A unique partnership between Jesuit High School and the nonprofit Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center takes place this month. It’s called Operation Cratchit.

For three days—Dec. 16–18—students deliver and unload truckloads of canned goods to help create holiday baskets. Residents sign up in advance to receive deliveries. Volunteers assemble the baskets.
The program is Stanford Settlement’s annual Christmas Basket and food-distribution project.
Jesuit students and families play a big role with campus collections of canned food and non-perishables. The donated items serve Stanford Settlement’s service area.

Not long ago, there was a short list of local developers who could pull off big projects. Their names were Lukenbill, Benvenuti, Tsakopoulos, Petrovich and a few others. Successful people with deep community roots, they had big ideas and access to money. They got things done.

Today, major new players have much deeper roots.

Two Native American tribes, Wilton Rancheria and Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, are investing heavily Downtown, bringing excitement and cash.

“These tribes are making a lot of money and they are investing a lot of money in the core. That is a great thing for the city,” developer Sotiris Kolokotronis tells me. “We should be grateful for that.”

Sacramento’s glide path to all-star status in the food world gained momentum when the Terra Madre Americas conference took over SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and surrounding Downtown streets for three days in September.

Food was the focus for thousands of ranchers, farmers, vintners, distillers, chefs and community members, all sharing ideas for more environmentally responsible, productive and sustainable ways to grow and consume food.

Booths featured all things food, including olive oil, cheese, wine and spirits, ranching, fruit production, restaurants and policy experts. Renowned chefs Alice Waters, Ann Cooper and Jeremiah Tower, along with local grocery stars Darrell Corti and Danny Taylor, spoke at free public seminars.

In a world where technology reigns, there’s something wonderfully natural about Kifumi Keppler’s work.

As owner and creative force behind Exotic Plants Ltd., Keppler has spent more than five decades creating a philosophy of making living spaces lush, mindful environments.

Her latest venture into moss‐art blurs the line between horticulture and art.

Opening a new restaurant called Stepdad’s on Father’s Day is cheeky. It’s also fun. And fun is what Stepdad’s owner Tyler Williams is all about.

“Getting the doors open on any new project is a lot of work, takes a lot of people and requires a lot of compromises,” he tells me. “But once you get the doors open, it’s time to have fun. And that’s my favorite part.”

Williams, his wife Melissa Williams and chef Oliver Ridgeway are the ownership team at Stepdad’s in Land Park.

You may know Oliver Ridgeway from his Michelin-recognized restaurant, Camden Spit & Larder. His reputation is sterling, and his ability to highlight local farm-to-fork bounty while staying true to his English roots says everything about his ability as a chef.

The garden at Eskaton Village Carmichael is more than a beautiful place for residents to grow plants. It’s a place to get outside and connect with nature and each other.

Helen Root has headed up the gardening committee for five of the seven years she’s lived at Eskaton. Under her leadership, the garden expanded in size and mission.

“One of the first things I did when I was elected in 2021 was update our mission statement,” Root says. “The one I inherited was so straightforward: We rent boxes and fees are used to buy supplies. We do so much more than that! The revision became: We develop camaraderie with one another, encourage other residents to come through and enjoy nature and make it a real experience.”