961 everyonesharvest.org

Tuesday

Carmel Barnyard

Certified Farmers Market

9am−1pm • May through September 3690 The Barnyard

831.728.5060 • montereybayfarmers.org

Old Monterey Marketplace & Farmers Market

4–7pm • Year-round Alvarado Street • 831.655.2607 oldmonterey.org

Wednesday

Natividad Certified Farmers Market

11am−3:30pm • May to October 1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas 831.384.6961 • everyonesharvest.org

Hollister Certified Farmers Market

3−7pm • April 17 to October 16

San Benito Street between 5th and 7th 831.636.8406 downtownhollister.org/farmers-market

Thursday

Carmel–by-the-Sea Farmers Market

10am–2pm • Year-round 6th and Mission Streets 831.402.3870 • goodrootsevents.com

Castroville Farmers Market

3−7:30PM • Year-round Castroville Recreation Center 11261 Crane Street ncrpd.org

Seaside Certified Farmers Market

3–7pm • Year-round Laguna Grande Regional Park 1259 Canyon del Rey Blvd. 831.384.6961 • everyonesharvest.org

Soledad Certified Farmers Market

4−8pm • April to October 137 Soledad Street • 831.678.3504

Friday

Monterey Certified Farmers Market

8am–noon • Year-round 1410 Del Monte Center

831.728.5060 • montereybayfarmers.org

Salinas Valley Health

Certified Farmers Market

12:30−5:30pm • May to November

450 East Romie Lane

831.384.6961 • everyonesharvest.org

Saturday

Old Town Salinas Farmers Market

9am–2pm • Year-round

300 block Main Street

650.815.8760 wcfma.org/salinas

The Power Plant

Certified Farmers Market

9am–2pm • Year-round

7990 Highway 1, Moss Landing

831.453.0022

thepowerplant.store/farmers-market

Sunday

Carmel Valley Certified Farmers Market

10am–2pm • Year-round

Mid-Valley Shopping Center

550 Carmel Valley Road

650.290.3549 • wcfma.org

Marina Certified Farmers Market

10am–2pm • Year-round 215 Reservation Road • 831.384.6961 everyonesharvest.org

Doka

IN THE KITCHEN

Clafoutis

With the classics, it’s all in the name

BY ANALUISA BÉJAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA

Our plates can be windows into fascinating stories. There are certain desserts we tend to go back to, dishes that never cease to produce excitement with familiar flavors that evoke memories of special people and places. These classics resist time, transcend the coming and going of trends and are defined by their ability to inspire each new generation.

Classic desserts and their names are a delicious world to dive into. They reflect nature and its rhythms, sounds, places, legends, art and everything else that makes us human.

In French pastry, there is the simple solution of naming foods after their creator, like tarte Tatin, named for the famous sisters. And even naming them for a cycling race, the Paris-Brest, or simply a sound, craquelin.

Some names are literary references, places we long to be, anecdotes, lost and found loves. Others are based on the recipe, as with quatre-quarts or pound cake, or titles and professions, like financiers, religieuse and duchess. In many traditional cookbooks, recipe titles often include the name of the relative or friend generous enough to share it. We know the recipe will be good if its name starts with the word grandma’s.

In the world of interesting dessert names, clafoutis (pronounced clah-foo-tee) has stood the test of time for centuries. It is as simple and homey as any dessert can get in France. Originally from the Limousin region, the word comes from the Occitan word clafir which means to fill up, referring to filling up a dish with cherries so they can swim happily in a tender batter, that is a cross between a flan and a crepe. No special equipment is required, just a bowl, a whisk and a handful of ingredients.

As always happens with classic dishes, there is a lot of controversy around the specifics, and the main one with this humble dessert is whether or not to pit the cherries. Some say they’re better whole, so they keep their integrity and stronger flavor; others prefer the juice from pitted cherries to seep into the batter as it turns jammy.

Cherry Clafoutis

Purists will not use anything but fresh Limousin cherries, but clafoutis can be made with any fruit. Apricots, peaches, apples, pears, plums and even marinated prunes are delicious options.

The neutral base provides an open canvas for flavoring, with orange peel and spices like cinnamon, ginger or anise. Clafoutis are best served warm from the oven; they look nice with a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar on top. And, as with all classics, there is always room for interpretation. They can be made savory instead of sweet, and these versions are wonderful as well, especially if they contain any type of cheese and vegetable. Served with a salad, they make a perfect brunch.

Choosing a classic and making it our own in such a way that it reflects who we are gives a special meaning to the loving act of cooking. It makes us a link in an endless chain, forged by generations, that will transcend time.

Analuisa Béjar loves exploring flavor routes as the chef at her Sunny Bakery Cafe in Carmel Valley. She is a recent transplant from Mexico City, where she was a food critic, award-winning writer, editor, recipe developer, culinary teacher and the organizer of a Latin American gastronomy competition.

This classic version is a blank canvas for inspiration. You can add flavor to the base with spices, citrus zest or different liqueurs, while any type of fruit, particularly stone fruit, is also welcome to the party.

4 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

Pinch of salt

½ cup whipping cream

1½ cups whole milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract, Kirsch or Cognac

1½ tablespoons melted butter

Butter and sugar for the baking dish

2 cups cherries, pitted

Powdered sugar, to serve

In a bowl using a wire whisk, combine eggs and sugar. Add flour and salt, and continue

whisking. When incorporated, mix in cream, milk, vanilla extract and butter.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, butter and sugar an 8-inch, square ovenproof dish. Preheat oven to 350º F.

Pour batter into dish and distribute cherries evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Serves 4.

Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis

Whipping the eggs for this clafoutis gives it a wonderful texture, closer to a soufflé. Be careful not to overcook. The contrast with raspberries is perfect, but bananas, strawberries and even pears are great alternatives as well. Spice up the chocolate base with orange zest, or even a pinch of chili powder.

2 cups whipping cream

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

3 ounces whole milk

Butter and sugar for the baking dish

2 cups raspberries

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a small saucepan, warm cream, add chocolate, stir to melt. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Using a mixer, whisk eggs, egg yolk and sugar with the chocolate-cream until light and thick, about 4 minutes; the mixture should triple in volume.

Sift in flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add milk and mix.

Butter and sugar a round 9-inch ovenproof dish, pour in batter and arrange raspberries on top.

Bake for 15 minutes or until barely set. Serve warm. Serves 4

eat • play • shop

Asparagus Manchego Clafoutis

This savory base is the perfect backdrop for any combination of vegetables, making it an ideal brunch dish. The pinch of cayenne pepper accentuates the flavor of the cheese, and you could even add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard for added depth. For another delicious option, use goat cheese and cherry tomatoes instead.

4 eggs

2/3 cup flour

½ cup whipping cream

2/3 cup milk

4 ounces Manchego or other aged, semihard cheese finely grated, Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

½ cup mushrooms

½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

Butter for the baking dish

½ cup sliced, toasted almonds

Fresh tarragon, for garnish

Heat oven to 350º F.

In a large bowl using a whisk, combine eggs, flour, whipping cream and milk. Strain into a new bowl to make sure there are no lumps.

Add grated cheese, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour into 9-inch ovenproof dish, and distribute mushrooms, asparagus and chopped tarragon evenly over the top; they tend to float but there’s no need to stir.

Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Garnish with almonds and a sprig of tarragon. Serves 4.

ON THE BAY

THERE’S A CATCH

Commemorating 25 years of Seafood Watch involves major progress, but isn’t all celebration.

STORY

AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK C. ANDERSON

The Kelp Forest Exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium teaches visitors about the underwater ecosystem.

It started with petty theft.

Mild-mannered Monterey Bay Aquarium visitors dining in the café increasingly started slipping tent-shaped seafood guides from atop their tables into their pocket or purse.

That was spring 1997, long enough ago that Princess Di was still alive, “sustainability” was an obscure economic term and, as far as the theft is concerned, statutes of limitations have kicked in.

The stolen guides were provided in concert with a special temporary exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium called Fishing for Solutions: What’s the Catch, which profiled the havoc created by irresponsible fishing, from iffy fish farms destroying mangrove habitat to 30 million tons of bycatch thrown away annually.

The closing mural mapped declining fisheries worldwide, unleashing a fire burst of red icons across the planet’s oceans.

The tabletop guides complemented the installation with ways eaters could help. The ensuing theft triggered a transformation.

“We realized, ‘We’re on to something here,’” Erin Hudson says. “‘This is something our guests want to know about.’”

The outcome was the Seafood Watch program Hudson now directs, which made its first big splash with pocket-sized consumer guides evaluating environmental impacts on various fish species, sorted into red (avoid), yellow (good alternative) and green (best choice) categories.

“Ask, ‘Do you sell sustainable seafood?’” the guide’s March-August 2024 edition reads. “Let businesses know it’s important to you.”

Longtime Seafood Watch manager Sheila Bowman, who’s now a consultant, had a front-row view as MBA networked with 200-plus other aquariums, zoos and conservation groups to distribute guides.

“It incentivized restaurateurs and chefs to know where their fish was coming from,” she says. “Questions about where your seafood comes from and how it was produced moves the supply chain to provide answers. The only way that happens is if it’s valuable to the consumer.”

around the same time as the Fishing for Solutions exhibit did, with a clear vision of working with sustainable catch.

The heart they inherited from Cindy’s dad, a pole fisherman embittered by destructive trawlers, and her Indigenous mom, who taught her to think in generations.

As Cindy is fond of saying, “Once you destroy a species, it’s gone.”

Their science wasn’t as hard wired. Fortunately world-class marine scientists from nearby Hopkins Marine Station were early patrons, and they’d comment or leave notes flagging problematic fish on the menu— challenging Cindy to show how she knew the “New Zealand blue-nosed seabass” was legit—and field her follow-up calls.

When diners started arriving with Seafood Watch cards, the Walters were torn: Yay, consumers are asking questions. Nay, many fish they’re requesting aren’t easy to source.

“As easy as finding purple squirrel,” Cindy says. “At the time, Seafood Watch didn’t totally understand how the business worked.”

As Seafood Watch celebrates a quarter century this year, the cards remain the program’s most identifiable symbol, with more than 65 million circulated to date.

But they’re also just the tip of the dorsal fin. There’s a lot going on below the surface.

The width and breadth of that work demanded that, in order to effect global change, Seafood Watch had to change itself.

FIRST WAVE

When it came to ocean-friendly habits, restaurateurs Ted and Cindy Walter had their heart in the right place. The science, not so much.

The Walters’ Passionfish seafood restaurant debuted in Pacific Grove

She took then-Seafood Watch director, now-global ocean conservation senior vice president Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly to a vendor meeting. Walter remembers one producing a seafood invoice scribbled simply, “FOOD PRODUCT,” and Kemmerly asking, “How do you know what kind of fish it is?”

The supplier’s reply: “You look at the fish and try to identify it.”

Kemmerly was shocked at the void of information, which led to a programmatic leap.

“They realized if sustainability was going to make a difference, they needed to figure out a way to support restaurants and retailers,” says Walter, who credits Aquarium advocacy with helping inspire the USDA to implement country of origin labeling for seafood.

Seafood Watch team members started meeting with chefs, and a restaurant program took shape, providing helpful questions to ask suppliers; meanwhile, its sustainability guide for businesses remains easily accessed online today.

“Restaurants have to slug it out with their suppliers and find one that’s willing to provide information about the seafood they’re buying,” Bowman says. “In some cases it was worked out and the information flowed. In others, it took a lot more time.”

Then staffers started seeking bigger fishmongers. Seattle-area organic grocer PCC Community Markets and the Aquarium’s then-food service provider Bon Appetit agreed to use only best choices and good alternatives at all their locations nationwide. Today that roster claims heavyweights like Whole Foods, The Cheesecake Factory and Mars Petcare.

“The power of those partners to help drive change through market pressure is immense,” says Seafood Watch outreach manager Corbett Nash. “Those are large organizations with a big footprint, who talk to a lot of people, not just buyers, but wholesalers and producers.”

Partners like New Leaf Community Markets favor Seafood Watch’s recommendations over other guides (see sidebar, p. 52) at least in part because of “extensive research and rigorous assessment,” according to New Leaf brand manager Lindsay Gizdich.

“Our customers can take comfort that they are making a good choice when shopping our seafood counter,” she says.

The restaurant program morphed into a culinary Blue Ribbon Task Force, just around the time the U.S. was hitting peak celebrity chef. Alton Brown, Thomas Keller, Suzanne Goin and Rick Bayless not only broadcast the ethics of savvy sourcing with Seafood Watch cards in their venues and coordinated messages on social

media, they also dished it for hundreds of attendees at the annual Cooking for Solutions gala.

Paired with a Monterey Bay Area chef also committed to SW guidelines, those chefs anchored what for 13 years was the best food event in an area swimming with them, while framing the big picture. Ahead of the 2009 CFS when Keller was named Conservation Leadership Chef of the Year, I asked him what happens when we’re not careful about the way we steward good sources.

“We’re not going to have anything left,” he said.

Today the task force continues to meet to advance the cause and its chef ambassadors appear on YouTube with commentary on top-shelf environmental priorities and seafood prep.

“We’d like to see sustainability to be the normal,” says repeat James Beard Award semifinalist Steve Phelps, as he introduces a thinly sliced scallop crudo dish with aji amarillo and watermelon radish. “Should sustainability still be the word or should it be responsibility?”

MAKING AN IMPACT

at Cooking for Solutions gala dinners at the Aquarium while Seafood Watch scientists like Taylor Voorhees (below) partnered with Southeast Asian shrimp farmers to evolve best practices.

In Bangkok, a contingent of Aquarium reps met with the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative, which includes fish processors, environmental NGOs and local certification bodies from Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Behind-the-scenes tours at Monterey Bay Aquarium lead guests to the top of the iconic Kelp Forest Exhibit to see how its design allows the giant kelp to absorb sunlight, experience simulated tidal surges and receive fresh seawater.

The equivalent backstage pass for Seafood Watch, meanwhile, takes you to international seafood summits in Bangkok, rural shrimp farms in Krabi and coffee dates in the heart of Hanoi.

Or at least that’s where it took me in 2018.

The Aquarium sent me to report how far Seafood Watch goes to size up imported seafood, knowing that while the U.S. seafood system is closely monitored, up to 85% of seafood eaten in this country is imported, much of it red-listed.

“The people in that room pull a lot of levers,” Tyler Isaac, a Seafood Watch aquaculture scientist, said at the time. “There’s a chance to make a really big impact, from both the top and from the ground level.”

After the conference, Isaac and fellow scientist Taylor Voorhees moved south, traveling upwards of 500 kilometers a day to visit and study shrimp ponds and convene hours-long meetings with locals on how to earn yellow and green ratings, by dealing with issues like disease, liquid-waste pollution and overuse of chemicals.

At one stop they talked with second generation shrimp farmer Sakulta Kirdsook. “Dad came into the business when the environment was 100%,” she said. “I came into it when it was destroyed. Only sustainability can be the solution.”

Alton Brown (below left) led a swell of star chefs

“Seafood supply chains are messy, complex and opaque more often than not.”

International work has intensified since, with programs for shrimp farmers in India, salmon farms in Chile and a partnership in the Philippines aimed at reducing bycatch in blue crab fishing.

“Seafood supply chains are messy, complex and opaque more often than not,” Seafood Watch’s Nash says. “Working at the level we work helps us understand problems in different fisheries and do what we can to address them.”

Their efforts remind us that Seafood Watch—and the Aquarium itself—are part of the wider mission: “to inspire conservation of the ocean.”

Seafood Watch sits on the Science and Conservation branch of the Aquarium’s organizational tree, which also addresses issues like ocean acidification, plastic pollution and Pacific Ocean ecosystems—with a focus on Southern sea otters, bluefin tuna and sharks.

“That work is not outward or public facing, and involves a lot of research and policy,” Nash says. “We’re looking at all kinds of marine questions.”

One such question isn’t a formal challenge, but remains a daunting one: “Is there hope?”

ONGOING PROBLEMS

What they’re serving up at Real Cost Cafe can kill an appetite.

“You get sick shrimp swimming in gross, poopy water, pumped with antibiotics and chemicals,” says one of the video hosts, in describing farms to avoid.

“Poop!” yelps his fellow host. “Not that appetizing, is it?”

The faux restaurant in the Ocean’s Edge wing of the Aquarium gave Seafood Watch a permanent presence in 2005. Visitors can still sit at stools and order up playful videos on why and why not to request items like bluefin tuna, eel and orange roughy. (Hint:

overfishing and poorly managed fish farms.)

The yuck factor relates spiritually with the whole messy endeavor that is Seafood Watch.

Looking hard at how fish are caught and what fraud that involves can get uncomfortable. And that extends beyond dust-ups with groups like the Maine lobster fishermen who claimed defamation because their trap lines catch endangered right whales.

“Our evaluations don’t make everyone happy,” Nash says. “It’s part of doing the job.”

The ugliest revelation yet: Some bad actors have cultivated a legacy of seafood slavery by employing migrants sold by human traffickers on long and inescapable fishing trips across Southeast Asian seas.

The Aquarium’s response involved developing a searchable Social Risk tool, without overlaying it with the environmentally driven consumer guide. Conjuring a magic score isn’t a clean-cut equation.

“The world doesn’t work like that,” Nash says. “We concentrate on environmental impacts, and don’t ignore social impacts or carbon, but that doesn’t factor into Seafood Watch ratings. The primary focus is on environmental sustainability and trying to be the most useful possible.”

The struggle to harvest progress is real for Jannae Lizza, who has been helping run Passionfish long enough that she has a binder of printed guidelines from the earliest days of Seafood Watch’s restaurant program.

Before she flips through some of its pages—which illuminate how destructive methods like longlining, dredging and gillnetting can be—she breathes a sigh of resignation.

Even at her restaurant, an early and mighty adopter of sustainability, she smacks into reality checks.

“I’m nervous, and I’m scared, that people are flabbergasted on a daily basis that we don’t serve salmon and have no idea why it

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From abalone and amberjack to wahoo and wreckfish, Seafood Watch lists more than 2,000 entries that account for species, harvest method and location. Advanced and quick search options—like “country or region,”“common fish to avoid” and even “flaky white fish”—help navigate the vast intel. There are other guides available to further advance consumer edu cation, with slightly different approaches, including a focus on businesses and labeling for fish in the market.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch • The gold standard of green comes from so much nerding out on criteria like feed input and waste streams that insiders say the estimate of 160 hours spent on each species’ evaluation sounds low. Available as a cell phone-friendly website while shopping or dining out.

Marine Stewardship Council • The globally relevant MSC looks closely at fishing practices and traceability, with a searchable online database and a seafood finder app. It also tags wild fish or seafood from fisheries that have been certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard, with a blue check label.

Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector • EDF’s color-coded system registers mercury and omega-3 levels as a bonus for health-conscious consumers.

Ocean Wise • Canada-based OW utilizes sustainability symbols next to seafood items in stores and restaurants.

FishChoice • Partnerships with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, MSC and other organizations help FishChoice focus on ways to empower businesses in particular.

can be a problem,” she says, well aware the problems with salmon earn their own Seafood Watch set of suggestions. “There’s a lot more work to be done.”

Current oceanic health isn’t the place for Lizza to go for a mood boost. A garbage truck’s worth of plastic enters the world’s oceans every 60 seconds. Marine biodiversity is plummeting. Acidification is killing corals almost as quickly as overfishing is crashing wild stocks.

But there are real reasons for optimism. As this publishes, the Blue Ribbon Task Force is emerging from its first in-person summit since COVID hit. Aquarium executive chef and task force member Matt Beaudin believes that its chefs can extend their reach in new ways, like expanded culinary school involvement and auxiliary community-based task forces focused on local specifics.

“Our influence has grown, and can grow,” he says. “People want to listen. What encourages me most is when people come up and want to engage. When they want to know, it fires us up to do something bigger than ourselves.”

Meanwhile, SW staff has just launched a Super Green Seafood list (see sidebar, p. 54) and is working on a green restaurant program. Rumors of a Cooking for Solutions reboot—and the culinary-business-supply chain-media connections it creates—are also circulating.

Seafood Watch’s ongoing tales of resilience furnish further hope. The first pocket guide listed Pacific Coast rockfish in the red; today consumer choices and fishery regulations help land it on the green and yellow lists. Bluefin tuna, once on the teetering brink of extinction—at 1.5% of its spawning Pacific bluefin population—has seen numbers improve, though it remains red listed.

Besides, it wasn’t all that long ago that suppliers in Passionfish’s network had no clue what kind of fish they were peddling, let alone where it was from.

And seafood lovers no longer have to steal—or look far—to know how to help.

Mark C. Anderson is a roving reporter, photographer and columnist.

SUPER GREEN SEAFOOD

It’s nice when a seafood meal makes you think—how the flavors harmonize, what the ingredients evoke, where the freshness focuses. It’s also nice not to have to think about how responsibly—or irresponsibly—the fish or shellfish was raised or harvested.

Seafood Watch’s latest consumer tool proves particularly tasty on that front. As part of its year-long 25th anniversary commemoration, SW is announcing an entry from its Top 10 list of Super Green Seafood items, which it’s calling “no-brainers,” every month.

As this Edible Monterey Bay issue hits newsstands, the first three have been published, and appear here. The remaining seven debut throughout the year via the Seafood Watch website, with nutritional notes, shopping tips and clever recipes.

Yes, these mussels flex superfood level benefits in terms of protein, omega-3s, thiamin, iron, zinc and a casual 850% of recommended daily vitamin B12, boosting immune system and brain health. Mussels can also benefit the ecosystems they filter naturally, reducing phosphorus and nitrogen. And, as Aquarium collaborator, dietician and burgeoning media star Patricia Bannan shows on SW’s website, they uplift an incredible Mediterranean pizza with arugula and green-listed California squid.

Pole-Caught Albacore Tuna

Look for labeling to confirm it’s been caught by pole, troll or pole-and-line, because environmentally responsible producers like Wild Planet, Whole Foods 365, Safe Catch and American Tuna want eaters to know how it’s caught. Then bask in albacore’s boatload of essential minerals, vitamins, protein and heart-healthy fats, without bycatch guilt, perhaps by way of a salad Niçoise, spicy tuna roll, tuna melt or creamy tuna-stuffed bell peppers, the latter courtesy of a featured recipe by nutritionist Andrea Mathis, the blogger behind “Beautiful Eats & Things.”

U.S. Trout

The domestic trout industry adheres to best practices, with data published steadily, feed stocks managed wisely and chemical inputs monitored closely. The 158-page Seafood Watch report on U.S. trout shows this in detail and reflects the rigor brought to each species’ evaluation. Trout also packs omega-3 fatty acid and easily digestible protein to go with B vitamins, potassium and selenium. And it’s good eating, as the spotlighted SW recipe by dietitian, author and “fearlessly nourishing” meal advocate Cara Harbstreet—lemon caper orzo salad with smoked rainbow trout—expresses in full.

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BEHIND THE BOTTLE

GRAPE KEEPER

Meet Nat Wong of Blade & Talon

BY LAURA NESS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL TROUTMAN

“My label would not exist without Ron Siletto,” says winegrower, knife collector and ornithologist Nat Wong of Blade & Talon. The slender young man with exquisite tattoos of feathers, grapevines and an intricately carved knife handle adorning his right arm, lives on the historic Wheeler Ranch in Tres Pinos. It’s one of three CCOFcertified organic vineyards that are part of Siletto Family Vineyards in the wilds of San Benito County.

If not for Wong, Siletto Family Vineyards—the prized candy store for eclectic grape varieties like cabernet pfeffer, corvina, falanghina and

trousseau—would likely not exist in its present form, either. This is a symbiotic relationship, driven by love of the land, misfit grapes and birds of prey.

Trained as an ornithologist, Wong is a fifth generation Californian of Chinese descent, who graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Nature and Culture and once worked with penguins and sea birds at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In a twist of fate, his family originally emigrated in the 1850s from a village north of Guangzhou, China, settling in Point Alones, now part of Monterey. This was the largest Chinese fishing village in California and was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1906, displacing all the Chinese residents, including his great

In addition to growing grapes and making wine, Wong has a passion for handmade knives and birds of prey.

grandparents, who moved to San Francisco. It later became the site of Hopkins Marine Station and Monterey Bay Aquarium.

But feathered friends did not fill this young man’s cup. Wong fell in love with wine on a trip to the Loire Valley in early 2018. “When I tried a cabernet franc in the Bourgueil, man alive, it was a great experience! I felt emotions and recalled memories I did not think I ever would. I felt an incredible energy and connection to history.”

Talking to French vineyard workers about organic and biodynamic farming, and the key role the government played in wine policy, made him long to be part of this natural and cultural cycle. “To weave myself into that fabric was very tempting.”

By year’s end, he was working harvest at Folktale Winery in Carmel Valley. Further seduced by the lure of winemaking, he was convinced to start his own label. “I was looking for someone to sell me grapes,” says Wong. “All I wanted was a half a ton…please? But nobody would give me the time of day.”

“I felt an incredible energy and connection to history.”

Luckily, Wong knew Bryan Harrington, a well-connected San Franciscobased winemaker and importer. “I brought a bottle of carbonic sangiovese I’d made at Folktale to Brian, and he said, ‘Oh, Ron loves carbonic! You need to talk to Ron Siletto.’”

The two instantly hit it off. “Ron treated me like I was buying 30 tons!” says Wong. “We walked all the rows and hung out for hours and hours in his living room, listening to him wax poetic. He poured a rosé of Barbera, which was an acid bomb, and asked what I would do with this grape. I laid out my plan. Just like that, I was signed up for half a ton of Barbera and half a ton of négrette.”

That first 2020 Blade & Talon Rosé of Barbera was awarded 90 points by Matt Kettmann of Wine Enthusiast , and the 2020 Blade & Talon Négrette, 91 points: a righteous debut.

Sadly, Ron Siletto, former president of Almaden Vineyards, once one of America’s largest wine companies, didn’t live to taste them. He passed away before harvest in 2020. Thereafter, Wong stepped in as general manager to oversee grape growing and sales for three vineyards in Tres Pinos: Calleri (planted 1994), Wheeler (1974) and Siletto (1995).

All 80 acres and 25 varieties are now farmed organically, a decision driven by winemakers like Deux Punx, Tessier and Ryme. “Berkeley types want organic!” says Wong. They pay a premium for it. As an ecologist, he was enthusiastically behind the conversion, which involves matching each variety with the right cover crop to provide habitat for specific beneficial insects. It’s precision agriculture tuned to preserve these rarities that were favorites of Siletto.

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Local vintners Ian Brand and Ryan Stirm are longtime purchasers of Wong’s Mourvèdre grapes, while Denis Hoey, Miguel Lepe, Megan Bell and James Jelks all come to him for rarities like aligoté, sangiovese, Barbera and cabernet pfeffer. Wong himself makes Ruché, falanghina, Greco di Tufo, Frappato and intriguing red blends.

What is not planted with grapes is dedicated to cattle, grazing over three dramatically deep and beautiful ravines. Wong says that San Benito has the largest percentage of organic rangeland in California and is prime habitat for the San Joaquin kit fox. “One of our neighbors runs about 15 to 25 head of Angus cattle here on Wheeler Ranch,” says Wong. “But his own ranch is like in The Lion King: everything the light touches.”

Blade & Talon brings together three things Wong loves. On the label there’s a Cooper’s hawk whose wings are Thiers knife blades from Fontenille Pataud, a small company run by a couple who enjoy falconry. Inside the bottle, there’s wine. A circle ties them all together. “Falconry requires the use of human influence to make it work, while

agriculture needs a cultivator and you can’t use a knife unless you are holding it,” says Wong.

The knife culture in France, of which Thiers is the capital, is different from anywhere in the world. “French knives are high-class and elegant,” says Wong. “They are made by hand with an unnecessary level of detail. It’s like their wine culture.”

His first knife was a Swiss pocketknife given to him by his grandfather who was in the Army at Fort Ord. “Grandma would visit and they would go dancing at Stilwell Hall. He always had a knife and showed me how to throw. With a strong military history, you learn how to take guns apart and clean them, same with knives. I still use a cleaver from my great grandfather’s butcher shop in Oakland.”

Building anything sustainable—a vineyard, a knife or a tradition like falconry— requires commitment and tenacity. “I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of birds. Harris hawks are like fighter jets, great horned owls are assholes and constantly hissing. They will absolutely try to kill you.” He’s currently working with a male juvenile red-tailed hawk. “I love red-tails. They are my favorite to work with. As a hunter, they are super powerful, like a Ferrari F1 car. They drop like a brick out of the sky.” The females, which are 30% larger than males, can easily take out a large jackrabbit, which are plentiful in this vast expanse of wildness.

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“It means a lot to live and work here,” says Wong. “I would not be able to do this without my relationship with the Siletto family.” Thanks, Ron.

Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Los Gatos Magazine and the Wine Industry Network, sharing stories of the intriguing characters who inhabit the world of wine and food.

Now at Friday’s Farmers Market! Valentine is Wong’s male red-tailed hawk. (Photo: Nat Wong)

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EDIBLE ROAD TRIP

DESTINATION NURSERIES

Nurseries worth a special stop during your summertime travels

BY JILLIAN STEINBERGER

Annie’s Annuals in the East Bay is a colorful place to visit when plants are blooming in summer and fall.

Have plants, will travel! Some of us will drive for hours for the love of plants—or for the fun of enjoying a good nursery, with unique offerings that are not available near home. We are within a few hours of some world-famous summer road trip destinations. Disneyland? Vegas? No way! Give us a nursery to peruse, and we’ll take the wheel. Yes, it’s true that microclimates are an important factor. However, most plants at these far-flung nurseries will grow perfectly well on the Central Coast.

Before you start your engines, some advice: Make room in the car, or folks in the backseat may be sitting next to a thorny cactus! Don’t let plants overheat. The best spot is on the floor, behind front seats which provide shade. If you are in a truck, the best place for plants is in the bed, right behind the cab, covered in a light tarp, tied down with bungie cords. Take plants out of the car immediately when you get home if the weather is hot.

Also be sure to call the nursery ahead of time or check the website for seasonal hours.

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ANNIE’S ANNUALS & PERENNIALS Home of the flower floozy

740 Market Avenue, Richmond 510.215.3301 | anniesannuals.com

When Annie’s Annuals & Perennials opened a couple decades ago, it was a revelation. Never before had gardeners seen such a huge retail nursery with a broad, beautifully curated and well-organized selection of plants. Today, all the plants are still grown ethically (non-toxic, bee friendly) and sold in the same 3-acre space, all year long, with brilliant signage.

Annie’s caters to every type of garden and gardener. They sell a vast selection of California native plants, which you would otherwise not be able to access from a nursery, period. There are rows and rows of cutting garden flowers, bedding plants, succulents, landscape grasses, interesting edibles, indoor plants, and more. Their own-root roses are highly recommended.

A shiny gem in a rough part of the East Bay, Annie’s is just a few miles off Highway 80 and Interstate 580 in Richmond. There are often events and free plant talks on Saturdays.

Annie’s plants are available online (but more expensive), and the website is just as organized and helpful as the store. A good selection of their 4-inch plants can be found at Dig Gardens in Aptos and San Lorenzo Garden Center in Santa Cruz. Thank goodness; as a landscaper, I rely on Annie’s Annuals for diversity, selection and especially for selfseeding wildflowers.

MORNINGSUN HERB FARM

Plant a tea garden and pet the donkeys

6137 Pleasants Valley Road, Vacaville 707.451.9406 | morningsunherbfarm.com

Morningsun Herb Farm has more varieties of lavender than any other nursery I’ve heard of. They propagate an astonishing 45 different types. Some varieties are small, some are very blue, some are pink, some are more fragrant and some taste good—there’s a whole world of lavenders to learn about.

Overall, the nursery grows 150 types of culinary herbs, with more than 20 varieties of thyme, oregano, mint, hyssop, 40 types of scented geraniums, nearly 100 salvias and California native plants, plus an expansive selection of heirloom tomatoes and other edibles.

Morningsun is on a scenic country road a couple miles off Highway 80 in Vacaville, on the way to Sacramento and Tahoe. Owner Rose Loveall’s parents had a small walnut orchard here, and it became a nursery in 1995. There is room to stretch your legs as you shop, walking through the nine hoop houses and across the grounds, with demonstration gardens and lavender fields. Bring a picnic—there are tables. Leashed dogs are welcome, and there’s room for kids to run and play. Bring treats for the donkeys!

They host many makers workshops and other events, but call in advance to check on availability of specific plants.

If you can’t get on the road, visit their website, for information on growing and using lavender and many other herbs, including dozens of recipes.

MOTHER GARDEN NURSERY

A nonprofit conservatory of biodiversity

707.874.9591 | nursery.oaec.org

Occidental Arts & Ecology Center is in a stunning locale, near the famous Bohemian Highway, in West Sonoma County. It is not far from towns popular with visitors, like Sebastopol and Petaluma. The center is an 80-acre resource, demonstration, education, advocacy and community-organizing hub that develops “strategies for regional-scale community resilience and the restoration of biological and cultural diversity.”

SOUTHWARD BOUND

Take a trip to OAEC among the tall oaks and redwoods, and you may feel the rumble of a paradigm shift within. They welcome visitors for tours of the demonstration garden, retreats, permaculture certification workshops, internships and volunteer days.

Within this idyllic setting is the Mother Garden Nursery, which will introduce you to adventurous plants, beyond your imagination. The focus is culinary and medicinal herbs, pollinator and habitat plants and soap/fiber/dye/perfume plants. They also have a wide selection of perennial food plants for permaculture design applications, plus a collection of more than 60 curated salvias!

The folks at this nursery love perennials because they are “the gardening equivalent of changing to low-flow shower heads or energysaving appliances.” Perennials need less fuss, less water, less fertilizer, less fossil fuel and may be more robust. All plants are CCOF-certified organic.

LAS PILITAS NURSERY

The holy grail of native plant nurseries

3232 Las Pilitas Road, Santa Margarita laspilitas.com

Arriving at Las Pilitas in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, it may feel like you’ve reached a holy site: it’s one of California’s first, and most influential, native plant nurseries. It played a key role in making gardening with native species a “thing.” The nursery sits among oaks, pines and elderberries, with hillsides covered in buckwheat. A gentle creek flows.

Founded in 2000 by landscape contractor Bert Wilson, it was closed to the public for several years after he passed away. Recently, daughter Penny Nyunt got the nursery back into production and reopened. Nyunt, who calls herself a “plant nerd,” is likely to greet you and will help you pick the right plants. She is hands on.

An attractive, solid greenhouse is packed with well-organized and tidy looking specimens for sale—currants, penstemons, monkeyflowers, buckwheat, sages, etc. The plants are perky, with authentic genetics. Many may be rare or hard to find. Hardy shrubs and trees—like some of the 45 manzanitas they sell—sit outside in black cans.

Las Pilitas also sells its own famous introductions, such as Celestial blue sage, described as “11 on the stun-o-meter” and named after Bert’s wife Celeste. Another is penstemon margarita BOP, named for a chance seedling of a blue hill penstemon, which sprouted up at the “bottom of the porch” (thus the BOP), with profuse blue and rose-purple blooms. Today it’s at nurseries everywhere.

Most people know Las Pilitas through its website, a top reference for learning how to design and garden with natives. There is even a handy tool where you can type in your zip code and get a list of plants native to your area. You can click deep into this site for endless detailed content on the plants, like what to plant for specific birds or butterflies. You can also buy plants online.

MOUNTAIN SAGE NURSERY

For plant enthusiasts who like coffee, nature photography and music

18653 Main Street, Groveland

209.962.4686 | mtsage.com

I wish there were nurseries with this setup closer to home. A regular stop for travelers in and out of Yosemite (on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir side), Groveland’s Mountain Sage is a full nursery and garden center with a coffee house, gallery and an outdoor festival venue. It’s a community gathering space for farmers markets and

gardening events, with books, gear and gifts by local makers. You’ll also find information on activities like hiking, camping and fishing.

Mountain Sage’s proprietors are biologists and ecologists Robb and Regina Hirsch. Regina’s family settled in Groveland in 1869 and Mountain Sage is housed on a quaint old family property. She also founded Watershed Progressive, a design-build collaborative for public sites, especially schools. Robb takes visitors into the backcountry for photography and backpacking trips. The author of The Nature of Yosemite: A Visual Journey, Robb exhibits and sells his large format, fine art photographs of grand landscapes and intimate wildlife scenes, in the gallery.

The nursery features the best local coffee drinks and plenty of hangout space to sip, journal, read, scroll or chat. There are smoothies, snacks and light fare. If you need to get online—say you are working remotely—you can plug in and jump on free Wi-Fi, while sprawling on a couch.

Mountain Sage sells California native and non-native droughttolerant and fire-resistant plants. They feature salvias, lavenders, spireas and dogwoods, as well as evergreen trees like ponderosa pine, cedars and oaks. Some of these plants belong in the Sierra Foothills, but many do just fine on the Central Coast.

STAYCATION IN MONTEREY BAY AREA

LOVE APPLE FARMS

Scratch your passionate itch for tomato plants

5311 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley 831.588.3801 | growbetterveggies.com

For many gardeners, growing tomatoes is a highlight of summer. These gardeners travel far and wide to Love Apple Farms, near Santa Cruz, for its enormous selection of ethically grown, heirloom tomato starts. Many locals also make an annual pilgrimage (or two or three). Not everything cool is far away.

Their tomato plants come in every shape, size and color. There are meaty, heart-shaped oxheart types like German strawberry, orange Russian and Love Apple’s own sexy beast. There are the sumptuous, psychedelic beefsteaks like Berkeley tie-dye, Hawaiian pineapple and black beauty. There are straight-up yellow, orange, purple and brown heirlooms. It’s not all edgy; there are traditional mainstays like San Marzano, plum regal and mortgage lifter. You will also find peppers, eggplants, other vegetable starts and culinary herbs.

There are tomatoes for many microclimates, with excellent signage. I complained to owner and founder Cynthia Sandberg about my neighborhood on the Westside of Santa Cruz, where it’s often cold and windy. Is this area just for little orange sungolds? In a snap, she rattled off heirlooms that do well in cool coastal conditions: new girl, black cherry, chocolate cherry, celebrity plus, Momotaro, hippie zebra, sweet million, yellow pear, Brad’s atomic grape and green zebra, among others. The nursery also has everything you need to grow tomato plants organically, and they share their own “recipes” for growing bountiful crops.

Love Apple is currently expanding their site, adding open hours and days, considering including fruit trees and vines and opening an Italian restaurant—with fresh produce from their farm. Check their website for year-round workshops and events.

Author Jillian Steinberger lives and gardens on the westside of Santa Cruz, with her husband Ken Foster and their three rescue dogs. They run Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping, which has been voted Best Landscaper for the past five years.

THE PICNIC BASKET

Dine Local GUIDE

All of these restaurants emphasize local ingredients and they also advertise in Edible Monterey Bay! Please check hours online before you go and tell them we sent you.

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. Themes central to harvest, winter and spring are core to Persephone’s story, and are reflected in the changing menu at this fine dining destination, where chef Cori Goudge-Ayer presents inventive, ingredient-driven creations. The 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 for dinner W–Sa 5–8:30pm. Fourth Sundays, Winemaker Dinner with five-course pairing menu.

New Leaf Community Markets

161 Aptos Village Way

831.685.8500 • newleaf.com

This latest branch of the beloved local market group occupies the remodeled Hihn Apple Barn, built in 1891. In addition to local groceries and organic produce, New Leaf Aptos has made-to-order sandwiches, pizza, freshly rolled sushi, soup and hand-prepped salads, as well as a coffee bar, juice and smoothie bar and organic Straus soft serve ice cream. Open daily 8am–9pm.

The Penny Ice Creamery

141 Aptos Village Way, Suite 2

831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com

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

Seascape Foods

16B Seascape Village • 831.685.3134

A charming family-owned market with an ample deli counter featuring daily chef specials, salads, breakfast items, freshly squeezed juices and sandwiches on housemade organic sourdough bread. The grocery section includes organic produce, artisanal products, local beer and wine, and gifts. Eat outside next to the fountain on the patio or take your goodies to the beach nearby. Open daily 8am–8pm.

Estéban Restaurant in downtown Monterey offers Spanish influenced California cusine, like this seasonal seafood crudo.

BIG SUR

Big Sur River Inn Restaurant & General Store

46800 Highway 1

831.667.2700 • bigsurriverinn.com

The River Inn opened in 1934, selling homesteader apple pies to locals and travelers, and this year celebrates its 90th birthday. The small family business is known as “the place with the chairs in the river.” Food and drinks are all made from scratch. Enjoy your meal under the redwoods with a view of Big Sur River or with your feet in the water. Visit the Burrito Bar for tasty grab-and-go fare to fuel your Big Sur adventures. Open daily 8am–8pm.

CAPITOLA

Capitola Wine Bar and Merchants

115 San Jose Avenue

831.476.2282 • capitolawinebar.com

Where the wines meet the waves, Capitola Wine Bar can be found in the seaside village of Capitola and offers small batch wines hand selected by its team of certified sommeliers. Wines from all over the world are available, by the glass, bottle or flight, along with local beers and a great kitchen. Events are always happening like Live Music, Paint Nights, Trivia Nights, Wine Blending and more. Don’t miss the dog-friendly patio and the $7 happy hour Tu–F 5–7pm. Open 6 days a week. For more information see website.

Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria 504 Bay Avenue

831.462.1200 • gaylesbakery.com

A favorite with locals and a must-stop destination for visitors since 1978, Gayle’s Bakery offers freshly baked breads, pastries, cookies and cakes every day of the week. The rosticceria is famous for its soups, salads, sandwiches and rotating Blue Plate Dinners, which are served hot and also available from the grab-and-go case to reheat at home. A dining patio with a fireplace and occasional live music make Gayle’s a community gathering place as well. Open daily 6:30am–7:30pm.

Photo: Ryan Rosene

Explore Capitola Village

New Leaf Community Markets

1210 41st Avenue

831.479.7987 • newleaf.com

The café at the entrance offers great alternatives to fast food, serving economical daily specials, wraps, pizza and homemade soup and espresso drinks—with free wi-fi in the outdoor dining area. Inside the market, a full deli has made-toorder sandwiches, healthy takeout salads and entrée items. Open daily 8am–9pm.

The Penny Ice Creamery

820 41st Avenue

831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com

Open Su–Th noon–10pm, F–Sa noon–11pm. See The Penny description under Santa Cruz for more.

Trestles

316 Capitola Avenue

831.854.2728 • trestlesrestaurant.com

EA T SHOP PL AY STAY

Just steps away from the iconic Capitola train trestle, chefowner Nick Sherman’s passion for great food is evident in every dish at his popular neighborhood bistro. Local seasonal ingredients star in appetizers like chicory salad, roasted fairytale pumpkin with goat cheese and mole negro, Brentwood street corn and crispy pork belly with watermelon radish. Entrées include smoked eggplant gnocchi, Niman Ranch pork chop and fresh fish—all served with local wines and craft beers on tap. Open W–F 5–9:30pm, Sa–Su 4:30–9:30pm.

CARMEL

Covey Grill

8205 Valley Greens Drive

831.620.8860 • quaillodge.com/dining/coveygrill

Covey Grill at Quail Lodge features USDA steaks and sustainably sourced seafood complimented by unique plantbased offerings in addition to seasonal American cuisine. Covey Grill offers casually elegant indoor and outdoor dining options against the stunning backdrop of Quail’s sparkling lake and lush garden landscapes. Open for full dinner service Mon–Sun 5–9pm, with bar opening at 4pm.

Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand

7250 Carmel Valley Road

831.625.6219 • earthboundfarm.com

Earthbound Farm’s 100% certified organic kitchen delights with specialty coffee and tea, soft serve ice cream and a made to order breakfast and lunch menu—including soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods, fresh juices and smoothies. Food is available to be enjoyed on the beautiful grounds or for takeaway. In addition to certified organic produce, the Farm Stand offers a selection of natural, organic, local beer and wine, groceries, gifts and flowers. Stroll through the gardens and learn about Earthbound’s commitment to organic integrity. Open daily, but check hours online as they change seasonally.

Grasing’s

6th Avenue and Mission 831.624.6562 • grasings.com

Chef-proprietor Kurt Grasing’s namesake restaurant has expanded since opening in 1998 to include two large dining rooms, multiple outdoor dining areas and the ever-popular bar/lounge. A Carmel classic located in the heart of the village, Grasing’s serves California cuisine, with an awardwinning wine list and a vintage spirits program featuring classic cocktails made with rare Mad Men-era gins, whiskeys, Camparis and amaros. Open daily M–F 11am–9pm, Sa–Su 10:30am–9pm.

Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant

100 Crossroads Boulevard, Suite A 831.626.3626 • seaharvestfishmarketandrestaurant.com

The Deyerle family that owns this local gem has its own fishing boats for the freshest catch on the Monterey Peninsula.

Sea Harvest doubles as a fish market and casual restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The oysters and clam chow-

der are customer favorites, but don’t miss the fried combo platter, grilled fillets and fish tacos. Open daily 8am–8pm.

Stationaery

San Carlos Square, Between 5th and 6th avenues

831.250.7183 • thestationaery.com

A neighborhood restaurant offering daily brunch and lunch, Stationaery is owned by your hospitable hosts Anthony and Alissa Carnazzo. The kitchen team, led by chef Amalia Scatena, specializes in comforting flavors and local ingredients, with elegant presentations. A new bottle shop next door offers a good selection of European and California wines to enjoy with your meal or take home. Brunch daily 8am–3pm. Dinner Th–Sa 5:30–9pm.

CARMEL VALLEY

Jerome’s Carmel Valley Market

2 Chambers Lane

831.659.2472 • jeromescarmelvalleymarket.com

A chef-owned, friendly neighborhood market, Jerome’s offers local and organic produce, natural meats and seafood, and a great selection of domestic and imported wine, beer and microbrews. French-trained chef and owner Jerome Viel prepares delicious hot foods, sandwiches and salads for eating at outdoor seating or take-away. The offerings 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 and 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, award-winning wines and an expansive heated outdoor terrace with the finest restaurant view in Carmel Valley. At this Forbes 4-Star charmer, named for the Santa Lucia mountain range and wine appellation that beckons to the south, executive chef Christian Ojeda offers both a signature tasting menu and dishes à la carte. Wine list is equally notable. A chef’s table and wine cellar are also available for private dining and special occasions. Open daily 7am–9pm. Saturday and Sunday brunch with live music 11am–2:30pm.

Marmee’s at Lady & Larder

9 Del Fino Place, Suite 101

831.689.9800 • ladyandlarder.com

Named for the mother of owners and twin sisters Boo and Sarah Simms, Marmee is a weekend spa for the taste buds.

Sit on the patio and sip natural wines by the glass, effervescent pet nats by the bottle, cold cans of Other Brother beer and Mommenpop vermouth spritzes. Snack on small plates of artisanal foods sourced from local purveyors, including Carmel Valley-grown produce and exquisite cheeses. Open Sa–Su noon–7pm.

Sunny Bakery Cafe 18 E. Carmel Valley Road

831.659.5052 • instagram.com/sunnybakerycafe

Friendly local café offering homemade pastries, espresso drinks and light fare. Warm, welcoming service and a great array of treats made daily on site with wholesome ingredients that honor the seasons. Owner Analuisa Bejar heads the locally-minded kitchen with favorites like egg sandwiches, quiches, panini, frittatas, and irresistible BLTs. Buttery pastries, cookies, cinnamon rolls, muffins and cakes round out the list. Open W–M 7am–1pm.

DAVENPORT

Davenport Roadhouse

1 Davenport Avenue

831.426.8801 • davenportroadhouse.com

The iconic Highway 1 waystation cultivates a range of reasons to linger longer, starting with a wide menu starring rib-sticking plates like giddyup garlic bread, wings, fried

A Perfect Place For FoOd, Wine, Friends! on the beach in santa cruz

pickles, salads and wraps, pizzas, burgers, steaks and a fisherman’s stew. Extensive dog-friendly outdoor patio seating (and doggie dishes); midweek specials like Taco Tuesday, Trivia Wednesday and Thursty Thursday with tons of $5 deals; and live music Friday through Sunday too. Open M 11am–4pm, Tu–Th 11am–8pm, F 11am–9pm, Sa–Su 9:30am–9pm.

FELTON

The Grove Cafe and Bakery 6249 Highway 9 831.704.7483 • thegrovefelton.com

It’s no wonder this cafe and bakery is bustling for breakfast, lunch and midday snacks. Chef Jessica Yarr brings her creative and culinary talents to this community-focused space and offers a made-from-scratch menu brimming with bright flavors and local, seasonal produce. A variety of breads—sourdough, mountain rye and Japanese milk bread—are made in-house, along with a delicious array of sweet and savory pastries. Breakfast bowls, hearty salads, small plates, local beer, natural wines and 11th Hour Coffee drinks round out the menu. Special events and catering available. Open Tu–Th 8am–3pm, F–Sa 8am–4pm and Su 8am–3pm.

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-certified seafood all go into the prepared foods offered by the store’s full-service deli, salad and soup bar and juice bar. Enjoy on the patio out in front or take home. Open daily 9am–9pm.

HOLLISTER

La Catrina Mexican Grill

449 San Benito Street

831.313.0905 • catrinagrill.com

Family owned and operated since 2014, La Catrina offers classic Mexican tacos and enchiladas along with specialties, including chiles rellenos, cochinita pibil and garlic shrimp. Drink specials are available nightly, and there’s outdoor patio seating. Don’t miss La Catrina’s weekend brunches with chilaquiles, omelets, pancakes and menudo. Open M–Th 11am–9pm, F 11am–10pm, Sa 9am–9:30pm, Su 9am–8pm.

Paine’s

421 East Street

831.637.3882 • paineshollister.com

Hollister’s favorite casual fine dining destination for nearly 100 years, Paine’s offers a wide selection of tasty pastas, fresh seafood, grilled steaks and chicken dishes. The peaceful atmosphere and white tablecloths make it a good place to slow down and relax with a glass of wine, or enjoy a beer while watching a game at the bar. Banquet facilities are also available for large groups and special events. Open M–F for lunch 11am–2:30pm and dinner 4:30–9pm, Sa for dinner only 4:30–9pm. Closed Su.

Running Rooster

800 San Benito Street

831.634.0135 • runningrooster.com

With a passion for providing high-quality, honest food and great service, Running Rooster is a lively place to stop in for lunch or dinner. Choose among eight varieties of burgers, tacos, meal-sized salads and wood-fired pizzas. Heartier fare in the evening also includes steak, oven roasted salmon, short ribs and rotisserie chicken. There’s brunch on weekends, and a full bar serves craft cocktails, local wines and 23 beers on tap. Open W 4–8pm, Th 11am–8pm, F 11am–9pm, Sa 10am–9pm, Su 10am–8pm. Closed M–Tu.

MONTEREY

Ad Astra Bread Co. 479 Alvarado Street adastrabread.com

Come for the legendary all-organic sourdough—Seaside sourdough, olive sourdough or seeded sourdough—slowfermented in a two-day process. (Or the focaccia, or French baguette.) Stay for the big-city coffee and creative sweet treats, while enjoying the spirited and youthful service and watching the Ad Astra elves through the tall glass wall separating the cafe and production area. Open M–Su 7am–5pm.

Alta Bakery + Cafe

502 Munras Avenue

831.920.1018 • altamonterey.com

Now in its fifth year, Alta is a local favorite with outdoor seating in an early California setting at the historic Cooper Molera Adobe. Chef/owner Ben Spungin has worked up and down the coast in Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel Valley for more than two decades, and his cooking philosophy is based on locally grown, seasonal ingredients and bright flavors that balance savory and sweet. Prioritize Alta’s pastries, but keep some space available for the ninegrain pancake, smoked-salmon toast and Bloomsdale spinach sandwich with Baker’s Bacon and green goddess dressing. Kombucha, beer and wine on tap too. Open daily 7am–4pm.

Cella

525 Polk Street

831.920.1046 • cellarestaurant.com

At the historic Cooper Molera Adobe in the heart of Old Monterey, Cella restaurant and bar is a sleek venue that reimagines early California and includes outdoor dining on a heated pergola patio. Legendary chef Cal Stamenov crafts a dynamic menu inspired by the bounty of the Central Coast. Barkeep Joshua Perry lines up creative cocktails and general manager/sommelier Bernabe De Luna creates an exceptional wine program. Cella hosts winemaker dinners, cocktail classes, private events and Sunday brunch, alongside its dinner service. Open Tu–Sa 5:30–9pm, Su 10am–2pm.

the C restaurant + bar

750 Cannery Row

831.375.4500 • thecrestaurant-monterey.com

Step into the C restaurant and the bustle of Cannery Row will seem like a world away. Elegant yet relaxed in ambiance, diners enjoy ocean views through the C’s floor-toceiling windows and on the C side patio. Executive chef Matt Bolton provides equally gorgeous food imaginatively prepared from sustainably sourced seafood, meats and produce. Food Network baking contestant Michelle Lee is sous chef, and puts her creativity to work for unique desserts and other menu contributions. Creative craft cocktails are sure to please. Open daily for breakfast M–F 7–11am, Sa–Su 7–11:30am; for dinner Su–Th 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–10pm. The C bar opens at 4 pm daily, with Happy Hour M–Th 4–6 pm.

Coastal Kitchen

400 Cannery Row

831.645.4064 • coastalkitchenmonterey.com

Executive chef Michael Rotondo’s tasting menu at Monterey Plaza Hotel’s flagship restaurant represents one of the most habit-forming in the region, but there’s a lot more to recommend this spot. From a newly-refreshed dining room, sweeping views of the Pacific await from each seat. Local delicacies receive elevated treatments: tempura artichoke with black button sage honey, wood-roasted black cod with shishito, squash blossom and charred coconut jus, and king salmon with raspberry, aromatic herbs and seasonal tomatoes—paired with hand-picked top-shelf wines. It’s a place well worth the splurge. Open Tu–Sa 5:30–8:30pm.

Freshest Fish. Largest Selection.

Estéban Restaurant

700 Munras Avenue

831.375.0176 • estebanrestaurant.com

At the heart of the downtown Monterey dining scene, Estéban Restaurant serves Spanish influenced California cuisine made from local, seasonal ingredients, which can be enjoyed on the Mediterranean garden patio that now includes a classic pergola with toasty heaters. The menu features a selection of long-time Estéban favorites, as well as new dishes created by executive chef Ben Hillan, like Vieiras con Jamón (seared scallops, Baker's bacon, citrus oil, basil English pea purée, citrus supreme and asparagus ribbon) and grilled Secreto de Ibérico pork, with charred sweet peppers, ñora pepper paste, scarlet mustard frill and Picual olive oil. Open for dinner Su–Th 4:30–8:30pm, F–Sa 4:30–9pm. Brunch Sa–Su 9am–1:30pm. Tapas Happy Hour from 4:30–6pm daily.

Jacks Monterey

2 Portola Plaza

831.649.7830 • jacksatportola.com

Jacks Monterey provides a refreshing culinary experience in downtown Monterey, inside the Portola Hotel & Spa. Emphasizing local ingredients, high-quality seafood, and an award-winning wine and cocktail program, Jacks philosophy derives from globally-inspired traditions of California Cultural Cuisine. The atmosphere at Jacks is sophisticated— never pretentious. Open daily for breakfast 6:30–10:30am, dinner 4–10pm, and bar only F-Sa 10–11pm.

Peter B’s Brewpub

2 Portola Plaza

831.649.2699 • peterbsbrewpub.com

Peter B’s Brewpub combines award-winning craft beer and sports on 18 high-definition televisions in a relaxed brewpub environment. Monterey’s original craft brewery is distinguished for its variety of beer on tap, innovative pub menu, happy hour, sports bar atmosphere, and outdoor dining on the pet-friendly heated patio with fire pits. Peter B’s is open Thursday-Monday with nightly happy hour from 4–6pm, as well as late night happy hour 9–10pm. Open Th-M 4–10pm. Sunday breakfast and football 9:30–11am from September to January. Closed Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Schooners Monterey

400 Cannery Row

831.372.2628 • schoonersmonterey.com

Residents regularly vote Schooners Best Drink With a View, and they’re not wrong. The eye candy rolls from the waves crashing on the tidal zone below to Seaside and Santa Cruz beyond, and the sippers are memorable. But that’s only part of the program. The seafood-centric menu ups the atmospheric effect with contemporary takes on a Monterey cioppino pot, seared sea scallops, Dungeness crab dip and Thai-style steamed mussels. Specialty cocktails, organic fresh-pressed juices and curated small batch beers and wine complete the affair. Open 7am–9pm daily.

Sea Harvest Restaurant & Fish Market

598 Foam Street

831.626.0547 • seaharvestmonterey.com

This fresh and casual seafood spot near Cannery Row is perfect after a day exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There are grilled entrées and lots of fried options with chips, including calamari, clams, prawns, scallops and oysters. Try Sea Harvest’s popular clam chowder or a basket of crispy artichoke hearts. Open daily 9am–7pm.

Tidal Coffee

400 Cannery Row

831.645.4030 • tidalcoffeemonterey.com

Thoughtful coffee blends with organic beans headline here, but picnic-lunch goodies and house-made sandwiches also come recommended. Monkey bread, maple scones and almond croissants feature in early, followed by soups, salads and panini like the roast beef with horseradish aioli, grilled onion, slices tomatoes, smoked mozzarella and pickled pep-

pers. The coffee shop aesthetic is cute, but the adjacent decks overlooking Monterey Bay present a superior spot to spoon a fig-mascarpone or vegan chocolate-hazelnut gelato with a fresh cortado. Open Tu–Th 6am–noon, F–M 6am–4pm.

The Wild Plum Café & Bakery

731 Munras Avenue

831.646.3109 • thewildplumcafe.com

Located in Old Monterey in a vibrant and diverse neighborhood, Wild Plum draws people from all walks of life with sustainable bistro fare that uses organic, locally sourced produce, hormone-free Diestel turkeys roasted on site, grass-fed beef and house-baked bread and pastries. Breakfasts include scrambles, omelets, and breakfast tacos and burritos and for lunch, soups, salads, paninis and burgers. Wild Plum has a new grab-and-go location at Ryan Ranch, with breakfast, lunch, bakery items and espresso drinks. Open W–M 7:30am–3:30pm. Closed Tu.

MOSS LANDING

Sea Harvest 2420 Highway 1

831.728.7081 • @seaharvestmosslanding

Outdoor tables on a wooden deck overlooking Elkhorn Slough are the perfect place to enjoy fresh seafood hauled in by a fisherman who is part of the Deyerle family that runs the restaurant. Choose from grilled catch of the day, shrimp Louie, fish and chips or some of the best Baja-style battered fish tacos around. Open daily 11am–7pm.

Woodward Marine Market 10932 Clam Way

831.632.0857 • woodwardmarinemarket.com

Moss Landing, population a few dozen, enjoys an outsized amount of beaches, marine research institutes and, thankfully, eateries. Its newest ranks among the most inviting. WMM occupies a historic location at the Moss Landing Harbor fuel dock that delivers place-appropriate fuel for the eager eater. Clam chowder and Monterey Bay calamari lead the way on the appetizer front. A pair of salads offers roughage with style. Plates and bowls round out the menu—think bouillabaisse, fish and chips, Woodward burger, artichoke-prosciutto sandwiches and seared fish tacos. Local wines and Prosecco available, as well as local craft beer, including Alvarado Street, Other Brother, Fruition and Corralitos brewing. Wood-fired pizza coming soon. Open Tu–Sa 11:30am–6pm, Su 11:30am–4pm.

PACIFIC GROVE

Julia’s Vegetarian 1180 Forest Avenue, Suite F 831.656.9533 • juliasveg.com

Voted the best vegetarian/vegan restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula for more than 10 years running, Julia’s features inspired vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food with a touch of class. Julia’s is well known for its fresh seasonal exotic mushrooms, elevated vegan desserts and housebrewed kombucha on tap. Julia's expanded breakfast menu is a great way to start your day, featuring breakfast hand pies, candy cap French toast and a cordyceps brunch bowl. Plus, everything can be made vegan! Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

SPOTTED DUCK

Spotted Duck 542 Lighthouse Avenue

831.920.2662 • spottedduckpg.com

Spotted Duck represents a dream come true for chef Jerry Regester, who’s been working his whole career for this moment, and a revelation for eaters. He does approachable cuisine with seasonal sourcing and comfort food instincts— think seared duck breast with green tomato and ginger jam, drunken octopus with preserved black bean honey sauce, and caramelized sea scallops with porcini mushroom blanquette.

Housemade pasta for Seabright, Santa Cruz and the world since 2006.

538 Seabright Ave | 831-457-2782 lapostarestaurant.com

Wednesday through Sunday, we open at 5pm.

Located in the historic Holman Building in downtown Pacific Grove, Spotted Duck is an unpretentious, welcoming restaurant using quality ingredients and great technique. Open Th–M 5–8pm.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

Inaka Japanese Restaurant

313 Third Street

831.593.5100 • facebook.com

Beloved by locals, Inaka has a vast menu of Japanese appetizers, soups, salads, tempura, teriyaki and noodle bowls, but most people come for the sushi. Try the San Juan roll with spicy tuna, cucumber and tempura crumbs topped with maguro, hamachi and avocado. There is also a wide selection of vegetarian rolls and a dozen different sakes, some brewed locally in San Benito County. Open W–Su 4–8pm.

Lolla

201 Third Street

831.593.5064 • lollasjb.com

Owner Sarah Griss has created a soup, salad and sandwich luncheonette in an adobe building right across the street from San Juan Bautista Historic Park. Lolla sources healthy food from local farms and food producers, giving customers a quick and convenient way to eat locally, seasonally and deliciously. Daily special soups are not to be missed. Open W–Su 11am–3pm.

105 Walnut Avenue • eathookandline.com

831.225.0434 • 4-9pm Thursday through Monday

A modern California seafood eatery, now open in downtown Santa Cruz.

Tune in Fridays around noon for Edible’s Mark C. Anderson and his Friday Found Treasures on 94.7 FM and streaming worldwide at KRML.com!

Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor

211 Third Street

831.623.9262 • margotsicecreamparlor.com

Bringing smiles to the people of San Juan Bautista for 25 years, Margot’s was originally opened as a retail outlet for wonderful handmade candies, including chocolatedipped apricots, almond butter crunch, marshmallows, oreos, grahams and pretzels, as well as 10 flavors of chocolate truffles. In addition, it offers 28 flavors of Lappert’s ice cream, espresso drinks and Dole pineapple whip. Open M–Th 11am–7pm, F–Su 11am–8pm.

Vertigo Coffee Roasters

81 Fourth Street

831.623.9533 • vertigocoffee.com

Artisanal coffee roasted on site as well as fresh pastries baked in-house, brunch items, local craft beers and wines, plus wood-fired pizzas with naturally leavened, twice fermented sourdough crust have made Vertigo a locals’ favorite as well as a great find for visitors en route to the San Juan Mission, Pinnacles or other area attractions. Check website for current hours.

Windmill Market

301 The Alameda 831.623.2956

San Juan’s friendly neighborhood grocer has everything you need for a picnic or quick meal, with ample outdoor tables and booths around the windmill. A full-service deli counter and taquería offers made-to-order sandwiches and Mexican specialties like tortas, burritos, tamales and combo plates. There is also a salad bar, a hot bar and plenty of grab-and-go items. Open daily 6am–9pm.

SANTA CRUZ

Barceloneta 1541 Pacific Avenue, Suite B 831.900.5222 • eatbarceloneta.com

With its cheerful beach stripes, wicker light fixtures and whimsical details, dinner at Barceloneta can feel like a holiday. Owned by chef Brett Emerson and his wife Elan, who ensures service is superb, Barceloneta offers Spanish tapas made with seasonal, farmers’ market produce and several types of authentic paella, along with Spanish wines, beers and cocktails. Open Tu–Sa 5–8:30pm. Closed Su–M.

Bookie’s Pizza 1315 Water Street

bookiespizza.com

Located inside the Santa Cruz outpost of Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, Bookie’s Pizza is owned by fine dining veteran chef Todd Parker and offers “inauthentic” Detroit-style square pies. Each pizza is made using the best seasonal ingredients from local farms, fishermen and foragers. Dough is made with organic flour, naturally leavened for 48 hours, and each pizza comes with its own unique sauce. Open Su–Th noon–9pm. F–Sa noon–10pm.

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. The colorful, casual eatery’s delicious fusion of Southeast Asian influences and the Central Coast’s local organic produce have 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 fish. Gluten-free options are available. Dog friendly. Open daily 11am–10pm.

Crow’s Nest

2218 E. Cliff Drive

831.476.4560 • crowsnest-santacruz.com

A perfect spot to enjoy breakfast and lunch or catch a dinnertime sunset over the harbor, the nautical-themed Crow’s Nest is a Santa Cruz institution that never goes out of style. There’s always something happening, from live music to comedy nights and happy hours. Famous for its salads, house-smoked salmon and seafood entrées, the Crow’s Nest is a member of Seafood Watch and is a certified green business. Open M–F 9am–8:30pm, Sa–Su 8am–8:30pm.

Gabriella Cafe

910 Cedar Street

831.457.1677 • gabriellacafe.com

A charming dining spot inside a Spanish-style bungalow, Gabriella Cafe pioneered farm-to-table cuisine in Santa Cruz. Head chef Gema Cruz serves a seasonal CaliforniaItalian menu starring organic produce from local growers and the nearby farmers market, as well as humanely raised meat and sustainable seafood. There is a candlelit patio and a cozy dining room that showcases the work of local artists. Open for lunch Tu–F 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner Tu–Sa 5–9pm, brunch Sa–Su 10am–2:30pm.

The Grille at DeLaveaga 401 Upper Park Road

831.423.1600 • delaveagagolf.com/dining

DeLaveaga earns obsessive attention for its trails, golf and disc golf, and it also enjoys a worthy epicurean program. The grill’s backdrop enhances the experience, with absorbing views, an outdoor patio and deck, welcoming fireplace and well-appointed bar. Food goes continentalCalifornian, local and organic, starring breakfast and lunch dishes like the croissant Benedict, the “Moss Landing-style” breakfast sandwich, the DeLa Black Angus burger and the “wedge shot” Louie salad with crab, bay shrimp or both. Open W–Su 8am–3pm.

Hanloh Thai Food

1011 Cedar Street

831.854.7525 • hanloh.com

This community favorite from chef-owner Lalita Kaewsawang offers standout “nostalgic cooking rooted in Thai tradition,” at a residency inside the stylish Bad Animal bookstore. Bright flavors begin with Hatsu oysters with nam jimm dipping sauce and pomelo-grilled shrimp salad tossed with chili jam dressing and Thai herbs. Entrées include lemongrass black cod, claypot pork belly confit and double fried chicken thighs with coriander. That all comes complemented by friendly hospitality and a wide selection of natural wines. Open W–Su 5–9pm.

Service Innovation Family

Celebrating over 100 years in Ag

EST. 1923

Hook & Line

105 Walnut Avenue

831.225.0434 • eathookandline.com

Chef Santos Majano makes a welcome return to the Santa Cruz dining scene with his own seafood concept restaurant. Hook & Line taps local fishermen for the best fish and shellfish, then adapts the menu, whether it’s octopus, mussels, California halibut or just-caught Monterey Bay sardines. Oysters play a big role with a custom designed shucking station and several varieties on offer at all times. Happy hour all night Mondays and 4–5pm Th–Su features $2 oysters and special prices on wine and craft cocktails. Open Th–M 4–9pm.

Ivéta Downtown

545 Pacific Avenue

831.423.5149 • iveta.com

This new restaurant at the lower end of Pacific Avenue near the beach provides a casual dinner experience and weekend brunch reminiscent of European seaside cafes. Don’t miss the seasonal salads, tasty appetizers, fresh pastas and the curated selection of fine wine and craft beer. Ivéta also operates cafés on the Westside of Santa Cruz and on the UCSC campus, in addition to manufacturing and distributing award-winning scone mixes throughout the USA. Pick up a package while you’re there and be sure to try the espresso drinks and house-made desserts. Open for dinner daily from 4:30–9:30pm, and for brunch Sa-Su from 9:30am–2:30pm.

Johnny’s Harborside

493 Lake Avenue

831.479.3430 • johnnysharborside.com

With sweeping views of the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, Johnny’s location assures fresh off the boat seafood. Steamed Dungeness crab with drawn butter is always a good choice in season, but don’t miss the clam chowder, fish and chips or Johnny’s authentic Italian-style cioppino. Crab-encrusted salmon, shrimp scampi and California halibut entrées are customer favorites, along with fish tacos, burgers and beer-steamed clams. Open T–Su noon–8:30pm. Closed M.

Laílí

101B Cooper Street

831.423.4545 • lailirestaurant.com

Exotic flavors 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. There is a wide variety of deliciously spiced vegetable dishes, and all meats are hormone free and free range. Open Tu–Sa 4–8pm.

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 Rodrigo Serna prepares traditional rustic Italian cuisine using local ingredients. The emphasis is on simple, seasonal selections, with the balance of the menu reflecting whatever produce is freshest right now. La Posta also offers a great selection of Italian wines and a heated outdoor patio. Open W–Th 5–8:30pm, F–Sa 5–9:30pm, Su 5–8:30pm. Closed M–Tu.

New Leaf Community Markets

1134 Pacific Avenue

831.425.1793 • newleaf.com

New Leaf’s headquarters in a former bank building on Pacific Avenue is a worthwhile stop for all foodies. Crowded with gourmet natural foods, it also has a deli with sandwiches, salads and hot entrées. A dining area out front is great for people watching and listening to street musicians. Open daily 8am–9pm.

New Leaf Community Markets

1101 Fair Avenue

831.426.1306 • newleaf.com

The Westside New Leaf has a large deli counter and coffee bar, with a big selection of sandwiches, salads, bakery items, soups and other hot foods. You can eat at an instore counter or at tables outside. Open daily 7am–9pm.

The 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 flavors rotate seasonally, but two favorites are chocolate caramel sea salt and strawberry pink peppercorn. Open daily noon–11pm.

The Picnic Basket

125 Beach Street

831.427.9946 • thepicnicbasketsc.com

Across the street from the main beach, owners of The Penny Ice Creamery offer an alternative to boardwalk fast food. Sandwiches, organic salads, coffee and beer, all from local food artisans, and of course Penny’s popular ice cream, are all on offer to eat in or outside with your feet in the sand. A selection of grab-and-go foods, drinks and beach essentials are available in the newly expanded restaurant. Open daily 7am–4pm.

Pretty Good Advice

1319 Pacific Avenue

prettygoodadvicesoquel.com

Introducing Pretty Good Advice #2. After five years of success in Soquel, the beloved restaurant has expanded its reach to downtown Santa Cruz. Known for its mouthwatering hash brown and egg sandwiches, unique seasonal salads with local produce, veggie burgers, vegan sandwiches and more. A haven for vegetarians with plenty of vegan options, they offer high quality food at unbeatable prices. Whether you’re a veggie enthusiast or a carnivore, there’s something here for everyone. Open daily 9am–6pm.

Staff of Life

1266 Soquel Avenue

831.423.8632 • staffoflifemarket.com

A Santa Cruz landmark, Staff of Life started in 1969 as a small natural foods bakery and has grown over the years into a full service natural foods supermarket known for its local organic produce, seafood and natural meats as well as an extensive bulk department. Deli items and foods from the hot bar can be enjoyed at the Café del Sol. Open daily 8am–9pm.

SCOTTS VALLEY

The Penny Ice Creamery

262 Mount Hermon Road, Suite 104

831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com

Open Su–Th noon–9:30pm, F–Sa noon–10pm. See The Penny description under Santa Cruz for more.

SEASIDE

Other Brother Beer Co.

877 Broadway Avenue

831.474.1106 • otherbrotherbeer.com

The main attraction here is fresh, delicious beer. However, the brewery’s brand new kitchen inspires a visit on its own. Not coincidentally, dishes are designed to pair poetically with Other Brother’s house beers. The menu features goodies like its signature smashburger, fried chicken sandwich, mushroom melt, wings, fries, a hearty smoked BLT, a lovingly crafted spicy capicola sandwich, creative and refreshing salads and an all new brunch menu on Saturdays

and Sundays. Check out the full menu on the website and visit the brewery taproom open M–Th 11:30am–9pm, F 11:30am–10pm, Sa 10am–10pm, Su 10am–8pm.

SOQUEL

HOME

3101 N. Main Street

831.431.6131 • homesoquel.com

Plenty of restaurants aspire to extend the type of hospitality you get at a best pal’s place. Here that happens in ways that honor the name. Dishes like abalone cassoulet, wild mushroom ricotta gnocchi and panzanella salads, curated local wines and, yes, a homespun setting—starring a huge vegetable garden in back—help chef Brad Briske and his snout-to-tail program shine. Speaking of meat, the beef tongue, steak tartare and bone marrow rank among the reasons to head HOME. Open W–Mon 5–9pm.

Pretty Good Advice

3070 Porter Street

831.226.2805 • prettygoodadvicesoquel.com

Open daily 8am–5pm. See PGA description under Santa Cruz for more.

WATSONVILLE

Gizdich Ranch

55 Peckham Road

831.722.1056 • gizdich-ranch.com

Visitors from all over love this fourth-generation, familyrun farm business that popularized the “pik-yor-self” experience just east of Watsonville. 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. This family-friendly experience is also a treat for kids, who will enjoy the wide-open spaces and the homemade popsicles. Open daily 9am–5pm.

Staff of Life

906 E. Lake Avenue

831.726.0240 • staffoflifemarket.com

Opened in 2021, Staff of Life’s second store in Watsonville is its first and only branch. The store is sustainable down to its bones and includes all the natural groceries, organic produce and includes all the natural groceries, organic produce and baked goods you would find at the Santa Cruz store, along with a juice and smoothie bar, freshly made sushi, a gelato bar, a full deli and a hot bar. Open daily 8am–8pm.

LAST CALL

PLUM TIME

An ode to the unsung stone fruit

STORY AND PHOTO BY ASHLEY DREW OWEN

Warmer weather signals the start of stone fruit season. Every time I step into my backyard, I bear witness to two plum trees transforming winter branches into mosaics of greenery. First tiny buds form, then bright white blossoms bloom and eventually drop their petals to make way for early green fruits growing amid a canopy of leaves. By the time summer hits, the trees are so laden it is nearly impossible to keep up with the fruits before they ripen and drop to the ground. It’s a good problem to have, though, because there is nothing like a fresh plum.

Like other stone fruits, plums are best when tree ripened, meaning that before I moved to California most of the plums I came across in grocery stores did not accurately represent the species. Living in Santa Cruz, I’ve quickly learned how delicious and diverse plums can be.

Local Lore

Plums and prunes (a type of plum) have a long history here. Beyond native species like the Oregon plum, it was the introduction of French prunes to the Santa Clara Valley in the 1850s that started it all. Frenchman Pierre Pellier, a San Francisco resident, decided to travel to France to find a wife, and his brother Louis asked him to bring back prune tree cuttings.

“It was a six-month journey…there was no refrigeration to store the cuttings, so they stuck them in potatoes to keep them fresh,” says Andy Mariani, owner of Andy’s Orchard in Morgan Hill and lifelong fruit farmer. “When Louis got the cuttings, he grafted them and they took. That was the beginning of the prune industry in California.”

By the early 1880s, Asian plums also made their way onto the scene thanks to famous botanist Luther Burbank. On his farm in Santa Rosa, he obsessively experimented with Asian plums, bigger and juicier than French prune plums, and grew 100s of cross-species varieties which went on to shape the present-day plum market.

“Burbank decided the future for fresh fruit was in the Asian plum,” says Mariani. “He’s the one that developed the Santa Rosa plum, which has that classic Asian plum flavor…most of what you see in grocery stores for fresh eating are Asian plums.”

Tinkering with this fruit continues and more recently Modesto fruit breeder Floyd Zaiger invented the pluot, a plum-apricot hybrid, in 1989. There are now hundreds of pluot varieties, some tart and green and others deep red and soulfully sweet. “If you like the Santa Rosa plum, flavor king is like Santa Rosa on steroids,” says Mariani.

Neighborhood Bounty

Plum trees are common in many Monterey Bay neighborhoods. When the trees are in season, boxes full of backyard bounties appear on sidewalks with signs that read, “Free! Please take!”

The big plum tree in my yard, a Santa Rosa, is entering a flush year and preparing to yield an inordinate amount of fruit that will necessitate a free box. Our other plum tree, which flushed last summer, bears fruits smaller than the Santa Rosa but just as tasty.

No matter the species, there are countless ways to enjoy plums. Beyond eating them fresh off the tree, I like to put chopped plums in salads with arugula, goat cheese, walnuts and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. You can put halved small plums on the bottom of a cake pan and top with almond cake batter for a plumside-down cake or blend the pulp and freeze for plum sorbet. For cocktail hour, try this twist on a French 75.

Plum 75

1 ounce gin

½ ounce lemon juice

½ ounce plum syrup

3 ounces Champagne

Spring of thyme, for garnish Lemon twist, for garnish

Make plum syrup by pitting and cooking down plums, then allowing the mixture to drain overnight through a cheesecloth-lined colander.

The next day combine equal measures of juice and sugar over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Then cool.

Make the cocktail by putting first three ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice and shaking. Strain into glass and top with Champagne. Garnish with lemon twist and sprig of thyme. Makes 1 drink.

Jerome’sMarket