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.
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… The start of the Dungeness crab season in California was delayed for a third time on Thursday, due to the continued presence of migrating humpback whales off the coast and the unfortunate death of an endangered leatherback sea turtle off the Farallon Islands. The turtle drowned in crab gear that had been lost in a previous season.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife scheduled the next assessment for Dec. 21. Read Lookout’s story here.
Live crabs from other locales can still be found locally, though. Hans Haveman, co-owner of H&H Fresh Fish Co., told me that they will have more live crabs from Washington at the shop in the Santa Cruz Harbor early next week in time for Christmas.
… Lago di Como in Live Oak has opened the cutest little Italian Christmas market village at the restaurant. The little shop is decorated with lights and evergreen branches, with a train running through it, and is full of Italian holiday goodies for the foodie in your life – panettone, fine wine, vinegars, olive oils, olives, dried pasta, so many chocolates, cookies and candies and a cornucopia of other treats, all imported from Italy. Stop in during its normal opening hours starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday (it’s closed on Tuesdays), and on Sundays at 10 a.m.
… Are you a cookie-making king or queen? Join Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing on Sunday to see if you have what it takes to win the Great Brewery Bake-Off Holiday Cookie Competition. Local bakers can show off their skills with their entry into one of three different categories – Best Traditional Cookie, Most Flavorful and Best Decoration, with junior, amateur and professional divisions.
The local judges include baker Stephanie Prida from Manresa Bread, chef Jessica Yarr from The Grove and Chickenfoot, Erin Lampel, owner of Companion Bakeshop – and me! I’m so excited, and am only slightly bummed that means I won’t be able to submit my mother’s famous sugar sand tarts.
Even if you’re not a baker, come enjoy live music by Annie Rye and the Wildflour String Band and eat plenty of cookies. More information here.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Last week, Santa Cruz distillery Venus Spirits released Aquavit 02, an intriguing Scandinavian spirit perfect for cold nights in the company of friends. Sean Venus aged this aquavit in sherry casks, and incorporated nontraditional botanicals like cumin, peppery cubeb berry and coriander. The result is an amber spirit with layers of savory culinary flavors playing with vanilla and oak. Delightful on its own, it would also make a killer Negroni. Check out the full story on Lookout.
FROM THE ARCHIVE
One of my favorite holiday treats is Manresa Bread’s panettone, an Italian Christmas bread dotted with chunks of dark chocolate and candied orange peel. Last year, I tried it for the first time, eager to see if the eye-popping $70 price tag was worth it, considering that the tall, airy loaves often run for around $15 to $30. I shared the loaf with my parents, husband and Italian in-laws, and we all agreed it was exceptional. The flavor, texture and quality of ingredients were far beyond the typical grocery store loaf, and it felt truly celebratory.
The price has increased to $85 this year, but with the memory of each fragrant, sugar-crusted bite dancing through my head like visions of sugar plums, I’m seriously considering pre-ordering one. Tempt yourself at manresabread.com.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Over the weekend, my 2½-year-old son, Marco, and I made our first gingerbread house – which, aside from being an A-plus holiday activity to do with a toddler, was the perfect thing to bring out after he had been sick and housebound for the previous two days with a bad cold. We used Penny Ice Creamery’s homemade kit – I mentioned it in my newsletter last week. I had never made a gingerbread house, either, so I did my best decorating it with royal icing and sticking the pieces together. He immediately dumped all of the candy and sprinkles over the panels with a reckless abandon that Jackson Pollock would have admired.
In the end, gingerbread and candy were eaten, icing got on everything, and, as you can see in the photo, there were some structural issues. Our finished product was far from photogenic, but we both had a blast, and I think some holiday magic was created. I give the whole experience a 10/10.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ New Leaf Community Markets is partnering with DoorDash, one of two California-based regional grocery stores to join the delivery service app. App users can now get local groceries delivered to their doors, in addition to goods from national grocery retailers like Safeway. (Supermarket News)
➤ McDonald’s new beverage-focused snack shack brand, CosMc’s, launched over the weekend in test locations, causing hours-long lines of customers eager to try its new menu. The restaurant is designed to be drive-thru-only, and is designed to challenge businesses like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts for the “afternoon beverage pick-me-up occasion,” according to McDonald’s CEO. (Eater Chicago and CBS News)
➤ The consumption of Panera’s Charged Lemonade, which contains a whopping amount of caffeine per 20-ounce or 30-ounce serving, is being blamed for two deaths. Both victims had heart conditions and were unaware that the beverage contained caffeine, since it didn’t come with a warning. (Slate)
Happy dining!
Lily