Dec 28, 2024
In golden light surrounded by fields of plump rice and recently harvested corn, beans and wheat, wildlife pecks on dinner.
This is Pleasant Grove Farms, 3,000 acres in the wetlands north of Sacramento. Owners Ed and Wynette Sills drive me around the parcels that comprise the farm.
The test of a healthy farm is the presence of wildlife. While this might seem counterintuitive, farmers who practice organic and regenerative agriculture try to create spaces where crops and other living beings thrive in harmony.
Dec 28, 2024
Two Midtown breakfast spots span the spectrum from old-fashioned to new-fangled. Both create delightful mornings with excellent cooking.
Nov 28, 2024
Despite its deep farm-to-fork roots, Sacramento is not an easy place to find locally raised and processed poultry.
When scanning the meat section at area stores, local poultry seems almost invisible.
There are large California operators—Mary’s Chicken and Diestel Ranch—but few local producers. Searching for local birds, I found Sinclair Family Farm in Newcastle.
Situated in the Sierra foothills, Sinclair boasts a range of humanly treated meat products. Karin Sinclair told me her farm provides much more than poultry. She raises and sells meat from cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, ducks and goats, plus chickens and turkeys.
Nov 28, 2024
Eight years ago, the Selland Family Restaurants debuted their newest concept, OBO’ Italian Table & Bar. The Folsom Boulevard space once housed Andiamo, a beloved East Sacramento institution. OBO’ kept the Italian fire burning and became a neighborhood favorite.
Similar to Selland’s Market-Cafe, OBO’ combines hot case and cold case foods—beet salad, Caesar salad, chicken breast, mac and cheese. The similarities stop there.
OBO’s menu runs deep into Italian recipes and preparations. Pasta dishes and Italian sandwiches fill the menu and leave room for pizza.
Oct 28, 2024
Hidden in plain sight, a tiny kitchen sits on a busy Curtis Park street. Called Good Things to Eat, the storefront produces amazing scratch-cooked meals.
It’s not exactly a restaurant, but mother-daughter team Delcy and Elinor Steffy create delightful, satisfying meals. I want more of it.
Let me set the stage. Picture a hot October night on Franklin Boulevard. There’s a line out the door at Gunther’s Ice Cream. Flavor of the month is pumpkin.
Oct 28, 2024
Sacramento is a locavore’s blessing. Within 40 miles of the city, farmers produce diverse fruits and vegetables, bountiful olive groves and vineyards. Ranchers raise world-class beef, lamb, poultry and pork.
But one important food category is elusive: a local cheesemaker.
When I searched for a nearby dairy that produces its own cheese, I found just two: Jollity Farm Goat Dairy in El Dorado County’s Garden Valley and Spenker Family Farm in Lodi. Both make goat cheese from animals raised on their farms.
