This week, Lily checks out a shiny new addition at Soquel’s Discretion Brewing, judges the competition in Gayle’s Bakery’s 45th-anniversary recipe contest and prepares for maternity leave.
Double the Discretion: Brewhouse upgrade rings in Soquel brewery’s 10th anniversary
Discretion Brewing’s 20-barrel system has the capacity to brew twice as much beer and is more energy-efficient than the old 10-barrel system, and you can see it all in action March 11 when Discretion celebrates 10 years in business. Read more here.
Pickle bread the big winner in Gayle’s anniversary recipe contest
Some 24 home cooks and bakers entered recipes in a contest to mark the Capitola landmark’s 45th anniversary, with first prize going to a concoction that stood out for its creativity, use of multiple Gayle’s products, ease of assembly and overall deliciousness. Read more here.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
If you haven’t visited the Capitola Mall in a while, you might be surprised to find quesabirria tacos and honey cake in the food court. Former taco truck Taquizas Gabriel and Sugar Bakery are just two locally owned businesses bucking the assumption that malls are populated only with corporate chains. In fact, as I reported last summer, the businesses in our local mall, including the food court, are more than 50% locally owned. Read more in Friday’s Eaters Digest.
NOTED
“We are very grateful to have those two years as a pop-up because we really got to figure out who we want to be. Now we’re standing strong in that foundation.” — Tram Vu, co-owner of Mariposa Coffee Bar. After two years incubating as a pop-up, Mariposa opened a café in downtown Santa Cruz with both Cuban and Vietnamese coffee and a vegetarian menu of spring rolls, pastries, sandwiches and more. Check out the full story of this unique local business.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
This is my last Lookout dispatch for the next few months. I’ll return from maternity leave in July, but I’m already looking forward to returning and sharing our community’s food stories with you again later this summer. I also am very excited to do more thorough reporting on sushi with raw fish, alcohol, sandwiches made from deli meat and other delicious things I’ve had to avoid for the past few months. Before that, though, I’ll be doing a very different kind of eating. This week, I’m prepping nourishing broths, teas and smoothies to help with recovery and gentle, hearty foods for my family to enjoy in the first few weeks after our baby girl arrives. While this season of eating might not be as exciting as dining at a cool new restaurant, I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. See you all later this summer!
THIS WEEK, I’M READING …
… “A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City,” by Edward Chisholm. This memoir is a first-hand account of a young waiter scraping out a living in the City of Light. Chisholm’s descriptions of the behind-the-scenes lives of the diverse cast of characters who work in Paris’ many restaurants is hilarious, heartbreaking and endlessly fascinating and entertaining. If you want a real look at what happens behind the swinging door, check it out.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pandan (Eater)
➤ ‘Pure insanity’: Bay Area vegan company goes to war with its founder (San Francisco Chronicle)
➤ Celebrating Community-Supported Agriculture for CSA Week (Edible Monterey Bay)
Happy dining!
~ Lily