Locavore Dinner

So, you've probably figured it out by now, but we're really into local food. We think it tastes better, that its better for our bodies, and we like to support our local farmers. And our friends, Kris and Joanne Young of Ojai couldn't agree more. They are the leaders of a cool project called Locavore Lite 2010, where they are calling upon all of us in the Ventura area and beyond to eat more local food this year, grow more food in our backyards, and support our local farmers markets.
So, because we're so excited about what they're doing, we're hosting a completely local dinner at our bistro on April 8th at 6pm. Here's a peek at the menu. Note: each course will be paired with a perfectly delicious wine from Ventura's own "backyard."

Goat cheese, pistachio and tangerine salad with local
greens and a citrus ginger vinaigrette

Grilled Watkins Ranch steak with glazed baby carrots
and roasted beets, shaved radish, and arugula pesto

Avocado semifreddo with roasted strawberries,
walnut tuille, and lime coulis

To further inspire your tastebuds or to get more info, here's the complete menu.

BNI Mixer

We catered this event a few weeks ago for Business Networking International (BNI), a local networking group that we belong to. The table was decked out with some of our favorite delicacies. The cheese platter offered blue cheese, manchego cheese, candied macadamias, blood orange slices, and much much more.

We served quinoa cakes with a sweet and spicy bell pepper salsa and sandwiches made with turkey, arugula, mayonnaise, and our red onion marmalade on whole grain bread.

And one of our most popular yummies...chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in applewood smoked bacon.

They are quite the mouthful - the perfect blend of sweet and savory, with a zing from the smoky bacon. Oh, and if they've piqued your interest, they do make an occasional appearance on our dinner menu.

Rachel talks about what makes our product different

Well, our commitment to keeping our food clean is a huge one. Our food is local; I’ve got it coming from an organic farm in Oxnard, an organic rancher in Arroyo Grande, a local lettuce farmer in Carpinteria, and an organic tomato farmer in Santa Paula. We have healthy, free range chickens instead of unhealthy birds that never got to walk around before they were force fed and slaughtered.

We have two owners – Robert and I – who not only are insistent on making a profitable business (and thus create jobs) out of a good, humane idea – to serve healthy food that actually tastes fabulous – but the vision itself is amazing. Think about it: you are what you eat. We take care to make our food delicious, and we are mindful of who raised it and how it was raised. Not only that, we care how it was stored, processed, and how it is treated once it is in our care. Yes, our care.

So, we care. That is the difference.

I was doing some ordering, and I thought I’d share some food costs with you real quick:

Ground Beef:

Feed Lot Corn Fed (cows are allergic to corn. That is why they get fat….and why we get fat when eating them) goes for $2.63 per pound

Our local organic ground beef $4.39

Chicken Breasts:

Tyson cage-raised Chicken Breasts $2.06 per pound

Petaluma Free Range Chicken Breasts $4.49 per pound

So, when people ask what makes our products different, why our food tastes so good, or why I am absolutely insistent that we treat our food with reverence, respect, and integrity, this is why: Everyone else did on it’s way to us. We are creating what our customers will purchase and use to fuel and heal and support their bodies, and it is our hard-earned and well-invested money that is purchasing these amazing products. It’s a business based on HEALTH CARE.

And when you really think about it, it is no more expensive " that burger " you can buy at McDonnalds or Hamburger Habit or In n Out…..you’re going to pay for it one way or another – one day or another.

Enjoy, Rachel