March 8, 2024 – The recipe for a great print issue of Edible Monterey Bay doesn’t usually include betel nut and blue lotus, rue botanicals and fermented African herbs, powdered reishi mushroom and powdered deer antler.
If you knew those ingredients were coming—with the just-published piece “Alchemy on Tap: Roxa Hammock Cafe concocts herbal beverages and mystical experiences”—you’ve met with divinators who appear at an annual event Roxa organizes.
Or more likely you’ve visited the magnetic sanctuary where those things star in holistic NA cocktails like the Artistic Vessel and the Lucid Dreaming Tonic, with specifically targeted benefits.
Full disclosure (no Roxa Truth Serum needed). I’m jealous that author Ashley Drew Owen reported on Roxa before me. I had it slotted for a Found Treasure soon.
But more than that I’m proud, because Owen traverses a layered story dynamically.
“Between the one-of-a-kind menu, intricate aesthetic and hammock seating,” Owen writes, “it’s clear that [co-creators Jazmin] Grant and [Michael] Trainer put a lot of joy and passion into the cafe.”
The alchemical element connects with EMB’s ambitions for each issue and every story, which motivates me to take a quarterly pause to catalog the elements interacting here, and on air with Friday Found Treasures on KRML Radio.
Below appear seven from the current issue, out now at 350 distribution locations.
An Uncommon Ray of Sunshine
It’s hard to visit Lupita Quintero’s Luna Dorada Organic Farm stand at the newish Seaside Farmers Market and not walk away a little lighter—and that’s before her produce uplifts your dietary intake.
Such is her sunny and genuine energy.
Poet-author-artist Patrice Vecchione’s profile only made me dig Quintero’s organic—and human—credibility more.
The storyline weaves from her reluctant move north from Sonora, Mexico, to a full-soul entry into agriculture, even as those close to her doubted the idea.
(Bonus side note: Vecchione’s art installation Imagination Migration opens March 22 at the Found Treasure that is Sweet Elena’s Bakery and Cafe.)
An Avocado Bomb
Johnny’s Harborside was on my rundown for a full-throated Found Treasure itself, but let’s snag a time hook now: With its debut in this issue, Johnny’s represents one of EMB’s newest advertisers.
Fisherfolk and gourmands alike have recommended it for a great burger and the smart takes on fresh catch—it sits on top of Santa Cruz Harbor, as the name indicates, with accompanying second-floor views—but on my visit the blue crab-and-shrimp-stuffed avocado demanded priority.
It’s a deep-fried detonation device of crunchy, soft, fresh, rich and spicy, with pickled ginger, Serrano slaw and miso ginger aioli. Explosively tasty.
JH also does a five-star happy hour (3-6pm Tuesday-Friday) with “famous” $5 tacos, $8 sliders, wings or ceviche, plus $5 well martinis, house margaritas, Mondavi Chardonnay and local craft beers (Humble Sea, Alvarado Street, Discretion and beyond), among other bargains.
On top of that there are nightly specials, a patio menu, Wednesday trivia nights, lunch deals.
Two more new underwriters to note: Cella Restaurant in the Cooper Molera Gardes and Iveta Downtown, another Found Treasure.
More at instagram.com/johnnysharborside.
A Lofty Lunch
The big reveal at Paicines Ranch, already a beacon for ecosystem renewal and cushy guest lodging, is that they now present regular 11:30am-1:30pm Thursday lunches at the Outlook.
As author and reporter Kathryn McKenzie writes, a different menu is posted weekly, and “the lunches are a way not only to highlight ranch-produced [proteins], but also to build a sense of community in a rural and sparsely populated area of south San Benito County.”
Oh, and the “hospitality sheep,” sweeping mountain landscapes, Chef Carlos Canada’s craft and proximity to under-appreciated Cienega Valley wine trail don’t hurt either.
More at paicinesranch.com.
An Inspiring Sprout Starter
Renee Shepherd sows seeds that double as a superpower for local organic gardeners. Now it’s mandatory we all acquire what she calls “cut and come again” mesclun baby leaf mixes that regrow aggressively.
“Planting seeds is an ecumenical act…” Shepherd says. “Our job is making sure our customers are successful, and that their food is nutritious, delicious and fun. Go out and pick your dinner.”
Savvy storyteller (Laura Ness) shares the tale worth telling, and one that motivates in earthy ways upon contact.
More at reneesgarden.com.
A Tempeh Temple
The theme of ongoing evolutions—from already-beloved local creators—finds additional fresh expression with longtime Edible community leader Laurel Miller’s lively update on another Found Treasure, Honey B Market in Santa Cruz.
There do-it-all healthy food savant Katie Belanger is now evolving Funky Bean, a hub for hand-made tempeh—think plain and marinated, in burger patties and “dogs”—all nutrient-dense, digestion-friendly and fermented from adzuki, chana dal, black beans or chickpeas rather than allergy-activating soybeans.
For the spring issue, the author of The Little Book of Tempeh (Belanger) also shares a recipe and “tempeh tidbits.”
More at honeybmarket.com.
A Recipe to Rejoice Over
Speaking of ingredient ambassadors—and homemade recipe whisperers—Jessica Tunis spotlights elderflowers for this issue’s installment of “What’s in Season.”
That demands both mention of Carmel Berry Co. creator Katie Renecker, who leads an Edible Live elderberry tour and lunch at ALBA in May and, yes, a recipe for elderberry syrup and dashing mocktail.
The spring installment also rolls out how-tos on a melon man cocktail by master craftsman Alex Mouzouris and one for ricotta gnocchi with arugula pesto and spring vinaigrette by hit new Aptos spot Cavalletta’s chef Nick Sherman.
And while Jillian Steinberger-Foster’s “Prolific Perennials” doesn’t lay out exactly how to prep artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb, tree collards, chayote, scarlet runner beans and tree tomatoes, it does provide a bushel of info and three resources to learn more.
More at “Edible DIY: Prolific Perrenials.”
A Writerly and Soulful Chef
Keeping with the theme: Part of EMB’s long-held recipe for a great issue is recipes.
A more obscure part of EMB’s formula for compelling content is finding talented storytellers still very much active in their flavorful art forms—I’m looking at you, farmer-foodie Jamie Collins, and we miss your contributions much, chef-entrepreneur John Cox.
So I was among many stoked to see Analuisa Bejar’s byline surfacing on our pages. She’s the cookbook author, food writer and chef transplant from Mexico City who directs the Found Treasure that is Sunny Bakery Cafe in Carmel Valley.
For the issue out now she provides how-tos for chili oil, salsa macha and salmon tostadas, with eye-popping imagery from Patrick Tregenza, who captured the mesmerizing cover photo for last quarter’s issue. The two have creative chemistry on the level of the ingredients in her recipes.
Thanks for reading. To reiterate a vital refrain, none of this happens without you.
Please share any and all of your thoughts with me on what you liked or found lacking from the last issue—and any Found Treasure maps—via mark@ediblemonterey.com or @MontereyMCA on Instagram.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
