Welcome to Lily Belli on Food, a weekly food-focused newsletter from Lookout’s food and drink correspondent, Lily Belli. Keep reading for the latest local food news for Santa Cruz County – plus a few fun odds and ends from my own life and around the web.
… Congratulations to the winners of the 44th Annual Clam Chowder Cook-Off, which took place at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk last weekend. As always, please enjoy this delightfully silly batch of team names.
The amateur competition took place on Saturday. In the battle for Best Boston Clam Chowder, The Silence of the Clams took first place; Millie’s Best Boston won second place; and All Clams Matter placed third. For Best Manhattan Clam Chowder, Little Neck Rex won first place, followed by Dragonmama’s Portuguese Red in second place and Clam Halen in third.
The People’s Choice winners were 4 Men and a Clam for Boston clam chowder with 395 votes, and The Pink Flamingos for Manhattan chowder, with 397 votes. Silence of the Clams also won gold for Best Booth Theming and Most Tasted.
In Sunday’s professional competition, The Rustic Table in Watsonville won first for Best Boston Clam Chowder, while Santa Cruz’s The Point Kitchen and Bar and Ideal Bar and Grill took second and third place, respectively. For Best Manhattan Clam Chowder, Seascape Golf Club won first place, followed by Redwood Sluggers and Bearded Clams Unite.
Ideal Bar and Grill won People’s Choice for Boston clam chowder with 520 votes, and Redwood Sluggers earned 590 votes for their Manhattan chowder.
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… Last Wednesday, I was finally able to share a story I’ve been working on for more than three months on the state of Santa Cruz County fishing industry. The news isn’t good, and fishers I spoke to didn’t mince words about what they framed as a “perfect storm” of environmental and political issues that are forcing more and more boats out of the water.
“This is the scariest year I’ll ever have. The opportunity in California is gone,” 25-year fishing veteran Tim Obert told me. “The writing is on the wall. We’re in for a rocky ride here in the fishing industry,” said second-generation fisher Valerie Phillips, 33, who splits her time between the Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay harbors.
For generations, fishers along California’s Central Coast have relied on two primary catches to make their living: Dungeness crab in the winter and Chinook salmon in the summer.
But over the past nine years, this traditional rhythm has been disrupted by a cascade of environmental challenges. Migrating whales are lingering in crabbing areas longer, contributing to delayed seasons and reduced catch limits, while droughts and fluctuating river levels have decimated salmon populations.
Despite promises of disaster relief to offset these losses, fishers are still waiting for promised financial aid, leaving them struggling to maintain their livelihoods in an increasingly uncertain industry. Read the full story here.
… Glaum Egg Ranch has adjusted the hours of its egg vending machine and put a limit on egg sales in response to an uptick in demand, the Aptos farm announced on Instagram on Friday. “We truly appreciate the love and support it has received, but we’ve noticed some instances of misuse,” the post said. Customers are limited to one flat, or 30 eggs, per day. Prices vary depending on the size and type of egg.
The barn store, open to the public at 3100 Valencia Rd. in Aptos, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The egg vending machine at the barn store, where visitors can insert $4 in exchange for 18 eggs and a two-minute animatronic chicken show, is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both the barn store and the egg vending machine are closed on Sundays.
For more information on how the national egg shortage is affecting Santa Cruz County, check out this story from January.
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ON THE MENU
Last week, I spoke to Nesh Dhillon, director of Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets, on the downtown Santa Cruz farmers market’s upcoming transition. The Wednesday market is moving from parking Lot 4, its home of more than 30 years, to an interim location just one block away along Cedar Street and Church Street. The move will take place in May, and Dhillon thinks the market will stay there for two to three years, until a final permanent home is established. Watch for the story later this week – which will include a map of the new area.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Last weekend, a few of my girlfriends and I took a trip to Guerneville, a tiny logging town on the Russian River. Not only was it a darling, artistic and scenic town, but the food was surprisingly good. On Friday, we stopped for beers overlooking the river at Stumptown Brewery. On Saturday, we cruised the town, and stopped to get sandwiches on homemade bread at Piknik Town Market, followed by ice cream – I got matcha strawberry swirl with homemade honeycomb crumbled on top – at Guerneville Bank Club. That evening, we sipped mezcal margaritas at El Barrio, a cocktail lounge, before a beautiful dinner at elegant California bistro Boon Eat + Drink. I highly recommend a visit, if you haven’t been there before – I can’t wait to go back with my family this summer.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Returning to a fridge and freezer of rotting food after evacuating her home for two weeks during Los Angeles’ Eaton fire changed the way writer Kat Thompson thinks about grocery shopping. Instead of stockpiling her freezer and fridge with foods for an unknown purpose, she’s aiming to be more attentive to what she buys and stores, in order to lower food waste. (Eater)
➤ Meanwhile, frozen foods are experiencing a major glow-up since the days of TV dinners. Over the past decade, the freezer’s reputation has changed, and Americans are shifting their habits to incorporate more frozen foods into their diets, with a rush of new products to choose from. (The Atlantic)