Food and Lifestyle

A Fortunate Discovery - Fortune Cookie Baker

2011-03-31T01:47:29Z

Every now and then, a big bag of rejected fortune cookies will mysteriously appear in my office break room. Picture a party-sized bag of tortilla chips, except instead of chips, there is mountain of flat, round, sugary-baked discs resting atop a confetti of those familiar fortune notes.

In my workplace, these bags pop up frequently enough to get me wondering, “Where are these things coming from, who is messing up all these fortune cookies, and why the heck are they so fresh and delicious?”

On the tail end of that thought, I reached down to the bottom of the bag and grabbed a fortune:

“When the mind is backed by will, miracles happen,” it read.

A sign, right?

So, putting my mind and will to the test, I tracked down the co-worker responsible for planting these little auspiciously discarded miracles.

No, I’m told, these cookies aren’t the defects of a colossal Chinese goods factory or wholesale online liquidator, but rather, their origin is politely and almost deliberately hidden in a half-way-abandoned-looking building just a few blocks away.

Near the corner of 10th and Q Streets, you either have to have someone escort you or know exactly where you are going to find the New World Bakery; otherwise you will certainly miss the home of Sacramento’s only fortune cookie manufacturer. Pull back the screen door, and for a second, it still feels like you got the wrong place.

When I first greeted owner and operator, Kenny Yee, he must have thought I was there for a delivery. As he pointed to a price at the bottom of an invoice, I tried to explain I was only there to write a story.

He removed his ear covers. The sound of the three 30-year-old cookie making machines emits a constant buzz of noise, filling the entire shop.

“No, it’s okay,” he said. He had done enough interviews, explaining that his business had already been featured in newspapers, television, magazines, and on the radio. He wheels back the store front’s measly display cart to reveal a laminated, “people love us on Yelp” write up. Yee is hip to his shop’s internet popularity.

“It’s a small business,” Yee smiled, “Too small. I get more business, I can’t handle. I get lots of media, lots of phone calls.”

With help from his wife, Yee said his bakery churns out over 600 pounds of cookies per day. The space is cramped and almost every square foot is put to use. There are stacks of boxes headed out for delivery to local restaurants, and buckets of flopped-cookies (some will most likely find their way back to my office),

Despite the attention and admiration, Yee continues to run New World Bakery in an old-school fashion. He’s well aware that his obsolete and imperfect machines are the main attraction.

Yee left China 36 years ago, worked in the restaurant industry, and opened his fortune-cookie business in 1990. He says he’s looking forward to retirement now, as his aches and pains are adding up.

“I want to stay home and watch my grandchildren,” he said, adding that he has three already and one on the way.

He’s also not looking forward to another hot Sacramento summer. Yee says that his machines often break down in the heat, forcing him to open even earlier in order to keep the pace. It’s the main reason he doesn’t post the bakery’s hours of operation during the summer.

After little cajoling for the interview, it was clear Yee was initially playing coy. Good natured and quick to warm up, Yee tells me that he doesn’t make a lot of money, but is happy knowing that people enjoy his product.

“It’s not too complicated, it’s not big money, but I’m happy and people like it.”

Sounds like good fortune to me.

Small farm, big idea in Documentary Film

2010-05-04T19:10:01Z

It’s 5:30 P.M. on a Friday night. Prime happy-hour time. As expected, people are gathering around town for after work drinks and snacks. But in this particular gathering at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, the beer and pizza is crafted from organic, sustainable ingredients. And instead of maligning chatter over annoying coworkers, or whether the underdog will finally beat the Lakers tonight, the people at the co-op are talking about something that goes completely against the grain.

This is where two local farmers, Jeff and Annie Main come in with an idea that’s entirely antithetical to the American Dream. For over eight years, the Mains - owners of Good Humus Produce - have been attempting to devalue their farm property and sell it for less than what it’s worth.

On this evening, their idea is the focus of a documentary screening at the co-op’s community learning center. The Last Crop, (the film’s working title as it’s still in production), explains the Mains’ fear that modern commercial and residential development could wipe out much of California’s rich agricultural landscape, along with the food it produces.

Rather than selling their modestly-sized land in Capay Valley for a profit, the Mains would rather see the property remain a farm forever.

“It’s always been about the work, not the compensation,” says Jeff Main, who sees new pastures on the horizon now that his kids are grown.

That’s why he and his wife are trying to sell the Yolo County Land Trust and other interested parties on the next big idea in conservation: farm easements.

Farm - or agricultural easements - would work similar to a conservation easement, which contractually preserves a piece of land from future real estate development.

The Mains would like to see their property reduced from its real estate value, to its agricultural value (about 1/5 of its current price). In effect, the farm would become affordable to anyone looking to become a farmer and subside on a farmer’s income, while saving it from potentially turning into something like a fast-food restaurant.

“If you were here on day one and saw the landscape, and then go back to today, it’s incredible.” says Annie Main on how the farm has grown under her and her husband’s sweat. “If anyone can come in and rip it out, it would be a waste of all the work we put in.”

With the help of surrounding food co-ops and organizations like One Farm at a Time – a local partnership that helps raise funds to preserve local farms – the Mains are a step closer to dream of creating a new model in local agriculture.

The evening’s screening itself was partly a fundraiser to complete production of the documentary film about the Mains. Director Chuck Schultz, says he hopes the Mains’ vision and the film gain more momentum as they continue to get more publicity.

Curtis Park resident Linda Bell, who attended the screening, says she’s shopped from Mains for years and believes their idea is “doable.”

Bell who added that she’s been a member of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op since the store was located on Freeport Blvd, said she prefers the co-op because they purchase their goods farmers like the Mains.

“You can buy organic at Raley’s, but they aren’t buying from small farmers and I actually know small farmers,” said Bell.

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To learn more about the documentary The Last Crop and to view a trailer, visit: http://blueprintproductions.biz/Documentaries/5/the-last-crop

To learn more about upcoming events and cooking classes at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op’s Community Learning Center, visit: http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=year.listevents&Itemid=77

Group behind 'urban farm stand' to celebrate fifth year

2009-11-03T02:19:52Z

A local non-profit organization that purveys fresh produce in some of the city’s underserved neighborhoods is hosting a celebration this Thursday Nov.7, marking their fifth anniversary serving the community.

Alchemist Community Development Corporation is the group behind the “urban farm stand” idea – selling fresh, farmer’s market-style fruits and vegetables in areas like Alkali Flat and Oak Park. The event, which is open to the public, will be held at the Beatnik Studios near the city’s Tower district and will include live music and food from some of Sacramento’s top restaurants.

“With strong community involvement and support from residents, urban farm stands have demonstrated success and motivated supporters to grow the concept,” said Alchemist executive director, Davida Douglas, in an email to the Sacramento Press. The event is designed to help raise money for new farm stands to be opened next year.

Thursday’s event is backed by a multitude of Sacramento’s neighborhood and business associations, along with two city councilmembers – Ray Tretheway and Rob Fong.

According to the event flyer, food will be provided by several of the city’s gastronomical institutions like the Waterboy, Amarin Thai Cuisine, Taylor’s Market, and more. Music will be performed by Musical Charis and Caribbean Jazz. Wine and locally brewed beer will also be served.

“As a quirky aside, at the end of the evening, guests get to leave with a winter squash from our event decorations, donated by organic grower, Soil Born Farms,” added Douglas.

Tickets are priced from $15 to $30 to accommodate different contribution amounts and can be purchased online or at one of the urban farm stands.

For more information on tickets or where to find the nearest urban farm stand, check out www.alchemistcdc.org

Ali Tabatabai is a volunteer contributor to the Sacramento Press, reporting on assignment.

Tour de Sac ends with Pub Crawl

2009-07-25T05:52:44Z

“If you fall off, I’ll cut you off,” warned Cline Moore, semi-jokingly to a group of bike riders who had signed up for his evening long pub-crawl around Downtown Sacramento.

It was his brief disclaimer to the modest-sized crowd on this Wednesday night, before embarking on a mobile eating and drinking event marking the end of the month-long cycling celebration – The Tour de Sacramento.

A laid-back homage to the famous race in France, the first ever Tour de Sacramento featured three weeks of neighborhood rides, bike clinics, and on this night – food, fun, and beverage.

This last stage of the tour was the natural merging of two things that Sacramento residents do well – drink and ride bikes – occasionally at the same time.

“Bikes allow us to pair [together] more restaurants that aren’t next to each other,” said Moore, a local entrepreneur and promoter extraordinaire.

He’s organized over 15 pub-crawls in Sacramento, tonight being the first on bikes. He charges $25 for registration and gets the restaurants to provide the food for free – knowing the customers he brings through their doors will buy plenty of drinks.

Moore’s tall, slender frame almost isn’t a match for his booming and commanding voice. A business minded version of a merry prankster, Moore has found a way to make a buck while having a good time.

It’s this ingenuity and flow that inspired him to organize his “Grub Crawl” idea with the Tour de Sacramento.

And he’s good at organizing. If you are out on any given evening in Sacramento, you are bound to run into him. Bike crawl participant, Tina Pruett, was at the Blue Cue club the night before, when Moore convinced her and a friend to sign up for the bike crawl.

At the ride’s starting point at Bikes & Bites on 12th street, Moore waves in his customers while barking orders to his hired help for the evening. Even Assembly Member Dave Jones stops on his walk to the capitol to see what Moore is up to this time.

About 70 people registered for the bike crawl said Moore, but about only 20 made it to the starting point. In a scattered formation, the group saddled up and took off down L Street, heading for 4th Street Grille. They turned heads and earned honks from the traffic as they hugged the curb, and were brave enough to take up the whole right lane on occasion.

At 4th Street Grille, the group sucked down their drinks and munched on an array of pulled-pork sliders and grilled chicken skewers. It was like a normal night out at the bar, except with a more eclectic and diverse group of sweaty people.

Heading towards the Fox and Goose pub, the ride got its first reminder of what the evening was billed for – to celebrate Le Tour de France. Actually, only a small subsection of the group included avid cycling fans.

Decked out in full cycling gear, 40-year-old Carmichael resident, Stacy Scranton, said she has watched every stage of the Tour de France on television, and is the only participant to make it to every event of the Tour de Sacramento.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Scranton said, “If [they] were looking to inspire one person to get into cycling, that one person would be me.”

Scranton, who said she wants to train in order to participate in longer cycling marathons, was particularly thankful of Dawn Dais – the co-organizer of Tour de Sacramento – for getting her back on her Giant OCR1 road bike.

Dais has written a book on cycling training for the average Joe, and said the Tour de Sacramento was a way to promote her work and get people thinking about riding their bikes.

“Sacramento is a really big city and bikes are great way to explore it,” said Dais, “We’re planning for something even bigger next year.”

But just as the sub-group settled into a cozy booth in the corner of the pub, Cline Moore began rousing the group again. It was time to hit the road, down R Street and on to Hangar 17.

Moore, with his ambitious attitude and self-described verbose character, sees himself as one-man stimulus package, a savior of sorts of Downtown Sacramento’s nightlife economy.

“I get my inspiration from Obama,” Moore says, “We are the leaders we are looking for. Restaurants and people are struggling; I get to bring people together.”

Local restaurants owners and managers definitely appreciate his effort.

“The pie has shrunk,” said Hangar 17 co-owner James Lombardi, “Everyone is fighting and clawing for business here; when someone brings people to your doorstep, it’s always welcome.”

A few drinks and several servings of appetizers into the evening, the bike crawl had picked up a few late-comers before making its way to its final scheduled stops for the evening – Hot Italian for gelato, and Tokyo Fro’s for sushi and free admission to its nightclub.

But as the peloton of riders made its way down 16th street, albeit sloppy by this time, the group voted on an impromptu stop at de Vere’s Irish Pub for what Moore called, “Just one shot.”

It should be mentioned that the Sacramento Police Department said it wanted to remind everyone that drunk cycling is always illegal.

“We ask that if you participate you drink responsibly, just as if you were driving," Sergeant Norm Leong said in a telephone conversation.

Nevertheless, the night rounded out without major incident. Tina Pruett was the only crawler to take a spill, sinking in an ant hill while trying to lock up her bike. She also got a flat tire, but luckily, fellow rider Karl Alexander – who used to give guided mountain bike tours through Costa Rican jungles – grabbed a spare tube from his apartment around the corner.

It was just the kind of interaction between two people who were previously strangers Moore would have loved to see.

But he was busy inside working the crowd and promoting his next big idea.

Eventually, Moore says he would like to expand the crawl idea to Denver and San Francisco, but remains busy building his reputation in this town.

“If Sacramento offered this on a regular basis,” Moore said, “We could be the friendliest city. We could own that moniker.”

Farm Stand Offers More than Food

2009-06-18T00:21:07Z

On a relaxed and breezy Tuesday evening in Alkali Flat, residents trickle in and out of J. Neely Johnson Park to check out the fresh produce on sale at their local Urban Farm Stand.

Just like a typical farmers market, the Urban Farm Stand opens up once a week to sell a variety of organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables from nearby suppliers. In fact, the Urban Farm Stand is just like a farmers market, but operates on a much smaller scale with just four tables.

The only big difference is there are no farmers here.

Instead, the stand is run with help from community volunteers like 15-year-old McClatchy High School student, Kellan Thomas, who lives with her mother in subsidized housing not far from the park.

Thomas began working at the stand about two months ago and says she has been learning a lot about the business.

“Some things here I didn’t know existed, like pluots,” she said. “I didn’t know what those were, but now I do.”

Thomas says her mother asked her if she would like to volunteer at the stand after seeing a flyer at a local neighborhood mini-mart. She agreed thinking the experience would help eventually lead her to a paid part-time job and some pocket-money.

“I’ve learned sales experience and how to interact with people,” Thomas said. “I was shy when I first got here, now I’m asking questions and people are really nice. It’s like one big family.”

Thomas added that she thought she already knew most of the people in her neighborhood, but said she is getting to know a lot more new faces at the stand.

She also acknowledged the service that is being provided to her community.

“It gives access to more variety of vegetables and the prices are manageable,” she said. “A lot of people here are middle class and lower income.”

As Thomas explained the types of meals her mother has prepared with ingredients from the stand-- including stir-fry, her favorite--a spider crawled across the collard greens laying in front her. She backed up, keeping a steady eye focused on the tiny arachnid while her supervisor, Davida Douglas tells her not to worry.

Douglas is actually in charge of the stand. She is the sole employee of Alchemist CDC, the non-profit community organizing group that runs this stand and another, busier one at McClatchy Park.

Business is slow in Alkali Flat tonight, but Douglas says average sales for one night at J. Neely Johnson range from $200-300, and as much as $900 at the McClatchy site.

Douglas says the stand offers goods that are hard to find in a neighborhood without any grocery stores nearby —the closest store Albertson’s on F and 23rd Streets closed in 2006 and re-opened as a Rite-Aid.

“It’s a service the community can use and it makes [shopping] more convenient, as opposed to convenience stores that may just sell items like beer and candy,” Douglas said. “As a non-profit we can take the financial risk of selling perishable goods.”

A wireless machine also allows Douglas and her team of volunteers to accept food stamps via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. Recently, the federal government has made an effort through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to improve healthy food access and promote nutrition.

While it may be quiet at the stand tonight, its presence has brought a peaceful mood to a park that Douglas says has been notorious for drug dealing.

Next to the stand, a young man plays his acoustic guitar at a folding table and is later accompanied by man, much his senior, toting a harmonica.

Not much further off, a woman mentions to the masseuse performing her chair massage that she just may fall asleep.

With operating hours of 4:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the stand creates a calm place of respite during the habitually frantic after-work exodus from downtown.

Tonight the stand makes itself just as much part of the park as the community garden is directly behind it.

Despite Alkali Flat’s notoriety, 47-year-old attorney, Mona Tawatao says she thinks the neighborhood remains “vibrant and pleasant.”

With her office located just around the corner, Tawatao routinely visits the stand after work. Today, she has picked out a handful of apricots and heirloom tomatoes and says she appreciates the stand’s proximity.

“If more neighborhoods did this it would have a good impact on emissions and global warming,” said Tawatao.

For more information on the Urban Farm Stand and Alchemist CDC, including sites, seasons, & hours visit: www.urbanfarmstand.org