Slow Food Nation Celebration up in San Francisco this weekend...I wasn't able to make it. Hope you did.
Labels: San Francisco, Slow Food
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The Family Firm Ortiz has been tinning fish is the Basque region of northern Spain for five generations. They buy day boat catches from small time fishermen in the Bay of Biscay.Catch their sale on this tuna...before it swims away. And, if you haven't tried Koeze Cream Nut Peanut Butter....you don't know what you're missing. (it's also on sale!)
On boats not much bigger than a cabin cruiser, fishing is done "the old fashioned way": with a pole, line and hook, not giant trawling lines or nets. The boat pulls up along side a school of tuna and cuts the engines. Small jets from the side of the boat spray water. They churn up the surface. The tuna get the impression small fish are freaking out and it's time to eat. The fishermen--maybe ten or fifteen guys--strap themselves to the side of the boat. (So they don't fall in.)
The fish wait in tanks on board before the reach the docks. Ortiz buyers select the best of the catch, personally. They often pay premiums for the highest quality fish.
The fish are delivered to Ortiz that afternoon. They're boiled whole in brine, then cut and cleaned by hand.
The tuna is covered in olive oil and sealed. Each tin or jar is packed by hand. (If you haven't noticed, there haven't been a lot of machines mentioned.) In a matter of hours the tuna has gone from sea to tin - an amazing, delicious feat.
Labels: Seafood, zingermans
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Mrs. Field’s Original Cookies, Inc. on Aug. 24 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company, which filed a prepackaged plan of reorganization, said it plans to emerge from bankruptcy within 45 days.
The announcement comes a little more than a week after Mrs. Field’s filed its intent to seek bankruptcy protection with the Securities and Exchange Commission. - BakingBusiness.com
Labels: bankruptcy, business, Chocolate Chip, Cookies, Mrs. Field's
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Peek a Boo!
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Longs Drugs.The Longs era is over.
The sale of Longs Drugs Stores Corp., the 70-year-old chain based in Walnut Creek, to the East Coast's giant CVS Caremark Corp., spells the end for the last major regional chain drugstore in the country. After the transaction closes at the end of the year, CVS will slowly start converting the stores, and the Longs name will fade into retail history. - SFGate
Labels: Longs Drugs, Santa Barbara
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Famed chef Julia Child shared a secret with Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg at a time when the Nazis threatened the world.
They served in an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt.
The secret comes out Thursday, all of the names and previously classified files identifying nearly 24,000 spies who formed the first centralized intelligence effort by the United States. The National Archives, which this week released a list of the names found in the records, will make available for the first time all 750,000 pages identifying the vast spy network of military and civilian operatives. - AssPress
But we've known for quite some time that Julia was cooking up some intriguing recipes of intrigue.......
And, tomorrow would have been Julia's 96th Birthday. Jessica's Biscuit (aka ecookbooks.com) is celebrating...Decades before becoming a famous chef, she worked for the Office of Strategic Services. (The OSS was the predecessor to the CIA.) She was assigned to solve a problem for U.S. naval forces during World War II: Sharks would bump into explosives that were placed underwater, setting them off and warning the German U-boats they were intended to sink. "So... Julia Child and a few of her male compatriots got together and literally cooked up a shark repellent," that was used to coat the explosives, McCarthy says. - NPR (2002)
It would be impossible to present all of Julia Child's contributions to cooking in America in this small space. She transformed our appreciation for French cooking, pioneered cooking on television, and made all of us better cooks and/or better eaters. To celebrate some of the best of Julia, the hardcover edition of the memoir she wrote with her grandnephew, My Life in France, is $7.99 through August 31st. Thank you, Julia!
Labels: Julia Child, WWII
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Labels: Coffee, restaurants, Santa Barbara
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Labels: Ice Cream, Santa Barbara
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Sunday, August 17 Jaffurs will be joining the American Institute of Wine and Food for the fourth annual Tour and Tasting at The Cultured Abalone farm in Goleta.
This is the 4th Annual AIWF Tour and Tasting at The Cultured Abalone farm in Goleta. Ben Beede will reveal the fascinating methods that are brought to bear in this on shore seafarm. You will learn how abalone are bred, grown and processed. Ben always has new mariculture experiments that he will share as well. Chef Michael Hutchings of Michael's Catering will conduct a practical cooking demonstration of abalone preparation. This is followed by a three course luncheon featuring the delightful mollusk as the maincourse. Jaffurs wines will be featured for lunch and will pour white wines matched to the abalone. Jaffurs Wine Cellars is dedicated to producing great Rhone varietal wines with a new-world independence.
What: Abalone farm tour, cooking demonstration and luncheon.
Where: The Cultured Abalone, 9580 Dos Pueblos Cyn Road, Goleta, CA
When: Sunday, August 17 at 11:00 AM, concludes 2:00 PM
Price: Members of AIWF $65.00, Guests $70.00Good information: Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking on uneven surfaces. It can be warm and a hat is suggested. We will havewater available for the tour. Parking is limited so car pooling is suggested. Abalone will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the event. Space is limited so please reserve early.
Reservations call: Patty Jacquemin 805-565-3013
Labels: abalone, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Seafood, Wine
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Summer Solstice Parade "Float".....way ahead of Discovery Channel's "Shark Week."
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Looking to bring more value-seeking consumers through its doors for a late afternoon caffeine fix, Starbucks Corp. said it will now offer its morning customers any iced grande beverage for $2 after 2 p.m.and Starbucks Gossip
The price is a big cut from the normal price of most grande-sized iced drinks. A grande iced latte, for example, costs about $4. To get the discount, customers must present a receipt from their morning Starbucks visit.
The promotion was previously only offered in Seattle, Chicago and Miami. The company said it is taking it nationwide beginning Tuesday to answer consumers' calls for more value at the chain, which has seen traffic drop as gas prices rise and consumer spending falters. It runs until Sept. 2. - Associated Press
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Labels: Fiesta, Mexican, Santa Barbara, YouTube
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