Life Earth Farm
October 8, 2013 – It could not have been a more perfect evening. The rare warmth of an Indian summer evening on the coast, tables set in a fragrant garden growing good things to eat and a wonderful community of people who are passionate about delicious local food.
Edible Monterey Bay’s 2013 Local Heroes Dinner—held Saturday, Oct 5 at the Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz—featured the creative dishes of four stellar chefs followed by an inspiring panel discussion by local heroes chosen by EMB readers, including: Jamie Collins of Serendipity Farms; Scott Roseman of New Leaf Community Markets; Willy Elliot-McCrae of Second Harvest Food Bank; Tom Broz of Life Earth Farm; Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis of The Penny Ice Creamery, Tabitha Stroup of Friend in Cheeses Jam and Darrie Ganzhorn of the Homeless Garden Project—which helped host the dinner and received all proceeds.
“The readers got it right, our local heroes are true game-changers in our good food movement,” said EMB publisher Sarah Wood in welcoming about 100 guests. “And all the chefs donating their time take cooking with sustainable ingredients very seriously in their kitchens and in their businesses.”
Appetizers were prepared by Sierra Mar Executive Chef John Cox, famous for his use of exotic locally grown and foraged ingredients. He stunned with a trio of small bites, including Beef Tartare with Yuzu and Toasted Sesame on Black Rice Crisps, Whipped Goat Cheese with Chives on Sunchokes and show-stopping Blue Abalone Escabeche with 50 Year Sherry Vinegar and Autumn Peppers.
Ted Walter, co-owner and Executive Chef of Passionfish, lent his signature ingredient-driven simplicity to the salads. Using produce provided by Live Earth 
Farm and Serendipity Farms, his Autumnal Trio of Salads included beets in tangy cumin-yogurt sauce, luscious heirloom tomatoes and fresh pickled cucumbers . Placed together on one plate, they made a beautiful late summer rainbow and Walter’s light touch enhanced rather than hid the late summer intensity of their flavors.
Next up was Brad Briske, Executive Chef of La Balena, who prepared a tour de force of grass-fed lamb provided by Pasture Chick Ranch. He cooked Overnight Lamb & Italian Butter Bean Stew, lamb chops, lamb sausage, grilled lamb and Wild Herb Salsa Verde. “We took two whole lambs and they went straight from my hands to your plates. That’s something really special and doesn’t happen very often,” said an emotional chef. Delicious wines donated by Holman Ranch and Equinox Champagne Cellars flowed freely throughout the evening.
Desserts were prepared by Kendra Baker, co-owner and Executive Chef of The Penny Ice Creamery and the Picnic Basket. She concocted irresistible Milk Chocolate Napoleons with Pear, Cocoa Nibs and Star Anise—a dish that proved even cold ice cream can leave a warm, spicy glow.
The after dinner panel was moderated by Jason Scorse, a professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and Executive Director of Center for the Blue Economy. He asked the Local Heroes to describe the new frontiers where their food businesses were headed and got answers that were sometimes serious, but often funny.
“Healthy greens,” said farmer Jamie Collins. “People want nettles, purslane, chard and all the kales—so now I can make a living at the Farmers’ Market in winter!”
“It’s exciting to see the CSA movement explode and see organic farming explode and see cooks realizing the quality of what we grow,” said farmer Tom Broz. “Even large growers are starting to understand what’s going on.”
“We’re heading where we are at this dinner tonight,” said retailer Scott Roseman. “The future is in buying directly from local farmers and local markets, organic, non-GMOs, good healthy choices available to everyone.” He reminded us that New Leaf Community Markets has been giving back 10% of its profits to the community ever since it started 28 years ago, “If more and more people could adopt that model, imagine the world we could have.”
“Everything is interconnected and we try to be aware of what is going on around us and engage with people around us to build our business,” said Penny Ice Cream’s Zach Davis. “We joke that what we’re doing is a social experiment.”
Darrie Ganzhorn said the Homeless Garden Project would like to see itself farming on the Pogonip property, a space allocated in city planning documents, and would like to be able to serve more homeless people—up to 50 a year from the 15 the organization assists now. “We’re in the process of forming strategic partnerships with other organizations that share the same goals,” she added.
Always the innovator, Willy Elliot-McCrae said he has turned Second Harvest Food Bank into the state’s first “nutrition bank” by distributing 5 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables a year to the hungry—more fresh produce than any other food bank in the nation! He said the focus is now shifting from feeding to education and that 300 volunteers have been trained to offer classes in nutrition, healthy cooking and healthy living.
As the sky glowed orange in the sunset, Tabitha Stroup’s comments seemed to sum up the mood of the perfect evening. “Food is awesome, but that’s not really what it’s about,” she said. “It’s about community. Collectively we can be so much stronger and starting with food we can build a stronger and healthier community for the next generations.”
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
