A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
It’s summer, and you want to eat something light, so…Let there be SALADS! And there WERE salads…and they were GOOD!
The Great Food Search has featured salads before (in 2014 and 2019), and some of the restaurants I’ll talk about this year are ones I’ve mentioned in earlier articles, but they aren’t the same salads, so…Let’s Eat!
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This year Olivaia’s OLA in Lindsay, CA won Best of the Valley in the Big Fresno Fair San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition. We decided to reach out to them and learn more about this locally grown olive oil. Recently we chatted with Giulio Zavolta, who is cofounder of Olivaia’s OLA together with his wife Rachelle Bross. Giulio is educated and trained in architecture, and Rachelle is a PhD trained dietitian.
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After leaving her life, marriage, and career as a pastry chef for a luxurious cruise ship, Juliet Capshaw has found her true happiness back in her hometown of Ashland, Oregon. Now the owner of Torte Bakeshop and it’s smaller offshoot Scoops, Jules has also become the part-owner of the winery Uva with her estranged husband Carlos. They are actually not-so-estranged anymore, as to Jules’s surprise Carlos seems to revel in their low-key life in Ashland, where the healing powers of the water and the celebration of all things Shakespeare seem to inspire and challenge him. Jules is just as proud of her young staff at Torte, and she is thrilled when her barista Andy is announced as being a contestant in the West Coast Barista Cup.
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If you are serious about maintaining healthy eating habits, the central San Joaquin Valley is the place for you. Over 360 different crops are grown right here, and we have direct access to just about all of them. Are we lucky, or what? But if not for one small but mighty creature, we wouldn’t have this bounty. I’m talking about bees.
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This week we have another fun group of mysteries with food and craft related settings-Four Cuts Too Many: A Sarah Blair Mystery by Debra H. Goldstein, Murder in a Scottish Garden: A Scottish Shire Mystery by Traci Hall, and Murphy’s Slaw: An Alaskan Diner Mystery by Elizabeth Logan.
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One of the many great things about immigrants is that when they come to the United States, they bring with them a little of their home culture; if we are lucky, they share it with us. Of course, with that comes language and food, two of my favorites, not necessarily in that order. On a recent visit to one of Reedley’s newest eateries, I learned that both language and food are an integral part of their quick success. I learned a Finnish word – sisu – which like many deeply-rooted cultural words in another language, does not have one, straightforward English counterpart. The Finnish concept of sisu roughly means strength of will, determination, perseverance, all in the face of likely failure. It seems just the concept that one might need to understand and employ when deciding to open a restaurant in a very competitive market and during a pandemic.
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Emory Martinez is passionate about creating unique cupcake flavors, and after garnering “you’re so talented” praise and winning first-place honors in county fair competitions for her sweet treats, she bravely thought it time to leave her “9 to 5” job and go professional. Her own shop may not be practical, but her “only by a few minutes,” “almost identical” older sister Carrie Berger runs a party planning and catering business offering Emory regular gigs to highlight her specialty cupcakes.
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This week we have another fun group of mysteries for your summer reading-Beyond a Reasonable Donut: A Deputy Donut Mystery by Ginger Bolton, Independent Bones: A Sarah Booth Delany Mystery by Carolyn Haines, and Punning with Scissors: A Crossword Puzzle Mystery by Becky Clark.
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Barbecue, barbeque, BBQ, or Q—call it what you want, it’s always good eating. Banners, flags, and billboards up and down Clovis Avenue promoted BBQ, but I never paid much attention to it until I went to a friend’s memorial service at the California State American Legion offices in Sanger (Yes, Sanger). After the service was a barbecue, and it was so-o-o-o-o-o good! Where did this food come from? I found out, and the answer is the subject of this Great Food Search.
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This week we have another fun group of food mysteries for your summer reading fun-For Batter or Worse: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery by Jenn McKinlay, Death Gone A-Rye: A Bread Shop Mystery by Winnie Archer, Southern Sass and a Battered Bride: A Marygene Brown Mystery by Kate Young, and Peaches and Schemes: A Georgia B&B Mystery by Anna Gerard.
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Fresh Brewed Murder is the first in a brand new series by Emmeline Duncan. When I saw that the main character owned a coffee cart in Portland, Oregon I knew this book was for me. I love coffee, and Oregon is one of my favorite places!
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You know how it is. You find a place to eat that you like, and a dish that you enjoy, so every time you go there, that’s what you order.
Where’s the adventure? Where’s the excitement? Where’s the danger?
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What a way for Abby and Mike to enjoy their wedding anniversary than to celebrate at the place they had their first kiss sixteen years ago! Ralph’s tavern hadn’t changed much, and seemed to be the perfect local place for milestone celebrations. Felicia Sherman is getting married and enjoying her “hen party” festivities. She’d put a bit of the “bridezilla” into a last minute fortune cookie order, but, of course, Josie negotiated a premium price for her efforts.
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The pets in Deborah’s Sarah Blair series share their thoughts on the books.
RahRah: Cats rule the world of cozy mysteries – especially if they are Siamese cats like me.
Fluffy: You know I don’t usually disagree with you, but dogs have a place in cozy mysteries, too.
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Meet little dolly Molly, she is a kitty who has a quiet elegance, a big heart, and an undemanding personality. She is independent, sits back to observe before exploring. Such a down-to-earth attitude is probably the result of being the single sister with three lively brothers who all have easy, undemanding natures, but love playtime and each other. Like them, this pretty sweetheart does love to leap and swing at toys on a wand, is especially fond of chicken, and can’t resist a tasty kitty treat! She has also gotten along with bigger cats and small dogs. A beautiful, silky black and white ensemble has her always looking dressed for success. What a devoted and adorable addition lovely Molly will be in a home where she will be given time to adjust to a new situation. How about your home sweet home? Molly is very shy and will need a lot of time to adjust to a new home, she is a little hissy with lots of attitude she would be a great friend for a current kitty and not much of a person cat. She loves other cats. Molly is available for adoption at their Blackstone Ave Petco Adoption Center, from Cat House on the Kings.