Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa has promoted Ashurina (Rina) Younan from Sous Chef to Chef de Cuisine, effective immediately.  In her expanded new role as Chef de Cuisine, Chef Rina will oversee the entire food services division at the Resort that includes event/banquet catering and two on-site restaurants -- Mangos and Sprouts Natural Foods Cafe. Chef Rina joined Arden Hills in March 2011 with an extensive background working in food service positions in resort environments throughout the greater Sacramento area. Previously, she worked as Sous Chef for Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln; as Lead Chef for Scott's Seafood on the River (that also serves Le Rivage guests); and as Lead Cook

For anyone who is still looking for unique holiday gift ideas, the Northern California nonprofit INALLIANCE may have just the solution- tickets to the "Sacramento Chef Challenge" at 4:00 p.m. Saturday Friday , June 23, 2012. The well known culinary extravaganza features two live culinary competitions, food sampling, wine and beer tasting, live music, raffle prizes and more! But, the best part is-100% of proceeds go to programs that support people with developmental disabilities! "2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the Sacramento Chef Challenge, which means we will be pulling out all the stops and slashing ticket prices,” says INALLIANCE Executive Director Diana DeRodeff. INALLIANCE prov

Tickets for Sacramento’s Premier Culinary competition are on sale just in time for the holiday season! The Sacramento Chef Challenge (previously known as the Celebrity Chef Challenge) features a head to head battle between three professional chefs, and tickets make a great gift for the amateur chef, wine connoisseur or food lover in your life. In 2012, the Sacramento Chef Challenge will be celebrating its tenth year, and in honor of this achievement, organizers are slashing ticket prices, adding new attractions and allowing guests to determine “Whose cuisine reigns supreme!” Chef Challengers will have three hours to prepare and serve a specialty menu based on a surprise theme. Guests wil

East Sacramento’s month-old Juno’s Kitchen & Delicatessen focuses on serving sustainable food out of a small space with a name inspired by a unique dog. “Juno is a very unusual dog,” owner Mark Helms said of the pit bull/bull terrier mix. “She likes to swim underwater; she likes to carry around sticks that are like twice her weight. She’s an extreme athlete.” Helms and his wife, Susan Vasques, opened Juno’s, located at 3617 J St., at the end of October, mere months after selling their restaurant in The Pocket, Ravenous Cafe. They sold the upscale American-style restaurant to be closer to home, Helms said. “I always wanted to have a place where bread was kind of the focus,” Helms said,

Ten chefs in the Midtown and downtown area have agreed to take on the Vegan Chef Challenge starting Saturday. Throughout the month of October, each restaurant will feature special vegan items including soups, appetizers, entrées and desserts. Cafe Capricho, 58 Degrees, Bombay Bar and Grill, Tower Bridge Bistro and Michelangelo’s are just a few of the participating restaurants. Restaurant guests who order these specialty dishes will be asked to go online and vote for their favorite dishes. Those who vote will be entered in a drawing to win prizes. Diners who visit all 10 participating restaurants will be asked to score their overall favorites in each category and will be entered into a dr

A new food handler training program goes into effect for all California restaurant workers Friday, and Sacramento-area employees and restaurateurs have varied opinions on its effectiveness. The new law, Senate Bill 602, requires all restaurant employees – with a few exceptions – who handle food to complete an online training course with basic food safety instruction.  According to the law, certified testing companies cannot charge more than $15, paid by the employee. “There are similar laws and requirements like this in other states that require a basic level of food safety training, like Florida and Texas,” said Daniel Conway, legislative and public affairs director of the California Re

Husband-and-wife team Randall Selland and Nancy Zimmer, who are the co-founders, executive chefs and owners of The Selland Group, will celebrate the 20-year success of The Kitchen restaurant by opening up another Selland’s Market-Café in El Dorado Hills on Nov. 24. The Kitchen started in May 1991, offering Sacramento the revolutionary demonstration dinners while providing a personal and intimate experience by talking with guests while cooking in front of them. Prior to cooking, Zimmer and Selland were both involved in art. Zimmer worked at an art gallery when she and Selland first met, Zimmer said. “I always had an interest in cooking, and I just loved to cook. (Selland) was always just

French chef Daniel Pont has passed his tiny La Bonne Soupe Café on to a couple who bring the same passion for French cookery. Chef Ed Stoddard and his fiancée, Leah Brown, are not related to 72-year-old Pont, who sold them the downtown soup and sandwich shop he created and operated on his own for six years. Nor are they French. Starting Monday, the Midtown couple will continue to offer the same gastronomic experience, following in Pont's footsteps as closely as they can. Stoddard describes the food as good, honest French cooking and the place itself as a French cookery. "A cookery is a place where you don't just go to eat food. You go there to meet people and learn about food," he said.

The economy is finally showing signs of dragging itself out of the quicksand.  This slow but steady comeback has sparked some pleasant surprises throughout downtown over the last few months. Like a chain reaction, specialty businesses are popping up in some rather unexpected places, encouraging more to follow suit, as rents are becoming more affordable and creative spaces more available. Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts, 1201 F St., is a valuable oxygen source to the span of 12th from D through H streets. For the last six months, that area had stretches of blocks with no tenants as “for lease” signs littered the windows. Now, change has come. I pass by that location every night on my wa

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Celebrity Chef Challenge will be rolling into Sacramento for its 9th annual edition in April of next year. The culinary event that pits local professional chefs in a whisk to whisk battle to determine “whose cuisine reigns supreme” will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the California Automobile Museum from 5:30pm-9:30pm and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action! Six challengers will have 45 minutes to turn five secret ingredients into three power-packed dishes, all under the watchful eye of one live audience! Guests will have a front row seat for the culinary extravaganza, but that’s not all; ticket prices include a tour of the 72,000 sq

I adore food, I love to travel, and it is my dream to write for a living. As you might imagine, writer, chef, Travel Channel star and bon vivant Anthony Bourdain is an idol of mine. When I saw the erstwhile chef of Les Halles Brasserie and current host of "No Reservations" would be making an appearance at the Memorial Auditorium in September, I called up my liaison at The Sacramento Press and begged her to let me cover the event. A couple days later I got a note in my inbox: "Lindol, they're happy to have you cover the event on the condition that you don't mind doing a preview, and interviewing Mr. Bourdain." I've never said "yes" with more enthusiasm. A few days after that, I got a

Chef Ryan Rose, the 28-year-old chef at the Zócalo restaurant in Sacramento, is one of the top 15 finalists in the “Next Food Network Star YouTube Challenge.” His in-it-to-win-it dish: paella. Originally on a search to apply for the Food Network’s casting call for the “Next Food Network Star,” Rose came across the YouTube challenge. Viewers can vote daily on their favorite video of national chefs demonstrating their favorite dishes in three minutes or less. The winner will fly out to New York for an audition with executive producers of the show. But Rose didn’t always want to be a chef. It wasn’t till a two-year visit to Spain where he watched his Italian roommate cook every day, that he