Recently in A Taste of Tamales by the Bay 2009 Category

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

Just a quick reminder of all the delicious fun that was had at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay this past April 2009.

I'm deligently working on our 4th annual event, which will be happening on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at the beautiful Fort Mason Center.

I'm sworn to secrecy so there's not much I can say, except that our 2010 event will be even more exciting, more intoxicating and muy, muy sabroso

Tamales are not just a food, they're an experience. If you believe your favorite tamale maker should be part of this experience, call or email - there's no such thing as too many tamales at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay.

marta@benchmarkinstitute.org or 415-695-9296
iBuen Provecho!

The afternoon couldn't have been more perfect: the weather was warm, the tamales hot, and margaritas -- just right. After all the tasting, pondering and, just to be sure, more tasting, the judges were left to make the difficult decision of who would be taking home the Best Tamale and Best Margarita awards. I know this: it wasn't easy.

Not to be outdone, after working their way through upwards of 18 styles of tamales, a tamale lover's heaven for sure, the public had the delicious task of naming the People's Choice winner.

We're excited to announce the fruit of their labor.

Best Tamales
1. Cocina Poblana - Pork Ribs in Green Chile Salsa.
Also People's Choice award
2. La Espiga de Oro - Sinaloa Style Pork
3. Reposado - Vegetarian Tamalitos

These three winners were selected for their presentation, innovation, use of ingredients and, above all -- flavor.

Margaritas Rock!

Tequila Cocktail: Adrian Hernandez, mixologist at Colibri Mexican Bistro
Winning entry: Refreshing Bliss - an habanero infused cocktail.

Classic Margarita: Ivan Garcia, mixologist at Cocina Poblana
Winning entry: Margarita de Nopal

The judges, including representatives from the San Francisco School of Bartending and Tres Agaves , chose Refreshing Bliss, for Adrian's creative use of ingredient, habanero chile, and for pushing the tequila cocktail category envelope without losing focus of classic elements.

Of the Margarita de Nopal, the judges felt Ivan struck a surprising balance by marrying elements of a classic margarita with the healthful properties of a very unexpected ingredient - cactus, proving that tequila and healthy can mix.

iBuen Provecho!

Jalisco, Mexico is known for Mariachi, Blue Agave Tequila, and world famous, 5 time grammy winner Maná . And from the looks of it, Oakland can now add Cocina Poblana to that list.

Always on the lookout for unique and exciting tamales to show-case at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay, I made a bee-line for Oakland's Jack London Square after hearing from three different people, have you tried Cocina Poblana yet? to taste for myself what everyone else already seemed to know.

What I found was Lito Saldaña, founder of Cocina Poblana, and a wonderfully thought out restaurant. From menu, which includes a unique selection of tamales - two of which will be featured at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay - to music, it's clear Lito has spent time going over the details that represent his home and the hospitality of Jalisco. Of course, it almost goes without saying, I also found a thoroughly exciting menu of the other kind -- tequila. You'll want to try Cocina Poblana's Avocado Margarita -- trust me on this one.

Here's an insigt to Lito's vision, taken from Cocina Poblana's website.

This humble yet colossal affirmation conveys not only the need but the style of service which Cocina Poblana brings to the Bay Area. We feel that there is a need for refined Mexican cuisine focusing on traditional colonial flavors and fusing them with modern techniques and trends.

Poblana refers to the region of Puebla Mexico the heart and soul of fine Mexican cuisine. Culinary traditions have been passed down for centuries from generation to generation yet the essence our ancestors remain very much alive. Poblana also refers to; pertaining to the pueblo (township) many of our dishes display the nature of home cooked meals and how you would generally find them in rural Mexico.

The true nature of our cuisine however is a perfect marriage between Puebla and Jalisco Mexico. Offering the refined delicate flavors of Puebla, along side of the robust and rustic style of Jalisco.

Cocina Poblana has been a culmination of ideas and hard work that for the past 15 years is now flourishing into what the restaurant is today. Lito Saldaña the founder/ creator of Cocina Poblana has been known for many years as a casual chef walking the unbeaten path. His cuisine has focused in bringing the distinct flavors from traditional Mexican pueblos and showcasing them with a modern twist. However his strong roots and values have kept him concentrated on using family recipes and keeping food simple but very enjoyable. Mama Luisa & Don Pedro two predominant menu names and persons in Chef Lito's life. His parents Pedro and Luisa have been the inspiration for his career and his greatest Culinary instructors since day one.

!Buen Provecho!

In Nicaragua, they're known as Nacatamal, in Venezuela Hallaca, in Colombia, Bollo; Guatemala knows them as Paches or Chuchitos. Of course, in Mexico we know them as Tamal - or when more than one gathers --Tamales. Within Mexico, tamales are further distinguished by region, available ingredients and customs, like the Corunda of Michoacan, or the Zacahuil of Veracruz.

Oh, but then there's the Humitas from Chile (also Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru), and no one makes these savory, soft corn, basil infused South American delicacies like Chef Guiselle Osorio of Sabores del Sur.

You can taste for yourself at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay where Chef Guisell will not only offer samples of her Humitas, but will demonstrate the art of making these Chilean summertime favorites, and talk about how they differ from, yet are similar to, the more familiar Tamal.

Don't miss your chance to taste from the wide variety of Tamales - from the unique to the sweet and savory. Sample the differences, draw your own conclusions - and then vote for your favorite.

No matter what you call them, in the words of that famous 15th Century Mexican bard, Enrique Espigadeoro "That which we call tamale, by any other name still taste as sweet..."

!Buen Provecho!

credit for the lovely picutre of Guisell's Humita from the 2008 A Taste of Tamales by the Bay, goes to those wonderful folks at Bunrabs

You haven't had beans until you've had Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans. Seriously.

Steve Sando, owner of Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans, has single-handedly resurrected the humble legume from the brink of the land of forgotten foods. His tireless enthusiasm has brought a new market, a new generation of bean lovers to the table. In doing so, Steve has changed the public's perception and appreciation of beans. And if you're a bean lover like me, this makes you very happy.

Because of Steve's commitment to providing a wide variety of always fresh, unique and never genetically altered beans, Rancho Gordo's success has outgrown its Napa Valley warehouse, and spread well beyond California. Here's an excerpt of what the New York Time Magazine had to say about Steve:

Ingredients are the new chefs on some level," Steve Sando, the founder of Rancho Gordo, summarized with a naughty chuckle as he bounced around Napa in his messy pickup truck recently. He has reason to be happy: thanks to him, long-lost legumes with names like Good Mother Stallard, Eye of the Goat and Yellow Indian Woman appear on menus at the French Laundry, Manresa, Ubuntu Restaurant and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and are selling out through his Web site and his farmers'-market stand to the tune of 250,000 pounds a year.

Steve is clearly passionate about what he believes in - and we're so happy he believes in A Taste of Tamales by the Bay. In this, his third year with A Taste of Tamales by the Bay, in addition to offering tastes of his Rancho Gordo beans, Steve will be on hand to give a presentation and talk about his new book Heirloom Beans , a wonderful collection of delicious recipes, pictures, and amazing stories about beans and the people who love them. Copies of Steves book will be available for purchase at the Omnivore Books on Food booth. Buy your copy - Steve will be happy to sign it.

A selection of Rancho Gordo beans will also be available for purchase. So, sample the beans, ponder the possibilities, then take home a bag and cook them using one of the many recipes in the book , or give them your own spin and see for yourself what so many already know - you haven't had beans until you've had Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans.

You can trust that whatever beans Steve brings to taste, they will be an excellent choice to pair with the many varieties of tamales and other tamale friendly foods at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay

!Buen Provecho!

this action shot of Steve Sando explaining the complexities of his Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans is attributed to Bunrabs at bunrabs.com

Meet Yessica Alfaro.

Yessica's dream is to start her own jewelry business. She is well on her way after completing a successful Shine Your Brilliance Workshop where she taught her students how to make colorful jewelry.

Yessica came to the United States almost 8 years ago from Huacho, a small costal town a few hours North of Lima, Peru. Although Yessica had a degree chemical engineering and worked on weekends and holidays, her wages in Huacho were low. When her husband could not find work and she was pregnant with her first child, the family decided to move to the United States in hopes of finding better opportunities.

Soon after Yessica arrived, her baby was born. She struggled to learn English while working full-time and raising her children. As a hobby, she started to make jewelry for herself. Soon her jewelry elicited the notice of her friends, who were impressed by her beautiful and original designs. One day she heard an interview on the radio about C.E.O. Women. Yessica decided to enroll because she wanted to do something for herself and wanted "the opportunity to have a different life".

For Yessica, the training class was a place where she was free of the issues of daily life, where she could meet people from all different places who were also pursuing their dreams, and where she could focus pursuing her own goal of starting a business selling her own jewelry.

Yessica is currently making many beautiful new bracelets, necklaces, earring designs that will be available for sale at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Fort Mason Center.

!Buen Provecho!

There'll be plenty of tamales, wine, margaritas, tequila, fun and learning to be had at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay

What you may not know is that your chances at winning some pretty exciting stuff is mucho grande - click on the link to take a look at three great raffle prizes up for grabs Raffle Flyer 2009 Final.pdf. The best thing? You don't have to be present to claim your prize.

But you do have to be present for your chance at one of the amazing door prizes: tickets to the happiest place on earth - Disneyland, Culinary Institute of America Master's Collection saute pan, a cooking class at Ramekins Culinary School, Trader Joe's grab bag, a signed copy of Gary Soto's book Too Many Tamales, certificates to Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco among others.

Friends don't let friends miss a good thing. So, go ahead, call 415.695.9296 and buy your tickets.

!Buena Suerte, y Buen provecho!

Thy Tran is the founder and director of the Asian Culinary Forum, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to teaching the public about Asian food around the world.

Professionally trained as a chef, she coauthored The Essentials of Asian Cooking, Taste of the World and the award-winning guide, Kitchen Companion. Follow her kitchen adventures at www.wanderingspoon.com.

On Sunday, April 26, 2009, Join Thy at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay and listen to Thy tell about the Spanish Galleons that plied the waters between Acapulco and Manila for 250 years, connecting the Americas to Asia and sparking culinary creativity on both sides of the Pacific.

Learn how the humble tamale traveled the world, absorbed ingenious adaptations, and survived centuries of political and cultural shifts. Savory samples of Filipino-style tamales will be offered.

You do not want to miss this!

!Buen Provecho!

What's refreshing, delicious and spicy all over?

A Partida margarita - shaken, not blended, at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay Margaritas Rock! - the margarita gladiator challenge.

Watch some of the finest margarita gladiators, aficionados and mixologist - maybe even a lawyer or two - compete for the title of Top Rock in one of two categories -- Classic Margarita and Tequila Cocktail.

A Taste of Tamales by the Bay is excited to have Partida Tequila as product sponsor of this year's Margaritas Rock!

Partida Tequila ambassadors will be on hand to give a presentation, aTequila 101, on the finer points of tequila, its process and specifically what sets Partida apart from all other tequilas - this gift from the gods:

Long ago, a woman searching for food came upon a bird fluttering around a sacred plant. She watched as it repeatedly tried to launch itself onto a branch, only to miss and tumble to the ground. Noticing a small hole the bird had made near the center of the plant, she cut into it - and was rewarded with a squirt of delicious golden liquid.

She gathered some in her drinking gourd to take back to her village. Miraculously, it lifted everyone's spirits and eased the pains of their labor. Word spread quickly. There could be no doubt: It was a "gift of the gods."

The plant still remains. Only now, it has a name: The Blue Agave.

It still yields a gift from the gods, and it, too, has a name: Partida Tequila.

Come watch, cheer and taste - and discover why we're so excited to be sharing Partida with you.

!Buen Provecho!

Creating a space for creative expression as a way to give back to a city that has enriched his life, had always been a dream of Mamá Art Café owner, Paulo Cabezas. In the time it takes to finish your cup coffee and take in the cozy surroundings, it's not difficult to see that Paulo is living his dream.

But Mamá Art Café has become more than a coffee house. It's a cultural venue in the heart of the Excelsior that provides enrichment for the community through the expression of music, dance, art, spoken word - and of course, deliciously satisfying coffee, which is organic, fair-trade certified and roasted by Uncommon Grounds in Berkeley.

And here's my favorite part -- on Sunday, April 26, 2009, you can meet Paulo and part of his team at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay, at Fort Mason, San Francisco. Come and taste what so many already know - Mamá Art Cafe is one of the coolest places to sip some of the best coffee in San Francisco.

Visit Mamá Art Cafe and experience life in the Outer Mission community of Excelsior through the lens of Paulo Cabezas - it's a nice view.

!Buen Provecho!

Mamá Art Cafe, 4754 Mission Street. San Francisco. 415.586.8453

Tamales often present, even for the more savvy among us, an interesting dilemma - interesting, unless you're the one caught in its grasp.

With so much happening in a tamal - flavors, spices, heat, not to mention texture - what do you use as your guiding priniciple to select the best wine? The heat? The spice?

Complicating this delicious dilemma is the tamale filling. What if it's pork? Which way do you lean if it's a cheese and spinach filling? What about duck with chocolate based sauce? It's easy to see why someone might pass on wine, opting for something less frenetic.

No one should have to ever face this problem alone, and unarmed. On Sunday, April 26, 2009, Reynoso Vineyards will be on hand at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay, at Fort Mason, San Francisco, to give you the confidence needed to pair the right wine with any tamal, making your anxiety a thing of the past.

Family-owned Reynoso Vineyards is a 550 acre estate located in the Alexander Valley. The estates was originally purchased in 1994, and since that time grapes have been sold to several of Sonoma's finest wine producers; The Reynoso family is currently farming 155 acres of Caberneet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Only a small percentage of the finest grapes on the estate are used for Reynoso Vineyard wines.

In other words, this is good stuff.

Proprietors Joe and Elena Reynoso are committed to producing small lots of estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. Their goal is to craft fruit-driven wines that display distinctive varietal character and intensity without sacrificing elegance and their own element of terroir.

Elena and Joe are earnest about producing great wines from their vineyards, and above all, wines that family and friends can enjoy for years to come.

!Buen Provecho!

Last December I told you about my latest find in Noe Valley, Omnivore Books on Food, and owner, Celia Sack. I've been dropping in from time to time, browsing through books on everything from Frida Kahlo's favorite recipes, to amazing Heirloom Beans, to Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants.

I'm excited to let you all know that Omnivore Books on Food will be joining us at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Fort Mason.

As the only cookbook store in the Bay Area, Omnivore Books on Food is a real treasure. In addition to selling new and vintage books on food, Omnivore also holds weekly talks by cookbook authors and food writers.

Come visit Omnivore Books on Food at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay and check out a sampling of Celia's selection of books on Mexican and Southwestern cooking, corn, and chilis and so much more.

!Buen Provecho!

Omnivore Books on Food • 3885a Cesar Chavez Street • San Francisco, CA 94131 • 415.282.4712 • Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm

I'm a fan of thoughtful details in a restaurant, and I loved what I found at Reposado, an exciting new upscale Mexican restaurant in Palo Alto. From the lighting, to inviting spaces to nosh in, to the softer, but still stunning, traditional colors of Mexico, I found a restaurant that lends itself to creating an experience that's more than just about dining.

On a recent visit to Reposado, I sampled some wonderful items including salmon, perfectly done with light chipotle rub and a spicy, crispy plantain appetizer.

The hit for me was the Tamalitos - two little creative bundles of flavor. The mushroom with toasted guajillo salsa was excellent. And the chicken with salsa verde was not only flavorful, but also very light in texture - a real treat.

Reposado will be bringing their tamalitos to A Taste of Tamales by the Bay for everyone to sample. But which one will they select to enter the tasting challenge?

Don't wait to read about it, come and find out for yourself on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Fort Mason, San Francisco - and taste what I'm talking about.

Reposado, 236 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto 650-833-3151 www.reposadorestaurant.com

!Buen Provecho!

We all carry them - stories. And our stories, like memories, have a way of attaching themselves to the unexpected - a song, a smell, an activity, or a poem - taking us back on unplanned visits, to places long ago filed away.

And so it was for me one Saturday afternoon when I happened to hear this poem on West Coast Live, and was instantly pulled back to my mother's kitchen, where her recipes were as much about food as they were about life; where the telling of her stories was always easier when her hands were busy cutting, stirring, or blending. How much of my own story was shaped while she handed me the secrets to her cooking.

In this poem, Mt. Shasta poet and teacher, Maria Elena Fernandez, paints a picture of her family's history - rich, vivid and condensed as only a poem can do - told by her mother to put the poet at ease with the often daunting task of making tamales.

Maria Elena will be reading her poem and talking about the richness in telling and gathering our stories at the storytelling booth at our third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Fort Mason. Come by and share a memory, food tradition, recipe, and the story it tells.

!Buen Provecho!

Making Tamales

She tells me stories to put my hands at ease,
how in 1910 Abuelita Inez y sus hermanas
hid beneath the floorboards of their home
for a month, listening to soldiers drink
above their heads, waiting until estos hombres
had drunk themselves into sleep
before they came out to eat...

Mama's graceful fingers wrap husks
around the bundles of meat and cornmeal
in smooth rhythm unbroken by the addition
of more meat or ground red chile
to the pot of mole between us.

Y como Tia Lupe tried seven times
to bring her family to Los Angeles,
and seven times was caught by her pinche borracho husband.
Pero su hija, Susana, living in San Jose,
recently became a citizen...

Our fingers work and weave fragments of lives
into the meal for El Año Nuevo.
They will resurrect in ribbons of steam from heaped plates of
arróz, frijoles, y huevos con chorizo--Tia Lupe,
Abuelita Inez, y los otros, with us again.

I am up to my elbows in masa, hands sticky with mole,
stained red beneath the nails.
We laugh at my clumsy bravado, those sagging creations
propped up against hers in the tall aluminum steamer,
and closing the lid, Mama says,
"No te preocupes porque the heat will make them firm."

Maria Elena Fernandez
2008