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.
… You might know your farmer, but do you know your farm? Visitors have a chance to get their boots muddy at the 11th annual Open Farm Tours, happening Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13. Inspired by the Open Studios Art Tour, 13 small, family-run farms – two in the mountains above Santa Cruz, and the rest scattered throughout the Pajaro Valley – will offer tours of their land, facilities and gardens, educational workshops, tastings, U-picks and demonstrations on everything from olive oil pressing to tomato canning.
The purpose of this event isn’t just to offer a fun day on the farm, founder Penny Ellis told me. “People need to get outside, meet the farmers and see how our food is grown because we’ve become so disconnected from that in so many ways,” said Ellis. “We’re part of nature. People don’t really look at things that way, that we’re part of an ecosystem. But learning how we fit into that, I think, is a very important part of our future.”
With the help of a statewide grant and financial support from Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Ellis plans to expand the event to neighboring San Benito and Monterey counties. Read the story here.
… A few openings and closings to note: 11th Hour Coffee reopened its downtown Santa Cruz location after being closed for three months for a remodel. The new interior has a larger kitchen and an expanded menu of baked goods and breakfast items, a second espresso machine and an updated seating area. Co-owners Joel and Brayden Estby told me they have more planned in the coming months – more on this soon.
Around the corner from 11th Hour on Cedar Street, Game Santa Cruz, a board-game cafe, will celebrate its grand opening this weekend with game demos, discounts, prizes and a performance on Saturday by comedian Grant Lyon as part of the Santa Cruz Comedy Festival. Check out this story by my colleague Wallace Baine on owner Wes Pannell’s creation of this space for board-game lovers.
Congratulations to Dani O Bakeshop, which opened in the Capitola Mall over the weekend. Veteran baker Danielle Orlando offers a wide range of sourdough bread, baked goods and pastries, all free of refined sugars and unhealthy oils.
Notably, Dani O is the latest arrival to a cluster of small businesses in the mall’s food court, including Sugar Bakery, Kaito Ramen and Taquizas Gabriel. Indy coffee company Coffee Conspiracy announced it will open a kiosk there later this year.
Opening day at Live Oak’s Bottega del Lago, an Italian deli from the owners of Italian restaurant Lago di Como, is just around the corner. Chef Matteo Robecchi, who owns both businesses with his wife, Lindsay Rodriguez, and their business partner, chef Giovanni Spanu, told me they are just waiting for final sign-off from the county and hope to officially welcome guests later this week.
And, Rock N Roll Donut Bar on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz has closed after less than a year. It was a second location for the Monterey-based doughnut bakery.
… The annual California Rare Fruit Growers apple tasting returns to Wilder Ranch State Park on Saturday, Oct. 19. I think anyone, regardless of whether you are a bit of a fruit nerd like me, will be amazed at the variety and breadth of colors, flavors and textures of the apples at this event. Local growers will provide more than 70 varieties, some berry-flavored, others pink-fleshed, as well as historical and obscure heirlooms. Common grocery store varieties such as Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp are included “for comparison’s sake,” organizer Ellen Baker said in an email.
Admission is $5 per person, $8 per couple and $10 per family. More info here.
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NOTED
The Tuesday farmers market in Felton is canceled Tuesday due to a prediction of extreme heat, and concern for vendors who spend up to seven hours in the parking lot, Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets announced via email Monday. The markets will continue through October starting next week.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Cookbook author Karla Tatiana Vasquez will discuss her new work, “The SalviSoul Cookbook,” at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Heralded as one of the first Salvadoran cookbooks in the U.S., Vasquez shares her family’s history and journey to Los Angeles amid El Salvador’s civil war, and explores its culinary traditions through more than 80 recipes. Food from Dos Hermanos Pupuseria will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Occasionally, when my children sleep in, I’ll dip into the kitchen and make their favorite breakfast before they wake up – muffins. I know, how cute is that? It could be something dripping in whipped cream and maple syrup like French toast, pancakes or waffles, but the little Bellis absolutely love unwrapping muffins. So despite the fact that it was already a million degrees at 7 on Tuesday morning, I turned on the oven and quickly whipped up a batch of pumpkin muffins (I like this recipe). The sweet, pure look of excitement on the face of my 3-year-old, Marco, when I told him I was about to pull something special out of the oven was a shot of pure dopamine to my mama heart. Cecilia, 1½, kicked her little chubby legs joyfully in her high chair while devouring two, smiling at me with her toothy baby grin.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Coca-Cola-flavored Oreos? Kraft Mac and Cheese ice cream? Who asked for these weird flavor collaborations, anyway? No one, it turns out. These “shock flavors” aren’t meant to actually taste good; their purpose is to get customers to buy “just one more,” thereby doubling their purchase, say food marketing professionals. (Eater SF)
➤ In California, plastic bag waste has skyrocketed by 47% in the past 10 years, despite efforts to limit single-use plastics at grocery stores. The main culprit: a loophole that allows grocery stores to offer heavier “reusable” plastic bags at the checkout, though these bags are typically used only one time. A new bill, backed by both environmental groups and the California Grocers Association, will make paper bags the only option at checkout. (Los Angeles Times)