Tastebuds: A Taste Catering Blog

TASTE TOMATO: THE VIDEO

Check out this fine video that describes the Taste Tomato and how it came about.  Taste Tomato on YouTube.  This makes me very proud of our Tastebuds! 

HURRY TO CUESA's SUNDAY SUPPER

We are great supporters of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and CUESA, its sponsor organization.  We have become friends with many of the farmers and every year encourage all of our other friends to join us by attending CUESA's Sunday Supper, this year held on October 4th.  This is one of the CUESA's most important fundraisers and great opportunity to feast great food, wines, beers and spirits prepared by some of the best restaurants and specialty chefs in the Bay Area!  Just click on CUESA's Sunday Supper or go to the CUESA website for more information on this fun and worthwhile way to spend a Sunday evening.

Santa Monica Farmer's Market

What’s a Saturday without a visit to the Farmers Market?  A must on any Saturday but particularly if one is in Los Angeles destined for Palm Springs – a city that lacks a little in the way of fresh fruits & vegetables.  Which is why my partner Jill & I, armed with Peet’s Coffee, a wad of cash and a large shopping bag, programmed our GPS for the Third Street Promenade/Santa Monica Farmer’s Market (@ Third & Arizona) and headed West in 84⁰ temperatures (at 9:30am) ready to investigate all that LA has to offer in the way of fresh fruits, vegetables and who knows what else…

 
Well, we’re off to a great start with a parking garage conveniently placed at the entrance to the market with 2 hours free parking. Walking into the market, you get a sense of a true community event. Neighbors & regulars are chatting with each other, and the general atmosphere was festive and fun, not too unlike San Francisco. The market offered a variety of local (and not so local surprisingly enough) vegetables, cheeses, meats & fish. I was surprised to see Spring Hill Jersey Cheese  out of Petaluma… nonetheless; I bought their divine pepper jack cheese, perfect for taco makings later!

Some dragon fruit, grown locally I’m told (Fallbrook, CA), for the obligatory desert fruit breakfast… I imagine this fruit would make a lovely and interesting cocktail of the adult nature. Perhaps something with Cachaça, fresh ginger and sweet lime which by the way, was also on sale at the market.

Bitter Melon & Sinqua… haven’t figured out a way to use them yet but I have some ideas brewing…  a very helpful farmer offered a vague Vietnamese recipe of chicken with simmering broth, peppers & cilantro but forewarned me that indeed the bitter melons were really ‘bitter’!

 

  Before long the shopping bag was full, and with the 2 hour mark approaching we headed out of the market picking up some irresistible albeit very large artichokes, 3 for $1 - fresh summer corn, Fallbrook avocados and fresh herbs at Coleman Family Farms.

Palm Spring’s here we come!!

Introducing the Taste Tomato!

Taste is pleased to introduce the Taste Tomato, bred the old fashioned way to our specific requirements for freshness, shape and flavor.

The Taste Tomato had its beginnings in September 2006 when Taste Catering sponsored the opening of the Sunol AgPark, a partnership of organic farmers and the City of San Francisco.  The City’s watershed land in Sunol, CA is some of the most fertile farmland in the state and a prime opportunity for organic farming. 

Several farmers rented plots for farming and one of these farmers is Fred Hempel of Baia Nicchia Farm and Nursery.  In addition to raising some of the tastiest tomatoes in the region, Fred devotes considerable energy to breeding new tomato varieties—the old fashioned way, the natural way.   In this day of industrial agriculture, diversity of species is often lost to the economic needs of a resource-wasting distribution system designed to support big-ag business. 

When Fred suggested breeding a tomato with flavor, shape and a growing season that met Taste Catering’s needs, we jumped at the opportunity.  Not only did this give Taste a product we needed but it also gave us the opportunity to support a cause we dearly value—reversing the loss of plant varieties. 

Fred offered Taste a deal, the opportunity to have the new tomato exclusively our own for a year.  We decided that the one year exclusive would give us time to develop special recipes as well as provide Fred some fee income which we considered to be “seed” capital for his very important breeding work.  The new tomato variety is called “Taste” and after the year of exclusivity, its seeds will be marketed through the Seeds of Change catalog, spreading the cultivation of this new, useful and tasty breed in gardens and farms throughout the world.

PLANNING THE PERFECT PICNIC

It’s the perfect time of year for a picnic.  Creating a great picnic doesn’t have to be intimidating.  It can be done with ease.  Here are some essential items that you will want to remember, where to shop for everything that you will need, a resource for places to go for your picnic and finally a delicious picnic menu that will wow your guests and is easy to put together.

Essential Items:

To begin with, you should create a picnic basket or cloth satchel loaded with the accoutrements you will need.  Once created, this container can be kept ready in a closet or in the back of your car in preparation for subsequent outings.

Plates and Utensils – Bambu plates and utensils are attractive, functional, inexpensive and, best of all, both reusable and compostable.

A Sharp Cutting Knife – There is nothing worse than trying to cut meats, veggies and cheeses with one of those disposable white plastic knives with the serrated tip.  Yuck!  I like the small bright ceramic knives that come with their own sheath.  Buy one, leave it in your picnic bag or basket and you will never be without.  While you are at it, throw in an inexpensive corkscrew.  No one likes to serve wine from a bottle with the cork pushed into it because someone forgot the corkscrew.

Cloth Napkins – Cloth napkins provide elegance and, of course, are reusable.  Get them in bright colors.

Reusable Cups – Plastic cups don’t have to be cheap looking and disposable.  Buy some inexpensive acrylic glasses from Crate & Barrel and make them a permanent part of your picnic accoutrements.

Sturdy Basket or Canvas Tote Bags – Avoid the last minute “convenience” of packing your picnic in the grocery bags it came in.  Buy a sturdy basket or large canvas satchel from Land’s End or elsewhere.  They’re attractive, reusable and can store all of your picnic essentials for next time.

Blanket for Sitting – I like to use a simple quilted pads that can be had from any storage or moving company such as U-Haul.  Packing blankets have the advantage of being heavy, rugged and moisture resistant due to the plastic coating on one side.  Role it up and tie it with an old belt.

Tablecloth – Large, colorful and cloth (not paper).  Again, more elegant and reusable.  Throw in some binder clips in case of wind to clip the tablecloth to the blanket which is heavier and less likely to blow away.

Additional Items – Depending on your picnic and where you’re going, you might also want to bring along the following:  charcoal, serving utensils & platters, ice, garbage bags, a first aid kit, insect repellant, pillows, folding chairs, music and/or umbrellas.

Where to Shop:

First, think local whenever possible.  Here are a few excellent markets that cater to local farmers and carry local products.

• Your local neighborhood Farmer’s Market
• Bi Rite Market - San Francisco Castro District
• DeLessio Market - Two locations in San Francisco
• Canyon Market – San Francisco Glen Park District
• Mollie Stone’s Markets – various locations
• Market Hall – Oakland Rockridge District
• Woodland's Market – Marin

Where to Go:

Think about your community and the many parks and open spaces that are conducive to picnicking.  The following link is a good resource for great spots within the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. 

One more thought on where to go, and this is important, always have a backup plan in case of in climate weather.  The Bay Area is particularly susceptible to the whims of wind, rain, clouds, fog and other conditions that can ruin a picnic.  Have a backup plan for where you will go and what you will do if conditions demand a change of venue.  Many of the parks mentioned above feature protect areas or indoor locations to which you can retreat.  Our family once had a fine picnic inside the carousal enclosure in Golden Gate Park.  The important thing is to know ahead of time where you will go and then proceed with your picnic as if nothing had changed.  Some great picnics have been moved from the backyard to the floor of the living room at short notice.  After all, picnics are about friends and food no matter where you have it.

An Intimate Picnic Menu (4 – 6 people):

Accoutrements as listed above.

All of what follows can be purchased at the locations mentioned above.  In some cases I have provided links to particular vendors who I enjoy.

•    Roast Chicken (Bi Rite)
•    Crudités (Bi Rite)
•    Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Romescu (Bi Rite)
•    Pasta Salad (Bi Rite)
•    Orange & Wild Fennel Salame, Mortadella (Boccalone)
•    Selection of Northern California Cheeses (Cowgirl Creamery)
•    Dried Fruits and Nuts (Bi Rite)
•    Baguette (Acme Bread Company)
•    Assorted Cookies (Boulettes Larder)
•    Michael Recchiuti Chocolates ( Recchiuti Chocolates)

More Information:

For more information on planning the perfect picnic, watch the Taste Picnic Segment on ABC’s View from the Bay.

Resources for items seen on the Taste Picnic Segment on ABC’s View from the Bay:

•    Red Canvas Picnic Tote Bag (Land’s End)
•    Chilled Green Salad Bowl and Forks (Crate & Barrel Picnic Accessories)
•    Yellow Stacked Bento Box (Crate & Barrel Picnic Accessories)
•    Food Tent (Crate & Barrel Picnic Accessories)

Taste Commitment to Sustainability

Organic and sustainable are the new commercial buzz words—labels that bring “creds” to a company’s products or services.  Unfortunately, in the last few years these two green-spirited labels have been misused for marketing effect.  When a caterer’s production practices are truly sustainable, there is a discernible difference in the guest’s dining experience.  The food has flavor that is bright and true—food that not only looks delicious but is delicious.  When the best ingredients—sustainably produced ingredients—are used, there is no need to rely on salt and sugar as a palate substitute.  Freshness and quality yield flavor that make the act of eating a memorable experience.

At Taste, our commitment to sustainability goes beyond a marketing pitch—it is at the very heart of our entire operation.  Our goal is to produce an outstanding dining experience for our guests.

4 WAYS THAT TASTE USES SUSTAINABILITY TO PRODUCE AN OUTSTANDING DINING EXPERIENCE:

• Taste invests significant management time and production resources to sustainable food   purchasing and preparation.

• Taste employs a full time purchasing chef whose purchasing priority is to buy directly from local farmers.  In doing this, the farmer receives the full value of our purchasing dollars and we receive the freshest, most flavorful product.
• Taste supports both farmers who make their own deliveries as well as other, smaller farmers who sell only at the Farmers Market.  Our chefs shop weekly at both the Saturday and Tuesday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.  To our knowledge, our chefs are the only catering chefs who regularly shop at the Market.

• Buying the freshest food possible is only the beginning of achieving an outstanding dining experience.  Of utmost importance is the path the food takes from field to plate and how long that path is.

• Taste takes great care to minimize the time between delivery and serving.
• Taste provides sufficient on-site culinary staff to insure that food preparation is done as close to serving as possible which produces the highest quality dining experience.  Taste never has and never will pre-plate any items in a commissary kitchen.

• Taste invests a great deal of time and resources into designing menus that use as much of the farmer’s production as possible.  When a farmer has less waste, it helps make the farm a more economically and environmentally efficient business.

• Taste’s Executive Chef, Chris Borges, works with local meat producers to identify meat cuts that are less often used and we design menus and access techniques that will use more parts of the animal.  This makes the local meat producer more profitable and more sustainable.  It also creates variety and value for our clients.  For example:

• We might serve two cuts of beef say fillet and flank prepared using two different cooking methods to provide a wonderful variety in taste, and presentation while, at the same time, keeping costs down.
• Sous-vide preparation allows us to use more areas of the animal in more flavorful ways.
• We make our own sausage from producers trim.
• Taste’s menus incorporate house-made, preserved items (e.g. chutneys, jams, pickles, processed fruits, vacuum-packed frozen fruits) that use farmers’ bumper crop produce that would otherwise be farm waste.

• Taste invests in and actively supports biodiversity.

• This last year, our Chef Chris collaborated with Baia Nicchia organic farmer, Fred Hempel, to develop the Taste tomato.  This tomato meets Chef Chris’ specific needs among which are a longer, more flavorful growing season, a more flexible shape, and a meatier texture.  Baia Nicchia, an organic breeding and seeding farm, is reversing the loss of vegetable varieties by propagating the production of heirloom varieties and breeding new varieties, the old fashioned way.  Our Taste tomato is one of these new varieties.

• When employees understand the issues of sustainability, they take responsibility for producing a better product.  Taste has a continuing training program for event-site culinary employees that focuses on sustainable food systems.  Recent examples:

• In January 2008, 20 employees attended the Point Reyes Seashore Ranchers Association presentation by Joel Salatin, the sustainability farmer hero featured in Omnivore’s Dilemma.
• In February 2008, Taste sponsored an in-house conference on local cheese making for 25 employees.
• In September 2008, 40 employees received Desmond Jolly’s (retired UCD professor and director of the UC Small Farm Program) new book, California’s New Green Revolution: Pioneers in Sustainable Agriculture.
• In September 2007, we sent Executive Chef, Chris Borges on a CUESA-sponsored tour of northern Spain to see how farmers and restaurants work together.