Let’s Get NuttY! the California Nut Festival Returns to Patrick Ranch Museum on May 13 TH

Celebrate springtime and the muchanticipated California Nut Festival when it returns on Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the historic grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum in Durham (near Chico).

With a focus on locally grown and produced foods and beverages from the North Valley, tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios take center stage at the crowd-pleasing event. Each year, this spirited festival showcases plentiful gourmet food offerings, always-popular wine, beer, cider and coffee sampling, nut-inspired cooking demonstrations, live music on two outdoor stages, a wonderful art display that features talented local artists (with lots of shopping opportunities) and much more.

As just one event highlight, there will be a spirited “Nutty Chef Competition” where festival attendees can watch as three local chefs compete on stage in succession for bragging rights and a trophy (that the winner can keep for a year). The chefs will be provided with a selection of ingredients – such as olive oil, nuts, honey, spices, sauces, beer, and wine – plus they will be able to bring some “secret” or special ingredients of their own. Chef participants will be announced at a later date.

While fun to attend, the culinary event provides much needed support for the historic Patrick Ranch Museum. To date – and as a direct result of this event –$205,000 has been donated to the Patrick Ranch Museum to preserve and interpret the agricultural history of the Sacramento Valley.

General admission tickets to the California Nut Festival are $35 in advance or $40 the day of the event. While not geared for children, event tickets for children ages 7-12 are $15 and the event is free for children six and under. Advance tickets are available via EventBrite.

To make the festival a weekend getaway for guests outside of the Chico area, the nearest airport is the Sacramento International Airport (90 minutes away) that offers shuttle services and rental car options. For travel options, visit the Chico Chamber of Commerce at www. ChicoChamber.com (click on Visitor Information/Places to Stay) or www. ExploreButteCounty.com for numerous local hotel and bed and breakfast accommodations, perfect for “staycation” ideas, too.

For more information about the 2023 California Nut Festival, please visit www.CaliforniaNutFestival.com, call 530-892-1525 or connect via social media at www.facebook.com/nutfestival.

If you’ve spent any time dining at Chico’s Morning Thunder Café, you’ve likely found yourself enamored with their consistency. From the food to their service, everything feels perfectly orchestrated, and rarely does such an experience materialize without an incredible leader. Dee Luna is exactly that and has been captaining the ship at Morning Thunder with a consistently warm smile for the past 30 years. It’s no surprise that the breakfast and lunch joint continues to be a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

Adenia “Dee” Luna moved to Chico with her mother at the age of two to live with her grandparents on their farm. Her mother remarried when she turned five, and the small family set out to live a nomadic lifestyle, searching for greener pastures wherever they could. The expedition led Dee all over California and Oregon, repeatedly moving away and returning, landing her at 22 different schools in total. “If there was one positive,” Dee said, “it’s that the constant moving taught me the valuable skill of being able to talk to anyone.”

Dee returned to Chico for college and quickly learned the ins and outs of the restaurant industry working at a number of local restaurants like Cozy Diner. She loved the opportunity to connect with residents and visitors but, as with many who share her level of tenacity, felt the call to be her own boss. She decided