December 2009 Archives

Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of tackling your holiday shopping list in this chilly weather? Would you rather treat yourself to some much needed Me time? Why not do both?

The Culinary Historians of Northern California is hosting UC Santa Barbara ethnoecologist Daniela Soleri at its last event of 2009 at Omnivore Books. Ms. Soleri will be speaking about her recent work on tejate, tracing changes to the maize & cacao beverage due to human migration and crop variations.

Afterwards, in dry, warm comfort, peruse the wide selection of books any foodie or bookworm on your list would be happy to unwrap on Christmas morning.

Topic: Globalization and Traditional Foods: A Case Study of Tejate, a Maize and Cacao Beverage from Oaxaca, Mexico

Date: Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Time: 5:30 pm

Location: Omnivore Books (Noe Valley, SF)
Address: 3885 Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA 94131-2013
Phone: (415) 282-4712

Interested parties can join the CHoNC mailing list by signing up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CHoNC/

This event is free.
(Unless otherwise noted, all CHoNC events are free and open to the public.)

iBuen Provecho!

The Holiday Season is officially in full swing.

How do I know? La Cocina is having its Holiday Gift Fair tomorrow and nothing says holidays better than a gathering of friends, family and lots of good eating! And with all the culinary talent under one roof, no one can blend gathering and good eats this time of year like La Cocina.

From alfajores by Sabores del Sur, to Mulatos and Zambos' gift cards, no stone has been left unturned.

This festive evening has been planned with a Christmas Shopper's needs in mind - just click on the link to see exactly what I mean.

iBuen Provecho!

The holidays are here and there'll be no shortage of office parties, church and school potlucks, and family get togethers - and many other reasons to be sure (or excuses, for all of you in the glass half-empty camp) to cook and shop for. There's nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the ride.

It all comes at a price, of course: there'll also be no shortage of chaos, confusion and melt-downs to keep you this side of reality - 'tis the season afterall.

Go easy on yourself. Remember, making holiday memories is supposed to be fun, easy and delicious for everybody. To help you remember, I'll be posting unique & tasty ideas for entertaining and giving - ideas to keep it all real, delicious and real easy this holiday season.

We've been fortunate to have some pretty extraordinary businesses participate in A Taste of Tamales by the Bay for the last three years - they are, in large part, the reason for our success. I can't think of a better season to show how much their generousity, talent and expertise has meant to us.

Whether it's tamales, books on food, heirloom beans, handcrafts, margaritas or wine - or maybe you need someone expert in the art of Tamalada to help you organize your office team-building party, we've got you covered.

So relax, you're one step ahead of the game. I mean, it doesn't get much easier when our gift, tamales, already come pre-wrapped?

iBuen ProvechoI