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Table Talk

Table Talk / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

When Restaurants Go Dark

Planned blackouts cost local eateries and their workers

(November 7, 2019) It hasn't been an easy year for restaurants in Humboldt County. Ask managers and owners how it's going and you'll likely hear that profits are down in the already risky...

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Table Talk

A Pirate's Treasure of Chardonnays

From buttery to bright and even a little cave-y

(October 31, 2019) Growing up, "wine" and "chardonnay" were synonymous in my house. The women in my family drank Wente chardonnay like they owned stock in the winery. It was the first wine...

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Table Talk / By Wendy Chan

Chinese Lamb Stew

With Humboldt wild mushrooms

(October 24, 2019) As the remaining sunlight shone through my kitchen widow, I was busy cleaning the wild chanterelle and porcini mushrooms I had just received. I love fall — the crisp air,...

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Table Talk / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

Humboldt's Food Business Meltdown

Racing against food spoilage during the PG&E shutdown

(October 17, 2019) Shortly after 2 a.m. on Oct. 10, employees at both branches of the North Coast Co-op were doing what nobody wants to do: throwing out food. Some worked 12-hour shifts...

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Table Talk / By Cheryl Churchill

The Cookies

A forgotten treasure from the recipe pile

(October 11, 2019) My answer for any emotional extreme — sadness, joy, stress — is food. Recently my partner, who works in the production department at the Journal, was under a tight deadline....

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On the Cover / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

We are Never Only Talking About Food

A critical eye on food media

(October 3, 2019) I am always talking about food. Ask anybody. Better yet, try to have a conversation about anything else with me and keep an eye on your stopwatch to see how...

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Table Talk / By Pat Bitton

Goat Cheese Galore in Bayside

Karin Eide's Spring Hill Farm

(September 26, 2019) Somehow, lavender is not the first scent you expect on a goat farm. But Karin Eide, owner and operator of Spring Hill Farmstead Goat Cheese in Bayside, is probably not...

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Table Talk / By Rae Robison

The Watergate 'Tricky Dick' Cake

A vintage family recipe for scandalous times

(September 19, 2019) If you grew up in the Midwest in the 1970s, you didn't attend a family holiday, barbecue, reunion or get-together without someone bringing a version of ambrosia salad: Some concoction...

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Table Talk / By Jennifer Savage

More Than Imitation

Mocktails that shine on their own

(September 12, 2019) Much inspires us to drink. We lift a glass in celebration or raise one in sympathy. We drink to ease social interactions, to find some liquid courage. We debrief...

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Table Talk / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

Spicy Chicken Sandwich Envy

Where to get the hot stuff in Humboldt

(September 5, 2019) At Popeyes drive-throughs and glass doors across the country this week, steering wheels were slapped and shoulders sagged as patrons read signs posted by beleaguered employees informing them the Spicy...

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Table Talk / By Simona Carini

Add Melon

The summer fruit that plays well with others

(August 29, 2019) Great news: Melon season is in full swing. The list of melon varieties I encountered during recent visits to the Arcata farmers market and the North Coast Co-op is 16...

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Table Talk / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

What's Good: County Fair Edition

Treats that may or may not be worth your dignity

(August 22, 2019) First, a shoutout to the folks who amble to the fairgrounds toting bottles of water, sandwiches and baggies of carrot sticks. Bless your forethought and discipline. Say kind things about...

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Table Talk / By Wendy Chan

Sun, Moon and Fig

A midsummer fig and goat cheese tart

(August 15, 2019) It's the still midsummer air that reminds me to check on the figs. With their deep green leaves shading them, figs are having the coolest, quietest summer of anyone. I...

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Table Talk / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

What's Good: Sauced

Four local condiments to go overboard with

(August 8, 2019) In the way that Colette might have looked back on her love affairs with a calmer eye and an appreciation for the sudden and temporary passions that drove her to...

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Table Talk / By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill

Butter and Belonging at Red Lobster

(August 1, 2019) My immigrant Japanese family came to America and fell in love with cheap steaks, sausage, corned beef and cabbage, lasagna and rye bread. But they drew a deep line...

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Table Talk / By Erin Young

Sauvignon Blanc: Perfect for Summer

(July 25, 2019) Before I had ever tasted a sauvignon blanc, I was told it smelled like cat pee. The wine dork who told me this didn't even mean it in a bad...

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