In my four years as Inside’s farm-to-fork columnist, the Sacramento Food Policy Council has been a key driver behind local urban farming and food equity. The Food Policy Council is the essence of farm to fork.

The council works with farmers and food advocates to make the county’s food system more sustainable and equitable. The steering committee includes the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, Valley Vision and Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

Collaborations paid off when the City Council and Board of Supervisors passed the Urban Agriculture Ordinance, legalizing residential sales for home-grown fruits and vegetables.

Thanks to the ordinance, residents can set up farmstands and sell harvests to neighbors. The law also creates tax breaks for property owners who use their land for urban farming. This way, vacant lots produce food.

At Twin Peaks Orchards in Newcastle, Camelia Enriquez and her husband Justin grow delectable heirloom fruits and vegetables, including the rare amagaki persimmon and a nearly extinct summer favorite, Royal Blenheim apricots.

Enriquez is the fourth generation to care for this land. Her grandfather, Howard Nakae, began Twin Peaks on his parents’ property in 1912. The family’s love of the land and attention to the foothill ecosystems let them cultivate historic California varieties.

In 2020, a fire ripped through the property and destroyed 98% of the infrastructure. Enriquez’s parents were devastated. They couldn’t bring themselves to rebuild.

At the Orangevale and Fair Oaks Food Bank Farm, I watch volunteers reach for boxes and sort homegrown lettuce, broccoli and oranges grown on local trees. Canned goods and cartons of milk donated by local stores are readied for clients.

The food bank and farm bring together the best selections from the region’s bounty.

Let’s meet Brad Squires, CEO of the Orangevale-Fair Oaks Community Foundation, Angela Lee, director of foundation operations, and farm manager Lacey Yuke. Together they maintain the food bank and farm with other members and volunteers.

The nonprofit organization transformed a gravel parking lot into an acre that produces healthy food for the community.

You can’t talk to local farmers without somebody mentioning Next Generation Foods.

With packing operations in West Sacramento and fields in Yuba and Sutter counties, Next Generation is a grower and distributor that supplies restaurants and venues with rice, beans, quinoa, even popcorn.

The company has supplied Chef Billy Ngo’s Kru and his other restaurants for almost 20 years. Next Generation serves The Kitchen, Mulvaney’s and UC Davis Medical Center. Popcorn at Golden 1 Center comes from Pleasant Grove Farms via Next Generation.

I talked to Next Generation founder and owner Michael Bosworth and learned how his company helps sustain the farm-to-fork culture.

Binh Đào and his uncle, Tuong Đào, opened Đào Distillery and tasting room in 2024 to “better serve our community and bring awareness to Vietnamese culture,” Binh says. 

At the distillery and tasting room, customers try a traditional Vietnamese rice liquor from the Mekong Delta called rượu đế.

Similar to Japanese shochu or strong sake, the drink was considered moonshine in Vietnam. The Rancho Cordova distillery produces eight variations. 

For the Đào family, getting to Sacramento was an epic ordeal. 

At Omakase Por Favor, chef and owner Jeana Marie Pecha and crew offer a Japanese inspired take on coastal Mexican cuisine fueled by local purveyors.

In Japanese, omakase means, “I leave it up to you.” In other words, trust the chef.
Pecha grew up in Roseville. A formative experience was a trip to Manzanillo, Mexico, to study with Chef Freddy Ahlert.