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Cheese Making Made Easy (Not Cheesy) at the Artisan Cheese Fest
Laiko’s wish this year was to learn cheese making. and thanks to the Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma. So we headed north on a rainy day and enjoyed learning these the simple cheese making process and recipes from Mary Karlin, who just came out with a beautiful book. A big help is the cheese starter kits from The Beverage People to so making the brin d’amour, chèvre and ricotta we learned about at home will be as easy as…cheese. Happy cheese making indeed! April 14 at Cakebread Cellars, you too can learn about cheese making from Mary. Meanwhile a Cheese-filled Culinary Competition and Wine Tasting was Brewing… Nearly 50 chefs…
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Food Craft Institute Launches – Master Classes for Jammers and Picklers in 2012
We’ve been in the know about The Food Craft Institute for months, and are so happy to finally share the mission of FCI, and the series of Master Classes they are launching this spring. There is no other organization doing anything this ambitious for food crafters, and our own Susie Wyshak will be an instructor on the business of food. The Master Classes they are launching first are on Jams, Marmalades and Chutneys, over 12 weekends from April to July. The program will teach traditional food crafting methods and techniques as well as real-world business analysis and business planning skills. With this training, FCI graduates can launch and improve their…
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Sausage, Spiedini, and the S.F. Meat Scene
The Italians have a special connection with the pig that few cultures have. I am continuously amazed by the way they honor the pig as a culinary ingredient with an endless list of ways to use its parts. Parts of America are beginning to go back to valuing quality pig processing and skilled butchery as they do in Italy. I was lucky enough to attend a Slow Food event last week at Ristobar that reminded me how lucky I am to live in San Francisco and how easy it really is to eat meat in the right way. The Fasciocco Brothers from Abruzzo, Italy held a demo on breaking down…
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Celebration of Pork – One Last Night Tonight
by Susie Wyshak When Amy Sherman suggested going to Oliveto’s annual Whole Hog Dinner in Oakland, I wasn’t sure, not being a whole-hog meat eater. However it was in the hood and it looked to be a convivial event. How right she was. Seated upstairs overlooking College Avenue, almost at the same level as the BART tracks and freeway, we enjoyed a warm evening warmed by tender pasta, melt-in-your-mouth pork, and a crunchy pear walnut strudel laced with pork fat. Better yet, the rooms hummed with dim lighting and the soft buzz of fellow sustainable, good food lovers including Mac Magruder, producer of at least some of the pork we…
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Horrified With Factory Chicken Farms? Learn to Make Your Own Eggs
by Susie Wyshak CUESA is taking a stand to define humanely raised chickens beyond the catch phrases free-range and cage-free–which does not necessarily translate to chickens tap dancing in fields of green, ala Foghorn Leghorn. They point out that “The USDA does not regulate “cage-free” and “free-range” egg production. These hens are typically kept in large barns or warehouses, often thousands of hens per building. Outdoor access, if there is any, is generally limited to a small, enclosed yard at one end of the building that goes mostly unused by the hens and offers little or no vegetation.” Take Back the Eggs ! CUESA is only allowing pasture-raised eggs at…
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My First California Olive Harvest
By Emily Shartin, Epicurator When I moved to California from Massachusetts, I knew one of the main things I wanted to learn about was olive oil. We had access to great European oils in Boston but, as you might surmise, the New England climate is not exactly conducive to growing olives, which thrive in a more Mediterranean environment. I am a passionate supporter of artisanal foods and the people and traditions that surround them, and have happily been able to fashion a career out of learning about everything from cheese to chocolate to coffee. In California, I wanted to add olive oil to that list, and to be able to…
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Distance Makes the Heart (and Appetite) Grow Fonder
As the newest member of Epicuring, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Maya and I recently returned from studying Food Culture and Communications in Italy. Italy’s culinary scene delighted my taste buds but after the first few months I began making a list of California foods I missed. Now that I’m back I’m getting to rediscover those foods and finding out about new food adventures. Below are some of the highlights from my list. I hope you will visit these places if you haven’t already. If you have been lucky enough to experience their magic, than you know the withdrawal I experienced. Either way, I hope to see…
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How to Make Killer Lemon or Orange Marmalade – A Happy Girl Kitchen Workshop
by Epicurator Susie Wyshak What bliss to learn how to make lemon, orange, and / or grapefruit marmalade at a mini 2-3 hour workshop with Jordan Champagne, the girl behind Happy Girl Kitchen, in the oldest farmhouse in Oakland, California. At once point Jordan called out “Would you pick a lemon from the back yard?” This was music to a new Bay Area dweller’s ears. “I’m from Massachusetts,” she explained. “Seeing cactus growing outside a window is totally new to me.” Then again I remember my glee upon seeing blueberries growing right there out of the ground in Maine. While I’m a Californian, turning the bounty of citrus into edibles…
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My Real San Francisco Layover Food Stop, Candy Fix Included
San Francisco is all a-twitter over Anthony Bourdain’s San Francisco layover show on where to eat when you’ve got a short stop. What a perfect time to share my own SFO layover (or 8 hour delay) recommendation: Step 1: Find the airport shuttle to the Best Western Grosvenor hotel in South San Francisco. Step 2: Cross the street and walk 1/8 mile to Costco South San Francisco. A non-native might beeline for the pepperoni pizza. The insider San Franciscan / Costco regular will direct you to the brown rice sushi, conveniently packed in a giant plastic clamshell for your carry on bag or for a tacky yet delicious in-airport-dining experience.…
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Our 2012 Epicuring Resolutions!
Here at Epicuring, we believe a new year means new food adventures. We’re excited for what’s to come and have set our own personal “food resolutions” for a great 2012: Do you have food resolutions for 2012? We’d love to hear them. Happy New Year! Let’s go Epicuring!
