Chef Gary Jones gives us a sneak peek of his new French restaurant, Provencal.

Provençal

Chef Gary Jones is committed to culinary excellence. It has been the driving force behind a journey that started right here in Chico and boomeranged to Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and back. He has worked with and alongside four separate Michelin-Star Chefs, including Craig Hopson from Le Cirque in New York and Richard Chen from the Wynn in Las Vegas; helped open a number of notable restaurants including Gitane in San Francisco; regionally managed fine dining and steak house restaurants throughout Southern California; and cooked for a number of A-list celebrities including Elton John, Stevie Nicks, and Willie Nelson. It is fair to say the man lives for the kitchen—even the art on his arms is a constant reminder of the career path he’s chosen.

After meeting his wife, Ani, who also happens to be a chef, the two decided it was time to return to Chico and bring the wealth of knowledge earned from those experiences on the road back to the city where his journey began. The convocation of his experiences are being put to work in the opening of his new French restaurant, Provençal, in Downtown Chico.

“I wanted to open a French restaurant, because we’ve never really had anything close to a true French restaurant here.” Chef Gary said, “Provençal will open a new avenue for people to visit Downtown Chico and be introduced to something completely new. At the same time, we’re keeping our options open to allow room to incorporate new items as they become available. We’re keeping our menu ‘ambiguously French’ to allow us to execute dishes that aren’t necessarily traditional.”

Availability will play a huge role in the dayto-day program at Provençal. Chef Gary has elected to operate with a living menu rather than the static ones we are normally familiar with in Chico. The menus will change, even daily, based on the availability of ingredients, creating a novel experience with each visit. “If I see morel mushrooms, I want to be able to change the menu to incorporate them.” He said, “As chefs, we often make our decisions based on factors that are only applicable in the moment and can change significantly over time. Having a menu that is meant to span an entire season relies on everything staying the same, which is almost never the case. A living menu allows us to make the best choices for our recipes as they become available, therefore providing the best possible experience to our guests.” Dark, moody colors set the tone for an intimate dining environment, juxtaposed with mirrors covering the walls and ceiling. Ornate glass chandeliers hang delicately throughout the restaurant, leading the way to romantic private tables nested inside high-back tufted booths. In fact, there isn’t a single chair in the house, save for the six seats that sidle up to the small bar. Even the two-tops are situated in private booths.

With a total of 38 seats, you feel as if you’ve stumbled onto something truly special at Provençal, and one look at the menu, uniquely presented itself, will prove your suspicions. It is, without a doubt, the most thoughtful presentation in town, and it’s only the start of your dining experience.

Provençal is a reservation-only dinner experience and can be booked by visiting www.provencalchico.com. Chef Gary plans on adding a Saturday morning French café opening to complement the nearby Saturday Morning Farmers Market, complete with croissants, profiteroles, eclairs, coffee, and other French baked goods. On Sunday, they will serve a four-course full-service brunch with bottomless champagne. It is unquestionably a restaurant we cannot wait to experience for ourselves.

Couscous for you!

It's pasta, it's rice—I guess it's whatever you want it to be! Couscous is a delicious, light grain that can be used in numerous ways that will surely leave your taste buds happy. There are countless recipes that make good use of couscous, suggesting it become a staple of your kitchen pantry. This pasta-style grain can be the base for many great dishes, as it goes well with salads, fish, chicken, and vegetables. Couscous also does a great job complementing most flavors it comes in contact with.

In the world of grains, we have many different types of pasta which are used to cover a wide range of recipes and flavors. With over 300, the ceiling for new recipes is almost nonexistent. That being said, couscous manages to stand out, presenting itself as if it belongs in a completely separate category. The light, almost elastic feeling pasta, hints at it being a sibling to rice—but perhaps a distant relative due to its shape. Surprisingly, this is not the case at all. Couscous comes from the hard part of the durum (wheat), not to be confused with a durian, which is a fruit that looks like a porcupine and smells like rotten onions. Couscous is far more appealing. Originally used by the Berbers of Algeria between the 11th and 13th centuries, couscous is no rookie in the world of pasta. Throughout modern times, couscous has been used worldwide with ingenuity and elaborate recipes unique to each culture.

Even still, it is believed couscous has been around for millennia, as the oldest traces were found in graves from the 3rd century BC, though it is unclear how it was used. For some reason it took other cultures longer to appreciate the power it brings to any kitchen. French cuisine, for example, did not integrate couscous until the 20th century, and while they may have been late to the party, they sure made up for it, using the grain often in modern French cuisine.

Spicing up a recipe can often be a task in itself, and making something flavorful but also healthy is another mission altogether. Our good friend couscous makes it easier, as it is healthy, delicious, and the perfect binding agent for many meals. Next time, when you're searching for new inspirations and flavors, give couscous a try, as there are hundreds of recipes at your fingertips! One of my favorite meals is stuffed bell peppers with a spicy couscous. There are plenty more out there that are sure to please any palate and help you enjoy all the flavors life has to offer

This September, Go Nuts at the 2021 California Nut Festival!

Known as the region’s “crunchiest festival,” the California Nut Festival will return on Saturday, September 25 and takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the historic grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum in Durham.

With a focus on locally grown and produced foods and beverages from the North Valley, tree nuts such as almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, pecans and pistachios take center stage throughout the crowd-pleasing event. Each year, this spirited festival showcases plentiful gourmet food offerings, alwayspopular wine, beer and cider sampling, nut-inspired cooking demonstrations, a wonderful art show featuring talented local artists, and of course live musical entertainment on two outdoor stages.

Back by popular demand, 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). Three local chefs will be provided with a number of ingredients such as olive oil, nuts, honey, spices, sauces, beer and wine. To add to the fun, each chef will be able to bring some “secret” or special ingredients of their own to incorporate into their dish.

Not only is the culinary event fun to attend, it provides much needed support for the historic Patrick Ranch Museum. To date – and as a direct result of this event – $185,000 has been raised and donated to the Patrick Ranch Museum to preserve and interpret the agricultural history of the Sacramento Valley.

Tickets are on sale now via EventBrite, at the Tri Counties Bank location in Durham and inside the Patrick Ranch Museum Gift Shop. A program of the Patrick Ranch Museum, the 2021 California Nut Festival is proudly presented by the Far West Heritage Association and sponsored by California Olive Ranch, Enloe Medical Center, InterWest Insurance Services, LLC, PG&E, Rush Personnel Services, Tri Counties Bank, Farmers' Circle members, along with other dedicated local businesses and involved media partners.

General admission tickets to the California Nut Festival are $30 in advance or $35 the day of the event. While not geared for children, event tickets for children ages 7-12 are $10 and the event is free for children six and under. For more information about the 2021 California Nut Festival, please visit www.CaliforniaNutFestival.com, call 530892-1525 or connect via social media at www.facebook.com/nutfestival.

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) for numerous local hotel and bed and breakfast accommodations.