Suzanne Lo Coco was making pizza with her father Giovanni when she asked a simple question.

“How do you know when to do this, when to do that, when to add this and when to add that?”

The answer opened a philosophical discourse into the countless ways food preparation brings meaning to our lives.

Leon Sobon and his wife Shirley founded Shenandoah Vineyards in 1977, far ahead of the sustainable wine revolution. Based in Plymouth, the Sobon family became one of the first environmentally friendly producers to distribute local wines on a wide level outside the region.

Last month, Sobon was recognized with a California State Fair Lifetime Achievement Award. The patriarch’s dedication to the craft can be felt when Sobon describes how he turned a hobby into a second career.

Sobon was a research scientist for Lockheed living in Los Altos when he began making wine for fun. His hobby led him into a group of other enthusiasts. He and Shirley eventually moved their family of six children to the foothills to try professional winemaking.

Gone was a stable research career. But Sobon followed his bliss.

Creamy, luscious mint chocolate chip ice cream. Fluffy, tangy strawberry muffins. Mouthwatering brownies and English muffins. As people become aware of food allergies, these treats have been cut from many diets.

Thankfully, Pushkin’s Bakery offers an alternative.

Years before moving to town, I longed for baked goods but was unable to find much. When I discovered items I could eat, they were dense, lacking in flavor and expensive.

On many blocks in the grid, a range of restaurants serve food with valley-grown ingredients. Local wine bars and craft breweries develop their own presence using grapes and hops from around the region.

A true community spirit is on display when the city comes together for a night out.

Thriving businesses in the grid win over customers with cutting-edge flavors and a love of how diverse cultures make us strong. Voluptuary & Lucid Wines reflects the inventive farm-to-bottle flair.

Founder Kevin Luther was born and raised in Sacramento and educated at UC Davis. After traveling the world to learn the wine business, Luther returned and put his experience to work. He enjoys giving back to his community.

Our region is perfect for olive trees. Drive from Sacramento in any direction and you encounter olive groves unfolding away from the roadside, their branches reaching for the sun, standing tall in orchards.

Each year, local olive ranchers practice harvest preservation by curing olives or pressing them into gold-green oil. As a devotee of extra-virgin olive oil, I’m always searching for the area’s best orchards and olive mills.

For several years, I’ve headed south on Interstate 5 and driven to the tight and trimmed rows of the Coldani family Calivirgin Winery and Olive Mill on North Thornton Road.

Coming from the colder mid-Atlantic region, I was amazed by the valley’s ability to produce citrus and other exotic fruits, such as pomegranate and persimmon.

Then I saw juicy tomatoes smashed near highway exits, lemons and oranges moldy underneath their trees, plums dyeing sidewalks purple. So much abundance, so much waste.

Matthew Ampersand and partner Tessa D’Arcangelew Ampersand experienced the same shock when they arrived in town and noticed food rotting in plain sight.