Over the past 10 to 20 years, we have grown a bit too used to eat whatever we want whenever we want.
With the revival of farmer's market and home grown growers. eating local and in season is making a comeback of sorts.
I remember going to the local cheese or produce shop in France and being asked if what I was purchasing was for today's meal or later. The owner or the salesperson wanted to make sure it would be ready, the word ripe would be used for cheese as well.
One big difference between Europe (then) and the US (now) for me is that the produce offered for purchase was not refrigerated. It did affect the taste of things. I guess I have gotten use to it by now.
Reading Divine provenance by Tracey Taylor (FT Week-end, June 6) brought all these memories back.The piece looks at California's food experience and some local purveyors worth trying.As she mentions, listing the origin of every item on the menu at restaurants might be an overkill.
Let the food do the talking as Russell Moore of Camino in Oakland suggests.
He tells Tracey Taylor that since November 2008 is stopped serving chicken and switched to fowl from Soul Food Farm in Vacaville which specializes in 'pastured poultry and eggs'. See their flock napping in picture below (from their site).
I do see "Grilled chicken with farro, peas, new garlic and fried herbs, $24" offered on his June 5th dinner menu though.
Did she sense the beginning of a trend in braised goat (from BN Ranch in Bolinas) being offered besides their famous wood fired pizza at Pizzaiolo also in Oakland.
Bill Niman Ranch African Boer Goat meat is also on the menu at Grange in Sacramento as their executive chef, Michael Tuohy announced on his blog Frontburner in February 2009.
One thing I need to try is the Quinoa from Rancho Gordo who are all about beans.
They even turned their celebrity into a book Heirloom Beans (Chronicle Books).
Want a quick guide to what's hot in California check The Producers bix in Tracey's article.
She does mention a few people we met and/or covered like Charles Chocolates, Ritual Coffee Roasters and St Benoit Yogurt by a pair of French brothers based in Sonoma.
Absent from her list is Fraiche Yogurt (Palo Alto), no silicon wafers...
Time to eat lunch now, I am getting hungry.
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