Yes, Michael Pollan made a splashy appearance in my backyard recently.
Um, that would be my tomato plant named for the respected food activist, author and journalist, not Mr. Pollan in the flesh, himself.
Of my four tomato seedlings planted this year, it was this one that grew most vigorously and produced not only the first tomatoes of the season, but the most fruit so far, too.
Guess it pays to be named after a man who takes food seriously.
When the weather heats up, there’s nothing as joyful to enjoy as an ice cream sandwich. It can’t help but bring out the kid in each of us.
Try an “Ice Cream Sammy” at Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar, the only Bay Area bakery to win the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars.”
With locations in Napa, Santa Rosa and Cotati, the bakery takes organic gelato and sandwiches in between big cookies. Try the “All for the Cookie” ($4), which features cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream stuffed between two chocolate cookies.
Look for a San Francisco location to open later this summer, too.
San Francisco’s Mozzeria is getting in on the act, too, with peanut butter ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookies ($6). It gets even better, too. The sammy is served on a homemade fruit roll-up — with a side of spicy beer nuts. It’s a meal.
Mozzeria is one of the first deaf-owned restaurants in the country. Its global menu features everything from roast duck pizza with hoisin to Japanese pumpkin ravioli.
Sure, we all know that the founder of Gordon Biersch Brewing Company knows how to make great beer.
But how many knew that Dan Gordon also is an accomplished musician?
When Scott Lucas, former software seller, and his wife, Cathy Storfer, an event planner, decided to change careers a couple years ago, they let their palates guide them to their next step.
Inspired by the flavors they encountered on their world travels, the two decided to start a new line of spice rubs with their long-time friend, Daniel Capra, executive chef of Emeryville’s Paula LeDuc Fine Catering.
There are now six Just Cook spice blends: Herbed Coffee Rub, Any Day Chicken Blend, No. 19 Salmon Blend, Ancho Chicken Rub, Close to Curry Blend, and Gimme Steak Blend.
Look closely at that bowl of beautiful, baby salad greens.
If only you could reach out and grab a few leaves to taste, you’d be amazed at their sweetness, pepperiness and all-around intensity of flavor.
What makes these lettuces different is that all were grown indoors under LED lights, using a fraction of the water a conventional outdoor farm would.
Ecopia Farms in Campbell is unlike any other agricultural endeavor — housed indoors in a non-descript, out-of-the-way warehouse in Campbell.
Utilizing the latest technology and know-how, it was founded by a couple of tech giants: a former CEO of Solectron, and a former president of Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space.
With water and land increasingly precious commodities, their goal is to create a way of farming that is not only more efficient and sustainable, but replicable in high-density urban areas.
Over the past three decades, Kettle Brand Potato Chips has come out with a whopping 40 inventive flavors — everything from Yogurt & Green Onion to Burgundy with Aged Cheddar to Roasted Red Pepper with Goat Cheese.
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the Salem, Ore. company has decided to bring back four favorite flavors for a limited time only: Red Chili, Jalapeno Jack, Salsa with Mesquite, and Cheddar Beer.
I had a chance to try samples recently. The Red Chili, introduced in 1982, was ahead of its time with is almost sriracha spicy-tangy flavor. The Jalapeno Jack, devised in 1989, has a creamy note, along with a grassy back note of heat. The Salsa with Mesquite, launched in 1999, actually has the smoky, tomato, lime and garlic flavors of a chunky salsa. And Cheddar Beer, created in 2005, tastes of pungent sharp cheese. Although I didn’t detect the beer as much, this flavor was my hands-down favorite; so much so that I had to keep my husband from inhaling the entire bag so that I could enjoy just a few more of those crisp, substantial, cheesy chips.
The classic flavors come in 5-ounce bags for $2.79 each. They are available in select stores or online at BuyKettleChips.com. The Jalapeno Jack and Red Chili flavors also will be available in 8.5-ounce bags for $3.49 in grocery stores later this fall.
Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win 8.5-ounce bags of each of the four classic, limited-edition Kettle Brand Potato Chips. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST July 28. Winner will be announced July 30.
How to win?