IdaHome--FLAVOR Volume I

2022/ SPRING 2023

publisher

KAREN DAY karen@idahorem.com editor

APRIL NEALE april@idahorem.com features editor HEATHER HAMILTONPOST heather@idahorem.com art and design

JSNGRAFIX KALEY WRIGHT design@idahorem.com director of operations and sales manager

MARIELLE WESTPHAL admin@idahorem.com staff photographer KAREN DAY cover photograph SARA PULSAR social media

APRIL NEALE marketing, sales, and distribution karen@idahorem.com derek@idahorem.com jessica@idahorem.com april@idahorem.com

IdaHome Magazine, LLC P.O. Box 116 Boise, Idaho 83701 208.481.0693

© 2022 IdaHome Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by the authors and contributors to IdaHome Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor and publisher.

Community + Culture + Recreation + Real Estate

CONTRIBUTORS

Arianna Creteau is a freelance writer based in Northern Idaho. A dessert enthusiast, avid hiker and amateur runner, Arianna spends her weekdays working a desk job and weekends chasing adventure. Her previous work has been published in Boise Weekly

Tim Atwell graduated from Boise State University in 2016 with a BA in English and a certificate in Technical Communication. He currently works on the marketing team of a local healthcare technology company. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking and spending time outdoors.

Bonnie Trounson Alexander, an Idaho native, graduated from the University of Idaho and then moved to Dallas, Texas where she worked as a freelance writer and photographer for local and national publications. Now living in Boise, Bonnie spends time pursuing creative business ventures and keeping up with her large extended family.

April Neale is an entertainment features writer and has read her work on NPR and Spoken Interludes and writes for various industry trades and entertainment websites. Neale is a member of the Critics Choice Association, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Hollywood Critics Association, Television Critics Association, and other professional entertainment organizations.

Heather Hamilton-Post is a writer and editor in Caldwell. She holds degrees in both agriculture and creative writing and is herself surprised by that. When she’s not writing, catch her at a sociallydistanced baseball game with her husband and young sons. Find her work across the web and buried in the lit journals you didn’t know you had.

Karen Day is a photographer and the fearless captain of our fleet of pages and mighty crew. A list of her creative passions and true job description risks making her appear insane, rather than insanely talented. Her habit of climbing onto the ledge of possibility offers us continuous adventures and little sleep. All aboard!

Welcome to the inaugural issue of IdaHome FLAVOR!

I don't know about you, but I believe Idaho is so unique among the 50 states, it should have its own ice cream flavor.

At least, that's my opinion after living, working, and eating all over the U.S. and Europe. Yes, I admit it—Boise was not my first home. But hopefully, it will be my last. I also admit to being a "foodie," and since my writing career trots me all over the globe, I love discovering the cuisine of each place I travel. So, when I moved here seven years ago, my first question was, "How's the food?"

It's a common query, whether you're just visiting or settled—where to find the juiciest new burger? The shaken, not stirred martini? The barbeque with the most soul? Unlike other cities I'd visited, Boise had no culinary magazines or guides on where to eat. I learned by trial and sometimes, not so tasty errors.

We here at IdaHome Magazine decided to change that.

Today, the Treasure Valley is an open secret, sizzling with fantastic food and drink options. We have it all—from fresh, flown-in seafood to local Basque, Mexican, Italian, and Indian cuisine to elevated pub food served with pitch-perfect homegrown potatoes, freshly brewed beer, and awardwinning wines.

Forget trial and error for breakfast or dinner! Every issue of IdaHome FLAVOR will explore the Treasure Valley's best restaurants, wineries, and breweries, along with the chefs and entrepreneurs behind the doors that welcome you to the tastiest fare found in America's hidden gem, tucked like a pearl inside an oyster called Idaho.

My job is to make your mouth water! So let's eat!

P.S. - Let me know if you've got that perfect name for Idaho's ice cream flavor!

April Neale Editor

BOISE: City of Bakeries

BY RASE PHOTOGRAPHY

Sunshine Spice Bakery & Cafe — Lemon Tart

PHOTO

PHOTO BY NATALIE MARTIN

By Bonnie Trounson Alexander

Thename of our fair capital city is derived from the French word for trees, bois, by the early French fur trap pers amazed at the number of trees in the river valley. Fast forward 150 years, and newcomers might consider re-naming the City of Trees to a derivative of the French word boulangerie or pâtisserie because of our plethora of amazing bakeries.

Unlike France, where pastry shops and bread bakeries operate as separate businesses, Boise has a myriad of bakery business models and each one puts a tasty stamp on the culture and quality of life in the city we love.

There is no “best” bakery in Boise. That would be like saying there is a “best fish in the ocean.” With this in mind, I explored the bakery scene to find specialty niches,

BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

but my findings are by no means compre hensive. Continue reading at your own risk of massively delicious calorie intake.

BIG CITY COFFEE & CAFE - located on funky Grove Street in the downtown Linen District, Big City has a breakfast following of devoted no-scone-is-toobig believers. Idaho may be famous for potatoes, but many could argue that their cinnamon buns should be on our license plates. Big City’s variety of scones boggles the mind, with flavors including Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Peach Oat, and Mixed Berry. Farm-inspired breakfast and lunch selections are all made fresh to order. Factor in a wait time while soaking up the local charm of ravenous patrons rubbing elbows at long wooden tables. Local or not, you’ll feel like you belong here.

PASTRY PERFECTION - in Garden City on Glenwood Street across from the fairgrounds, Pastry Perfection has a firm foothold on Back to the Future baked goods. Nothing artisanal here, but there are long glass display cases that you walk along and a friendly aproned lady with a hair net who carefully places your selections in a white cardboard box. Folks hankering for donuts from their child hood will find bear claws, maple bars, assorted cake, creme, and fruit-filled op tions that taste like they have been freshly transported in time from 1965. The iced sugar cookies are addictive with a hint of almond in each soft yet crunchy bite. For a full service bakery brimming with nos talgia, Pastry Perfection is the real deal.

ALYONKA RUSSIAN CUISINE - a full service restaurant on West State Street that offers a small selection of handmade desserts from a rich heritage of Eastern European recipes. Most patrons come to the restaurant to dine on the award-win ning menu. But don’t be afraid to drop by to grab desserts to go from the pastry case at the entrance. Alyonka’s Honey Cake is an engineering marvel with ten layers of alternating hand rolled crust and rich filling. Sweet Vodka Balls made with real Russian vodka taste like an indulgence a czar would approve.The Royal Poppy Seed Chocolate Ganache Cake is another over-the-top culinary creation with layers

of creamy ganache and super soft, moist cake layers. Feel free to indulge.

CERTIFIED KITCHEN + BAKERYtucked in historic Hyde Park, this is the perfect fit for North End patrons who put their money where their mouths are when it comes to purchasing fresh, delicious, “made from scratch with love” edibles. Many of the recipes come straight from Grandma Ya Ya’s kitchen and are made daily in small batches to ensure freshness. For the best breakfast sandwich you may ever eat, order one of their signature egg sandwiches made with 55-year-old sourdough starter. Try a generous slice of their Criminal Carrot Cake. Comfort food anyone? Chocolate Chip Star Cookies fit the bill along with handmade brownies, breads, and assorted sweets. A trip to Cer tified is like a hug from your Ya Ya.

GASTON’S BAKERY AND MILLnestled in an obscure warehouse just off Overland Road on the Bench, Gaston’s is more a bread factory than a bake shop. Look for a green John Deere tractor, metal cone-roofed flour silos, and a fleet of snappy delivery vans. Gaston’s procures Idaho wheat then mills it, onsite, to pro duce a fiber-rich and flavorful flour with no artificial ingredients or bleach. Ardent French foodies will find a beautiful selection of sweet and savory croissants, flavorful breads, and desserts in a tiny retail counter at the front of the bakery. The sign outside welcomes walk-ins, so be prepared to walk out with a treasure trove of crafted bread goods. C’est la vie!

SUNSHINE SPICE BAKERY & CAFE - on Fairview Avenue, Sunshine Spice brings a stylish, international, Afghan-in spired flare to lucky Boise food enthusi asts. Pistachio baklava, saffron cookies, and Turkish bagels set the tone. The beautiful artistry of the baked goods on display is set against the backdrop of orig inal fine artwork from local artists. Fresh from the kitchen, order a savory breakfast or lunch entry of Afghan dumplings or stuffed bread. Come for the food, but linger over saffron tea or a Turkish coffee. All of the specialty coffees arrive in an ornate metal cup holder with a lid and jeweled spoon served on a matching tray - a truly foreign experience.

Alyonka Russian Cuisine — Honey Cake

Big City Coffee and Cafe

PHOTO

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

Certified Kitchen + Bakery — Signature Egg Sandwich

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY BONNIE ALEXANDER

PHOTO BY RASE PHOTOGRAPHY

CELEBRITY

ANDREW ZIMMERN’S WILD GAME KITCHEN

By April Neale

Famous chefs are everywhere, but the relevant ones keep it interesting, reinventing themselves—fueled not only by their love of good food, but of their interest in people and culture that inform their projects on television and beyond. Chef Andrew Zimmern’s new series, “Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen” on the Outdoor Channel, is the latest from the man who has given us “Bizarre Foods,” “Delicious Destinations,” and so many more hit series via his Intuitive Content production company. Intuitive in that the content Zimmern produces is valuable and plugs seamlessly into daily life for the end user with a widely accessible infotainment factor.

“Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen” is a technique builder for those who perk up during tailgate season, want to cook wild game from a hunting trip, or forage off the land. “Wild Game Kitchen” has a distinctly rustic huntsman feel. Zimmern shows you how to manage the heat fields and the coals of an outdoor grill, cook wild game, or try foraged vege tation. He’s all charisma and a natural people person who pays attention to every detail as he gives tips for sourcing, butchering, and preparing surprisingly easy yet elevated meals. For Zim mern, simple is always best when you have great ingredients.

Zimmern has stayed away from stir and dump shows, in formed years ago by a colleague who told him to “be the only” in food TV. “There are some great hunting and fishing outdoor shows where cooking takes place, but not at the level sufficient to excite many people who are firmly planted in the modern food and cooking revolution,” he said.

He hopes to appeal to an urbanite who would never think to cook pheasant or grill at a level that might be intimidating initially. “There are a lot of shows that teach people to cook over live fire. So what’s the ‘only’ for me? Well, the ‘only’ for me is that I’m doing it in a very food-forward way with wild meat,” he said. “Now I don’t want to turn off anyone. I want this show to appeal to people who live in a brownstone in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and people who live out on the planes in South Dako ta that hunt at night for their meals as often as possible.”

Idaho and the Pacific Northwest are familiar grounds for Zimmern, a hunter and sport fisherman. “The first time I ever went hunting was in college—deer hunting at my friend’s family’s farm up in Western New York—and I loved it. Then, two years later, I went goose hunting with my friend, Nathaniel Kramer, out on Long Island for the first time. I loved that too, and I never stopped,” he said. “We hunted every season for about ten years until I moved to Minnesota. And then I got here with love for it. When I opened my French bistro restaurant, we had guests who would say to me, ‘Hey, what are you doing this weekend?’ And I would tell them that we’re going down to Iowa–pheasant hunting.”

Chef Andrew Zimmern cooks outdoors in his new series, Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen for the Outdoor Channel.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE OUTDOOR CHANNEL

This revelation from Zimmern would lead to invitations from his patrons to accompany him, as everyone loves a dedicated chef at the party. But, he quipped, “Everyone wants to bring chefs hunting because the hope is that their buddy won’t throw the pheasants in the Crockpot.”

Another tenet of the new series is channeling the classic French housewife philosophy of not letting anything go to waste in the kitchen, which Zimmern strongly believes in. “I don’t throw anything away. And this allows me to talk about con cepts of waste. And how you can get more out of your kitchen, which saves money. We’re all cost-conscious,” he said. “On these [hunting] trips, I would spend all afternoon and evening in the kitchen making dinner. And frequently, especially with the little ducks, [my hunting group] would breast them out after hanging them and then throw away the rest of the carcass. And I would say, ‘Wait for a second! We can make duck stock with that! We can braise the legs and make a curry with it, and everybody can take home duck confit to use all year long. Or shred the meat for hash the next morning.’”

Above all, Zimmern wants to see people try and experiment with outdoor cooking to see what they can accomplish. “I try to create simple recipes. They may look fancy, but they have a limited number of ingredients, found anywhere or sent to you online. Another pillar of the show is that you can make every

recipe with a wild product or something you got at your super market,” he said. “For example, the pheasant recipe with the apple brandy, the apples, apple cider vinegar, pan-seared meat, and then braised for 20 minutes in a quick pan sauce poured over the pheasant breast. You can do that recipe with chicken or quail, duck or turkey pieces—whatever you like. You can do the bison recipe with beef, pork tenderloin, or even swordfish. It’s the principle of it. So that means on ‘Wild Game Kitchen,’ I have to explain the cooking technique very well, and I love passing on that expertise.”

Zimmern’s new series for the Outdoor Channel takes the mystique out of outdoor cooking techniques for preparing any game or fish with simple yet elevated recipes.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE OUTDOOR CHANNEL

Spicy Fried Bison Bites With Two Dipping Sauces

by Andrew Zimmern

THE BISON

• Cut several pounds of bison into 1 inch to 1.5 inch cubes (al low for 8-10 ounces per person as a game day snack or lunch item). Let the meat come to room temperature.

• Toss generously to coat with spice mix and let sit for 10 min utes.

• Fry the meat in several quarts of oil heated to 400 degrees without crowding the pan (work in batches, if needed). In just a few minutes, the cubes will develop a great crust and be almost medium rare.

• Fish out the batches when they are medium rare at most and toss with more of the seasoning blend. Set aside to keep warm and serve with the two sauces.

THE SEASONING BLEND

• Make this batch of versatile seasoning blend and keep on hand for noodles, stir fries, etc.

5T Sichuan peppercorns

8T cumin seeds

3T fennel seeds

4T coriander seeds

3T white peppercorns

2T ground cinnamon

2T sea salt

1/3 cup dried chiles (arbols are readily available and work well)

• Combine everything but cinnamon and salt in a small pan and toast over medium heat.

• Pulse to grind well in a spice grinder, adding the cinnamon and salt.

HUNAN PEANUT SAUCE

¼ cup roasted ground peanuts

2T peanut oil

3 minced garlic cloves

1T hot chili paste

4T tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth

1 t sugar

2T peanut butter

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1 fresh red chili, seeded and thinly sliced

• Heat the oil in a small pan and add the garlic, chili paste, and tomato paste. Fry until the garlic turns light golden brown.

• Add the broth, peanut butter, hoisin, and sugar and simmer for 3 minutes.

• Cool and add the peanuts and chiles.

TAMARIND SAUCE

2 bunches fresh cilantro

2 bunches fresh mint

3T lime juice

½ cup tamarind purée

2 tsp sea salt

3T brown sugar

1 jalapeno chile

• Purée in a blender by pulsing until just homogenous; don’t over mix.

• Taste and adjust for tamarind/sweetness and salt.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW ZIMMERN

Treasure Valley Restaurant Guide

Photo by Lum3

CHEF RENO RODRIGUEZ: Seafood Master

By April Neale

Becoming a chef takes focus and years of time, training, and practice, not to men tion being lucky enough to have a fabulous mentor in the kitchen who breathes wind into your creative sails. Anthony’s, the Pa cific Northwest’s high-end restaurant group with a newer location in Boise, found that particular person in Chef Reno Rodriguez.

Chef Reno Rodriguez earned his Culinary Arts Degree from the California School of Culinary Arts’ Le Cordon Bleu Program. Fortuitously, he was hired out of culinary school by celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi, at which point he honed his skills in pairing seafood with local ingredients. Yamaguchi made a mark on Reno, who said: “Chef Roy Yamaguchi [of Roy’s Restaurant fame] worked hard to get to where he was and had a lot of pride in that. You sensed it when you met him or when you spoke with him. Roy was very culinary driven and was a big supporter of the back of the house.” The camaraderie extended past business hours, according to Reno. “Roy was one of the most personable chefs to get along with and was one of those guys—when it was time for business, we handled it. Then, when that day was done, he’d invite all the cooks and chefs to his table to have a glass of wine and wrap up the night. He was just really down to earth and understood culinary culture.”

Chef Reno Rodriguez PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANTHONY’S

Chef Reno also trained through immer sive travel, especially throughout the Ibe rian peninsula and the Spanish Pyrennees. That travel, combined with the exposure to his noted mentor, was the perfect resumé that appealed to Chef Pat Donahue, who interviewed Chef Reno for a new appoint

ment at Anthony’s in the JUMP Center. By then, Reno had spent a good amount of time in Spain and Las Vegas working in fast-paced environments, but he was ready to click it down and wanted a more wholesome place for his kids to thrive. Anthony’s Chef Donahue recognized that level of exposure, training, and expertise in Reno when he interviewed him for the new position in Boise. “I met Chef Pat, our cor porate chef,” Reno says. “From there, It was nice to see how family-centric this restau rant is, which is just a complete change from what I was used to.”

The menu at Anthony’s boasts dishes that resonate with all that Chef Reno magic, featuring new and exciting dishes that he cannot wait for you to try. “I have been here for a year now and have pivoted to the direction of our clientele who want that upscale feel, and we’ve added things like the seafood towers, crab cakes, and larger lobsters sought after. There’s a significant de mand for that here, which I wasn’t expecting when I arrived in Boise.”

The holiday hustle and bustle downtown is another factor in his menu planning. “Small plates are a lot of fun, especial ly during the holidays. People are out shopping for the holidays and might want to come in and warm up and have a cocktail,” Chef Reno said. “Smaller plates allow everyone to try something a little bit different. Like our Ahi Nachos with that Pacific Rim flavor without committing to a full entree—everybody can share with those. Especially around the holiday time, it’s a lot more fun to do, especially some thing a little richer to savor.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANTHONY’S

Tailgating with Bronco Nation

Photos by Karen Day

When in Boise, you can tour 50 states in three hours in the parking lot outside the BSU football stadium. In other words, welcome to tailgating Idaho style. Philly cheese steaks, baked potato salad, bratwurst, even potstickers—in this town, college football is as much about great food, cold beer, and orange and blue camaraderie as Bronco touchdowns. Sun or snow, tricked-out vans, gustatory toasts, and big screen TVs abound with multigenerational devotees gathering many hours before the first kick-off. The point is never about eating a meal out of a parked vehicle—it’s more a celebratory lifestyle that is purely American. At this party, nobody is in a bad mood and nobody goes hungry. Everyone is glad to see you—even if you’ve never met them. Welcome to Bronco Nation. Time to eat!

“Tailgating is all about being with family and friends, sharing the excitement of the pre-game and food. We have three generations here—our grandkids, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas—all of us love to see the band, the cheerleaders and high-five the players. We got lucky with this sweet spot with our season tickets. The people tailgating over next to Broadway have had their places for 30 years!” said Erica Larson, recent BSU graduate, pictured with her mother, Michelle. “We have been tailgating with our family for four years and plan to keep going for many more Bronco seasons!” she added.

Dusty Scudder believes that the best part of tailgating is the people—oh, and the football. His dad coached youth football for 20 years, so he’s been around it in some way most of his life. In 1964, Scudder attended his first Boise State Junior College game with his father, now 91. “It’s a real community,” he said. “And my dad still loves BSU football.”

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

COCKTAILS FOR A CAUSE

44° North Vodka Partners with FARE Idaho to Support Idaho’s Independent Food and Beverage Businesses

By Tim Atwell

“No amount of physical contact could match the healing powers of a well made cocktail,” humorist David Sedaris once wrote. This fall, cocktails’ healing powers were di rected toward Idaho’s independent food and beverage businesses during Cocktails for a Cause.

The three-day fundraiser generated money to help indepen dent businesses recover from pandemic aftershocks and move toward a brighter future. 44° North Vodka partnered with bars and restaurants statewide to host the event and raise money for FARE Idaho, a non-profit dedicated to helping Idaho’s indepen dent businesses.

During Cocktails for a Cause, bartenders created their own well made cocktails highlighting 44° North Vodka and its sig nature Idaho ingredients: potatoes, wheat, and huckleberries, to name a few. For each cocktail sold, 44° North Vodka matched a one dollar donation from participating locations.

“The establishment donates a dollar, and then we donate a dol lar. We’re contributing up to $10,000,” said Jaclyn Padgett, Vice President of Business Development and Client Relations at 44° North Vodka. “Our distillery is here in Idaho. Our offices and a majority of our staff are here as well. We’re very big into support ing our community. If we can help someone else do more, we’re happy to do that.”

Bardenay – Huckleberry Infusion

PHOTO BY JESSE RODRIGUEZ

Chandlers – Huckleberry Mule

PHOTO BY JESSE RODRIGUEZ

FARE Idaho is a non-profit trade association that unites and advocates for the state’s independent restaurants, family farms, retailers, and producers of food and beverage. Inspiration for the non-profit occurred at the beginning of the pandem ic, when small businesses faced major disruptions to their operations.

“When the pandemic hit, about 180 independent food and beverage estab lishments got together, really concerned. How are we going to navigate the pan demic? Are we going to lose our busi nesses? What’s this going to look like in six months?” said Katie Baker, Executive Director at FARE Idaho. “There’s a realiza tion: we don’t have a trade association that represents our interests.”

Baker joined the conversation in April 2020, driven by a desire to help farmers and other small business owners. Prior to joining FARE, Baker and her children vol unteered at Idaho’s Bounty to help package small farmers’ meat and produce for retail consumption.

“Some people look up to celebrities or authors. For me, it was always farmers,” said Baker. “They steward and they have such care for the animals and the land… they’re kind of the unsung heroes of our food system.”

Baker stepped into her role at FARE when she saw that her heroes needed help. The small farms and businesses that provided bounty to local communities were struggling, throttled by supply chain issues, staffing shortages, and closures.

In the midst of turmoil at the beginning of the pandemic, farms, restaurants, bars, and other independent businesses con vened to discuss the problems they faced. In doing so, they discovered a shared set of challenges under which they could unite.

“It’s a way to help so many people…all the way from farm to table. It helps so many different types of businesses in which we’re involved, in which we utilize our Idaho economies.”

Amsterdam Lounge –(Left to right) French 44, Rowdy Kate, Nectarine Blossom

PHOTO BY JESSE RODRIGUEZ

“We decided to structure our organiza tion around the local food system because one of our goals was to build a more resilient food system, and we couldn’t see a path forward to do that if they were just an independent restaurant group or just a farm group,” said Baker. “We had to con nect these people somehow.”

FARE Idaho’s goal is to build a strong community of independent businesses who can support each other and advocate for a set of shared interests. Members of the non-profit pay an annual fee to be a part of the community and gain access to a range of benefits including discounted services, legal consultations, and a connection to the FARE network of independent business owners.

What started as a conversation has since turned into a movement. In a little over two years since first meeting, FARE Idaho has helped connect and amplify the voices of Idaho’s independent business owners to build community and drive systemic change.

44° North Vodka is a member of FARE Idaho, with a vested interest in the success of the community. They committed to match donations from Cocktails for a Cause and support their fellow independent businesses after experiencing firsthand the positive effects of the movement.

“It’s a way to help so many people…all the way from farm to table,” said Padgett. “It helps so many different types of businesses in which we’re involved, in which we utilize our Idaho economies. It is important for us [44° North Vodka] to be a part of this.”

Farm-to-table will be the theme of FARE Idaho’s next event, the Field-to-Fork Festival, which is scheduled for January 19 at Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) in downtown Boise. The event is open to the public and will feature educational sessions, panel discussions, and chef-led classes to celebrate Idaho’s farmers, ranchers, and food producers.

While David Sedaris may have found healing through a well made cocktail, the members of FARE have found healing through community. Together, independent food and beverage businesses have bonded to rebound from the pandemic and build a better path forward.

As Baker put it, “We’re finally bringing everyone together.”

The Modern – Nectarine Mule

PHOTO BY JESSE RODRIGUEZ

The Modern – Cherry Mocha Martini

PHOTO BY JESSE RODRIGUEZ

THE Original HUCKLEBERRY VODKA

44º North® Mountain Huckleberry Flavored Vodka is the original huckleberry vodka—the first to tame the wild state fruit of Idaho. It’s the ideal spirit for drinking chilled, straight-up, on the rocks, or in a delicious huckleberry lemonade.

MOUNTAIN HUCKLEBERRY

BETTER THAN BIGFOOT: Searching for Idaho Huckleberries

By Heather Hamilton-Post

Idaho’s huckleberries grow in secret places, spots of wilderness so thick, so offroad, so hidden, that you’d be hard pressed to find them, even if you knew exactly where to look. And that’s just the thing—you probably don’t. True con noisseurs will never reveal their prime picking locations, even to friends. You’ll see this reflected in the price of huckle berries, should you stumble upon them at a roadside fruit stand, protected in old ice cream containers in the chest freezer, intentionally set back behind the person manning the produce stand.

I am a native Idahoan, which essen tially means that I was born knowing where to find huckleberries, or it feels that way. Some of my first memories are of camping—sleeping in a tent too small for a family of five, our jeans in the bottom of our sleeping bags so we’d wake to warm pants. There are photographs of my sisters and me taken just hours after we’d arrived at our camp spot, covered in dirt but for the whites of our eyes.

On these wilderness vacations, the only kind we ever took, my mother made my sisters and I pick huckleberries until our fingers turned the exotic royal purple of Idaho’s state fruit, the berries rolling from the bottoms of the leaves and dropping into the margarine tubs we carried as baskets. The bottom of a huckleberry forms a tiny target, dark lines cascading into perfect swirls, tiny berries that built slow piles as my sisters and I begged for relief,

the river

“I’m Your Huckleberry,” the oftquoted line from Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holliday in the 1993 movie, TOMBSTONE— and the title of Kilmer’s recent memoir—is as much of an enigma as the fruit itself. You might be surprised to learn Doc Holliday spoke the line in real life too. FYI: the old Southern slang usage of huckleberry meant, “the right person for the job.”

HUCKLEBERRIES

PHOTO BY MONIKA GRABKOWSKA

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLLYWOOD PICTURES

just a full bucket—the cost of playtime— away. Anyone who picks will tell you the same—it is hard work, but it is worth it.

Curious about why this berry holds such value as an adult, I performed an obligatory internet search. The huckleberry, despite years of work by university scientists, has never been fully domesticated. Propagation and repeated efforts to combine seedlings that produce an abundance of healthy fruit have proved futile. The huckleberry exists in the space between nature and nurture— exceedingly rare, and unable to be culti vated. When genetic vulnerabilities couple with environmental stressors, something significant begins to manifest itself, span ning generations like baldness or blue eyes, incapable of being fully tamed.

My mother, who instilled in me a love of all things wild, inevitably calls me when she sees huckleberries for sale to remark on how unbelievable it is, some version of we should have sold huckle berries to pay for your college. I don’t disagree—growing up, I was made to pick them anyway, and it would have been wise to turn a profit, although I’m grateful to have those memories unsullied by capitalism. Still, pound for pound, the purple berry is way more valuable than most of the cars I’ve owned in my life.

The spots where we pick, say some where around McCall, are sometimes

discovered, which takes them off of our list as they grow in popularity. Others re main mostly untouched, or the bushes are fruitful enough to fill all of our buckets. We’ll pack a picnic and make a day of it, my mother and all her children and their children with purple stained fingertips.

That wildness is why we (and other pickers) come back, year after year—a drive that feels fundamental to me, a sort of Idaho coming of age story, my own feral children with juice dripping down their faces as they work their way toward the water.

And after the summer has passed, we’ll ration huckleberries into our cereal or Saturday pancakes year round, care ful to leave enough in the bucket for

a rainy day or dry year. Half the thrill is the hunt, certainly, but the allure of the berry is real too, and, if we’ve had a particularly good season, we’ll splurge on something like a huckleberry buckle, which highlights the berries’ sweetness and impresses all our friends, who just might understand the hype once they’ve sampled the fruit.

Though there have been several report ed (and I use this word loosely) bigfoot sightings in Idaho, campers are unwilling to pinpoint the exact location, which, I can only assume, is to protect their picking spot. I don’t blame them. Given the choice between internet fame and a shady spot to harvest Idaho’s favorite berry, I’ll keep the secret too.

Huckleberries and grizzlies often reside together in the wilderness.

Warm huckleberry crisp with ice cream is worth the search for your own private Idaho berry patch.

PHOTO BY JOHN THOMAS

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

RAISE A GLASS

Idaho Wine Lover’s Guide

PHOTO BY KELSEY CHANCE

IDAHO, winemaking grandfather. His small and long tradition offering of drinking it as

Family

IDAHO, winemaking His small long tradition offering of drinking it as

Family

Wednesdays & Thursdays

12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sundays 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

OPEN WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 152 E. 52ND ST GARDEN CITY, IDAHO

URBAN TASTING ROOM

152 E. 52nd St. Garden City, Idaho (208) 948-3136

ROLLINGHILLSVINEYARD.COM

CHOW DOWN IN THE MOUNTAINS

PHOTO BY TIMOTHY EBERLY

By Arianna Creteau

Back in 2006, the same day that Mitch Camacho graduated from culinary school, he entered and won his first cooking competition. This year, Camacho won his second competition.

“Anyone can cook, but not everybody can make it great,” said Camacho. A sous chef at Tamarack Resort’s critical ly-acclaimed mountain restaurant, The Reserve, Camacho brings to the table years of diverse culinary experience and a guaranteed good meal.

When he was 18 years old, Camacho’s love of food landed him his first job cooking in a restaurant. The youngest of four siblings, he found himself mostly in the kitchen experimenting. His passion at a young age made him highly moti vated when it came time to break into the food industry. “It intrigued me and I wanted to be better. When I started cooking professionally, I took to it really fast,” said Camacho. “I don’t have a spe cial style of cooking. I know that sounds weird, but as long as a dish allows me to be creative, I love making the dish.”

In September, at the Shamrock Foods Expo, Camacho and his sous chef Chas Thompson participated in the Fired Up Challenge to create a sophisticated dish in just 30 minutes using a mystery bag of ingredients. Drum roll please! The bag contained bison, striped bass, broccoli, garlic, sour cream, olive oil, coffee, and Calabrian chili peppers. This was only the second competition Camacho had participated in, but he proved the years behind the stove had taught him well.

“It’s almost like second nature. Being a cook for so long, if you have ingre dients, you know how to utilize them,” said Camacho. With no preparation, he pulled off a coffee-rubbed bison, a Cal abrian chili-marinated striped bass with an espresso balsamic crema, and Calabri an chili cream with roasted broccoli and blistered shishito peppers.

“Before we opened the bags, I was in a panic and doubting myself,” said Cama cho. Working with single burners and no oven, the first thing to cook was the meat. The sauces and rubs came next. Cooking

THE CHAMPION CHEF OF TAMARACK

with bison was familiar but before the competition, he had only worked with Ca labrian chili once before. Time was quickly running out quickly and after 12 minutes passed it seemed like nothing had been done. But they made it. When it came

time to judge, Camacho was last in line to present. It was nerve-wracking to watch as the judges reacted but because they kept returning to his plate it became obvious to Camacho that he was a contender to win. And he did. “I think the celebratory hug

Chef Mitch cooks like a champion at The Reserve restaurant at Tamarack Resort.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMARACK RESORT

was probably the best celebration out of it all,” said Camacho. He returned home with a very nice cleaver and $500.

Camacho moved to Idaho for a fresh start and a chance to expand his creativ

ity. At The Reserve, Camacho has long days to execute thoughtfully curated dishes with a full team by his side. He doesn’t search for competitions to enter, but it seems like Camacho is one chef

you wouldn’t want as your competitor.

“It’s not rocket science, it’s only food,” said Camacho. So says the champion.

Try a taste of The Reserve at home with their Pork Shank Ragu recipe:

Pork Shank Ragu

3 pork shanks 3 yellow onions, peeled and quartered 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 10 garlic cloves, smashed 2 bay leaves 5 sprigs rosemary 5 sprigs thyme

1 quart beef stock

1 gallon water

1 cup red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

• Oil and season the shanks with salt and pepper.

• Roast at 450 for about 45 minutes.

• Deglaze the pan with the red wine and let reduce to au sec (nearly dry).

• Heat a rondeau pan with 1 cup of olive oil.

• Once hot, roast the mirepoix (carrots, onion, and celery).

• Once the onions start to caramelize, add the tomato paste, beef stock, and water.

• Arrange the shanks into the pan, making sure the liquid covers them slightly.

• Let simmer for 3-4 hours.

• Pull the meat off the shanks.

• Reserve the braising liquid.

4 oz pork shank

2 tablespoons red onions, diced

4 oz wild mushrooms, torn

1 tablespoon red wine

2 oz of pork jus

4 oz tomato sauce (preferably homemade)

1 teaspoon sour cream

8 oz fresh pappardelle pasta Pecorino Romano cheese

• Heat a sauté pan over high heat.

• Add onions and mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes.

• Deglaze with the red wine and pork jus and let reduce by ¼.

• Add tomato sauce and pork shank meat.

• Add in the pappardelle and the sour cream and toss.

• Season with salt and pepper.

• Top with pecorino romano cheese and serve.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMARACK RESORT

COCKTAILS R-US

PHOTO BY RICK BARRET

Modern and Classic Cocktails, Oysters, and Small Plates at the Corner of 9th & Jefferson in Downtown Boise www.waterbearbar.com

Photo by Thistle & Pine Creative

COCKTAILS-R-US

Jessica Verdin and Emily Olive toured the town to taste Boise’s best signature cocktails—it’s a tough job, but somebody had to drink it!

Photos by Karen Day

Ladies lunch at THE LIVELY with colorful cocktails. The deep purple is on the menu of temperance (non-alcoholic) offerings and called Profit & Loss. Their Greyhound’s Tooth gives an orange swirl to a tradition!

THE CHATEAU in Eagle offers an extensive sampling of superior wines, including their own Rhogani Vineyards private label. Enjoy a brie en croute and their crisp Chardonnay in royal surroundings.

A classic Harvest Old Fashioned is a “must taste” at TRILLIUM restaurant in the Grove Hotel. Not to be missed is their signature cocktail, Pear N Dippity.

Baby, it’s cold outside and a Roasted Pear Martini at ANTHONY’S will keep you warm. Happy hours are always tasty with the freshest Northwest oysters and a Champagne Kir.

CHANDLERS may be famous for steaks, but their award-winning, ten-minute martini is cool and slow and perfect, neither shaken or stirred.

family owned and operated since 2015