Farmer’s cheese with California peppercorns and foraged lambsquarter (a plant, not a lamb) A few weeks ago, I took part in a foraging and cheese-making course taught by Pascal, a survival and wild foods expert in the Los Angeles area. Pascal teaches a wide variety of wild food and outdoor skills courses, which he lists [...]
A few weeks ago, a very considerate family member sent us two glorious pounds of fresh mushrooms from Oregon. He ordered it through a company called Mushrooms All Year. It was the most amazing gift! We spent the next four days cooking morels, black trumpets (my favorite), yellow feet and chanterelles. I just wish that Mushrooms [...]
In 2008, I read a New York Times article that piqued my interest in the growing movement of underground supper clubs. Underground supper clubs provide a unique dining experience in a non-traditional setting. At the very least, the meals are not served in a restaurant. More often, it could be the home of a volunteer, [...]
“Deconstructed Strawberry Shortcake” My weekend adventures aren’t restricted to climbing, diving, and traveling. Sometimes, my most memorable adventures are of the culinary kind. For my birthday, I recently had the pleasure of visiting The Dining Room, at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena. I’m a huge fan of the Bravo reality television show, Top Chef. [...]
Late into my recent trip to Tonga, I was seized with two obsessions related to the coconut: a preoccupation with pina coladas, and a nagging worry that I was going to get hit on the head by a coconut. The legendary three-headed coconut tree. The sign on this tree reads “Branched Coconut Tree, Ministry of [...]
Earlier this year, I sprained my ankle. Recovery took more than two months, and is still progressing. Because I wasn’t able to climb, hike, or do much more than walk, I had a lot of time on my hands. I took the opportunity to explore some activities and places that I normally wouldn’t visit. One [...]
A good time was had by all.
Whole Foods is opening in Venice on September 3! I have mixed emotions about the opening in my neighborhood of one of my favorite stores. I have a love-hate relationship with Whole Foods. (On one hand, I love to browse the aisles, and find the experience strangely soothing. In fact, the food writer Michael Pollan [...]
If you like pickles, this is one event you don’t want to miss! It’s a festival called “Slow Food Nation” in San Francisco (where else?) on August 29 to September 1. According to the SFN website, the festival “is dedicated to creating a framework for deeper environmental connection to our food and aims to inspire [...]
