![Red Door Desserts’ cookies are made by Saint John’s clients, who learn order management, inventory control, and packaging and shipping skills in addition to cookie recipes.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/plates_1.png?1647904301)
Cooking to Catharsis
Capital Region nonprofits empower women through culinary career training
Several local nonprofits are leading women to
self-sufficiency through a holistic approach, with culinary
training programs that arm them with transferable skills.
![(Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/hemly_graphic.png?1646956952)
Women in Leadership: Sarah Hemly
Our annual salute to extraordinary women breaking barriers and rising to the top
Sarah Hemly is the president of Hemly Cider, an
award-winning cider company that uses fruit from one of the
oldest family-run orchards in the Capital Region.
![(Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/elliot_graphic.png?1646954594)
Women in Leadership: Nicole Elliott
Our annual salute to extraordinary women breaking barriers and rising to the top
As director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, Nicole Elliot leads 400 employees through what is essentially a testing ground for future legislation. She describes her regulatory work in the new industry as “a massive social experiment.”
![Maria Fernanda Reyes wants growers around the globe to reap greater possibilities through technology.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0322_fotm_terenceduffy.jpg?1646341429)
Startup of the Month: FarmX
E-commerce platform empowers farmers
Fairfield-based FarmX enables farmers to sell directly to grocery chains and restaurants via its e-commerce platform.
![A new state law that went into effect Jan. 1 mandates all Californians and businesses recycle their food waste to reduce organic waste sent to landfills. (Photos courtesy of CalRecycle)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/white_pony_express_young_man_at_boxed_food_distribution_table.png?1646180893)
What a Waste
Californians throw away 11 billion pounds of food each year — a new recycling law aims to reuse it
Food waste recycling is vital to transforming California
into a circular economy. City and state organizations are
creating mandates to get us there.
![Beef patties and oxtail, the latter served with rice and beans, cabbage, and fried plantains, are among the dishes available for takeout at Every Little Thing Jamaican. (Photos by Jennifer Fergesen)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/spread_0.png?1645657674)
Neighborhood Favorite: Every Little Thing Jamaican
A Suisun City grocery store and takeout business serves Caribbean nostalgia
The market-kitchen hybrid offers Afro-Caribbean favorites like jerk chicken, curry goat and oxtail.
![David Kaisel, owner of Capay Mills, harvests a field of foisy and white Sonora wheat in Guinda in 2019. (Photos by Sonya Doctorian)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/lead_5.jpg?1645123873)
Status Check: Capay Mills Joins SMBX Marketplace
The Yolo County artisan flour business receives more than $115,000 in investment
Sourdough is having a moment, and so is artisan flour business Capay Mills, thanks to an influx of small business bonds.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/untitled_0.png?1592245979)
Comstock’s Talks: The New Fusion Food
PODCAST: Young restaurateurs in the Capital Region are rewriting the definition of authenticity.
![Smashed falafel “shwacos” and shakshouka hand pies are among the Middle Eastern fusion dishes A Part of Roseville served during its time as a cafe. (Photo by Jennifer Fergesen)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shwaco.png?1644869646)
The New Fusion Food
Young restaurateurs in the Capital Region are rewriting the definition of authenticity
Capital Region restaurant owners with mixed backgrounds are
channeling their points of view into creative dishes.
![Grassroots efforts like apprenticeships and farmer training programs are creating the next stewards of California's farmland. (Photos by Wes Davis)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/ck0a0990.png?1643917933)
Recruiting California’s Next Generation of Farmers
Organizations in the Capital Region provide aspiring farmers with the business tools they need to succeed
Local food may be the future, but many Northern
California farmers are struggling
or retiring. To brighten the future of farming,
nonprofits are cultivating a new crop of agrarian
dreamers with comprehensive farming programs.