Category Archives: Great Finds

Prince Panettone Has The Royal Touch

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Prince Panettone's Triple Chocolate Raspberry flavor.
Prince Panettone’s Triple Chocolate Raspberry flavor.

While working at the fine-dining Honolulu restaurant, Senia, in 2018, C.K. Flannigan had his mind blown.

That was when Mimi Mendoza, the restaurant’s pastry chef, ordered a From Roy panettone from the Bay Area to share with colleagues, and insisted that Flannigan try it.

The exquisite pricey treat ($109) has built a reputation far and wide for its rich, buttery taste and its feathery, cotton candy-like ethereal texture. At a time when most off-the-shelf Italian panettone could be had for $20 to $30, Roy Shvartzapel elevated not only the price, but the standards for the specialty sweet bread. While a staple at Christmas and Easter, he dared to sell it year-round.

Flannigan, who’d spent his time on the savory and bread-making sides of a professional kitchen, was floored from the get-go by the quality of From Roy’s panettone.

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Festive Pearl Meatballs for Lunar New Year — and Beyond

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Ring in the Lunar New Year with these delectable pearl meatballs.
Ring in the Lunar New Year with these delectable pearl meatballs.

Now’s the time go all in on festive gold, jade, and pearls for the Lunar New Year.

Especially when it comes to “Pearl Meatballs.”

This celebratory dish was believed to have been served in the imperial court in central China, as far back as 700 years ago. Covered in glutinous rice, these juicy meatballs are thought to resemble pearls, symbols of unity and prosperity.

A dim sum staple these days, they are also very much a New Year’s essential. And best yet, they are a cinch to make at home.

Although there are many recipes for them, with their own small variations, this particular one comes from “Classic Chinese Recipes” (Hamlyn, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

This 7-inch-by-5 1/4-inch book may be small, but it’s mighty. That’s because it was written by Ken Hom, the legendary Chinese American chef, cookbook author, culinary instructor, and television host who helped popularize and demystify authentic Chinese cooking for Western palates. For a time, he studied art history at the University of California at Berkeley, then segued into teaching cooking classes, most notably at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

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Pastry Run, Part II: Butter & Crumble

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The robustly flavored, flaky, buttery, French Onion Soup pastry at Butter & Crumble.
The robustly flavored, flaky, buttery, French Onion Soup pastry at Butter & Crumble.

There’s no doubt that the pandemic wrought untold devastation, heartache, and misery.

But if there was one shining light to emerge from that trying time, it was surely Butter & Crumble in San Francisco.

Owner Sophie Smith was a line cook at San Francisco’s A16, when restaurants were forced to shutter temporarily. She started baking cakes, a side hustle during the hiatus, until she could resume working toward her dream of eventually opening her own restaurant some day.

But something unexpected happened: Her dreamy cakes, lavished with thick, creamy frosting over layers that hid crunchy, crumbly bits, became a sensation. So much so that it upended her entire trajectory.

I was in line for more than an hour to get these beauties.
I was in line for more than an hour to get these beauties.

She was soon pursuing a new goal of opening up her own bakery. In Oct. 2023, her brick-and-mortar location in North Beach debuted. From the first day, long lines stretched down the block. They haven’t dwindled since.

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Pastry Run, Part I: Parachute Bakery

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What I scored at Parachute Bakery in San Francisco.
What I scored at Parachute Bakery in San Francisco.

Sometimes it pays to be a latecomer.

When Parachute Bakery opened last summer in the Ferry Building, eager beavers with major sweet tooths swarmed the place. So much so that the bakery was selling out less than 3 hours after opening.

Now? The crowds are more manageable, especially on weekdays, which I found when I finally visited at the end of January.

It’s easy to understand the fuss. After all, Parachute is by the team behind Michelin-starred Sorrel in San Francisco, Chef Alex Hong and Joel Wilkerson, director of operations. Its co-owner and executive pastry chef is Nasir Armar, who grew up working in his father’s bakery in India. He was the former pastry chef at Sorrel, and at Michelin two-starred Saison in San Francisco.

Parchute Bakery is near Gott's in the Ferry Building.
Parchute Bakery is near Gott’s in the Ferry Building.

To say that Armar’s pastries exemplify precision is to put it mildly. These are some gorgeous creations. They are not all looks and no substance, either. The flavors hold their own.

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The Comfort of Red Lentil, Dried Mint & Lemon Soup

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A naturally creamy red lentil soup that's vegan.
A naturally creamy red lentil soup that’s vegan.

It’s warming, nourishing, and seductively curry-like.

That’s what “Red Lentil, Dried Mint & Lemon Soup” is all about. It’s also so easy and fast that you’re sure to make it on repeat whenever you want to tuck into a cozy bowl.

The recipe is from “Boustany” (10 Speed Press, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Sami Tamimi, a Palestinian chef, restaurateur and food writer who grew up in Jerusalem before moving to Tel Aviv, then to London and Umbria, Italy.

His love for cooking, which started as a child in his mother’s kitchen, led him to start a catering company in Tel Aviv, then to running the savory kitchen of Baker & Spice in London, before joining forces with Yotam Ottolenghi to open Ottolenghi Deli in London. “Jerusalem,” a cookbook he and Ottolengthi wrote together, won the “International Book Award” from the James Beard Foundation in 2013. Tamimi’s “Falastin” cookbook won an IACP award.

“Bustany” is derived from the Arabic term for “garden.” Farming has long been and continues to be a way of life for Palestinians, as Tamimi notes in his book. Foraging also provides not only sustenance but another source of income. Among his happiest memories are spending time in the thriving garden at his grandparents’ house in Hebron.

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