Category Archives: General

Summer’s Sweet Corn and Fresh Oregano Fritters

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Summer corn stars in these easy fritters.
Summer corn stars in these easy fritters.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Davis farmers market, one of the first certified farmers markets in California.

Against the burgeoning social activism of the 1960s and 1970s, the farmers market started in 1976 with only three farmers, growing steadily to what it is today — a year-round market with 100 vendors, most of whom are farmers who come from no more than an hour away. You’ll find everything from the freshest in-season fruit, just-picked veggies, artisan bread, local honey, farmstead cheeses, tacos made to order, gourmet sandwiches, and so much more.

Located in the city’s oldest park, Central Park, the year-round farmers market is the only one in the state that boasts its own covered pavilion, ATM machines, and even a permanent information booth.

“We call it the Taj Mahal of markets,” says Randii MacNear, its executive director.

California, which has 840 farmers markets, is the only state that has certified farmers markets, which means that farmers have to grow what they sell, she added.

The Saturday morning market is the main one that sports the largest selection of vendors. There’s also a smaller Wednesday evening one, if you want to pick up a few items after work.

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Scaling the Heights of Lofty Peaches and Granola Galette

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As tall and majestic as a deep-dish pizza, that's what this peach galette is like.
As tall and majestic as a deep-dish pizza, that’s what this peach galette is like.

If a classic galette were a ranch house, then this baby is a high-rise for sure.

“Lofty Peaches and Granola Galette” lives up to its name, with a girth and stature like pizza that’s extra deep-dish.

This statement-making galette is from the new cookbook, titled — what else — “Galette!” (Artisan), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Rebecca Firkser, a Brooklyn-based writer and cook, whose recipes have been published in Bon Appetit and on Food52.

I have always loved a good galette, especially because it requires rolling out only one round of dough, and its free-form nature means no matter how you crimp or fold, it will still end up with a lovely rustic look.

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A Michelin-Recommended Restaurant’s Second Act: Bijou in Petaluma

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The dreamy and oh-so cheesy petit croque with black truffles at the new Bijou.
The dreamy and oh-so cheesy petit croque with black truffles at the new Bijou.

It’s been an eventful 2025 for Petaluma’s Table Culture Provisions. This spring, the fine-dining, tasting menu-only restaurant garnered a recommendation from the Michelin Guide. And last month, the team behind it opened a sister establishment, Bijou.

Just a half mile a way, Bijou is a casual French bistro with Sonoma sensibilities that’s three times the size of Table Culture Provisions.

The dining room.
The dining room.
The chic bar.
The chic bar.

Opened by Co-Chefs and Co-Owners Stephane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas, along with Saint Louis’ wife Marta, it offers a compact a la carte menu, which I had a chance to try last month.

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A Different Kind of Baklava

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Dar Baklava's Cashew Bird's Nest Baklava made with more nuts and less sugar than most baklava.
Dar Baklava’s Cashew Bird’s Nest Baklava made with more nuts and less sugar than most baklava.

In theory, I love baklava.

But in practice, sometimes not so much.

After all, I can’t resist crisp, buttery phyllo pastry layers with crunchy nuts. However, more times than not, it’s just too darn sweet for me.

Sherif Badawy thought the same when he immigrated to the United States from Egypt in 2011, and found what passed for baklava here too doughy and too drenched in syrup for his taste.

So, the pediatrician and marathon runner set out to create a baklava that was less saccharine yet still delicious and satisfying.

Single-serve packages.
Single-serve packages.

The result is Dar Baklava, his Chicago company that makes baklava packaged in bite-size pieces that boasts more nuts and less syrup.

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Squash Blossom and Maitake Rice Pilaf From A Michelin-Starred Chef

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Squash blossoms, maitakes, zucchini, and cotija cheese make this rice dish so flavorful and beautiful.
Squash blossoms, maitakes, zucchini, and cotija cheese make this rice dish so flavorful and beautiful.

Bay Area nominees at this year’s James Beard Awards for restaurants and chefs disappointingly came away empty-handed.

But one huge bright spot came at the foundation’s media awards, when Chef Rogelio Garcia of Michelin-starred Auro in Calistoga strode across the stage to accept a James Beard Award for his first cookbook, “Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California’s Wine Country” (Cameron Company, 2024).

Written with Andrea Lawson Gray, a San Francisco cookbook writer and food historian, this gorgeous, coffee table book, of which I received a review copy, is a collection of more than 150 recipes inspired by the Mexican diaspora that has shaped our foodways profoundly, especially in California.

The title references the Spanish word that means “to live together,” a sentiment with even greater weight and poignancy in these fraught times.

The book is a salute to the many Mexican Americans who have come to Wine Country to work the land, pick the grapes, and create the wines and foods that are appreciated the world over.

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