A Day of Education.....Distinguished Visiting Chefs and Friends

This week was a killer. I really used to wonder what people that worked in schools did with all their time off....well..... four years later, I get it. Working in public schools is fabulous, full of purpose, and exhausting. I awake at 5am, and literally sprint through each day, M-F at full tilt, lifting heavy pots, wielding sharp knives, serving serving serving until 730pm, when I finally sit down for an hour of family time before my daughter goes to bed. It is no wonder that I feel like crap most Saturdays, even though I really LOVE my job and my life.

Anyway, although this week was tough, it was also amazing. I had the great opportunity to host a friend and accomplished chef, Tim Bodell from Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville on my home turf, in my PHS kitchen. As an extra bonus, he brought along with him, colleague Chef Tommaso Lacanfora, from the instep of the boot (Italy), the man who creates all the food at Palazzo Margherita, one of Coppola's resort properties around the world.

Every year in my Farm to Table class, I travel with twelve students from PHS, to farms in the far reaches of the Bay Area. I am so lucky to have made so many friends, with like values around food and service. They host us and educate us;  bringing to the fore how the exhaustive work and dedication of local farmers literally bring food to the tables of the families of my students. I love doing it each year, even though I am dead tired...I wouldn't miss the opportunity for the world. I get to plug in and reconnect with my passionate values of why I do this work.

This is how I met Chef Tim Bodell. The first year I offered my Summer class, one of the farms had to back out at the last moment. I brain stormed with a couple of my colleagues and found out that one of the parents of an enrolled student, was in fact the Director of Hospitality for FFCW and she offered their Geyserville property as a quick substitute trip. At the time, of course I took her up on her generous offer, but to be honest, I was skeptical. As fun as it might be to visit a winery, how would it fit into my class? I didn't have the time to research the answer and just leaned into the belief that everything happens for a reason and went with it.

When we arrived, I was truly amazed at the gorgeous property, with it's dramatic architecture and the peaked copper roof of the tasting room. The grand driveway lined with olive trees. The surrounding foothills covered with vines. I parked the van, my students tired from the long drive, and we headed up the stairs to meet Sally, our PHS parent, I immediately felt like it would be a day to remember. We were introduced to Liese, the Viticulturalist who took us on a tour through the vines. Her knowledge...inspiring me and our students. Just when it started to get too hot to stay in the vines, we were led to meet Chef Tim, who's larger than life frame could have been intimidating, but instead he emanated warmth and the true spirit of hospitality and patience. He lead us through his kitchen garden, letting my students taste and touch, explaining how everything from the garden gets used on the property. Although at the time, the garden was fairly new, the kitchen had already determined that they would like more on site ingredients, and so expansion was already in the works. In the relatively small space, Chef Tim created a sanctuary for pollinators. Bee hives,  owl houses, butterfly and hummingbird attracting flowers. Everything edible and meticulously planned to be in complete harmony with wildlife, and just a step outside for Chef Tim and his team.

Fast forward four years later, and three trips more to Chef Tim's kitchen. I am not only now, teaching my Summer class, but responsible for food service for both PHS and PMS and after lunch, three days a week, teaching upperclassmen a culinary arts class for ROP and of course, in the process of getting my teaching credential. As a part of my skills class, I bring in guest teachers. Sometimes chefs, always friends. As a result, I hand over the direction of my class, for just 40 minutes and learn something new right along with my students.

Chef Tim spoke about the precision that dominates the running of a professional kitchen, likening it to the military. And again, you would think a man with the stature of Chef Tim talking about the military would be intimidating, but his warmth tempered the conversation with his love and care of his profession, his staff and his customers. When he relinquished the floor to Chef Tomasso, we learned about life in a small Italian town, how Tomasso still thinks that his mother's food is the best of everything he's ever put into his mouth, and how honoring the simplicity of preparation and on hand seasonal ingredients makes the tastiest food.

Both men are extraordinarily charismatic. Soon a crowd of mostly girls, gathered outside my kitchen, iPhone cameras flashing, capturing the moment along with a reporter from the Piedmont Post and our school paper. All the time, the men working on a focaccia, made from scratch and topped with a delicious tomato sauce and kalamata olives. The texture was amazing, crispy and soft, crunch and piquant. My students were surprised at how delicious it was without more toppings.

At the end of the day, I really had to pinch myself. How did I ever get so lucky to land in this amazing place? To have the opportunity to get to know so many people doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do? I don't really have the answer...but I am grateful.

Bagels Baby!

See? I am keeping my promise. Even though it did not involve a pinky swear, serious and binding between my 12 year old daughter and I, here I am, exactly one week later.

Winter has truly arrived in the Bay Area, gentle rains have been coming every other day or so, and if this is this year's repeat of El Nino (that yes, I am old enough to actually have experienced and remember), I will take it.

I love the Fall the best of all the seasons. Weird for a chef. Most chef's, and even other folk who are serious about cooking love Spring, with its bounty of green garlic, asparagus, peas, and the beginnings of everything else showing their gorgeous little heads in gardens everywhere. They don't call it Spring Green for nothing! It is, in fact my favorite color....but I digress.

Many chefs embrace most ardently, Summer, when sweet berries and stone fruit rule the Farmers Markets. But not me. Perhaps it is because I attended culinary school, not in CA but back east in Providence RI, where I experienced my first and most gorgeous of Autumns. In fact, Autumn even has a specific smell...most East Coast folk will agree, and everyone else, well they just think I'm crazy. But that is okay. I have always had a very sensitive sense of smell...one of the reasons that I excel at my chosen profession I imagine.

But Winter....I love cosy vintage cashmere sweaters. I love fires in the fireplace (Ugh...don't start, people who I know and love in Berkeley), I love Christmas lights, and BAKING. Baking is my therapy. The more stressful my life, the more baked products my friends and family can count on. Bread is especially special to me. My dad being a baker in the Merchant Marines, my Mama baking homemade white dinner rolls each holiday, drenched in butter. But me, my fav is a crusty and chewy country loaf, made with a natural yeast starter or biga (Italian).

My version of Tartine Bread

I have had my current sourdough starter going about a year or so, a gift from my dear friend and colleague, Mary. Her husband Bob is quite the chef himself, and he has been maintaining his starter for a long time.

Just about every weekend, I bake bread for the coming week. I became serious about it when I took on yet another additional role at PUSD, that of a culinary instructor. After lunchtime, three days a week, I jump right in and instruct a class of 20 Juniors and Seniors in the skills and techniques of preparing food. One of which, of course, is bread.  We are so spoiled in the Bay Area, so many great folks making damn delicious bread around here. But just over 3 years ago, my family moved from Berkeley to Oakland. And like I said in my post last week, the area that I would be able to afford is pretty much a good food desert. I could no longer walk to pick up my weekly bread at Acme. So I started working ardently, on making a great loaf myself.

I tried lots of different formulas, wanting to find a bread that didn't take two days of loving manipulation to bring to the table and alas, after 6 months or so of pretty mediocre breads, I resigned myself to Chad Robertson's Country Loaf bible, Tartine Bread.  You really do get what you give, especially with naturally leavened country style breads. It is, to be very frank, a process.

Proofing the bagels

So committed I was to it, working ardently each weekend, at first wanting to see if I could shorten the process. I'm a professional after all! I should be able to make this process my own.....Nope. The breads I turned out were decidedly ok, and they tasted good, but the rise was not terrific, the texture too dense and I am so damn picky.

One weekend, I remember vividly, I sighed, and decided to do Chad's formula by the letter, ALL 37 PAGES. It took a week, following his precise instructions, to get my starter really nice and active. I was religious in the feeding schedule. Every am, weighing in grams the 100 degree water and organic local flours I fed my baby with. After a week, the health of my baby really was evident, and so I began.

That next weekend, I turned out the most perfect loaf of bread I had every baked in my entire life! I was exhilarated and addicted. From that day, every week, with very little exception, I have been baking my family's bread.

Now, I have to admit, I have not been a fan of the Bay's version of bagels in the past. Too puffy, too cakey and not chewy enough for me. So when I walked into Beauty's Bagel Shop on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, my expectations were to bite into another hyped up, but mediocre product. Instead,  I revisited my own love for bagels that I found when I lived back East. They make Montreal style, wood fired bagels by hand each day, all of their spreads, to an extremely delicious result. Lucia especially, loves bagels (as any future student of NYU should), and Beauty's, though not producing NY style bagels, is the closest I have found in the Bay to delicious NY style fixings for bagels.

I have been sitting on the NYT formula for Montreal Bagels for quite awhile, I don't know why I decided to try them today. But I am sure glad I did. They came out a lovely golden brown, and my NY loving daughter, is enamored of the fact that we can make her favorite breakfast at home in about 2 hours.

Here are my notes:

Gorgeous finished product

*I halved the recipe, as 18 bagels is too much for my little family. Thusly I used just one whole, organic, free range egg and no yolk in my formula.
*I used roughly 1/2 cup of my sourdough starter, in addition to the yeast. I love the depth of flavor.
*I used extra virgin olive oil from Soul Food Farm.
*I used locally milled organic wheat bread flour from The Bale Grist Mill in St Helena.
*I found that 15-20 mins in the 450 degree oven, with a pizza stone was plenty of time to achieve a deep rich golden brown.
*I used parchment paper on the 1/2 size sheet pans to keep the bagels from sticking to the pan in the oven, as they are very sticky when they emerge from the honeyed boiling water.
*I decided not to roll my bagels in any accoutrement, as we prefer the bagels flavor to come though, although, next time I may caramelize a few onions to put on my husband's bagels

Been a long time......."Lucy! You have some 'splaining to do!"

Dear Readers.......Indeed I do. So much has happened since I last posted, but I have no excuse that is any different from any other Mom, Chef, Wife, Citizen, Dog Mama, Teacher. Life is fast, and busy. I let this one go into the outfield (sorry, Im not a sports person....so no more references).

Since moving to Oakland from Berkeley 3 years ago, our lives seem to have gone into warp speed, (yes, I know, Star Wars just came out....again).  My baby girl is now fully into pre-teen mode, 6th grade and keeping me on my toes. My husband has quit driving due to damage in his eyes, done long before we met, from diabetic reinopathy, and thusly my responsibilities in our little family have gone through the ceiling. I am the sole driver, kid caregiver and transporter, homework helper (ugh! as much as I can with everything in education doing flip flops every few years!), meal planner/maker, home cleaner and maintainer (Troy can't see well enough to do any of it), gardener, teacher (we will get more into that in a minute), and bacon bringing homer. Whew! Yes.  My life is uber wrapped up in everyone else, and thusly I have VERY LITTLE TIME for the things that I enjoy, like reading and writing this blog.

But still, I am a very fortunate woman, with great passion for my family and what I do for a living, so my life also feels full to the brim of purpose these days. Since accepting the position of Director of Nutrition and Executive Chef at PUSD, I have tripled sales in food service, combined forces with Di, who has been overseeing food for the middle school for 22 years (egads!), hired my dear friend, colleague and techie guru Mary, to work with us and hired another PT person, Anita to fill in the gaps and lend culinary support.
On top of combining food service for two schools, planning, ordering, writing menus, receiving product, producing two meals a day for both schools from scratch out of my kitchen, and managing student TAs who help us every period of every day, I have added an ROP Culinary course, after lunch, for Juniors and Seniors. Writing that cirriculum, teaching and evaluating skills, producing results and grading each student. In the Summer, I still teach my Farm to Table course, taking students to my dear friend's local farms, learning about how they do their work, getting inspired and coming back to my kitchen to plan and cook and serve a meal using what we have learned and products we have gleaned from the farm, for a local Cerebral Palsy Center's clients and staff. Full. Of. Purpose.

Our urban neighborhood is a bit of a good food desert though. Sad but true. I could not afford to buy a home in any of the places I truly wanted to be, so that I could walk everywhere. Here, most things require a car or a bus, and honestly, most of the places you could walk to, you...or certainly I, would not want to go to anyway. There are alot of bad things that still go on nearby, but many good things happening here too. More families, better gardens, community coffee in the am on Fridays, etc.

My main goal, in our surrounding neighborhood, is to connect with the powers at be at nearby Mills College,
and talk them into bringing in a farmers market once a week on campus. It would bring our community together, it would also allow residents of this good food desert to get some exposure and access to great food and ingredients and of course be great PR for Mills as well. Just like in the movie....."If you build it, they will come". Maybe that's why I am here. To build it.

So........One of my goals this 2016, is to put some effort into this blog each Sunday. Yes...You heard it! I'm actually even putting it on my calendar. And if you don't see me here, nudge me will you? Or call me out even! Here's to a fruitful year of good food, great ideas and words pulled into being.

Pinky swear.

Pop Up General Store

Pop-Up General StoreTUESDAY, MARCH 2ND FROM 5-7 PM

Hi there! We wanted to let you know that we'll be popping up next Tuesday, March 2nd from 5-7pm. We hope you'll be able to swing by!

Please note that this is a departure from our previous Wednesday markets.We'll be making Boudin Blanc Sausages, Tuscan-Style Arista Pork Loin, Ragù Bolognese and Hand-Torn Straccetti Pasta.

We are also excited to have new offerings from several of our friends: e.b.c.b., Stacie Pierce, Melissa Fernández, Anthony Tassinello, Mary Jo Thoresen and Blue Chair Fruit!

Pre-order your items using this form, then come visit our pop-up location in the historic Temescal streetcar depot that houses Grace Street Catering.

We'll be there next Tuesday, March 2nd from 5pm to 7pm awaiting your arrival! We'll have lots of extras (including Chris's salami and coppa, as well as Goulash's Handmade English Muffins) for sale, so feel free to pop in even if you don't place an order!

Stop in for a taste!Please use this order form to place an order by Sunday, February 28th at 10am.

Become our fan! Click here to become our fan on Facebook and help spread the word about Pop-Up General Store!

WHAT: Pop-Up General Store selling handmade sausages, pasta, sweets and more!

WHEN: Tuesday, March 2nd from 5pm to 7pm

WHERE: 4629 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way (corner of 47th and MLK) in Temescal, Oakland (click for map of location)

HOW: Pre-order by Sunday, February 28th at 10am using this form and come ready with cash or check, as we are unfortunately unable to accept credit cards
Forward email

Pop-Up General Store 4629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way Oakland CA 94609

Deliciously brought to you by Samin Nosrat http://ciaosamin.blogspot.com/ and Chef Christopher Lee, both formerly of Eccolo on 4th St in Berkeley.

Sunday Breakfast

We have a tradition since moving to Berkeley.  On Friday night, to celebrate the end of the week we go out to dinner.  Not usually a fancy affair.....though we usually spend more on food than most families I imagine, we pay for quality and support good, local ingredients.  Neighborhood places, owned by hardworking people who are really focused on the food.  But I digress.

The second part of the weekend food celebration comes on Sunday am, after the Saturday filled with taking the train to the City and spending the better part of the day foraging the best ingredients for my job at Seneca Center, elbowing through the amazing mix of locals and enthusiastic tourists at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.  I love my job, I love the market and all the farmers and local producers that  I have built a relationship with over the years working in the food business....but.....I also really love the chance to relax on Sunday mornings with my sweet Husband and daughter, over a meal that I had to do absolutely nothing for, except drag my hiney out of bed!

Berkeley is an amazing town.  Full of wonderful opinionated folks, a well educated bunch, passionate about their place in society.  It is one of the many reasons that we sought to make this our home.  Certainly, one of the most enjoyable things about Berkeley (Oakland and SF too for that matter!) is the availability of local, sustainably produced food and the hardworking folks that bring it to us everyday.  I am so grateful that on Sundays, I am not one of those people, but a benefactor.  

So on Sunday am we get up and without much thought as to where we will go, we head out the door to partake.  Sometimes I do a little internet research ahead of time, looking at reviews from other folk and Michael Bauer.  Sometimes I have a bee in my bonnet about places that I have had in que and wanted to try.  Most times, Troy and I have a brief discussion and we just go!  

Lucia sometimes has something to say about what she wants to eat, but if we gave her a choice about where to go...she most certainly chooses Cafe Fanny.  Cafe Fanny is one of our old standbys.  The people are so wonderful, always greeting us by name and taking joy in seeing Lucia run around, petting doggies that come with their parents, and sipping on her big girl warm chocolate from a bowl.  Her she has two favorite breakfast selections at Cafe Fanny.  The warm and nutty steel cut oats, served with lovely melting butter and maple syrup. But most often, she chooses a soft boiled egg with Acme toast.  My go-getter, not afraid of anything daughter turns into a real little lady at Cafe Fanny, with her napkin on her lap and her tiny little egg spoon, daintily scooping warm, slightly runny egg from the light green shell.  She usually leaves her toast for last, eating it with cream cheese and their homemade jam. 

Troy and I really like a little and popular French place on Shattuck, I am sure that you will already know of it, it is one of the most popular places for breakfast, it is called La Note.  I always order the same thing.  Softly scrambled eggs with goat cheese and herbs.  It comes with a side of the most delicious oven roasted tomatoes and I suggest that you splurge and get the buttery, crusty croissant or the huge half a baguette instead of the toast.  Leave the butter that it comes with alone, and spread it with the lovely not too sweet raspberry jam that is a house specialty here.  Pure breakfast heaven!!  

We also really like 900 Grayson.  However, we dont get to go here as often as we would because they are not open on Sundays. We usually choose this tiny little heaven of slow food if we suddenly get a wild hair and go out on Saturday morning instead, but as I said before, my Saturdays are usually packed full with the market...so the opportunity does not happen often.  

We really like walking to Bette's on 4th Street. Consistently great food but sometimes the wait is just too much for hungry parents with a five year old.  I have a special place in my heart though for the folks at Bette's because my niece Brittany used to wait tables here.  

Meal Ticket, Cafe M and Leilas are all pretty good but for me uneven.  

Recently on a Sunday am when we decided to venture into the city for a meal, we took a chance and went to the really hipster, upscale Slow Club.  We had to wait more than an hour for a table, and had to really work to keep Lucia occupied for that huge amount of time (thank God for color books and washable pens!) but when we finally got to a table, we had an amazing meal. Lucia was happy with the oatmeal and I ordered a warm flat bread with wilted wild rocket, pecorino and a fried egg.  And...they serve Blue Bottle Coffee. Can you say YUM?  Fabulous is the best word that I can think of.  This place is on our short list for further ventures.

After our meal, we find a nice place to walk some of it off.  Coming prepared with LuLu's pink skitter helps to make it more fun for her, and we get a leisurely start to the end of our weekend. 

I love my job.  I love everything about it.  But I must say, at the end of a busy week being up at 5am, a wife, a mother, a chef and nutritional manager, a housekeeper, gardener, laundress and dog owner....I am most grateful on Sunday morning meals out with my family!