Scott Thomas Anderson is a veteran reporter based in California. Anderson balances his hard news focus with cultural writing and travel journalism. He’s also the writer and producer of the “Drinkers with Writing Problems” podcast. On Twitter @STA_reporter and Instagram @scottanderson_journo.
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Agave for the Soul: The Spiritual Quest for a New Tequila
How Melanie Shelby, founder of the tequila brand Enelalma, went from civic engagement to desert entanglement
Enelalma, a name that comes from the Spanish term for “in the soul” and embodies Shelby’s belief drinking great tequila is a spiritual experience.
Recruiting Leadership
How big companies and organizations search for their leaders
As the Capital Region was recovering from one of the worst financial shocks in living memory, three organizations on the frontline of that comeback had to find new leadership at the same time. Comstock’s explores how their tactics worked and what lessons were learned along the way.
Luscious Libations
Distilleries use local, natural flavors to enhance their creations
Whether in Sacramento or the upper climbs of the Gold Country, craft distillers are ready to give the drinking public a taste of all of the possibilities within libation.
Young Professionals: Vidhu Shekhar
Meet the emerging leaders who envision a bright future for the Capital Region
Vidhu Shekhar is government strategy leader at Microsoft. He is directing the mega-company’s mission to help state and local authorities improve their effectiveness through generative AI.
The Power of Podcasting
Podcasts have become a popular media option in the Capital Region
The anything-goes medium encompasses all kinds of local practitioners, from storytellers recording in their home offices to laughing exchanges recorded in band rehearsal rooms.
The Kids Aren’t Alright
California students suffered learning and other losses during the pandemic
Statewide, students lost four months of math progress and a month in reading progress between the start of the pandemic and the end of 2022. Has that picture improved?
Protectors of an Honored Heritage
How Indigenous tribes are using business revenues to maintain and celebrate their cultures
“When you talk about business, ours has allowed us to bring our culture back,” Tayaba notes. “Building our dance arbor, having our ceremonies — obtaining eagle feathers, abalone, clam shells, pine nuts, items that aren’t easily foraged today — it all costs money. Now we hold workshops, classes, dance practices. We’re trying to rebirth weavers, because our grandmothers were weavers.”
From Stargazing to Star-Sipping
How a Lodi family winery bottles the entertainment industry
Some moments in pop culture deserve a toast, such as when Season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard” sent critics and “Trekkies” on a warp-speed ride of jubilation, most hailing it the franchise’s best story in decades. Thanks to a small winery in Lodi, enthusiasts who were on that galactic high could pour their pleasure right into a glass.
Young Professionals: Kevin Hernandez
Meet the 10 young professionals who are rocking it in their careers and community
Clad in a faded Star Wars T-shirt, Kevin Hernandez begins
introducing elated kids to Darth Vader and Rey Skywalker in the
flesh. The children start getting light saber training from these
live-action characters, slashing and twirling their replica space
swords around the heart of Denio’s Farmers Market & Swap
Meet.
Women Who Wine
The new face of women winemakers emerges from California universities’ viticulture programs
The viticulture program at UC Davis, as well as its sister programs at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and Fresno State University, are quickly growing a new crop of women winemakers who could steer the industry in new directions.
Teetotalist’s Total Commitment
The founders of Sacramento’s first non-alcoholic bar offer a different kind of drinking culture
The two entrepreneurs have tapped an experienced mixologist to work with them on developing their cocktail menu, and have relied on some of the most experienced non-alcoholic distilleries in the nation to help create an experience.
FiftyFifty Brewing Brings 100 Percent
Truckee brewers pioneer craft beer in the high country
Though quality breweries are cropping up between Donner’s Pass and South Lake Tahoe, the first to drive its stakes in the snow — and the one that’s now shipping beer across the world — is FiftyFifty.
A Winter Wonderland of Breweries
South Lake Tahoe’s craft beer scene is exploding
These days, Lake Tahoe’s south shore has enough breweries for a full tasting tour, giving explorers more reason to drive into the mountains.
Visions of Agave, Plans for the Future
A Jalisco-born roofing contractor gets into agave in Solano County
Carlos Rodriguez found a piece of the California dream by taking inspiration from his childhood in Mexico. He recently planted 2,000 agave crops on his land in Vacaville, which he’ll eventually use to propel the state’s newest movement in craft spirits.
Could Agave Spirits Be a Sustainable Gold Rush for California?
Hardy plants could solve water crisis for farmers and give distilleries a big opportunity
Northern California’s agave pioneers are helping to evolve the crop from a novelty to a force of stability within California’s changing bread basket.
A Sacred Mission in the Vines
A small band of wineries save the Adam root of California wine culture
In 2007, genetic researchers in Madrid used new DNA techniques to identify the origin-point of mission vines. What they found was that the mission grape’s backstory involved more travel, travail and endurance than anyone guessed.
A Man on a Wine Mission
Remembering Charles Myers, winemaker of West Sacramento’s Harbor Winery
In 1968, a lone vintner set out to prove the region’s surviving mission grapes were still marketable. He was in a race against time: Most of the landmark roots were being torn out during that epoch, their soil swapped for better commercial farming options. The late Charles Myers set off a chain of events that would ultimately launch Amador County onto the global wine market.
Will Sacramento Butchers Meat Their Match at the World Butchers’ Challenge?
International butchery competition comes to Sacramento for the first time
The competition’s American debut is taking place in
Sacramento partly because two of the captains for the U.S. team
hail from the city.
How Meat Markets Meet Needs
Traditional butchers find that skills from the past equal hope for the future
These Capital Region butcher shops are family-owned
businesses that offer meat from high-caliber livestock and
the magic of housemade marinades.
After the Blaze
Climate change creates challenging conditions for California wineries
Winemakers are challenged with the consistent threat
of wildfires and their aftermath, plus drought
conditions and complex water realities.
Tourism Out of Troubled Times
How lockdowns helped Californians discover local treasures of the past and present
As national and international tourism decreased during the
pandemic, regional visitation saw a boost. We profile three small
picturesque towns that got a big increase in visitors.
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.
Foothill Flavors
The spirit of Nevada County’s farm-to-table approach travels beyond the restaurant doors
Lately, Nevada County eateries aren’t just embracing a
farm-to-table trajectory; they’re finding small but meaningful
ways to send their experiences home with their customers.