Chef Billy NgoSacramento chefs represented the city on a glamorous and global stage.  “Chef, will you cook at Pebble Beach Food and Wine?” is a dream request of many in the culinary industry. Numerous Sacramento Chefs received that shoulder tap and whisper ahead of the 2024 event. Chef Kelly McCown California’s capital city was represented by its two Michelin star restaurants – The Kitchen Restaurant with chef Kelly McCown and Localis chef Chris Barnum-Dann – and recent James Beard Award Finalist for Best Chef California, Kru’s Billy Ngo. A total of seven local chefs were welcomed to Pebb ..read more

Essential Care for Essential Workers One of the many farmworkers congregating near a white tent for her health care appointment is Yunuen Lira, who waits with a family member. Her work shift, weeding chili pepper and tomato fields, began at 4:30 a.m. and ended by 12:30 p.m., giving her time to slow down and clean up before her visit to the pop-up clinic at the housing center where she lives.  “Since we’re working all day, it’s nice to have clinic services on site,” says Lira in her native Spanish. This is Lira’s sixth season migrating for seasonal agricultura ..read more

Angelina Feldman and Christopher Lee in front of where the bar service counter will be installed. Photo by Debbie CunninghamThe Blueprint of a Dream “Right here, right now.” That’s how Angelika Feldman and Christopher Lee responded when asked where their pop-up business, Flora & Fauna Provisions, was located. Sometimes, “right here” was a brewery. Other times, a winery. Sometimes, a farmers’ market. “Right now” speaks to the nature of a pop-up — intermittent and short-lived.  Launched in 2022, they found success operating their mobile eatery and ..read more

Fall 2023 – Issue #65 Anastasia Murphy, our publisher buried in fall leaves It’s fall y’all! And I am ready for the shift of seasons. Are you?  Per usual, the summer heat scorched all of us Sacramentans, so the cooling off that comes with fall is a welcome change. I hope your gardens bore a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables to chop, toss, and dress in your kitchens throughout the summer. Talking to farmers, many crops were late or changed this year due to the oddity of our spring weather. The full effect of that weird weather on our region’s fall harvest crops is yet to be determined ..read more

Lucid makes nontraditional blends available to taste at winery or in shippable tasting kits. Photo by Anastasia MurphyLucid Winery When the pandemic forced people inside their homes, winemaker Kevin Luther decided to bring wine tasting direct to the consumer. The virtual sniff, swirl, and sip experience offered through Lucid Winery was among the first in the country, making it an overnight success. Kevin Luther, winemaker. Photo by Anastasia Murphy “We shipped about $6 million worth of wine tasting kits over three years,” shares Luther. “We’re licensed to ship all across the country, so that’s ..read more

An Irresistible Appetizer Recipe by Chef Kevin O’Connor. Elevate your appetizer game with this delectable Cedar Plank Brie with Roasted Grapes and Preserves, a culinary masterpiece crafted by the talented Chef Kevin O’Connor. This sophisticated yet approachable dish is perfect for impressing your guests or simply treating yourself to a taste sensation that combines the rustic charm of cedar plank cooking with the luxurious indulgence of brie cheese. Imagine the harmonious marriage of creamy brie, sweet fruit preserves, and perfectly blistered grapes, all infused with the subtle essence of ced ..read more

This recipe was printed in our Summer 2023 Issue #64, in the article Reaching New Heights with Cedar Plank Grilling. Out of all the cedar planks that are purchased for cooking, one could bet they would be introduced to filets of salmon and generally be right. Not only is salmon the most traditional plank pairing, but it’s incredibly well suited to this particular technique. A firm, fatty fish with flavors that pair perfectly with smoke will always win, but don’t feel limited to just salmon.  To see success with wood plank cooking, here are a few tips and guidelines to know: • Always soak ..read more

This seasonal cocktail recipe was printed in Edible Sacramento Magazine, Summer 2023, Issue#64. Welcome to a tantalizing seasonal cocktail experience brought to you by Rafael Jimenez Rivera, one of the creative minds behind Bodega Kitchen & Cocktails. Inspired by the warm embrace of summer, the Capicú cocktail captures the essence of sun-kissed peaches and exotic flavors. With its intriguing blend of grilled peach-infused rum, pineapple rum, Amaro Nonino, macadamia nut liqueur, allspice dram, and Meyer lemon bitters, Capicú is a symphony of tastes that will transport your taste buds to par ..read more

Summer 2023 – Issue #64 Our Publisher, Anastasia Murphy enjoying a cocktail while doing research for summer issue. A splash in the pool; the sizzle of a burger on the grill; the click of a tab opening a cold beer — my ears tell me summer is here. After a rainy, crisp winter and spring season, I’m ready for backyard barbecues and other summer festivities but maybe not the intense August heat. The cooler temperatures that stuck around and produced a late spring frost caused me to plant my tomatoes a bit late. But as I learned from The Greenhouse article all about tomatoes on page 9, that’s ..read more

For Edible Sacramento contributing chef Dennis Sydnor, collard greens evoke nostalgia. “Collard greens go back to early, early childhood. They’re one of my core culinary memories,” he explains. “My mom and her friends would go into fields in Elk Grove in the ’80s when it was just farms, and they’d pick collards and mustard greens.”  He says his mother brought the greens home and he’d help cut off the stems using a butter knife. The greens would be placed in a pot with ham hocks or smoked turkey necks, along with a stock from onions, peppers, and celery. “The flavor, there’s just ..read more