Category Archives: Enticing Events

Celebrate Spring at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

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As if you needed any more reasons to visit one of the best farmers markets in the country, March is full of delicious events at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco.

The bustling market at the historic Ferry Building, just steps from the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, welcomes spring’s mother lode of fava beans, peas and asparagus with a series of cooking demos by local chefs.

Come watch, taste and learn at these free cooking events at the outdoor teaching kitchen under the north arcade:

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New Peet’s Coffee Food Gal Contest and Winner of the Global Knife Give-Away

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For the first time in eight years, artisan roaster Peet’s Coffee is adding a new blend to its line-up of beans.

Uzuri African Blend, available  starting March 3 at all Peet’s coffee houses and at Peets.com, will help generate greater income for 6,000 small farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Pronounced ”oo-Zur-ee,” the name of the new coffee means “excellent” and “beautiful” in Swahili. The name was chosen by East African farmers who are now producing the coffee to Peet’s exacting standards, and in the process, earning 30 percent more for their crop. That’s not insignificant, considering that coffee farmers typically live in extreme poverty, earning less than $2 a day, according to TechnoServe, an organization that empowers people in developing countries to build businesses to improve their lives, and which is collaborating with Peet’s to produce the coffee.

The new blend, which also will be available through March 31 on grocery stores nationwide, is smooth as can be with a subtle fruitiness to it. A 12-ounce bag sells for about $9.99.

Five lucky Food Gal readers will get a chance to try the coffee for free, too. Peet’s is generously allowing me to give away five 12-ounce bags of the Uzuri African Blend, one bag to each of five winners.

Contest details: Deadline to enter is the close of the day, March 6. Five winners will be announced March 8. The contest is open to only those in the continental United States.

To enter: Describe something that perks you up. The best five answers get the coffee.

Here’s my own answer to what perks me up: The smell of garlic sizzling in a hot pan. Just-washed laundry when it comes out of the dryer. Going for a long hike with a good friend on a perfect spring day — then pigging out on cake afterward. Fetching the mail, because I just never know what goodies are going to show up on any given day.

Now, it’s your turn…

And without further adieu, let me announce the grand prize winner of the Food Gal Global knife contest, in which I asked folks to describe something sharp and something dull. Faced with an unprecedented number of incredible entries (more than 70), I’ve decided to choose two runners-up, as well, who will each get a cookbook from my vast collection. Here are the winners:

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Wines that Care

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Sip wines that not only tantalize the palate, but do good for the planet.

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants has introduced a new wine program, “Wines that Care,” at its nearly 50 hotels nationwide, including its San Francisco properties such as the Hotel Monaco, Hotel Palomar, and Hotel Triton.

At the hosted nightly wine hour at each of its properties, a featured winery of the month will be spotlighted for its dedication to the earth and local communities. All of the wines have been hand-picked by Kimpton’s wine director and master sommelier, Emily Wines (and yes, that is her real name).

Among the featured wineries are: Barefoot Wine (Modesto, Calif.), which works with the Surfrider Foundation each year to encourage locals to clean up beaches to make them “barefoot-friendly.” Banrock Station (Australia), which has contributed to the preservation of native ducks in New Zealand, flamingos in Kenya, and the re-introduction of otters in Holland. And Hayes Ranch by Wente Vineyards (Livermore, Calif.), which has worked hard to minimize water use, reduce non-organic wastes, and revitalize soils.

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Delicious Doings Around the Region

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The South Bay and Peninsula:

Sonoma Chicken Coop is famous for chicken, of course. But the Campbell locale has added a new item that will have you moo-ing instead.

That’s right — a burger made of grass-fed beef from Estancia ranches. It’s the only one of the franchises serving the grass-fed burger. And it’s flying out of the coop — at 75 orders a day, according to owner Jeff Starbeck. Surprisingly — or not — about 40 percent of the customers chowing down on the burger are women. Starbeck surmises that might be because grass-fed beef is lower in fat and contains more good-for-you omega-3s than corn-fed beef.

The 1/3-pound patty is hand-formed, then charbroiled, and served on a housemade bun. Choose from six different topping preparations, including avocado and mushrooms. The $9.99 burger comes with your choice of onion strings, regular fries or sweet potato fries.

Caltrain commuters at the Hillsdale station just got a tasty new option — a commuter “market” located in the former ticket office, where you can pick up fresh produce like apples, squash and avocados; as well as prepared dinner meals such as chicken pot pies and Dungeness crab mac ‘n’ cheese. How’s that for convenience?

Luke’s Local was opened by Luke Chappell, who started his own bagel business in Maine at the ripe old age of 11. His entrepreneurial spirit runs in his family. His parents founded Tom’s of Maine, a personal care products company that pioneered the use of all natural ingredients.

The commuter market is open Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday.  Purchase items there or phone in your order to take home. And yes, food and beverages are allowed on the trains.

Fans of Chef Michael Miller may be wondering what he’s been up to after he closed his well-regarded Trevese in Los Gatos last year. The good news is he’s now executive chef at the Silicon Valley Capital Club in San Jose.

If you’re not a member, find a friend who is to enjoy his wonderful cooking again.

Around the Region:

Thursday, Feb. 25 is National Clam Chowder Day. (Who comes up with these things?) Get your chowder fix at any Boudin SF or Boudin Cafe, where if you buy one clam chowder in a bowl that day, and receive a second one for free.

You have to present a coupon to get that deal. Print one out here.

If you’re a Parmigiano Reggiano fan (yes, the real stuff), you’ll want to head to Whole Foods at noon (PST) Feb. 27, when all of its markets will be demonstrating the proper way to break into huge, 24-month-aged wheels using five different knives.

In 2008, Whole Foods set a Guinness World Record for opening the most wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano simultaneously with nearly 300 wheels in 176 stores. This year, Whole Foods hopes to break that record.

You’ll get a chance to taste samples of the cheese, too. For more info or to see a video of a wheel of cheese being cracked open, click here.

If all that cheese is making you think of pasta, you’ll be glad to know that Pasta Pomodoro locations throughout Northern California are now letting kids (ages 12 and under) eat free all day on Tuesdays.

The “Kid’ Menu” includes items such as cheesy pasta or mini chicken Parmigiana pizza with a choice of milk, apple juice or soda. A chocolate sundae completes the meal.

Cinnabon — maker of those monster-sized cinnamon rolls whose sugary aroma fills the air of every mall around — has joined the cupcake craze.

The new cupcakes retail for about $2.50 each depending upon the city. San Francisco is the launch point for the cupcakes, which will be rolled out nationally to other cities throughout February.

Four cupcake flavors are available: Cinnacake Classic, Chocolate Passion, Vanilla Bliss, and 24-Carrot Cake.

Wine Country and Beyond:

Congratulations to Yountville’s Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant and Spa for garnering a LEED Platinum certification, the top designation established by the U.S. Green Building Council for environmental  and energy design.

It is the only hotel in California to achieve that designation, and only one of three hotels in the world to do so.

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Global Knife Give-Away — Yeah, That’s What I’m Talkin’ About

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There are moments in cooking that are truly life-changing.

My first time using a really sharp, really well-made knife was such an instance.

I had grown up using my parents’ mishmash of knives that were piled in a kitchen drawer and sharpened only in a blue moon.

In my 20s, though, I purchased my first high-end carbon steel chef’s knife on sale at a department store. I brought it home, unwrapped it from its box, and set a yellow onion on a cutting board to give it a try.

With my first slice through the onion, I nearly shrieked. The knife glided through the dense layers of  the hard onion as easily as a puck whooshes around an air hockey table. I cut another slice, and nearly yelped again. What a joy this was! To be able to cut such thin slivers or chop so evenly — all completely effortlessly — was truly a revelation.

A good knife is absolutely one of the best investments any cook can make.

Of course, it’s not always easy to shell out that kind of money, especially in these challenging times. That’s why I’m thrilled to be able to give one lucky Food Gal reader a “Global 7-inch Oriental Chef’s Knife.” Global knives are beloved by serious cooks worldwide for their sharp, precise, thin blades. These elegant Japanese knives sell for a pretty penny, too.

I have the folks at CSN stores to thank for allowing me to give away such a coveted prize. CSN has more than 200 online stores that sell everything from cookware to yoga accessories to bamboo flooring to barstools.

Contest: The contest is open to anyone in North America. Deadline to enter is the close of Feb. 27. The winner of the Global knife will be announced March 1.

How do you enter? It’s simple as this:

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