“Passing the apron” at Tess’ Kitchen Store

Tess’ Kitchen Store store in historic downtown Grass Valley has been in continuous operations since 1931, when original owner Tess Hawkins had a gift and card shop. Since then, the store has relocated on Mill Street, each time to a bigger location. In 2010, Steve Rosenthal and his wife, Rachel, purchased what had become Tess’ […]

Spring 2019: Cooking Classes

LOCAL FARMERS ARE PLANTING their summer crops and starting to harvest spring’s bounty. Lettuces, asparagus and artichokes are headed for the markets. Fresh local onions, squash, peppers and eggplant are expected in May and June. Spring cooking classes in our region often feature this year’s first harvest. BRIARPATCH CO-OP COOKING SCHOOL 648 Zion St., Nevada […]

Winemaker dinners: Showcasing our local bounty

NOWHERE IS THE BOUNTY FROM our local food shed—from fruits, veggies and wine grapes to free-range beef, pork and lamb—better showcased than at our region’s winemaker dinners. The gatherings are hosted by chefs, winemakers and caterers in exceptional venues: historic buildings, such as Julia Morgan’s North Star House in Grass Valley; in a wine cave […]

Alice Waters’ local ties: from a forager to a farmer

ALICE WATERS HAS BEEN A CHAMPION of the farm-to-table movement for over four decades. She is a national treasure, as is her Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley. We’ve admired Waters since our college days at UC Berkeley in the late ’70s: We’ve eaten at her restaurant on Shattuck Ave. (upstairs and downstairs), interviewed her in […]

Cooking classes abound at Tess’, BriarPatch and Wheyward Girl

“No one is born a great cook. One learns by doing.”—JULIA CHILD Winter is an ideal time to sign up for a cooking class in the foothills. We’re indoors more, thanks to the wintry weather, and a cooking class helps you master new recipes, perhaps with the kitchenware you received for the holidays—French cookware, a […]

Fall cooking classes in the Sierra Foothills

IN FALL, YOU CAN SAVOR THE LATE-SEASON fruits and vegetables from farmers markets, including apples, pears, persimmons and pumpkins. The markets are open until Thanksgiving, or year-round, allowing you to create a feast from the local bounty. Fall also is an ideal time to sign up for a cooking class. The weather is cooler, and […]

Culinary Staycations: World travel at home

MANY PEOPLE DREAM OF a culinary vacation to France, Italy, China or Thailand. But it’s also possible to explore the world from home, in a cooking class or a night out with ethnic cuisine. Our region offers a growing number of experiences to explore the cuisines of the world—from hands-on cooking classes, underground and “pop […]

Chef’s Table at Tess Kitchen Store: “Late Summer Treats”

For more than two years, Tess’ Kitchen Store in Grass Valley has offered an exceptional dining experience called Chef’s Table with expertly cooked meals by Alan Tangren, a 22-year veteran at the venerable Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Alan also helped co-author two books with Chez Panisse’s founder Alice Waters, who just received a National Humanities […]

Culinary adventures in Nevada County CA

FROM FOOD FESTS TO FARM tours to top-notch cooking schools, our region is capitalizing on the boom in culinary travel. Enjoy a culinary vacation, such as Stella’s underground dinners, or its five-day culinary “boot camp” — both at the Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee. Stella Culinary is led by Executive Chef Jacob Burton, a […]

Dining out in Grass Valley

ALONG WITH OTHER FOOTHILL towns, Grass Valley’s dining scene expresses its own local traditions: Cornish pasties, Italian food and Asian cuisine from its Gold Rush heritage, along with fresh fruits, vegetables and free-range meats from surrounding farms and ranches. It also mirrors the trend of culinary innovation in small towns across America, including a chef’s […]

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