Producer Saturday : Cocktail Culture
Saturday, March 28th marked the second Producer Saturday. On hand we had the fabulously spirited and ingenious Maxine Giammo to teach a lesson or two in mixology and flavor extraction science. And that she sure did.
Arriving promptly with a cheerful smile, a wealth of knowledge, and arms laden with citrus and quinine, Maxine got us off to a bubbling start. We began with some detailed history on quinine bark, citric acid, and tonic through the ages then proceeded to make a group batch of tonic water with each attendee contributing an ingredient, from freshly grated zest, to squeezed juice, to spices, water, etc.
Next we each made a bottle of limoncello. Some brought grapefruits, opting for pompelmocello, while others brought a last-of-the-season find of bergamot oranges thanks to the unique selection Bi-Rite Market oft has on hand. Soon we’ll be able to partake in the fruits of our labor as we’re nearing the two-week finishing mark of adding sugar (or sweetening agent of one’s choosing)! It’s super simple and makes a festive, seasonal and elegant gift for those dear.
Finally, we rounded out the afternoon with a lesson and experiment in flavor extraction. Maxine contributed some creative ideas from cacao nibs and jalapeno to cilantro and cardamom. All one needs is a nitrous oxide cartridge, whipped cream non-aerosol whipper, vodka, and the aromatic ingredient of curiosity. Et voila!
One of the attendees summed up the afternoon quite nicely; have a peek!
If you’d like to learn more or would like to get in touch with Maxine to have a lesson yourself, send a note: acuriouspalate[at]gmail[dot]com.
bake sale for japan
come out in support of japan!
samin nosrat, the local food & community leader, has coordinated a nationwide bake sale to assist with efforts for rebuilding japan. a handful of local rockstar locales are hosting….
come for a visit – i’ll be volunteering with the art sale at 18reasons! perfect for a stop to collect some baked sweets and savories from Bi-Rite!
The Biker Bar
We pulled it off. Dare I say without a hitch? The event was one-of-a-kind, actually, truly, as the bar will be closing permanently in a couple weeks. Inaugurating A Moose Bouche by way of the biker bar, glamour chef in town for the evening, a dedicated and polished staff, adventuresome and persevering herd of four moose, extraordinary performing local artists, and two seatings of eager and curious guests, the evening was spectacular. Here’s a glimpse . . . What’s next is yet to be determined, but know that we’re ideating, dreaming, and of course, amusing the palate.
all images courtesy of and credit to the talented Robin Jolin
Producer Saturday | 1
Well, it all started with a healthy dose of curiosity, determination, creative ingredient combining, and a passion for the home-made. Kraut and farmers cheese; that’s where we started. Friends and out of town guests alike came to test their wills with combining very basic ingredients–salt, cabbage, carrots, daikon, etc.–letting them sit for a bit, then packing into jars fist deep the fresh mixture that over the course of a few days’ (and weeks’) time would ferment and transform into this magically delicious, tangy, microbial-rich dish we call sauerkraut.
To be precise, Sandor Ellix Katz was my inspiration for this first foray into fermented foods. His book, Wild Fermentation, is a solid resource for the home experimenter (or professional for that matter) wanting a loose d.i.y. guide for fermenting anything from vegetables to dairy to grains to sugars. We gathered round the island and began chopping and salting, then moved on to packing while enjoying a couple krauts I’d prepared earlier that week. Yum!
Cheese-making followed, the process enveloping us all in a rich, ethereal aroma of a mixture of yeast, salt, fresh bread baking, and something I can’t quite wrap my love for linguistics quite across wafting from the pot as the curds separated from whey…
Here’s to an experiential and joyful inaugural Producer Saturday! Stay tuned for news of number two to come…
images courtesy nik daum
Who wants pink beer?
Bryan and Patrick of Pacific Brewing Labs know their beers. They also know their colors, and how to impart playfulness and beauty with them naturally in their artisan beer making. They produce a small handful of craft brews, including a couple saisons and IPAs.
On a recent evening at San Francisco Mission District’s 18 Reasons, Bryan and Patrick paired a full five course meal entirely with their beers, in fact. You may think beer with smoked Gulf Coast mackerel and delicate greens, or cauliflower and lemon sformato with poached squid, trumpet mushrooms and brown butter would be a stretch. No, not for the über talented and creative Morgan Maki of Bi-Rite Market. And beer with dessert? Check. Maki paired the orange hefeweizen with ice cream to finish the meal with an ice cream float. And, unique to this dinner, Maki designed the menu around the beers in order to highlight their varying hues, effervescences, and acidity levels.
What really makes Pac Brew Lab’s beers unique is their embrace of color and flavor with their beers. They produce a few pink, marigold yellow, and sherbet-orange beers, namely the hibiscus, grapefruit, orange & tangerine Saisons, the lemon and grapefruit IPAs, and the blood orange Hefeweizen. Patrick expresses that it’s as much fun playing with the concept of color–and people’s relationship with it with regard to experiencing food and the senses–as it is crafting the beer itself.
Capturing the evening through a lens of eloquence and grace was Berkeley-based photographer Nader Khouri. For a glimpse into the experience, have a glance through his recent work portfolio.
As for experiencing the beer firsthand, SF Beer Week has officially concluded, but thankfully Pac Brew Labs is here to stay. Stop in and pay these gents a visit for a saison before it’s the end of the season 🙂
A Moose Bouche Production
Friends & Colleagues….without further ado and with genteel pleasure I introduce you to A’Moose Bouche. Two weeks and counting….
GOOD FOOD awards
Well, it’s due time I give you my take on the highlights from this year’s first annual Good Food Awards. Held last month at San Francisco’s foodie-famed and beloved Ferry Building, the historic evening was a salute to and celebration of all the admirably genuine crafters in the artisanal national foodscape. Spearheaded by local organization Seedling Projects in collaboration with a handful of food producers, food writers, chefs, and passionate palates from across the country, the evening unfolded brilliantly.
A few exceptional winners amongst the following contest categories include:
coffee : Madcap Coffee Company – Hailing all the way from Grand Rapids, MI, Ryan Knapp and company are bringing you caffeine fanatics yet another reason to get your buzz on. Introducing Madcap Coffee Company, the guys bring us Los Lobos, an exquisite palate pleasing delicate, aromatic, clean and bright bean from Costa Rica. Los Lobos is a 100% Catturra varietal produced by the third generation coffee producing family of the Rio Jorco Estate. It’s available on their website, in Grand Rapids, and possibly at a cafe near you, and if not, maybe one day soon.
cheese : Nicasio Valley Cheese Company – Originally from Maggia, Switzerland, the Lafranchi family has been making cheese since 1919 in Nicasio, CA in western Marin, not too far from a handful of other foodie destinations definitely worth visiting. Make sure to visit their creamery next time you’re in the area. In the meantime, allow your palate to salivate while you contemplate which cheese will quickly become your preferred choice from their aptly named selections of Foggy Morning, Formagella, Halleck Creek, Loma Alta, Nicasio Reserve, and finally, my personal favorite for something strong, the Nicasio Square. It also happened to win the prize in the western region category. Take a moment also to read their history on their website, and, did you know they are California’s only certified organic farmstead cheesemakers?
Pt. Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company – It’s all about the milk they say. Well, I’ll say. The company’s classic Pt. Reyes Original Blue is a standard for any time craving a solid, well-rounded bleu. And, introduced last year and the company’s second cheese in production to date, make sure to give the Toma a try if you’ve yet to taste it. It’s a winner.
Though they weren’t finalists and I’ve no idea if they even entered the competition, a cheese definitely worth experiencing is Barely Buzzed, brought to us by Utah’s Beehive Cheese Co. You can generally find it at specialty cheese/food shops, and most certainly at Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in Austin, TX, where I first had the opportunity of being introduced. Love the cheese, love the folks behind the shop. They really know how to educate the palate. Immediately upon walking into the shop you’re greeted by the friendly staff – often owners Kendall and John – and given the opportunity to explore your palate for fromage, from extremely young and mild all the way to barely bearable stinky, with room of course for a multitude of herbs, aromatics, spices, rinds, washes, and ash along the way. Next time you’re in Austin, stop in and say hello, and until then, try some Barely Buzzed from your local cheesemonger.
preserves : Confituras – Small batch, locally sourced preserves that are perhaps one of the best preparations in which I have savored and enjoyed figs in my entire life. And I really like figs. This couple not only visited the City from the kick-ass local food scene town of Austin, TX for the weekend, they demoed their goods at the farmers market and showed us Bay Area foodies that not only do they rock a delicious, professional product, they have unique branding and marketing efforts that stand out. MOO handle cards and parchment mini-bags.
Plum Line Jams – Oh my goodness. This jam is perhaps the best, most simultaneously bold on the palate, delicately acidic, fruit forward jam I have ever tasted. The Damson Plum took home the prize and with good reason. Though jam maker Heidi Schlecht cans a handful of other fruits, including an array of heirloom plums, dry farmed tomatoes, blenheim apricots and other stone fruit this one stands out. Based out of Santa Cruz, CA you can order her jam, conserves and compotes online, or if you’re fortunate to live within the area, you can likely patron her with a visit or sign u pfor her monthly jam share.
chocolate : Rogue Chocolatier – Colin Gasko, Chocolate Maker. I love that title. Wouldn’t you want to have that following the comma on your business card? I know he and a healthy handful of other artisan chocolate crafters across the country do. Operating shop from Minneapolis, MN, Rogue Chocolatier makes some pretty impressive chocolate bars with equally pleasing wrappers. Taking the prize in this year’s category, the Sambirano single-origin from Madagascar sings true. And, these folks are especially close to my heart, as they’ve been working in Piura, Peru to bring us an extraordinary bar made from a very unique, white-bean cacao originating from a “nano-lot” of solely four bags of cacao from Juan Tirado’s 7.5 acre organic farm. The farm uses a unique single fermentation and drying cycle, resulting in an unparalleled bean quality and flavor profile.
Xocolatl de David – With an impressively bold product list including dragees of almonds & pimenton and hazelnuts & black truffle, chocolate bars of piment d’espelette, chicharron, and bacon caramel, and chocolates & confections of an array of rose hips, orange cardamom, chevre, pig’s blood, watermelon pickle, and vanilla brown butter, chocolatier David Briggs’ imagination for and creativity with chocolate confections is hardly reserved. Salted caramel took home the prize.
Patric Chocolate – The in – NIB – itable bar. Killer chocolate bar filled with nibs. Enough said.
a clever company, a clever fellow
Met William this past weekend of Tell Tale Preserve Co. Didn’t realize he was such hot stuff til I had a peek at his website & background. Wow. This is good though – he’s authentic and comes across as such. One genuinely passionate for his craft, William’s not merely starting a business for fame nor fancy, though his resume includes stints at Quince, apprenticeships in France, and a chunk of concentrated time at the Ritz-Carlton. William is entrepreneurial at every level too, whether it’s the philosophy behind Tell Tale (refer here to Edgar Allan Poe), the masculinity he’s infusing into pastry arts, or the CSA model while he patiently awaits opening retail doors, William’s on to something niche in the bay area…salut!
He’s no newcomer to the scene, either. Rather, Tell Tale Preserve Co. is the fruit literally of all of William’s experiences, experiments, dreams….the butter for his bread. In fact, he’s taking the craft of baking to unique status: marrying the concept of honoring traditional pastry technique alongside seasonality all with an eye for aesthetics and creativity in every facet – from packaging to displays, shapes and textures, explorative menu items including the morning bun with internally-baked-whole-sous vide-egg, angled appropriately to give the muffin a hint of artistic flair. With concept and theory references to Paris’ Pierre Herme and the goal of becoming SF’s equivalent, I’m sold!
Until doors open on quaint Maiden Lane, one can [luckily] find Tell Tale Preserve Co.’s goods at the Tuesday and Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market as well as his ‘trunk show pop-up’ in the charming eclectic Big Daddy’s Antiques in Dogpatch.
The Moderns: corporate culture gets re-inspired: nyc
Granted The Moderns stray a bit from food culture, they inspired me such that I want more and more to learn of them. Though their in-office chef does in fact create one-of-a-kind Manhattan Green Farmers Market inspired meals–she shops right before she cooks, with the market a few blocks away. With office-generated and harvested compost, onsite movement and collaboration classes, fresh herbs, teas, and glass bottled water, copious natural light flooding the office, Imagine-the-next Fridays team rejuvenation days, and an entire staff commuting car-less, corporate office culture is revolutionized building upon organic living principles. Have a look! We can all benefit from a little re-imagined possibility…
maggie spicer 
