Women and Food by Edible Northeast Florida

edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

ISSUE FOUR | March-April 2016

Eat . Drink . Think . Explore . | Season by Season WOMEN A ND FOOD • LU NCHROOM L A B • FOOD GUILT • BA BY FOOD FROM SCR ATCH

WOMEN AND FOOD

No.4 March-April 2016

Member of Edible Communities

Steep a cup of Yogi tea and you have something more than delicious. Every intriguing blend of herbs and botanicals is on a mission, supporting energy, stamina, clarity, immunity, tranquility, cleansing or unwinding.

Every cup is a gift to mind, body and spirit.

DEPARTMENTS 2 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 4 CONTRIBUTORS 6

EDIBLE INNOVATORS The Basil Sisters

EDIBLE TABLE What’s In Season

SEASONAL PLATE Herb Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables Quinoa Tabouli

Contents 23 BACK OF THE HOUSE Cooking with Art and Soul 31

EDIBLE DIY Baby Food From Scratch

LOCAL LIBATIONS A Spirit of Adventure

FROM THE OVEN Rosemary Zucchini Supper Bread Carrot Cake Souffle

LAST BITE Generations of Food

FEATURES 8 TAKING THE HEAT Women at the Helm of Professional Kitchens 18

WILL WORK FOR FOOD Women Entrepreneurs in Edible Enterprises

LADIES OF THE LAND The Emerging Face of Agriculture

FAREWELL TO FOOD GUILT Time to Let it Go

LUNCHROOM LAB Experimenting with Food

Baby Food from Scratch, page 31 Photo by Jenna Alexander EdibleNEFlorida.com

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

One of the more creative parts of my job is to determine the theme we will discuss in each issue and then decide which corresponding stories showcase examples of that theme at work in our local food community. In this issue we focused on Women and Food, a brief glimpse into some of the strong female role-models in our region who are growing, cooking and building businesses around the things we put on our plates. I must admit, I had mixed feeling about designating this theme, which coincides with National Women’s History Month. I am all for celebrating the role women play in creating a resilient food system throughout Northeast Florida. But – aren’t we at a point where we can get beyond labelling and just identify talented chefs, artisans, bartenders, entrepreneurs, without stating whether a male or female? Well, yes and no. While women are indeed in the kitchen and running food businesses, the media doesn’t cover their presence nearly as much as their male counterparts. In November 2013, Time Magazine’s “Gods of Food” honored 13 men and no women, inciting outrage in the culinary world. When Food & Wine dedicated the January 2015 issue to “women who rule the food world,” that itself was noteworthy. When we think of the word “farmer,” most people still picture a man. To help change the perception of what’s happening in our food system, this issue recognizes a few of the women in our region who are working to make a difference in the way we think about food. Moving up the culinary ladder is tough for anyone, so we give a tip of the toque to some of the women chefs running area kitchens. We explore the perseverance required of female farmers as a new (or maybe just newly recognized) face of agriculture. We learn how one mom is helping to show elementary students that eating real food is tasty and fun. And finally, we showcase some of the realities of starting your own food business. (Before you do, we encourage you to read about the experiences of several local food-trepreneurs.) This issue only touches on a handful of women whose efforts are helping shape a sustainable food community on Florida’s First Coast and this is by no means a comprehensive listing. Check our website for others and email editor@edibleneflorida.com to tell us about the Northeast Florida women you know in food. We would love to give them all credit for their hard work. Bon appétit.

ON THE COVER: Carmen Franz, local food advocate and Fresh Access Bucks Program Manager at Florida Organic Growers. Photo by Sarah Annay

Mar/Apr 2016

EDITOR Lauren Titus lauren@edibleneflorida.com COPY EDITOR Doug Adrianson DESIGN Matthew Freeman PHOTOGRAPHY Jenna Alexander, Sarah Annay, Kelly Conway, Christina Karst, Stefanie Keeler, Amanda Lenhardt, Kristen Penoyer, Amy Robb CONTRIBUTORS Sara Glenn, Mariah Salvat, Jen Hand, Leslie Kaplan, Kimberly Lewis, Marisa Ratliff, Rebecca Reed, Devon Ritch, Jeffrey Spear, Charlotte Tzabari, Jessica Ward SUBSCRIBE Edible Northeast Florida is published 6 times per year by Slidetray Media LLC. Subscriptions are $28 and available at edibleneflorida.com. FIND US ONLINE EdibleNEFlorida.com facebook.com/edibleneflorida instagram.com/edibleneflorida twitter.com/edibleneflorida pinterest.com/edibleneflorida CONTACT US Have a story you'd like to see featured in Edible Northeast Florida? Send us your ideas! editor@edibleneflorida.com Edible Northeast Florida 24 Cathedral Place, Suite 406 St. Augustine, FL 32084 p. 904-494-8281 No part of this publication may be used without written permission by the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you. © 2016 Slidetray Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Edible Communities Publications of the Year 2011

PUBLISHER Amy Robb amy@edibleneflorida.com

edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Proudly printed on recycled paper stock at Hartley Press in Jacksonville, Florida.

The women of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre... working together to grow the arts in St. Johns County!

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OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Jenna Alexander

Stefanie Keeler

Sarah Annay

Jeffrey Spear

Telling a story through pictures, no matter the medium, has always been Jenna’s thing. She is a photographer, illustrator and painter, currently working out of her studio in St. Augustine. She is drawn to natural light and airy images, and white is her favorite color.

Born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida, Stefanie is now a junior, working on her BFA (with a concentration in photography) at Jacksonville University. In between shooting weddings and eating locally, she is a selftaught fiber artist and loves exploring Jacksonville.

Sarah, a full-time wedding photographer, splits her time between Florida, Vermont and most recently Kolkata, India—where she teaches empowering photography workshops to women. Sarah, raised in Vermont, made St. Augustine home after graduation from Flagler College, where she earned her degrees in journalism and sociology and could never imagine spending 6 months in the snow again.

Jeffrey is the President of Studio Spear, an award-winning marketing consultancy specializing in food manufacturing and foodservice industries. An accomplished writer, Jeff reports and comments upon industry dynamics and the latest culinary trends; his most recent book is The First Coast Heritage Cookbook. Jeffrey appears on television as “The Gadget Guy,” presenting essential culinary tools, unusual gadgets and fundamental cooking techniques.

Rebecca Reed

Devon Ritch

Amanda Lenhardt

Charlotte Tzabari

Rebecca developed a sweet tooth at a young age, and that passion for pastry never faded. She studied at the International Culinary Center in New York City under the tutelage of some of the best pastry chefs in the world. Her previous experience includes stints at Locanda Verde in New York and Aspen Grille in Myrtle Beach, SC before taking the pastry chef position at Matthew’s Restaurant 3 years ago.

Having been raised spending every Sunday in her Nana’s Italian kitchen & garden, Devon has always been passionate about good food. She now runs Dig Local Network, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to sustainably grown and local food for all members of our community. When not at Market or out visiting local farms, she can be found either in the 1000 square foot backyard farm she and her husband enjoy or in the kitchen, making magic with freshly picked ingredients

Amanda is a freelance photographer, a once Northwest native who calls Florida home for the time being. With a love for visual storytelling, she has spent the last two years creating a business to help showcase the lives of others. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Fine Art with an emphasis in Photography from the University of North Florida in 2013.

Originally from California, Charlotte co-owns Olive My Pickle with her husband Shai. Previously she lived on an organic, urban micro-farm. Charlotte enjoys reading about gut bacteria and the micro biome and raising her two boys.

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OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Leslie K aplan

Marisa Ratliff

Sean Kelly Conway

Jen Hand

Folklorist, college professor, Slow Food First Coast board member, PTA volunteer and mom of 3, Leslie has been thinking and teaching about food, culture and community for more than a decade. She is active in the local food community and has introduced more young people to sorrel, persimmon, loquats and other local delicacies than she can count.

Marisa, a south Florida native, is a selftaught professional baker who lives for warming both hearts and bellies with all things sweet, and always with the most mindful of ingredients. After an unforgettable experience of shadowing the wildly-talented pastry chefs at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, she made the switch from her position as art director to baker, thus founding her bespoke cake and pastry business, Sweet ‘N’ Flour.

Flagler grad and St. Augustine native, Kelly spent several years honing his documentary and street photography skills while working and traveling around Asia, before getting cozy in his home town (although the horizons still beckon). When not bothering shrimpers, Kelly can be found digging through anthropological field recordings, chasing surf, photographing motel signage and giving historic photo tours in downtown St. Augustine.

Jen is a freelance writer based in St. Augustine. Her work has appeared in the St. Augustine Record and Folio Weekly and currently blogs for RoadBikeOutlet.com. A former short order cook, caterer, bartender and baker, she loves her CSA and farmers’ markets, and may have a slight cookbook problem. When not eating copious amounts of vegetables, Jen is found running trails, paddling the Intracoastal or playing soccer.

Jessica Ward

Sar a Glenn, Med & Kimberly Lewis

Kristen Penoyer

Mariah Salvat

Kristen is a professional photographer and self-professed “food nerd” with a passion for documenting the culinary world from seed to plate. A serial creative, she’s launched several photography-related businesses. Kristen has lived in five countries, crushed grapes under her feet in Argentina, spent days on goat farms, educated by South American sommeliers and mastered the art of Uruguayan wood coal grilling.

Mariah is an herbalist by training and chef by trade. She is passionate about providing her community with healthy, local, organic food. She and her husband, JP are the heart and soul of their cafe, Southern Roots Filling Station in Riverside.

Jessica develops content for social media and is editor-in-chief of a student culinary publication Sizzle for the American Culinary Federation, based in St. Augustine. Ward grew up on a farm in Minnesota and has been working in the culinary industry since she was 3, when she would help her dad with vegetable prep at his restaurant. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s in Communications in 2007, and is passionate about social issues, exposing people to good food and exploring Jacksonville.

Sara is the Director of Strategic Development of Healthy Living Innovations: Nutrition & Obesity for the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast and leads the Y’s nutritional services, including the vertical garden initiative, SEEDifferently. Kimberly is the Annual Campaign & Volunteerism Director for the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, is passionate about teaching kids to volunteer, and has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than a decade.

EdibleNEFlorida.com

EDIBLE INNOVATORS

THE BASIL SISTERS Four friends feed their communities—across the nation

M WORDS LAUREN TITUS PHOTOS AMY ROBB

Making our local food system more resilient is a team effort, requiring support and motivation from many sources. Sometimes encouragement to push for local change sits across state lines, and although physical proximity is lacking, a shared vision and philosophy propels projects towards a common goal. Such is the case with the Basil Sisters. Even though their names are not Basil, nor are they sisters by birth, they are four lifelong friends, each with an urban farm, in different cities across the country (including Los Angeles and Atlanta), who agree that working towards fresh food accessibility makes a meaningful difference in a community. They are determined to demonstrate that vertical urban farming can help educate and feed those who may not typically have the means to grow their own food. Tracey Westbrook started the Atlantic Beach Urban Farm (ABUF) several years ago, after her childhood friend started aeroponic tower farming in Los Angeles. “I saw the potential to teach people and to have access to fresh food right where you live,” said Westbrook. Aeroponics towers grow plants without the use of soil or harmful chemicals, requiring about 90% less water and land than conventional growing. The greenhouse in Atlantic Beach has 300 vertical towers

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Tracey Westbrook in the greenhouse at Atlantic Beach Urban Farm.

EDIBLE INNOVATORS

and can produce thousands of pounds of fresh greens all year round. In addition to serving as a full-service commercial grower, Westbrook has made a point of partnering with organizations in the area to further her goal of increasing access to fresh food. When the farm build-out is complete, it will be open to the public for tours and purchase of produce. When her sister Allison Robbins passed away in 2013, Westbrook began donating tower gardens as a way of continuing her sister’s legacy through the Robbins Nest Farm charitable fund. “Losing my sister was hard,” said Westbrook. “My Basil Sisters have been so supportive throughout the past couple of

years.” The Basil Sisters share a commitment to giving back to the community through charitable donations of towers. ABUF and Robbins Nest Farm have donated towers to the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry, North Florida School for Special Education and North Country School in Lake Placid, NY. In partnership with the YMCA, Westbrook has also been working on an initiative called SEEDifferently, which has established grow towers at YMCA locations throughout the area. A key component of the project, The Growing Academy, has educated participants on how they can successfully grow food at home and in their communities.

“The teens that have participated at the YMCA have been so engaged,” Westbrook said. “It has been so gratifying to see them empowered.” The distance between the Basil Sisters has not been a deterrent in pursuing their passion about the value of vertical farming as a way to provide access to fresh food. “We share our success stories, swap ideas and learn from each other. It has been an amazing experience doing this together, even though we live in different places,” said Westbrook. And, in fact, it seems that everyone in our region will soon be reaping the rewards of their national collaboration, right here at home.

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Taking the Heat Women at the Helm of Professional Kitchens WORDS JESSICA WARD PHOTOS KRISTEN PENOYER & AMY ROBB

Chef and owner Angie Ziebarth of Balefire Brasserie in her kitchen. Photos by Amy Robb

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According to a survey from 2014, almost 70% of American women are in the kitchen at home. No surprise there, but does this translate into the world of professional kitchens? Sort of. Female chefs are in more restaurants than you think, but you may not hear about them.

Women have answered the call of the adrenaline-charged work of the kitchen line and have proven that they are able to hold down such physically demanding positions as sauté, broil and grill with the best of men. It is no secret that being a chef is hard work, and women have established themselves in the kitchen, oftentimes working harder to gain the same respect as their male equivalents. While women fill the roles of line cooks, executive chefs and restaurant owners just as successfully as their male counterparts, their names are not as familiar to the public nor are they as recognized in the media as frequently as male chefs. Culinary programs such as the James Beard Foundation hand out proportionally fewer accolades and awards to female chefs. In 2013, Time published its list of who they considered influential food newsmakers: “The Gods of Food.” Of the 13 food influencers listed, five were male chefs but not one female chef was included among the four women on the list. The outcry from female chefs after the article

was published was not that there was just sexism in the kitchen, but sexism in food media. Many women chefs recognize that the bar is higher for them than for their male counterparts and that success is hard won in the kitchen and in the media. But they still continue to cook. According to the 2014 U.S. Department of Labor women in the workforce report, of head cooks and chefs employed in food service establishments, 21.4% are women. However, according to 2013 data, 40% of the workforce employed as cooks are women. With strong workforce numbers many would assume that women would be quickly rising in the ranks. But in a 2014 article by Bloomberg Business, “Women Everywhere in Food Empires But No Head Chefs,” Bloomberg’s own data showed that women only made up 6.3% of head chef positions in 15 of the leading restaurant management companies. So how are we doing in our region? In Northeast Florida, women chefs are still in the minority, but several are making their mark and

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Photos by Kristen Penoyer

Celestia Mobley of Potter’s Soul Food Bistro.

doing it well in some of the area’s favorite restaurants. Celestia Mobley, executive chef of Potter’s Soul Food Bistro, started out in the banking industry. She was doing well in her position, but the bank was bought out and Mobley’s position moved to Texas. So she cashed in her 401(k) and opened her own seafood to-go counter on the Westside. “It was small. I did garlic crabs and such and I was busy.” But Mobley eventually gave up her to-go counter. She had a 5-year-old daughter who had to sit in the restaurant’s office from the time school let out to when Mobley closed the shop for the day. It was not a quality of life that she wanted for her daughter. When she went to her pastor at The Potter’s House Christian Fellowship of Jacksonville for advice, he offered her a job instead, at the Soul Food Bistro. “I took it over at 900 square feet. Soon, the pastor was looking at buying a location at the Normandy Mall and expanding the restaurant to 5,000 square feet. Then expanding to a second location.” Being a woman running a large restaurant and managing employees hasn’t always been easy. Mobley admits she has had to prove herself to her employees at times. But that is her management philosophy. “I never ask an employee to do something that I wouldn’t do myself,” she says. Angie Ziebarth, executive chef at Balefire Brasserie in St. Augustine, always wanted to be a chef. She started as a truck stop breakfast cook at 14, then attended Sullivan University, Louisville, on a scholarship and earned an associate degree in baking and culinary arts. She worked at Seviche, Louisville, for five years and a few other fine-dining restaurants in the area. But she wanted to open her own restaurant, because working for chefs is tough. She, along with boyfriend Todd Gatterdam and his friend Tony Massingill, decided to open a restaurant on Anastasia Island.

Ziebarth is not really interested in being recognized exclusively for her gender. She just wants everyone in the kitchen to be on an equal playing field. “Depending on the restaurant you work at, line cooks, pantry and prep cooks are not really recognized by the customers and the media,” she says. “Most of the time the executive chef or executive sous-chef are the only ones in the forefront.”

“The most successful women chefs I know are badasses in the kitchen. You have to be better than the man next to you to get the same level of respect.”

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And with the majority of females in kitchens as line cooks, pantry or prep, and not moving up in the industry, “women don’t get as much attention. And that is not really fair. Everyone is a team in a kitchen,” Ziebarth says. “Coming up in the industry was hard,” says Ziebarth. “It is so male dominated and women are just now finally pushing through.” Working with men you definitely need more “umph,” she admits. She remembers the night that she finally got respect for her cooking abilities at Seviche. An expected slow night got hit with over 200 covers. She was sauté and along with the sous-chef and one other cook, Ziebarth’s little sister Megan, they pushed through together for a great service. She felt that her boss Anthony Lamas, executive chef/owner of Seviche, and her team members treated her with more respect after that night. Jenny Seldon, executive sous-chef at HobNob Restaurant, attended the University of Minnesota to be an engineer. After her first year in college, she was unhappy and decided to drop out and enroll in the culinary program at St. Paul’s Community College to learn how to bake bread. Then she discovered the savory side of cooking and was hooked.

Photo by Amy Robb

Seldon has worked in Jacksonville for most of her career, with stints in Savannah and Los Angeles. She was at Biscotti’s for eight years and was executive chef from 2004 to 2008. She also worked at Pastiche and helped open BB’s. Her next big gig was at Belfair Country Club in South Carolina, where she worked under female executive chef Shelley Cooper. Seldon then followed Cooper to Los Angeles, where investors wanted to open a highly stylized upscale Southern cuisine concept. She worked at it for 10 months, but the food and the concept weren’t working and Seldon quit along with several others including the executive chef, Cooper. She jumped around a bit in corporate chef gigs trying to find her place again in the industry. Seldon was lured back to Jacksonville after a few investors wanted to revive a version of the shuttered Pastiche. But Patio at Pastiche closed its doors after four months and she took a position as executive sous-chef at Black Sheep. Now she is the executive sous-chef at HobNob, a new restaurant in Unity Plaza. And throughout her journey she always did well in her positions because she believes in working hard in the kitchen. “The most successful women chefs I know are badasses in the kitchen. You have to be better than the man next to you to get the same level of respect,” she states. “It is an old-school boys’ club that is hard to break through.” Twenty years ago when Seldon was coming up, she felt that it was more acceptable for women to work in pastry because it was considered the more civilized route for women. But she was drawn to savory because it is not as lonely and exacting. If a mistake is made in savory, it is easier to fix or it can be a happy accident. “If I work with girls that act like little girls and set me back 20 years, it makes me upset,” Seldon says. “I can’t stand that. Come in the kitchen and get ready to work.” She feels like Food Network has romanticized the job of chefs and

cooks and elevated the celebrity of being a chef. “What we do is not romantic,” Seldon says. “It is dirty and disgusting and laborious. If you are not willing to do what you need to do in this industry then you are not going to make it.” Seldon agrees that for most restaurants, the executive chef is the face of the business to the customer and media, and since significantly less women hold that position, they don’t receive as much attention from the media. Mobley also points outs that when women do become executive chefs the reason they still don’t receive as much recognition is because female chefs are too busy—especially if they have a family—to seek out media attention and compete on shows like Bravo TV’s “Top Chef.” Because women tend to be nurturers, being in management can be difficult for them too, says Mobley. It is challenging for women at times to extract themselves from fixing their employees’ problems. But once women find the right balance, it is rewarding because they are making positive changes in a person’s life. Now that Mobley’s daughter has grown up, Mobley has been able to focus more on her professional development. She earned an associate degree in culinary management from Florida State College, Jacksonville, and became a certified executive chef. Her first cookbook, Southern Goodness, was released in early 2015. Ziebarth refuses to conform to the lifestyle the culinary industry has dictated and chooses to make it fit her life. She raises a 2-year-old son surrounded by a supportive family and works on a schedule that allows her to be both a mother and a chef. “Women can work in this industry and be successful,” says Ziebarth. “All you need to do is be strong and hold your head high.” “It is better than it was 20 years ago,” says Seldon. “But you have to take yourself seriously in the kitchen first, because no one else will until you do.”

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Page 1

EDIBLE TABLE

What’s in Season?

Here’s a list of the produce and seafood you can expect to find at your local farmers’ market in the coming months. Growing methods such as hydroponics can extend seasons, so you may also see other types of produce on occasion. Additionally, seasonal closures and catch limits may affect availability of fish and seafood. PRODUCE Arugula Basil Beans Beets Bok choy Broccoli Broccoli raab Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Chard Chives

Cilantro Collards Cress Cucumbers Daikon radishes Dill Endive Escarole Fennel Garlic chives Grapefruit Green onions Kale Kohlrabi

Kumquats Loquats Mizuna Mustard greens Nasturtium flowers Onions Oregano Parsley Potatoes Radicchio Radishes Rosemary Salad mix Sorrel (red veined)

Spinach Strawberries Swiss chard Thyme Turnips FISH AND SEAFOOD Amberjack Bass Bluegill Catfish Cobia Crappie

Drum Flounder Lionfish Mackerel (King and Spanish) Mullet Pompano Snapper Stone Crab Sunfish Triggerfish Tuna Wahoo

Information provided by Florida Department of Agriculture, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and other sources.

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SEASONAL PLATE

Herb Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables Looking for ways to cook together as a family? This classic comfort food makes great use of seasonal produce and will become a mealtime staple. Added bonus – any leftover meat can be used in tacos or sandwiches, and the chicken bones make a superb stock.

The butter mixture will have hardened slightly by now. Using your hands, slather the mixture liberally over every part of the chicken and under the breast skin (being careful not to tear the skin). Place in Dutch oven on top of sliced veggies.

Serves 4-6 | Recipe by Devon Ritch

INGREDIENTS 1 whole chicken (3–3½ pounds) 2 lemons 5 cloves garlic—3 minced, 2 cut in half 4 sprigs fresh rosemary—3 chopped finely, 1 reserved 1 large onion, thickly sliced 2–3 turnips, thickly sliced 4–5 carrots, thickly sliced 3 medium potatoes, thickly sliced 4 tablespoons butter Salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION Preheat oven to 475°. Melt butter in small bowl; add minced garlic, chopped rosemary, the zest of the lemons and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Place vegetables in bottom of Dutch oven. Reserve some of the onions for stuffing into the cavity. Prepare chicken by removing giblets from cavity, rinsing off and patting dry. Liberally season the cavity with salt and pepper.

Photo by Amanda Lenhardt

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Stuff the cavity with quartered lemon, onion, remaining garlic halves, and rosemary sprig/stems. Tie the legs of the chicken together tightly using kitchen twine. Roast chicken for 15 minutes at 475°, then reduce heat to 350° and cook for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 165°. If you want to, baste the chicken approximately halfway through cooking process. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before you dig in.

Quinoa Tabouli This will become a go-to side dish in your house. It’s full of protein, nutrients and flavor - plus it keeps well in the refrigerator. Serves 6-8 | Recipe by Devon Ritch INGREDIENTS

3 cups cooked quinoa, chilled* 6 cups fresh curly parsley, stems removed and finely chopped 1 cup fresh mint, chopped 2–3 tomatoes, diced 2 medium cucumbers, diced ¾ cup minced spring onions (white parts only) 2/3 cup olive oil ½–2/3 cup lemon juice 3 tablespoons Mediterranean spiced sea salt (or salt & pepper to taste) PREPARATION

Mix all ingredients together and taste. Adjust the lemon juice and salt amounts according to taste. *1 cup uncooked quinoa equals 3 cups cooked. Photo by Amy Robb

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2016 GARDEN AND WINE FESTIVAL April 30th and May 1st | 10 AM - 4 PM Pre-Event Reception Hosted in Atlantic Beach

music, a plant sale, fine wines, expert

Friday, April 29 | 6 PM - 8 PM | $75 per person

lectures, kids activities and crafts -

The Zoo is blooming with live

featuring a farm-to-table picnic on Saturday from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

A Weekend-Long Celebration of Plants and Their Important Role Within the Ecosystem. 16

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jacksonvillezoo.org for more details

Photo by Amy Robb

KOREAN BEEF SHORTRIBS with bulgogi marinade

Napa Cabbage Kimchi made in-house at Black Sheep Benne Seeds from Anson Mills, Columbia, SC

Grits from Logan Turnpike, Blairsville, GA Eggs from Black Hog Farm, East Palatka, FL

SATURDAY

& SUNDAY BRUNCH AT ORSAY

FRENCH CUISINE RAW BAR CHARCUTERIE CRAFT COCKTAILS AWARD WINNING WINE LIST

3630 PARK STREET | HISTORIC AVONDALE | RESTAURANTORSAY.COM | OPEN AT 4P DAILY / 11AM ON SUNDAY EdibleNEFlorida.com

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edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Will Work for Food

Women Entrepreneurs in Edible Enterprises WORDS JEFFREY SPEAR PHOTOS STEFANIE KEELER

Food can be quite seductive. It’s the stuff that nourishes, entertains and delights us throughout the day. We respond to aromas from the kitchen or provocative displays in retailer windows and experience sensual pleasure from both cooking shows and the pages of culinary magazines (isn’t that why you’re reading this copy of Edible?). Professionally, food creates careers that include farmers, bakers, artisans, servers, food scientists, nutritionists, educators, bartenders, chefs, caterers and restaurateurs. For people who love to talk about food, there are journalists, bloggers, writers, broadcasters and policy makers. Nationally, Julia Child, Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl among others have changed the way we relate to food. From a corporate perspective, Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO of Mondelez International; Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup; and Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have become some of the most influential women in food manufacturing and branding. According to recent statistics, women account for nearly 30% of small business operations with 90% having no employees other than the owner. In other words, there are a lot of pioneering women out there, running things on their own and working tirelessly to build successes for themselves. In many cases, it’s as much about managing a business as it is about loving food. In Northeast Florida, we are seeing plenty of women abandoning long-held corporate careers in favor of going into business baking cakes, brewing coffee, canning preserves and serving up all kinds of deliciousness. Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes? Lots of passion, sweat and grease, apparently, along with networking, perseverance and a willingness to learn and work hard. For the women who have chosen careers specifically in culinary, sometimes the desire to work with food started at home—when cooking with Mom was one of life’s special pleasures. Coupled with an undeniable love of food, homemade products that have family and friends constantly clamoring for more and sufficient resources to support a new enterprise, culinary brands are born. To meet some of these intrepid individuals, simply visit a farmers’ market or arts and crafts show. This is where producers, armed

with little more than a good recipe and an unshakable entrepreneurial spirit, execute their first leaps of faith into the world of food retailing. What’s remarkable is that very few started out with food-oriented agendas. In fact, their careers are owed more to unexpected circumstances and a touch of good fortune. For living proof, take Rummies & Yummies at the Riverside Arts Market (RAM) in downtown Jacksonville. Co-owned by Amy Hales and Mary Moses (Amy’s mom), the rum cakes they once baked together exclusively for family and friends have become a full-time commercial endeavor. The decision to start the company, however, was not easy. Although Amy loved her work in the corporate world, the dilemma was clear: Either continue working in excess of 80 hours a week at the office and maintain the road warrior lifestyle, or work locally, be with family and enjoy priceless time with her newborn son. Starting off slowly at arts and crafts shows, with her mom coming out of retirement to pitch in and getting help from the Small Business Administration (SBA.gov) and American Business Women’s Association (ABWA.org), Amy learned what it would take to generate sales. While signing a lease on commercial space and taking out loans for equipment was nerve wracking, and a financial loss would be devastating, the benefits have far outweighed the risks. Today, Amy and her family spend countless hours together, her son has a place for his toys at the office (and visits frequently) and business is growing. RAM has also helped Crystal Israel launch her line of small-batch handmade jams and jellies under the Little Black Box brand. When asked about leaving her career in hospitality management, Israel says, “It was almost suffocating going to work building someone else’s dream. I wanted to build my own brand.” Little Black Box initially started out as a line of Southern-inspired sweet baked goods including Hummingbird Cakes and Sweet Potato Pies. While making jams and jellies to use as fillings, it became apparent that these fruit-based items would sell well all by themselves. With this revelation, the company was reorganized and is now fo-

“It was almost suffocating going to work building someone else’s dream. I wanted to build my own brand.”

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cused entirely on shelf-stable products. This includes jams and jellies along with a new line of sauces and relishes, proving that flexibility and adaptability are key skills required to run a business. Although still in its infancy, Little Black Box has found a strong retail following at local markets as well as a growing wholesale customer base. Willingness to adapt is a valuable trait for any entrepreneur, as Lizbeth Earnest, founder and president of Chef’s Garden, can attest. According to Earnest, “I started out as a hairdresser but have always enjoyed cooking and entertaining.” The moment of truth came after watching an episode of “Oprah” featuring women who created successful businesses from things they loved. Seeing this, Earnest decided the time had come to pursue a career in catering. After 14 years, and partnering with her daughter since 2005, she heads up Chef’s Garden, the Cummer Café and is part owner of the Candy Apple Café. While these women, and many others, have launched their food businesses based upon rave reviews and support from family and friends, others have transitioned into culinary careers with little to no experience. Previously, Anita Comisky enjoyed a stellar career as an accountant. She freely admits she’s not much of a cook and is poorly suited for entertaining. That being said, she makes a killer toffee that has been in her family for generations. She likes to say, “In some families, they boast a world-famous meatloaf. In our family, it’s toffee.” After a chance meeting with a well-established distrib-

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“In some families, they boast a world-famous meatloaf. In our family, it’s toffee.” utor, and support from other culinary professionals (including the Women’s Food Alliance), Anita launched the Amelia Toffee brand. What transformed her business into a truly robust brand, however, was the suggestion that she use alcoholic beverages as featured ingredients. While this meant violating her long-held family recipe, the outcomes were surprisingly delicious. With ingredients including locally sourced stout beer, green tea and distilled spirits, Anita’s toffees have found year-round acceptance in both local and select regional markets. If you have a hankering to start your own food enterprise, don’t forget that working with food is hard work, as all of these women can attest. If you have a romantic notion of what it is like to run a food business, based on how much enjoyment you get from cooking for family or friends, check in with any of these entrepreneurs. Listen to their tales of manual labor and long hours, wearing all the different hats needed to support and sustain a business. You may be willing to take on the risks and rewards associated with a food business. Or you may just decide to appreciate what comes out of the kitchens of all those who have pursued their food enterprise dreams.

Making toffee; calling customers and delivering product are all in a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work for Anita Comisky of Amelia Toffee.

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Lunch in good company.

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Mar/Apr 2016

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BACK OF THE HOUSE

COOKING WITH

Art and Soul

Kathy Collins creates culinary masterpieces at NOLA MOCA WORDS LAUREN TITUS PHOTOS KRISTEN PENOYER

Among the many traits required to run a professional kitchen—stamina, ability to organize, leadership—creativity may not be at the top of the list. However, as more dining establishments adapt menu offerings based on what is available daily or weekly, thinking creatively has increaingly become a job requirement.

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Some chefs find daily specials are not enough to satisfy their culinary muse, so they hop from kitchen to kitchen to quench their need for creativity. Kathy Collins, executive chef at NOLA MOCA in Jacksonville’s Museum of Contemporary Art, however, demonstrates that even if you stay in one place you can keep your creative gears in motion, especially when you are surrounded by art. A native of Chicago, Collins started work in restaurants at 16, when her mom, a server/ bartender, found her a job. Even though she began as a server, Collins always knew she wanted to get to the back of the house and cook. What she heard early on, though, was not encouraging. “Everybody told me it was a boys’ show, the kitchen was too hot, I was going to cry,” she said, the disbelief still in her voice. Undeterred, Collins went to Le Cordon Bleu in her hometown and began to work in restaurants, country clubs and as a private chef to gain experience and win over the naysayers. After arriving in Jacksonville in 1999, Collins spent some time at Pastiche in Avondale before landing at the museum’s dining facility in 2005. When MOCA first moved downtown, onsite dining was limited and the space was rented out to a sandwich shop. Within a couple of years the museum took over the restaurant. Chef Collins has experienced many changes since then and her role has evolved over time. “I started as a line cook, then moved up to sous-chef and eventually became executive chef. Even though I have been here 10 years, there’s never a dull moment working at NOLA. I have tried to leave and do other things, work in a bank, a call center, but they didn’t work out,” said Collins. “I can’t sit still.”

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“I put my garden in my front yard so I would see it whenever I come in or out of the house, to remind me to water or weed. This past year we had a ton of pumpkins and sweet potatoes.” Daily specials on the lunch menu allow the chef the opportunity to think outside the plate. Additionally the restaurant handles all catering needs at MOCA, giving Collins even more room to sample from other cuisines and create customized menus for special occasions. She is an advocate for sustainable seafood and local agriculture, though (like many) she is concerned about getting a consistent supply of produce. “I would love to work more with the farmers in the area, but I can’t always get enough of what I need,” said Collins. One way the chef is addressing the desire for local produce is by growing some things at her home in Murray Hill. “I put my garden in my front yard so I would see it whenever I come in or out of the house, to remind me to water or weed. This past year we had a ton of pumpkins and sweet potatoes,” she said, “plus my 4½-year-old daughter likes working in the garden with me. It’s important that she sees where food is coming from.” How does the chef feel about talk that downtown Jacksonville is on the cusp of a culinary renaissance? “I’ve had a front-row seat on the action. It’s great to see all the restaurants in build-out, and more people coming downtown as a destination,” she said. “There are a lot of good things to come and we plan to be a part of it.”

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Ladies OF THE Land The Emerging Face of Agriculture WORDS JEN HAND PHOTOS SARAH ANNAY

Mavis Renfroe of Spuds Farm in Elkton.

Mar/Apr 2016

edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Close your eyes. Imagine the archetypal farmer. What do you see? A man wearing denim, hat perched his head? Is he driving a tractor, or standing in front of an endless field of corn and staring off into the middle distance? This is not unfair, given the majority of American farmers are still men. But, it’s time to update that picture. The US Department of Agriculture did not count women farmers before 2002. The most recent census of agriculture taken by the USDA in 2012 showed that 36% of farmers in Florida are women, above the national average of 30%. Let’s meet a few of the female hands that feed us here in the northeast part of the state.

Mavis Renfroe—Spuds Farm Mavis Renfroe gets up at 5 every morning and heads to the kitchen. An average day’s tasks could include picking, washing and sorting veggies, prepping lunch for everyone at the farm, office work, baking pies and opening and overseeing the stand. It’s a family operation at Elkton’s Spuds Farm, and Mavis, 68, is the matriarch. The farm has been in the family since the 1920s, producing cabbage for much of that time. Her children and grandchildren are involved in present-day operations as well. The trials of Renfroe’s family? They are the trials of every family, really. Her husband died nearly 25 years ago, her daughter recently was diagnosed with leukemia. Not every family, however, has to worry about meteorological conditions affecting their livelihood. “It’s a big gamble,” Renfroe says about farming. “You put your money in, you invest in it, but you have no control over the weather.” Back in the time after her husband’s death (when Spuds Farm leased its land to another operation), Renfroe was a caregiver, mostly for folks with Alzheimer’s. She eventually burned out. The family collectively decided to farm their land themselves again, and diversified from cabbage to multiple vegetable crops. Stop by the Spuds stand and you’ll probably see Mavis on the front lines. Quiet and trim, she’s the one with short auburn hair, straightening the veggies piled high on the tables, or working a puzzle book if you catch her in a rare quiet moment. “I think people need to be aware of what they’re really eating.” Renfroe’s words are full of emotion. We discuss which vegetable is which, knowing your farmer, the outside chance that foods from afar may not be safe. According to the FDA’s website, only somewhere between 1% and 2% of the over $2 trillion worth of food products that enter the US are inspected for safety. Be aware, indeed.

EdibleNEFlorida.com

She is animated telling a story about an older woman shopping there who had no clue what okra was. Another recent Spuds customer had “absolutely no idea what to do with cauliflower.” A self-professed “down home” cook, Renfroe shared her three favorite ways to prepare it (two of which involve bacon grease, one a breaded and pan-fried cauliflower recipe she swears tastes like shrimp). Spuds Farm took part in last autumn’s Tour de Farm, its first time involved in the Slow Food First Coast event. Renfroe’s worries about the day were for naught as the crowds had a good time. The family is excited about the possibility of adding new ventures like kayak tours out of nearby Deep Creek. And “I hope the farm continues to grow stronger in the future,” she says.

Shelby Stec—Dog Day Gardens Shelby Stec’s grandmother didn’t get why the 25-yearold was going to “throw her life away” pursuing agriculture as a career, and explicitly told her granddaughter she would not have helped her go to college if she had known. “She was pissed!” Stec laughs about it now. Dog Day Gardens is a small urban homestead farm in west St. Augustine where Stec and her partner, Skylar Dixon, are throwing their lives away. There’s a nursery, a demonstration garden and, most recently, a compost program. Shelby Stec of Dog Day Gardens in St. Augustine. With services that include home gardening workshops and providing seedlings and compost for ortually it was brought to her attention that she’d have to choose between ganic growers, Dog Day grows as much as possible for farmers’ markets the land and the sea. Land won. and small restaurants as well. And yes, dogs are present there (three). Shelby now works at Dog Day Gardens full time, while her partner Stec’s grandma later came around after reading the dystopian novel Skyler still toils at his, as the couple puts it, “off-farm” job. They want to The Hunger Games. She decided her granddaughter’s life choice “had remain in the St. Augustine area and would love to buy property there. meaning” after all, as Shelby could grow food for herself (in the event As word gets out about their venture she says, “We’re starting to build that a a crazy dictator takes over the world). a really strong community here and there are so many like-minded The generation Stec’s grandma comes from worked hard so their people who are interested in doing the same thing themselves.” offspring wouldn’t have to live the life they did. Stec explains the “ideal “Every day I have someone stop and talk to me about how they’ve lifestyle” aspiration for her grandparents consisted of commuting to a always wanted to have a garden, or how they wish there were better 9-to-5 job and sitting at a desk all day. However this is “the very thing options for them to get local food without having to drive so far.” that a lot of millennials are now trying to get away from,” she says. Ask Mavis Renfroe if she’d encourage a little girl—say, one of her granddaughters—to pursue farming, and she says, “Farming is rough Megan DeJonge—Blue Sky Farms and tough. But I think it’s better to grow your own food.” Megan DeJonge is another young woman putting in long, hard Stec has lived here for over two years, coming from the Tallahashours to provide more locally grown food. Her checkered past work see area by way of central Florida. When she began college as a social experience includes stints as a biohazard-cleaner of crime scenes, goat anthropology major, she assumed working at a large nonprofit was in farmer and chef at a wine bar/restaurant. This daughter of a private her future. Real-world experience working at one changed her mind. investigator was interested in forensics, and armed with a criminal “I hated it,” she says. “What really pushes me is the love of being justice degree, moved to the area in 2014 (via Nashville, Boulder and outside.” Lakeland, FL). At one point recently, living on a sailboat was a dream come true Applications for positions at police departments and the criminal for Stec. She tried to grow plants while under sail, and would dump court system were in, but DeJonge needed cash to tide her over. She compost scraps and rake leaves over them in marina parking lots. Evenwalked into Elkton’s Blue Sky Farms smack in the middle of potato

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edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

season expecting to be hired as a potato grader. When management realized she was a college grad, she was put to work in the farm’s office doing data entry and logistics. From day one at Blue Sky, she felt at home. By her first fall season there, DeJonge slotted into the garden sales and marketing manager position. “I plant the seed, watch it grow, harvest it with my crew, market it and sell it.” She says, “It’s the coolest job I’ve ever had.” She now does everything including managing the field crew, office work, garden planning and handling the CSA customers. The former “trial” garden currently covers 50 acres, and the longtime potato farm has found success branching out and growing other veggies. Has it been easy? DeJonge says she has faced a bit of discrimination as much for being younger (she’s 29) as for being a woman in this male-dominated field. She lets it roll off her back, preferring to be as prepared as she can and let her work do the talking. When she first started, “There wasn’t a minute my eyes were open that I wasn’t studying,” learning as much as she could about the industry from the farm’s owner Danny Johns and the IFAS county extension. “I always lose this thing,” DeJonge tracks down her dirty harvest knife. We hop into one of the farm’s pickups and bounce across the way to pick up the crew. The escarole and red romaine need to be transplanted.

WOMEN GROWING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES To be alive in 21st century American society means it’s easy to overlook the fundamental link between us and our food. When we step into a sanitary, temperature-controlled grocery store to choose packs of uniformly sized vegetables plastic-shrink-wrapped onto Styrofoam trays, we may not think about the manual labor, the actual work, that brings food from the earth to our plates. “I strongly support the idea of having a relationship with your grower,” Stec says. DeJonge loves to hand over a box of produce to a customer and say “Here. This is what we grew. Enjoy this.” Getting farm-fresh, locally grown vegetables and meat in our markets and restaurants has become easier than ever before. Women help cultivate and promote this food, and even show us how to grow it. Let us recognize this. Meet them at the market or, better yet, on their turf. They want to talk, share their knowledge and help connect you to what they are doing. What will the next USDA census count in 2017 show? Time will tell, but for now, Northeast Florida is rife with ladies of the land, rookies and old timers, urban farmers, organic and conventional ones, and many in between. It is time to flip your image of the “average” farmer on its head. The face of agriculture is changing.

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EDIBLE DIY

BABY FOOD

from Scratch

A Healthy, Economical Diet Right from the Start WORDS MARIAH SALVAT PHOTOS JENNA ALEXANDER

My baby is 2 months old, a little young to be eating solids, but I am already researching making baby food. I am a food lover—passionate about local, organic and delicious—and I cannot wait to share these joys with my little one.

Author Mariah Salvat in the kitchen.

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Making my own baby food has many advantages. Not only do I get to decide what goes into the baby’s food (no additives, sugars or salt), it’s also an amazing way to add new flavors to expand my child’s palate. Preparing baby food at home allows me to keep fresh, nutritious food a part of my baby’s diet and develop good eating habits at a young age, especially since we live in a place where local food is bountiful even in the winter. It may seem like a daunting task, but one of the benefits of making your own baby food is that you can use what you already have in your fridge or freezer to feed yourself. If you do a cost comparison, you will also soon realize how economical it is to make food at home. To begin, be sure to wash your hands and the produce thoroughly. Steaming, poaching and baking are the most nutritious ways to prepare your ingredients. Once everything is cooked, place it in a food processor, blender, pass it through a wire strainer or, as your baby begins eating chunkier foods, use a potato masher. For smaller quantities you can use a baby food mill, which results in a meal-size portion. Another benefit of making your own baby food is that you can make a large amount and store it for future use. When starting to introduce solid food to your baby, go slow. Begin with a single ingredient such as sweet potato or butternut squash. Keep it simple and remember they have been eating just one thing for the last four to six months. With that in mind, the recipe below is intended for babies 7 months or older, those who are ready for food combinations.

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edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Florida’s Finest Baby Food Medley INGREDIENTS 3 sweet potatoes 2 medium beets 4 stalks greens (spinach, kale or Swiss chard) 1 avocado PREPARATION Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Trim the ends off the beets and cut into 1-inch rounds. Chop the greens. Pour water into a large saucepan and place steamer basket in the saucepan. Put the above ingredients into the steamer basket and bring water to boil. Cook covered for 7–10 minutes. Remove from basket and place in food processor. Add the avocado. Blend until desired consistency. Makes about 4 cups of baby food and can be portioned into smaller containers. I prefer small glass Mason jars to freeze or keep in the refrigerator.

the Nation’s best chefs compete for your vote

ED YOUR FE

U R I O U SI

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FAREWELL TO FOOD GUILT

Time to Let it Go WORDS SARA GLENN AND KIMBERLY LEWIS PHOTOS SEAN KELLY CONWAY

Mar/Apr 2016

edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Stuffing food in an envelope and mailing it overseas seems an unorthodox form of protest. Unless you’re an 8-year-old who is forced to finish her dinner because “there are starving children in Africa.”

While we would have hoped the protesters of our youth might have gone on to start a revolution, sadly, most have likely joined the eight out of 10 American women who suffer from food guilt. And yes, we mean suffer! Food guilt has many flavors, new ones we’re learning more about each day. It’s about what we eat and what we don’t eat, what we feed our families and having the perfect relationship with food.

SELF-WORTH & FOOD GUILT Self-worth is tied to food guilt, not to what you’re putting in your mouth. A negative body image leads to guilt. While in the short term guilt may lead to self-deprivation, in the long run it does not lead to better choices. A positive body image gives you the power to define “better.” Today, better may be celery sticks. Tomorrow, “better” may be a piece of chocolate cake. If we simply plan for those foods and enjoy them—in moderation, of course—we could have everything we love and still be healthy. Even if you really did eat the entire box of Valentine’s chocolates in one sitting (we may know this feeling from experience), move on from guilt by taking a walk. While it may need to be a longer one this time, eliminate the guilt by valuing yourself— chocolate cravings and all.

THE FLAVORS OF GUILT While not many of us took to protest, we can relate to being forced to clear our plates, and the remnants of that eating experience linger. Some of us still struggle with pushing back from a partially full plate without packing our bags for a guilt trip. Let’s face it, we all have traditions associated with food from our childhood and we carry those into adulthood. These traditions, whether determined “good” or “bad,” shape our views about food today, how we carry on with them or how we change them completely. At some point, our definition of a “good” relationship with food changes from our ability to clear a plate to our ability to deprive ourselves. Having dessert makes us bad. If we deprive ourselves of dessert, we are good. Consciously or subconsciously, this conversation happens in too many women’s heads, too much every day. When did food get to be about not eating? And how can this be the case when we reward ourselves with a cookie or a brownie after a particularly stressful day? We could psychoanalyze this contradiction, but we’re already overthinking here. Our bodies need fuel to function. Food is fuel first, and whatever else we think it is second. Of course, we all want to feed ourselves healthy, delicious food, so why can’t we? And why can’t we plan to enjoy our pizza, macaroni ’n cheese and wine? Why can’t we have it all?

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FAMILY AND FOOD GUILT If you’ve seemed to conquer food guilt when it comes to feeding yourself, there’s a whole new wave of icky feelings that come along with feeding your family. This type of guilt ranges from the not-so-perfect Thanksgiving feast, to the takeout you grabbed for the family on the way home from work, to the cartoon-covered cereal boxes in your pantry. Remember, feeling guilty doesn’t persuade you to make better decisions. In fact, with family and kids, decisions often add yet another layer of guilt to the tidal wave in which we’re already drowning. There truly is a division of responsibility between parent and child (or between the one who cooks and anyone at the table) when it comes to eating. The parent/adult provides the food, sets the time and the place. The child/other adults decide whether to eat and how much. It’s that simple. We learned long ago, there are three things you can’t make kids do and one of them is eat. (The other two? Sleep and potty.) While we may not be able to force our children to eat certain foods, we are a powerful influence on how our children feel about themselves. If we value ourselves, we make better choices. Our children see this and it impacts how they feel about themselves and ultimately, the choices they make. In busy families, grown-ups sometimes “sacrifice” our own healthy behaviors in favor of doing what we believe is good for our kids. Rather than sitting the kids down for dinner while you continue your evening chores, hit the pause button and sit down together. Let your children see you eat a healthy, balanced meal. Be willing to admit your weaknesses. Admit that you don’t really like Brussels sprouts either but you will try them at dinnertime too. Kids respect grown-ups who are honest. Be candid about your food choices and be a role model so your kids can learn healthy habits. Above all, help them avoid food guilt by letting them see you value yourself. LETTING GO We are bombarded with information about food—its risks, its cures, the latest diets and hippest trends. Red wine used to just be an alcoholic beverage; now it either helps with heart disease or it doesn’t, we can’t remember. Same with coffee. We think it might have made the good list and the bad list at the same time. Vertical gardens are popping up all across Northeast Florida, but one hasn’t popped up yet in our yards. The point is to relax. You’re not wrong if you put cheese on broccoli to make it taste better. You’re not wrong if you can’t afford to buy organic everything; start with the dirty dozen and go from there.

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edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

There’s no food police watching every morsel you put in your mouth. And there are healthy fast-food choices you can make for your family when you find yourself crunched for time and hungry. Because you will. And it’s OK. No one expects you to cook (or look!) like Giada de Laurentiis! Our culture has developed both a love – and a fear – of food. Remove anxiety from your meals, and your family’s meals, and remember that you eat to live. Make like Elsa from the movie Frozen and let it go. Celebrate those important occasions with cake and champagne if you wish, and love them when you do. A healthy lifestyle is not about deprivation and dread. It’s about balance, planning and choices. And these are all yours. Today, let’s all be that 8-year-old girl and stand together in protest. Let’s resolve to keep food guilt from distorting how we feel about ourselves or ruining another meal—another meal that will give us the fuel to sustain this protest through every bite.

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LOCAL LIBATIONS

Remember those career aptitude tests where you enter what you like to do and you’re matched to the job that is just right for you? Qres Ephraim might not have taken one, but if she had her responses would have suggested her current occupation: Bartender at Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails. “I love to drink and I love to talk to people,” she said with a hearty laugh. Serving up drinks was not in Ephraim’s plans originally. When the communications group she worked for in Washington, D.C. folded, she did not panic. “It was no big deal.

Mar/Apr 2016

A SPIRIT OF

Adventure

WORDS LAUREN TITUS PHOTOS CHRISTINA KARST

I traveled a little and figured I would find another job in my field.” But when nothing turned up, and she needed money, Ephraim headed into unknown territory, working in a restaurant on Capitol Hill as a hostess. It was a love of food and drink that moved her forward. “At one of the places I worked, I started messing around with cocktails, and it was fun. I realized how nice it was to be around people who were enthusiastic about food and drinks. But the amount of work and effort that goes into the prep work is mind-bog-

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gling,” said Ephraim, now with a greater appreciation for what goes onto plates and into glasses in the restaurant world. Ephraim considered moving to Atlanta and then landed in Jacksonville to be close to family, though she had her apprehensions about living in the South. “I grew up in Southern California, where everything was fresh and healthy. I was nervous about moving here because of the impression I had of the food culture—I was afraid I would develop hypertension or diabetes because of all the fried food.”

The Bessie Coleman This drink commemorates another true adventurer, Bessie Coleman. In June, 1921, Coleman became the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn an aviation pilot’s license, and the first person of African American and Native American descent to earn an international aviation license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

As she started exploring the area, Ephraim was pleasantly surprised to find restaurants aligned with her own background and philosophy, including Moxie. “I love the seasonality of the menu here—using fresh juices in drinks make such a difference,” said Ephraim. “We can tailor the cocktails based on what is available locally.” When asked about her experience as a newcomer in a male-dominated field, Ephraim praised the support she has received, especially from her boss, Johnny Schaefer. “There’s a collaborative spirit in the bartending industry in general, and es-

pecially among the other female bartenders. Even though there are not many who are in charge,” she said. “That is slowly changing.” Always up for an adventure, Ephraim is determined to broaden her cocktail expertise and enrich her life experiences. “I am learning so many things, and I did not expect this to happen,” she said. “I don’t have to re-invent the wheel. When I have a conversation with a customer and find out what they like, I get excited when I can introduce them to new flavors in drinks, to branch out a little.” Likewise, we’re glad Qres’s adventurous spirit landed her in Northeast Florida.

INGREDIENTS 1½ ounces Ransom Dry Gin ½ ounce Combier Pamplemousse ¼ ounce Crème de Violette ½ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice Tiny pinch of kosher salt* Grapefruit zest for garnish PREPARATION Fill mixing glass with all ingredients and ice and close with a metal shaker. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain cocktail mixture into a coupe glass. Garnish with fresh grapefruit zest and serve immediately. *Only the tiniest amount of salt should be used to round out flavor; too much will destroy it.

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Buy LOCAL GUIDE

From the farm to the table, we deliver fresh local produce and artisanal goods to customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes. Customize each order to suit your taste buds with our simple online ordering. 386-753-4565 frontporchpickings.com

Florida natives selling farm fresh and boldly flavored ice pops from our vintage camper. We want to be a part of your bold story: weddings, employee appreciation, special events, tenant appreciation & more. 904-626-8101 boldcitypops.com

Eat. Drink. Shop. Local. The benefits of buying local are numerous and range from fresh, flavorful foods and unique one-of-a-kind products, to an increased sense of community and stronger regional economy.

We would like to thank our advertising partners (listed here and throughout this

Complete garden center with everything you need to create a successful, sustainable home garden and landscape! Wide variety of Florida Native plants, flowers, fruit trees, vegetables and organic seeds. Family owned and operated since 1979! 1690 A1A South St. Augustine 904-471-0440 southernhorticultureflorida.com

Watts Juicery serves organic, cold-pressed juices to help you squeeze the most out of life, giving you a natural boost of electricious energy to carry you through the day and beyond. 1010B 3rd Street Jax Beach 904-372-0693 wattsjuicery.com

publication) whose support for Edible Northeast Florida helps make our work possible.

Please make a point of supporting these businesses and organizations.

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We are a 22-acre farm-to-fork market, open seven days a week, offering local and organic food at an affordable price. Bring the kids to meet our farm animals, or join us for cooking classes, farm feasts, and other special events.

A locally founded, owned and operated Aussie-American coffee shop with a penchant for expertly crafted direct trade espresso and single-origin coffee. Aussie pies and baked goods made from scratch daily by a dedicated culinary team.

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Specialty coffee roaster with two cafés and roastery operation located in Jacksonville. Single origin, direct trade coffees and signature blends for retail and wholesale customers.

Located on the north side of Jacksonville, Congaree and Penn is a rice farm, a mayhaw orchard and home to a future cidery. 915-526-1409 congareeandpenn.com

2400 S. Third Street (Jax Beach) 869 Stockton Street 1179 Edgewood Avenue South 904-982-7603 boldbeancoffee.com

MGP makes real artisan baked goods and hand-crafted foods with honest ingredients you can trust.From pies and galettes to fresh seasonal fruit curds and spreads, find us weekly at Beaches GreenMarket, monthly at Jaxson’s Night Market, and at various pop-ups and special events. Jacksonville mygrandmotherspie.com facebook.com/mygrandmotherspie

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Locally owned bake shop specializing in classic pastries, artisan breads, savory pies, signature soups, sandwiches and seasonal salads.

Organic Café serving creative juices, smoothies, acai bowls and healthy bites all made fresh to order. Vegan and gluten free options. Healthy. Fresh. You.

1173 Edgewood Avenue South Jacksonville 904-634-7617 facebook.com/kneadabakeshop

1510 King Street Jacksonville 904-574-3557

Old world recipes of our ancestors skillfully prepared for you to enjoy today. Vegan selections as well as sastifying options for meat lovers. Visit us at the Old City Farmers Market on Saturdays, the Wednesday Market at the Pier at St. Augustine Beach and Juniper Market. Quantity discounts and Catering available. 585-743-3477 mayansummerfoods@gmail.com

Hand-Makers of Fine Ceramics since 1981. The perfect gift for food enthusiasts! Come see us at the Old City Farmers Market at the St. Augustine Amphitheater on Saturday mornings from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, Space 68. St. Augustine 904-824-1317 westsidestudio@bellsouth.net

Stay Connected!

Food Stories, delivered daily. Fermented pickle products, olives from around the globe and scratch-made vegan snacks. Find us at NE Florida farmers’ markets and local natural food stores. Our online store sells select products for easy, fast delivery to your door.

For over 29 years, CartWheel Ranch Meats has been raising cattle in Florida. We offer all natural grain & grass fed, pasture raised, USDA beef, pork and chicken, pet products & homemade healthy broths! Food you can trust!

We grow microgreens, petit greens and specialty produce using sustainable farming methods that combine traditional aquaculture with hydroponics. All produce is grown without the use of pesticides. Visit us!

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FROM THE OVEN

ROSEMARY ZUCCHINI SUPPER BREAD Slice and toast leftover bread for an easy snack or as a side dish at breakfast. Serves 12 | Recipe by Marisa Ratliff

INGREDIENTS 1½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour 1½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely minced 3 large organic eggs 2 tablespoons organic milk ½ cup plain, organic Greek yogurt ½ cup organic olive oil 2¼ cups organic zucchini, shredded and squeezed ¼ cup organic scallions, finely chopped

PREPARATION Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 (9- by 5-inch) loaf pans with coconut oil cooking spray.

mix until incorporated. Carefully stir in flour mixture until just combined. Don’t over mix. Divide batter evenly between loaf pans.

In a medium bowl, mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, parsley, garlic powder and rosemary until well combined, then set aside. In a larger bowl, add eggs, milk, yogurt and olive oil; mix until thoroughly combined. Add zucchini and scallions and

Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Photo by Amanda Lenhardt

Mar/Apr 2016

edible NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Let cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pans and place on a cooling rack. Slice and serve warm with whipped butter.

FROM THE OVEN

Carrot Cake Soufflé This delicious dessert shows you how easy making a soufflé really is—we promise. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a scoop of ice cream such as vanilla bean or salted caramel. Serves 6-8 | Recipe by Chef Rebecca Reed

INGREDIENTS 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups whole milk ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup freshly grated carrots 6 eggs, separated

PREPARATION In a medium bowl, mix the flour and butter together using your hands to form a smooth paste. Reserve. In a medium-large pot, bring milk, sugar, spices, vanilla, salt and grated carrots to a boil over medium-high heat. Once mixture begins to boil, add the flour and butter paste and whisk over medium-low heat until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot as it is being whisked. Turn off heat.

Place mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix over low speed for about 15 minutes, or until bowl is no longer hot to the touch. Add egg yolks 1 at a time to incorporate. Move soufflé base mixture to a large bowl. Clean and dry stand mixer bowl. Add egg whites to mixer bowl and whisk to form stiff peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold egg whites into soufflé base in 3 additions. Preheat oven to 400°. Brush ramekins with butter and dust with sugar. Fill ramekins with soufflé base and bake for about 18 minutes.

Photo by Amanda Lenhardt

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Jorge Antonio Falla

{El Amparo, Huila, Colombia}

[

THE FACES OF BOLD BEAN

]

At Bold Bean Coffee Roasters, there’s a story – and a face – behind every cup of our selectively sourced, farmer direct, specialty coffees. Faces such as that of Jorge Antonio Falla, another one of our growing community of Bold Bean producer partners. Jorge’s Finca La Candela is indeed a glowing example of what can be accomplished when one is powered by passion and an unyielding determination to make the best better. By embracing new technologies and innovative farming practices, coupled with his strong and lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, Jorge is demonstrating daily that great coffee doesn’t just happen.

Real Coffee Since 2007 Riverside • Jax Beach • Murray Hill

RETAIL • WHOLESALE • ONLINE www.boldbeancoffee.com 44

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Featuring CONGAREE AND PENN RISOTTO Ramp Butter, Charred Asparagus, Favas

HERBED RICOTTA

Grilled Bread, Georgia Olive Oil, Micro Radish

FRIED CHICKEN

Charred Spring Onions, Alabama BBQ Sauce

CHARRED CAULIFLOWER

Datil Pepper Curry, Georgia Peanuts, Basil Mint Chutney

POACHED CHICKEN

Spring Succotash, Morels, Ramp Pistou

WHOLE ROASTED MARKET FISH

Butter Braised Asparagus, Petite Radish, Pea Shoots

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Kitchen on San Marco supports Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College.

LUNCHROOM LAB

EXPERIMENTING

with Food

WORDS LESLIE KAPLAN PHOTOS JENNA ALEXANDER

W When your mom packs you Brussels sprouts for lunch in second grade, the school cafeteria becomes a rough place. Not because you don’t like Brussels sprouts; you do. But no one else does. And they say things. “Don’t yuck my yum!” you were taught to say. But it doesn’t work with Brussels sprouts. My son asked me to stop packing vegetables and replace them with fruit cocktail. I complied as much as I could. Then I met a dietician who had a similar experience with her daughter. We approached the school principal with a crazy idea: If we could show kids that vegetables were cool, maybe our kids would be able to eat their Brussels sprouts in peace. This year marks my 10th year of being the school’s “Munchy Monday Mom.” I walk into the school with my trademark green bowls and kids stop me in the hall, wanting to know what I’ve brought. By the time I hit the lunchroom, there is already a buzz. At the

first table, bowl tipped towards my chest so the kids can’t see what is inside, I watch the hands go up, kids already begging. “What do you think I brought today?” “I dunno.” I laugh. “Fish eyeballs. Very healthy. Want one?” The kids laugh back, uncertainly, but the hands don’t drop. I relent. “It is sorrel.” Hands stay up, but now they are concerned. “Sorrel?” “Yeah, a green weed with a lemony flavor.” This is the fourth–fifth grade, and I can joke around. And then they empty my bowl. These kids will eat anything. AN-Y-THING! Papaya. Golden beets. Fennel. Jicama. Zucchini! Munchy Monday (or Tasty Tuesday/ Thursday, Wonderful Wednesday, Fresh Friday) is my favorite way to volunteer at the

school. It takes four hours a week for as many weeks as I feel like doing it. Even prepping is fun. (Once I seeded and peeled 50 mangoes, and I now KNOW the best way.) The program is pretty simple: I buy a fruit or vegetable in enough quantity to provide a small sample for each kid (a ¼-inch round of kiwi). I prep the samples, and then I hang out in the lunchroom for the whole threehour lunch cycle, offering samples to each table, along with an information slip. That’s it. My PTA covers the cost with enthusiasm, whether I shop seasonally and spend $200 or I splurge with more exotic choices and go up to $500. Each child has the opportunity to try 10 samples of different fruits and vegetables for less than a dollar a child. As a folklorist and college teacher, I can say a few things about why the crazy idea worked. The first key is that I work within the existing cultures (here goes the academic).

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LUNCHROOM LAB

One culture is the existing lunchroom system. When we tried having samples at a table near the lunch line, the chaos created when the kids ran over was an obvious mistake, even to lunchroom rookies. Now we come to each table and they stay seated. We are careful about the potential for mess or trash. I tried something on toothpicks once, and realized that I’d just armed 500 kids with tiny swords. Working within kids’ culture is equally important. The original impetus for the format was noticing that my kids would even eat fish if it was offered as a free sample at Publix. I also realized that the influence kids have over each other’s eating habits can be positive just as easily as negative. So I hang around a few minutes, responding enthusiastically to the kids who like it. Invariably, another kid will be won over without my ever having said a word, wanting a sample as I leave. I break the adult rules but not the kid rules. I never, never, never push kids to try anything. My goal is to empower kids to want to expand their own horizons and make healthy choices for themselves. I break the rules of good manners in the name of empowerment: “This is an experiment. You can use all your senses—why don’t you just smell it? Or lick it, and if it seems OK, then take a bite so small I can’t see it. Not so bad? Eat the whole thing, or chuck it in the garbage. I don’t really care.” Legal “naughtiness” encourages some to give it a whirl who otherwise might not. I have researched the evolution of manners and I know that we have dinnertime rules for a reason, and why we aren’t supposed to play with food. But there are mannerly ways to experiment, too. Once, kids weren’t eating my beautiful trays of red and yellow peppers. I offered a challenge: Try both and vote for

Mar/Apr 2016

the best! That extended to different salad greens (red romaine, butter head and arugula). I hadn’t realized how much subtle variety there is. And pears! Try an Anjou, a Bartlett, a Bosc and a Comice in one sitting. You’ll see—it is an eye-opener. Taste tests prompt us to eat seasonally, too, when the food will taste the best and be the cheapest because that is when we get a enough variety of one type to run a good experiment. I don’t know why we parents got into the habit of requiring kids to put bitter-tasting foods into their bodies against their will in the first place. There is nothing more intimate than taking something into your body. Should anyone, even a parent, have the right to insist on that? Most things that are toxic are bitter, so evolutionarily, it is sensible to avoid kale at first. I want to eliminate the power struggle around healthy eating. We should challenge kids to eat healthy veggies, but “challenge” doesn’t mean “force.” I do an activity with the kids called “food conquering.” Here are the rules: Each child chooses a food they don’t currently like and want to conquer. They then figure out their strategy. Some kids research why it is healthy. Other kids use sheer repetition: We supposedly need 10 tries before we can know if we like a food. Maybe eating it with a friend who likes it or at a party offers motivation. For many people, trying different varieties, recipes or preparations works. Others prefer to creep up on it through microscopic bites, or bury it in something, like soup or on pizza. The kids nearly always conquer their foods, at least enough to stop picking mushrooms off their pizza. Many choose to do it again and again on their own, because it makes them proud. That is one way to challenge kids while empowering them. What I have learned from this journey my son set me on is that there is pleasure in food, even vegetables. And there is great joy in exploration. My new mantra: Out with the battle armor and the plate of peas that sits there forever and in with the lab coat and the smile.

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LAST BITE

GENERATIONS

of Food

WORDS CHARLOTTE TZABARI PHOTO AMY ROBB

It’s impossible to tell you how I got started in the olive and pickle business without telling you about my husband’s grandmother, Safta Ester, who immigrated to Israel from Bulgaria in 1945 at the age of 17 to escape the Holocaust. The daughter of a wealthy textile factory owner, Ester had been raised in a mansion with servants, was highly educated and never knew hunger or hardship. Until she arrived in Israel, where she was encouraged to marry, received an allotment of land for a house and garden and soon had to re-build her life as a homesteader and seamstress. My husband grew up in Ester’s kitchen. He gathered roses from her garden whose petals were boiled into rose jam. He witnessed the braided and dried garlic and peppers that hung in her windows. Turmeric, cumin, dill and fennel were the scents of her kitchen. His afterschool chores were to pick the cucumbers, carrots, celery and okra that Ester then fermented in salt-water brine. Long before we began making pickles for a living, this was my husband’s story, and it now also becomes part of mine. Thirty years later and an ocean away, we find ourselves at the forefront of a burgeoning consumer interest in fermented, probiotic-rich foods, and a small part of what I feel grateful for every day is our craft. While, technically, I learned it from my husband, we inherited it from Ester. Her legacy has become our livelihood. It sustains us in so many ways, providing what is vitally needed, not only for our customers, but in each and every one of our bellies. Want to learn more about probiotics and fermentation? Visit us online at EdibleNEFlorida.com.

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