Researcher and Food Enthusiast
This is the first of a series where I feature creative ways restaurants have pivoted their sales including pantry essentials, meal kits, produce boxes, gourmet items, and all-around useful purchases that prevent you from having to go to the store during shelter-in-place as well as mix up your weekly routine. The Dogpatch has many delightful…
Camping food often gets a bad rap. That’s why I was offended when my boyfriend coined my cooking style early on in our relationship “like camping.” He meant I re-use ingredients to maximize flavors and minimize waste but my first thoughts were of hungry people eating mac and cheese with canned tuna or hydrated meals…
The North Bay in California has a special place in my heart where I cherish every second I’ve been fortunate enough to spend in its glory. Petaluma is no exception and this post features a number of tasting rooms, distilleries, breweries, and associated businesses. At the recent Petaluma Drinks! event I explored a number of…
While in Beijing, I took a dumpling cooking class at The Hutong to learn the art of making Xiao Long Bao (also known as XLB, Shanghai Dumplings, or Soup Dumplings). If you are in Beijing, I highly recommend you check out their calendar to check for neighborhood and market tours as well as a diverse…
This is the story of me trying to eat my way through Beijing; but, in a city so big and diverse there was not enough time to *truly* eat it all. Despite walking 50+ miles across the city, we only saw a fraction of what I had planned; but, because so much was explored by…
This Wednesday, I tried to eat my way through the 3×3 block neighborhood, Hayes Valley. My friend and I enjoyed a picnic in Patricia’s Green underneath the SQUARED art piece, noshed on Eastern European savory treats and fermented wine, indulged in savory ice creams, and washed it down with some toffee-topped boba. When it comes…
As I delve deeper into creating my first “side hustle,” I’m looking to test out some of my Urban Hikes that feature the best spots to picnic, eat and drink, enjoy a view, or learn history about the Bay Area. In preparation for that, I created this public map to give a sample of what these could…
The South Berkeley Farmers Market borders the edge between Oakland and Berkeley at Adeline and 63rd. While unassuming in appearance, this market takes up the median-separated parking spots lining Adeline and has all the essentials one needs in a practical, weekday-evening farmers market. Note: Check out my broiled stone fruit recipe below. The “friends and family market”…
Having traveled to farmers markets across the country for work, I can tell you that August is nearly universally “peak” for Summer crops such as corn, peaches, and tomatoes (sorry, Florida!). Even though I’m in California now with Summer produce well into Fall, I wait all year for this bountiful month where you never…