Category Archives: General

Food Gal Unveiled

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Food Gal. Photo by Joanne Ho-Young Lee.You’re probably thinking, “It’s about time!” What can I say, except that I’m a bit camera-shy.

Ever since Food Gal came to life a month ago, my friends and fellow bloggers were telling me I had to post a photo of myself so that Food Gal readers could better identify with me. I finally listened. Yes, that’s me at the top of the page. And you’ll find another similar photo on my “About” page.

I’d like to thank my friend, the talented photographer Joanne Ho-Young Lee for snapping the pics. Like me, Joanne also was laid off a month ago from the San Jose Mercury News. She is now running her own wedding photography business.

I’d also like to give a shout-out at this time to another great gal pal, designer Elizabeth Goodspeed. Fans of the Mercury News Food & Wine section already are familiar with her work, as Elizabeth (“Speedy” to her friends) created some of the most beautiful covers for that section when I worked there. By the way, don’t you adore the Food Gal logo? That’s her handiwork, too. Elizabeth also was laid off from the paper at the same time, and is now looking for the next place to showcase her design talents.

We may be out of the newspaper. But we’re not down by any means.

Call it girl power at its finest.

A Visit to Napa’s New Oxbow Public Market

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The Oxbow Public Market is a food lover's paradise

Think San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Marketplace, but on a cozier scale. That’s what Napa, a once-sleepy town of 75,000, now boasts in the Oxbow Public Market.

The similarities are only natural. Steve Carlin, founder of the Oxbow Public Market, also was project manager for the Ferry Building Marketplace. He has the goods on all things gourmet, too, having co-owned the Oakville Grocery stores for 20 years.

Situated along the Napa River and next to Copia on First Street in downtown Napa, the 40,000-square-foot Oxbow Public Market is a block-long foodie’s playground that opened in December. Eighteen merchants and restaurants already have settled in, including a branch of the ever-popular Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, the Fatted Calf (an artisanal charcuterie), Whole Spice Company (where you can buy a multitude of spices in any amount you wish), and Five Dot Ranch (the first retail site for sustainable beef raised by the Swickard family, seven generations of cattle ranchers in Northern California).

Enjoy a taste at Taylor's Automatic Refresher

May 2, the marketplace’s 10 farmstands will officially open, selling everything from figs from Knoll Farms in Brentwood to citrus from Guru Ram Das in Esparto to cherries from Frog Hollow Farms in Brentwood. The farmstands  will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Still to come are a branch of the Hog Island Oyster Bar (with fresh-as-can-be oysters harvested from Tomales Bay), and Kanaloa Seafood (a market run by a Santa Barbara seafood company owned by a biologist and oceanographic researcher that will sell only sustainable seafood).

It’s definitely worth a detour off of Highway 29. If you visit, here are a few things not to miss:

The world's smallest winery?

Folio Enoteca & Winery: At 80-square-feet, it may very well be the world’s smallest bonded winery. No crushing or bottling are done here, but wine is indeed aged in barrels on site. Enjoy a taste, along with a grilled panini or crisp salad.

Model Bakery: The original bakery has been a landmark in downtown St. Helena for more than 80 years. Carb lovers will swoon over the Asiago cheese bread, piles of fresh-pizza slices, and chewy ginger molasses cookies. It’s the housemade English muffins that steal my heart, though. Made from ciabatta dough then griddled with cornmeal, they toast up crispy on the edges and pillowy in the nooks.

David Wong demonstrates the art of tea

Tillerman Tea Company: Former Clos du Val Winery Chief Executive Officer David Campbell has joined with China scholar David Wong to open this striking tea cafe and emporium. Each day, a different “house flight” of five teas is offered for tasting. Customers also can book private tea tastings.

Tea time

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Facebook Users Can Win Free Potato Chips For A Year

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All you have to do is keep an eye out for when a special Death Valley temperature gauge that monitors the desert heat reaches 120 degrees. The first five Facebook users who notify Kettle Foods when it does will win free chips for a year. Just don’t tell your cardiologist.

It’s all part of Kettle Foods’ debut of its newest potato chip flavor, Death Valley Chipotle. Crispy, fiery, smoky, and quite tongue-tingling, the chips also will help a good cause. Kettle Foods will donate $1 to the Death Valley Natural History Association for every Facebook user who downloads the special Death Valley temperature gauge. The non-profit association brings city kids to parks so they can experience the beauty of nature. Click here to find out more about the Facebook application.

The Death Valley Chipotle chips, in 5-ounce ($2.99) and 9-ounce ($3.29) bags, are available at Cost Plus Markets, and by clicking here.

Red Mango To Open in the Bay Area

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A swirl of thick tart frozen yogurt at Red Mango
Tart fro-yo fanatics like myself are sure to rejoice that Red Mango will soon open three locations in the Bay Area: Palo Alto, San Jose, and San Carlos.

The “Coming Soon” signs are already up on the vacant storefront at 429 University Ave. at Kipling, in downtown Palo Alto. According to the company’s Web site, the other two locations will be: 3055 Olin Ave. in San Jose’s Santana Row; and 852 Laurel St. in San Carlos.

I first swooned over Red Mango when I had the chance to try it in Los Angeles last year. Choose from green tea or “original” flavors, with toppings that range from fresh strawberries to Fruity Pebbles. The original flavor — my favorite — is quite tangy, thick, and creamy. And best yet, it is nonfat, and made from real cultured yogurt.

Red Mango has been giving pioneering Pinkberry a run for its money down south in the frozen yogurt wars. See what all the fuss is about when Red Mango opens its doors. One spoonful will leave you hooked.

French-Japanese Patisserie to Open in Campbell

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Cream puffs with green tea custard, anyone? Or how about tiny chocolate cookies sprinkled with Himalayan salt? Or a slice of dreamy mango coconut mousse cake, perhaps?

If you’re getting hungry, then you’ll be glad to know that Satura Cakes will be opening a branch in downtown Campbell this summer. Construction has already begun on the site, 199b E. Campbell Ave., next to Aqui Cal Mex restaurant.

This will be the third Bay Area location for Satura, which creates “Japanese innovations on European-style cakes.” Satura was created through a partnership with a Japanese bakery, Anniversary Company.

Satura’s other Bay Area locales are in downtown Palo Alto, and downtown Los Altos. Enjoy their lovely, elegant creations that are well worth the calories.

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