Cycling around the lush Slovenian countryside in late September and early October, I saw well-tended gardens everywhere. In them, the last tomatoes of the season were ripening, while cabbages and leeks appeared ready to be harvested. Fall flowers around the edges provided a colorful note. The branches of apple trees were laden with different varieties. […]
On the Table
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What’s Good: A Pair of Fresh Starts in Eureka
Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine in Henderson More renovation has been afoot in Henderson Center at 2850 F St., where Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine has transplanted and transformed. The new spot, formerly Le Monde and then Manzanilla, boasts an airier, more upscale dining room than its former home in a run-down building on Fifth Street, now slated for […]
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A Mother-Daughter Mission
Alby Alawoya’s twist braids swing a little as she pivots from table to table on Northtown Coffee’s patio (1603 G St., Arcata). She and her mother, Monique Sutton, run Mother’s Cooking Experience out of the café’s kitchen and alongside its baristas. They serve breakfasts and lunches six days a week, stock and prep on their […]
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Krazy (Young) Baker
At the Oct. 5 Acres of Eats event at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, the red Krazy Baker truck had a high shine, the cartoon chef with tousled hair painted on its side whisked a little bowl over the business name and small, white letters that read, “It all started with an FFA project.” In the window […]
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Hmong American Entrepreneurship at Yang’s Kitchen
The circular Yang’s Kitchen tent set up in Old Town for the last Friday Night Market of the year resembles a beehive. Owner Thao Yang and his wife, Mai Vang, dart around and past one another from the bubbling fryers to the stainless steel bowls of sauce and up to the front window to pass […]
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Young Pumpkin, Little Jewel of Fall
Fall, my favorite season of all — the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits, the joy of celebrating the Harvest Moon, and the brilliant sunsets in the still warm evenings. This fall, I’m extra happy because my parents have come to visit. I have been busy in the kitchen with my mom experimenting with few […]
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What’s Good: Familiar Sandwiches, New Burritos
Sandwiches Past and Present at Grotto You’ve likely had your last dollop of blue-green Chicago relish in Humboldt for a while, as Chicago Dog House has left the building — specifically the one formerly occupied by Deo’s in Henderson Center (428 Grotto St., Eureka). But the spot didn’t remain vacant long. Paula Harris has lately […]
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End-of-Summer Joy and Goat Cheese
When I turn the wall calendar to the September page, I go into denial about the approaching end of summer. At the farmers market, I continue purchasing summer produce until the last day it’s available. Preserving produce also helps keep summer alive in the kitchen. For example, in the recipe I am sharing here, the […]
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What’s Good at Friday Night Market
It’s a genuine pleasure holding a paper tray of street stall food aloft as you weave through Old Town’s blocked off streets during the Friday Night Market, the singer from a local band crooning along. It’s feels downright neighborly, combing through the art and handiwork of the vendors, saying hello to familiar faces. Then one […]
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Batch No. 5
Under the Humboldt County Fair horseracing grandstands, behind an unmarked door flanked by uniformed police, is an ersatz bar with plywood walls. There, under bare fluorescent lights, Guy Fieri puts aside an unlit cigar he’s been nursing and briefs a “Last Supper” arrangement of 12 judges on scoring entries for the fair’s Homestyle Chili Cook-off […]
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What’s Good at the County Fair
The dizzying labyrinth of a funnel cake will forever draw me in. A pastel tuft of cotton candy will always retain its magic. That these are only in reach for a couple weeks each year just raises their stock — absence makes the sweet tooth fonder. Eel River Valley residents might feel similarly enticed by […]
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New Faces at Frankie’s NY Bagels
On Sunday morning, Steve Band stood by the register at Frankie’s NY Bagels, a crowd of paper bags marked with customers’ names at his elbow. Beside him, Frankie Baker, owner and founder of the shop tucked in Redwood Acres, greeted a customer and introduced the new guy. Band and his wife, Rebecca, would be learning […]