![Woody Wooden, Marie Huggins and her daughter Brynn Wooden, at the Sugar Pine Lodge in Iowa Hill on Feb. 3. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/copy_of_12-february_03_2023sugar_pine_lodge-12.png?1680022235)
Off the Beaten Track: A Retreat in the Forest
Sugar Pine Lodge much more than just a B&B to isolated Placer County communities
Inspired by its proprietor Brynn Wooden — known to all as Miss B — and Woody, her husband of 40 years, the lodge is a beacon in the tight-knit Gold Rush communities of Colfax, Iowa Hill and Foresthill.
![Located next to WAL Public Market on the R Street Corridor, Plant Power Sacramento is the chain’s first Northern California location. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/plant_power_f.png?1679674243)
Vegan Convenience
Plant-based fast food restaurants in the Capital Region target all palates
Just as meat alternatives have expanded, so have the eating patterns of people interested in plant-based food. A diverse set of diners are embracing plant-based restaurants, thanks to the proliferation of less restrictive plant-based diets.
![Jill Osur is the founder and CEO of Teneral Cellars, a wine company based in El Dorado County. (Photos courtesy of Jill Osur)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/osur_lead_courtesy.png?1679354819)
Wine for a Cause
Jill Osur of Teneral Cellars hopes to open conversations and inspire change, one wine bottle at a time
As the founder and CEO of Teneral Cellars, Jill Osur believes in
doing well by doing good.
![Minami Ogawa is the co-founder and director of Optimized Foods. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0323-startup-lead-terenceduffy.jpg?1677891277)
Startup of the Month: Optimized Foods
Davis company cultivates caviar without harming fish
Optimized Foods, a Davis-based food tech startup, has created a new kind of caviar that is sustainable, nutritious and, most notably, fish-free.
![Pastizzi with center seams are traditionally filled with ricotta cheese. (Photos by Joe Perfecto)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0223_pastizzi_perfecto.png?1677624692)
Neighborhood Favorite: For the Love of Malta
Maltese pastizzi comes in two classical forms, delineated by how the finely fissile pastry — laminated with both butter and lard — folds around its savory filling. Shell-shaped pastizzi, clamped tight like clams at low tide, conceal peas cooked to their melting point and spiced with a subtle curry that’s more English (Malta’s most recent colonizers) than Indian.
![The Sacramento-based marketing agency Honey creates brand strategies for food and drink businesses around the Capital Region and beyond, including Bogle Vineyards in Clarksburg.
(Photo courtesy of Honey)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/honey-bogle-2.png?1676678556)
The Medium Is the Message
Boutique marketing and creative agencies parlay passion into brand identities
Boutique marketing agencies in the Capital Region consider the medium to be just as important as the message itself. They see the demand for more “unfiltered” video content on TikTok and YouTube as indicative of our need for human connection.
![Nevada County Mead Company co-owners Michael DeSena and married couple Joy Davis and Aaron Davis have known each other for 27 years, meeting when they worked together in the mental health field at a residential treatment facility in Nevada City. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/otbt_feb.png?1676572121)
It’s All About the Mead
New Penn Valley establishment fills a niche
Nevada County Mead Company is one of the few places in the Capital Region that produces and serves mead, which the ancient Greeks called “nectar of the gods.”
![Chef Billy Ngo of Kru hosts weekly omakase sessions for a maximum of five people. (Photo by Katie Karns)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/kru-17.png?1676402564)
Trust the Sushi Chef
Local chefs bring high-end omakase tradition to the Capital Region
From Japanese, omakase translates roughly to “I leave it up to you.” It is a covenant in which the diner cedes all decision-making power to the chef.
![Jacqui Lopez is the founder of Advance Ag. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0223-startup-lead-template.jpg?1675365127)
Startup of the Month: Advance Ag
Agtech company aims to bring real-time data tools to farmers
Using Internet-of-Things devices and sensors, the Sacramento-based startup analyzes real-time plant data to monitor the health and performance of crops and water soil saturation.
![Delcy Steffy, right shows off her citrus salad with fennel and avocado, while daughter Elinor displays a Caribbean combo plate of Cuban chicken stew, saffron rice, Cuban black beans and avocado salad. (Photos by Joe Perfecto)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_n0a4411.png?1675215276)
Neighborhood Favorite: Good Things to Eat
A mother-daughter team explore the cuisines of their heritage
With Good Things to Eat, Delcy and Elinor Steffy explore the cuisines of their heritage, including African American, Armenian, German, Hungarian and Jewish roots.