Santa Clara Welcomes Jashn Restaurant

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Beef bone marrow nalli nihari at the new Jashn in Santa Clara.
Beef bone marrow nalli nihari at the new Jashn in Santa Clara.

When Vittal Shetty and Reshmi Nair — formerly corporate executive chef and operations manager, respectively, of the Bay Area’s Amber India restaurants — decided to venture out on their own, the plan was to always open their own restaurant together.

Little did they know, they joked, that it would take 11 years.

That’s because they didn’t count on the catering company that they immediately started to try to raise money for that restaurant venture turning into an immediate juggernaut.

Indeed, their Jalsa Catering & Events has grown into one of the largest and most sought-after Indian catering companies in the Bay Area. It was one of the first Indian catering companies to go beyond standard steam tables to present food with more fine-dining finesse. Shetty’s intent was to take the skills he used at Amber India and transfer them to the catering industry.

Jalsa, which means “social gathering,” caters upwards of 400 events annually, many of them weddings with as many as 500 guests, as far north as the Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe, and as far south as Carmel. It’s even been hired to do events in Arizona and Mexico.

Every restaurant has to have an Instagram-ready wall now, right?
Every restaurant has to have an Instagram-ready wall now, right?
One of two private dining rooms.
One of two private dining rooms.

“People would attend the weddings we did and ask ‘Where is your restaurant?’ because they enjoyed the food so much, ” Nair says. “We would have to tell them there wasn’t one.”

Not anymore. When the catering company relocated three years ago from Milpitas to Santa Clara (the former Justin’s Restaurant and Wilson’s Bakery site), it gained a lot more space. Enough for Jashn, which means “celebration,” to open there earlier this month.

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Saba Jam Will Definitely Be Your Jam

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Saba Jam's Fig Ume Plum Jam stars in these bar cookies.
Saba Jam’s Fig Ume Plum Jam stars in these bar cookies.

Imagine jam that tastes as if peak ripe fruit were picked off the tree, then immediately cooked down before a luscious spoonful made it into your mouth a mere moment after cooling.

I think that’s the highest compliment I can give San Francisco’s Saba Jam, which tastes so clear and vivid, and comes in such inspired flavors as Blueberry Verjus, Bosenberry Beet, and Persian Lime Juniper Berry.

They’re the handiwork of Saba Parsa, an Iranian American who is a former chemical engineer-turned extraordinary jam maker.

She scours local farmers markets for the best fruit in season to make her small-batch jams using a minimum of sugar. She drops new ones only four times per year. They’re so highly regarded that they’ve racked up multiple Good Food Awards.

I had an opportunity to try samples of two of her jams: Nectarine Ginger, and Fig Ume Plum (8-ounce jars for $19.95 each).

Saba Jams made in small batches with seasonal, local fruit.
Saba Jams made in small batches with seasonal, local fruit.

The former is slightly chunky with bits of candied ginger, adding a subtle warmth. It tastes very much like a nectarine crumble. It would be wonderful on so many breakfast staples — be it oatmeal, plain yogurt, toast, scone or bagel. Or even drizzled over roasted squash.

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Lemon and Almond Oil Cake — That’s A Piece of Cake to Make

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Almond oil, almond flour, almond extract, and sliced almonds combine in this winning cake.
Almond oil, almond flour, almond extract, and sliced almonds combine in this winning cake.

With holiday gift-giving season commencing in full force after Turkey Day, I’m always on the lookout for locally made, gourmet goods to share with family and friends who love to cook.

Fresh Vintage Farms nut oils are definitely worth checking out.

The Turlock company produces cold-pressed, artisanal nut oils from almonds and walnuts grown in the Central Valley. The business was founded in 2019 by husband and wife, Tommy and Tara Tickenoff, whose families are third-generation almond growers.

I had a chance to try samples of both the almond and walnut oils. Both are lush and buttery tasting. The almond oil has a subtle natural sweetness to it, while the walnut one has a lovely roasty taste. Drizzle over salads, pastas, grilled bread, warm brie or goat cheese, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A bundle of two bottles (375ml each), one of each variety, is $27.99 on the Fresh Vintage Farms website or $23.99 on Amazon.

Fresh Vintage Farms Walnut and Almond Oils from California's Central Valley.
Fresh Vintage Farms Walnut and Almond Oils from California’s Central Valley.

I love oil-based cakes because they bake up so moist. So, I put the Fresh Vintage Farms Almond Oil to good use in this recipe for “One-Bowl Lemon and Olive Oil Cake” by Brian Levy, which was published in the New York Times on Jan. 3, 2025.

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San Jose’s New Poppy & Claro Outperforms

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Seared salmon with cauliflower, broccolini, and cornmeal-battered green beans. Would you believe this is all of $21 at Poppy & Claro?
Seared salmon with cauliflower, broccolini, and cornmeal-battered green beans. Would you believe this is all of $21 at Poppy & Claro?

Admittedly, when I was invited to dine as a guest of a new downtown San Jose restaurant, one established by the building’s developer who had never opened a restaurant before, I arrived skeptical.

By the time I left, though, I was an avowed convert, because Poppy & Claro far exceeded expectations.

Housed on the ground floor of the former KQED office building (and former Knight Ridder building before that), it’s very much designed for the weekday work crowd, as it’s open only Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. However, it’s available for private events on Sundays and Mondays.

Created by the Jay Paul Company, a Silicon Valley real estate firm, it’s centrally located right next to the San Jose Museum of Art and the winter ice skating rink. There’s even outdoor seating right by the Circle of Palms Plaza.

The communal table in the shape of the state.
The communal table in the shape of the state.
The bar.
The bar.

The restaurant name pays homage to California’s state flower and the wood from the state’s native walnut tree.

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In Celebration of Chocolate Chiffon Cake

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A chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate whipped cream that tastes lighter than you'd think.
A chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate whipped cream that tastes lighter than you’d think.

Apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pear tart may be the classics that typically cap off the holiday feast.

But for me, a chiffon cake enveloped in swirls of whipped cream frosting holds a dear place, as well.

As a Chinese American with extended family that includes Japanese American relatives, an airy, fluffy cake like those commonly found at Asian bakeries always hits the spot at the end of a heavy, bountiful meal when we want just a little something sweet but not too much.

Sometimes the cake would include a layer of fruit such as sliced fresh strawberries or drained, canned mandarin slices. Aunties always offered slices to take home afterward, too, carefully arranged on sturdy paper plates with a toothpick or two poking out of the top of the cake to prevent the plastic wrap cover from marring its whipped cream surface.

Even though that cake of my childhood was always vanilla, this “Chocolate Chiffon Cake” couldn’t but help bring back a rush of sweet memories.

While it’s slightly more indulgent, thanks to the melted chocolate in both the batter and the whipped cream frosting, at its heart it still eats light compared to so many traditional holiday desserts.

This marvelous recipe is from “Chocolate Lover” (Chronicle Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

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