The commercial salmon season  is now open   in California, and the word  on the high seas  is that  the king salmon are practically jumping into boats  and the bodacious bounty of the good old days is back.   Having suffered through off-limits and limited seasons during the past few years, everyone from fishermen to consumers are celebrating  the return of this delicious California fish.     My favorite way to cook salmon is to slather filets in olive oil, then… Read More »

  If you haven’t made your Mother’s Day brunch reservation yet, you may want to consider a Mother’s Day dinner out.  If you’re in the vicinity of the Mendocino Coast, make a reservation at the Mendo Bistro in Fort Bragg.     Every Mother’s Day, Mendo Bistro owners Jaimi and Nicholas Petti  pay tribute to Mother’s Day  by offering  a free dinner to moms. Each mother must be accompanied by at least one paying customer, and the deal doesn’t  include the tip… Read More »

       Cinco de Mayo provides a great excuse to indulge in a few of my favorite things:  beer and margaritas, rice and beans, grilled steak and roasted chiles – what else do you need? Maybe just some warm  tortillas and Cotija cheese.      If you’re not much of a cook, you can stop by Jacinto’s Kitchen  in Oakmont, a new restaurant owned by  long-time Napa Valley chef Erasto Jacinto, who worked for 24 years with Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustards Grill in St. Helena.… Read More »

   Did you notice that most everyone had a smile on their face this Monday?  That’s because most  of us spent the weekend building raised beds, adding compost to the soil and planning -  or planting -  our vegetable beds.  I went to a plant sale in my neighborhood and it was so popular, I had to park about  a block away for the first time ever.    I checked in with farmer /chef Jeff Mall of Zin Restaurant last week… Read More »

     This is a terrific time of year to shop at the farmers market for tender, spring veggies like leeks and carrots, peas and asparagus. But sometimes we need an extra push, such as this simple recipe for Braised Spring Vegetables from  Kay Baumhefner, a former chef at Della Fattoria Café  in Petaluma.     Recently Kay shifted the focus of her cooking school, Come Home to Cooking,  from classes in her home to personalized cooking consultations over the phone. The classes are on… Read More »

   Copain Wines in Healdsburg is kicking off its 2012 Supper Club series at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 28 with a festive, farm-to-table dinner prepared by well-known Dallas chef Sharon Hage and paired with Copain’s food-friendly wines.    Held at the winery, the dinner series will continue through the summer with top chefs from across the country, from David Chang of Momofuku in New York and Corey Lee of Benu in San Francisco.    Tickets are  $199 for mailing-list members and… Read More »

Are you feeling a little short on cash this week?  Yes, the deadline for filing those pesky tax forms is looming,  which means that most of us are tightening our belts and looking for relief in the form of cheap, comfort food. For some fresh ideas, check out Santa Rosa native Gabi Moskowitz ‘s  popular food blog,  brokeassgourmet.com,   The former kindergarten teacher started the food blog as a way to educate her thirtysomething peers about eating well on a budget… Read More »

   The Grand Tasting of the California Artisan Cheese Festival last weekend  offered some  delicious cheese concoctions, with nearly 30 Bay Area chefs and winemakers teaming up for a smorgasbord of bodacious bites and sips.   Some of the best dishes showcased the cheeses of Sonoma and Marin counties, many of them fairly new on the market. Stand-outs included the Crab Mac ’n’ Cheese featuring the Point Reyes Farmstead Toma from Nick’s Cove in Marshall, Valley Ford Cheese Co.’s Estero… Read More »