2013 Food Trends: Our top predictions for the New Year
Here are our top food, wine and beer trends for the new year and where to find them in our Sierra foothills: 1. ARTISAN FOOD Hand-crafted food sales are booming. Food lovers crave artisan cheese, crusty bread and dry-cured meats. New laws, such as California’s Homemade Food Act, will spur further growth. • Smokey Ridge […]
“New Gold Rush”: How chefs, farmers, winemakers & artists are resettling the Sierra Foothills
A new generation of chefs, farmers, winemakers and artists are resettling the region. They are adding new energy and sophisticated offerings for today’s travelers while honoring the region’s rich history. The foothills’ relaxed lifestyle, Mediterranean-like climate and stunning beauty is prompting them to open wineries; restaurants with fresh, local cuisine; and local art galleries. This […]
Lovin’ Meat: Where to get it
OUR REGION OFFERS some of the most flavorful steaks, barbecue and burgers anywhere. There are also abundant supplies of local beef, pork and lamb. California has more certified organic beef cows than any other state. For do-it-yourself BBQ, try the organic pork ribs from Llano Seco Ranch in Chico, carried at BriarPatch Co-op. For beef, […]
2012 Food Trends: What’s hot?
LOCALLY GROWN MEATS, fruit and produce, gluten-free food and signature sandwiches will be among the hot trends this year, according to “What’s Hot,” the National Restaurant Assn. survey of 1,800 chefs. “Local sourcing—from meat and fish, to produce, to wine and beer—is a big trend,” says Joy Dubost of the Restaurant Assn. Other trends are […]
Soups & Stews: Where to find comfort by the spoonful
Soups & Stews: Where to find comfort by the spoonful in the foothills and Sierra: Gumbo Not the traditional roux thickened gumbo. It is a hearty soup topped with gingered greens and served with cornbread. Changes daily. Ike’s has been “keeping it Creole” for a decade. Ike’s Quarter Cafe 401 Commercial St., NC, 265-6138 IkesQuarterCafe.com […]
Fresh, local feasts for the holidays
In the foothills, the possibilities abound for preparing a fresh, local feast for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year’s. Here are some suggestions for finding the ingredients and preparing it: Farmers Markets “They’re only for summer,” you might think. Not so. The Foothill Farmers Market in Auburn is open year-round on Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon at […]
Best Burgers in the Foothills and Truckee/Tahoe
THE BURGER IS AN AMERICAN CLASSIC, just like mom and apple pie. Each year, Americans chow down 40 billion of them. Now the scrawny patty that gave rise to the $130 billion-a-year fast food industry is being reinvented as a gourmet entree. More burgers are being made with organic and local ingredients: grass-fed beef, homemade […]
BriarPatch’s Fresh Food Teams and Veggies in a Box
FRESH FOOD IS BOOMING IN OUR region. Another organic market just opened, New Earth in Yuba City. Auburn’s Foothill Farmers Market is open year-round. Four Frog Farm in Penn Valley now offers community supported agriculture all year long. As demand for local food rises, more farmers are selling their products directly to the public, according […]
Fresh, local feasts
Historians aren’t sure what topped the table for the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving. But they suspect lobster, venison and partridge were on the menu — and not ham, pumpkin pie or mashed potatoes. The Pilgrims were the original “locavores” and now, after decades of factory farming and processed foods, many people have come full circle. They […]
Eat like Lance at Amgen bike race in May
You might not be riding in the Amgen Tour of California bike race when it rolls through the Foothills, but you still can eat like a champion bicycle racer. Endurance cyclists get their energy from healthy eating: grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and meat — but not too much. They eat plenty of […]
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