Chocolate with a Kick
Ramon Perez’s exotic flavors hit the sweet spot
Gochujang, as you may or may not know, is Korean chili paste. It’s surprisingly delicious in chocolate, at least when in the hands of Puur Chocolat owner Ramon Perez.
It’s Hip to Be a Foodie
What dressing for success means in the food movement
To find the kind of innovative employees needed to continue pushing the food movement forward, it’s important to look as much as listen. For instance:
“This position requires a vegetable costume as occasional work attire.”
Old Roots, New Branches
Bariani Olive Oil — the elixir of the gods
Sebastian Bariani is in heaven, standing in his family’s olive grove in the Dunnigan Hills. The winter day is mild, a blue sky caps the rolling green terrain. He reaches down and gently bends the branch of a Manzanillo olive tree to demonstrate how the trees will soon be pruned, explaining that the blossoms for the next crop can come only from new growth.
Status Check: Rapid Ramen
More on the plate for Rapid Ramen CEO Chris Johnson
In the past year, Rapid Ramen has expanded into Target, Menard’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and Family Dollar — just to name a few. The little cooker has gone international, too, including distribution in Australia, India and Canada. But that’s not all…
The Great Big Local Food Movement
As more consumers demand local fare, large food services and producers shift focus
Can large institutions, like college campuses, get involved with farm-to-fork? Can they leverage their buying power and still provide a local food experience on a large scale? Customer influence is making an impact on big buyers, inspiring sizable companies and organizations to launch full-tomato into buying local.
Coin Op Swap
Local karaoke haunt closes, making way for new arcade bar on The Kay
Drawn by the incoming arena, the burgeoning craft cocktail and beer scene and the farm-to-fork movement’s local strength, San Diego business partners Roy Ledo and Hassan Mahmood will be installing a version of their hit North Park arcade bar, the Coin Op, in place of Marilyn’s on K.
Strip Mall Molecular
In suburban Vallejo, a gastronomic gem blooms in an unlikely setting
It’s a rainy Wednesday, and Chef Michael Warring is mulling over the night’s menu in his eponymous restaurant, enjoying a moment of calm before seating begins in an elegantly appointed dining room that gives nary a hint of its former life as an ice cream parlor.
A Call for Greater Food Literacy
What I learned and confirmed by cooking for celebrity chefs
Today there are two generations of Americans who don’t know how to cook. Processed food diets are a leading cause of rampant childhood obesity. There is a clear need for increased cooking and nutrition education, or food literacy, in schools.
What’s in a Word?
The art and science of writing a menu
The menu you get at the onset of your dining experience is much more than a laundry list of food and prices; it’s the opening volley in a courtship dance between your taste buds and the kitchen.
Bite-Sized
What's behind the trend of the incredible shrinking menu?
Sacramento chefs like to think backwards. When it comes to menus, they let the ingredients dictate the dish — not the other way around. The result: An ever-changing seasonal menu that is as brief as the kale is healthy.