Summer Salad

Step into the season with a gourmet dinner on the farm and a spectacular arts fair.

 

 Paradise Community Garden leader Shanale (left) and workshop instructor Kiyoko (right) tend their raised beds. Photo courtesy of Audrey Lieberworth.

Paradise Community Garden leader Shanale (left) and workshop instructor Kiyoko (right) tend their raised beds. Photo courtesy of Audrey Lieberworth.

In this newsletter:

●  Shop, taste, and support KPFA – June 20 & 21
●  Join the fun in Paradise – June 21
●  Celebrate Dad’s Day with a pig roast – June 21
●  Mix a drink with the Cocktail Whisperer – June 21
●  Savor a divine dinner at Knoll Farm – June 30
●  Kudos to two local James Beard Award winners
●  Recipe: Fig Chutney made with Knoll Farm figs

 


 

Work by featured artists pictured above (left to right): Karen Brown (jewelry), Eileen Goldenberg (ceramics), Susan Eastman (wearables), Theresa Kwong (jewelry), Katharina Ernst (wearables), Karl Schroen (mixed media), and Fritzie Seidler (mixed media). Photos courtesy of Karin Conn.

Work by featured artists pictured above (left to right): Karen Brown (jewelry), Eileen Goldenberg (ceramics), Susan Eastman (wearables), Theresa Kwong (jewelry), Katharina Ernst (wearables), Karl Schroen (mixed media), and Fritzie Seidler (mixed media). Photos courtesy of Karin Conn.

Arts & Eats

The historic Craneway Pavilion is the new home for the KPFA Summer Arts Fair, formerly the Live Oak Park Fair. A benefit for KPFA 94.1 FM, the fair features original, handmade work by 200 exhibitors in all media—painting, sculpture, ceramics, woodwork, jewelry, glasswork, and photography.

KPFA-SAF_InsertFrontPlenty of tempting treats made by local food crafters are also available to taste and purchase. Fair producer Jan Etre promises a variety of scrumptious offerings, including samples of chocolates, toffees, olive oils, and jams. The fair’s food concession features the New Orleans cuisine of Southern Comfort; in addition, guests can sip gourmet coffee and espresso from Yali’s Cafe and enjoy a full wine, beer, and spirits bar open at noon each day.

Enjoy a terrific day (or two) of arts, food, and the chance to meet artists and food crafters. Cost: two-day admission $12; seniors and people with disabilities $8; youth under 18 free. Parking is free as is a shuttle from Richmond’s BART Station. Info: kpfa.org/craftsfair/summer

Saturday & Sunday June 20–21, 10am–6pm
KPFA Summer Arts Fair
Craneway Pavilion at Ford Point
1414 Harbour Way S, Richmond

 

 


 

Food is growing in abundance at Hayward’s Paradise Community Garden. Photo courtesy of Audrey Lieberworth.

Food is growing in abundance at Hayward’s Paradise Community Garden. Photo courtesy of Audrey Lieberworth.

An Afternoon in Paradise

Join Project EAT and the Ashland Cherryland Food Policy Councilto mark the first anniversary of the Paradise Community Garden, the arrival of summer, and the release of the Council’s Vacant Land Survey Report. Activities include worm bin demonstrations and “My Plant,” a chance to start a plant from seed. If you want to take part in the potluck, bring a dish made with local, fresh produce to share. Info: Audrey Lieberworth: audrey@acfpc.org or 510.433.0993

Sunday June 21, 3–5pm
Paradise Community Garden Anniversary Celebration
20085 Mission Blvd, Hayward

 

 


 

Father's-Day-Pig-Roast_6-21Pig Heaven

Chef Lev Delaney, Chris Pastena, and the Oakland Chop Bar team host a Father’s Day pig roast, serving pig plates with all the fixins: fluffy corn bread, an assortment of salads, and various sauces and salsas. Only the special pig roast menu is available, as Lev cooks up five whole roasted pigs onsite. Enjoy beer and Fernet Branca plus live music by The Mushashi Trio, a local funk/blues band. Pig tickets: $20; Beer and Fernet Branca: $5 each. Info: here or 510.834.CHOP

Father’s Day Pig Roast
Sunday June 21, 4–8pm
The Dock at Linden Street
95 Linden St, Oakland


 Botanical-Shrub-Cocktails-posterBotanical-Garden-logo

Shrub Savvy

Bitters-and-Shrub-SyrupsSo, what’s a shrub? Cocktail Whisperer Warren Bobrow reveals the mystery as he reads from his latest book Bitters & Shrub Syrup Cocktails. Guests enjoy a shrub-making demo and tastings from Elixir Vitae and INNA. Event sponsor St. George Spirits has created a signature shrub cocktail for the event. Nibbles provided by HPS Epicurean. Proceeds benefit the UC Botanical Garden. Cost: $45 for members; $50 for non-members. Tickets and info:here

Summer Solstice Shrubs & Spirits
Sunday June 21, 6–8pm
UC Botanical Garden
200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley


Enjoy a vegetarian feast in the fig orchard at Brentwood’s Knoll Farm. Photo courtesy of Outstanding in the Field.

Enjoy a vegetarian feast in the fig orchard at Brentwood’s Knoll Farm. Photo courtesy of Outstanding in the Field.

A Stand Out Dinner

Outstanding in the Field stages table-to-farm open-air dinners hosted by top chefs. This month, the group serves up vegetarian cuisine at Knoll Farm in Brentwood, a biodynamic farm known for figs, greens, herbs, stone fruits, and more. The dinner is one of about 80 events held between May and November at farms, ranches, and orchards across North America. In Rick and Kristie Knoll’s beautiful fig orchard, guests can enjoy a delightful menu prepared by Chef Lacey Sher of Oakland’s Encuentro. (See Chef Sher’s recipe for fig chutney below.) Wines are by Preston Vineyards in Dry Creek, Sonoma County. Cost: $190. Tickets and info: here

Menu:

Salad of stone fruits and shaved green almond with arugula, herbs, zest, and little gems

Smoked pecan pâté with wild mushrooms, served with fig chutney, whole grain mustard, cornichon and crostini

Hearty seed and nut bread with compound olive oil and carrot butter

Corn milk dumplings with smoked tomato sauce and basil oil with summer vegetable succotash and dried sharp cashew cheese

Floating islands with vanilla coconut anglaise, stone fruits and berries, and caramelized nut brittle

Outstanding in the Field at Knoll Farm
Tuesday June 30, 4pm
12510 Byron Hwy, Brentwood


The James Beard Foundation selected Bryant Terry (left) and Saru Jayaraman for two of its prestigious leadership awards.

High Honors to Local Activists

Congratulations to Saru Jayaraman and Bryant Terry, winners of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards. Saru Jayaraman is cofounder and codirector of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United) and director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. The Foundation applauds her research, policy work, and efforts to create just workplace environments for all restaurant employees. Chef and author Bryant Terry is a food justice activist honored for his efforts to raise awareness of food-justice issues and to empower youth to be active in creating a healthy, just, and sustainable food system.

Jayaraman and Terry, along with recipients Don Bustos, Eliot Coleman, and Sam Kass, will be honored at an October 19 ceremony and dinner co-hosted by Good Housekeeping during the sixth annual James Beard Foundation Food Conference in New York City. Tickets to the Leadership Awards dinner are available for $1,000 to the public or $500 for JBF Food Conference attendees. Info and tickets: Bowen & Company at 914.231.6180 or jamesbeard@bowenandco.com. Additional details: here

Read more about Jayaraman and Terry in Edible East Bay:

Counting the Beans: Will a Hike in the Minimum Wage Lift Up Workers
or Bring Down Restaurants?

Vegan Virtuoso: Bryant Terry dishes up food with heat and heart—
and music for good measure

A Feast for All the Seasons and the Senses:
An interview with Bryant Terry on food justice and inspired vegan cooking


Recipe

Fig Chutney

Encuentro chef Lacey Sher prepares this fig chutney using fruit from Rick and Kristie Knoll’s Brentwood orchard. She serves it with pâté and says it’s also delicious with cheese and a host of other things.

Fig chutney offers a sweet addition to almost any meal.

Fig chutney offers a sweet addition to almost any meal.

Yields approximately 3 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced small
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups fresh figs, roughly chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked off stems
Water to cover
Salt
Pepper

Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add the sliced onion, sweating them until softened. Deglaze with red wine, then add balsamic vinegar, sugar, and figs. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Fold in thyme leaves about 2 minutes before finished cooking. Cool. Process in food processor until smooth. Adjust with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and water if needed.

Store in refrigerator, but let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Will keep for 2 weeks.