Author Archives: admin
Valentine’s wine gift from In Good Taste
For Valentine’s Day or other occasions, In Good Taste has created a fun advent-style wine collection. “A Dozen Rosés” contains 12 mini rosé wine bottles, each with a 6-ounce pour. There are some never-before-released wines, and the beverages come in … Continue reading
Solar-powered roaster offers Valentine’s coffee, tea specials
Fresh Roasted Coffee is a solar-powered roaster that has been around since 2009, and roasts its coffee in eco-friendly Loring™ Smart Roasters. They recently offered me some coffee samples and I enjoyed them. The company is offering a “buy one, … Continue reading
Spotlight on a great Santa Cruz County dish: Avocado Toast at Verve Coffee Roasters
So, I’ve been familiar with Verve’s great drinks—including espresso drinks like a smooth Americano, and the unique Bowl of Soul (tea latte with soy and honey) for a long time. And the Manresa Bread pastries they carry are divine (almond … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Food News, Restaurant News, Restaurants
Tagged cafes, coffee, restaurant news, restaurants, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz restaurants, Verve Coffee, Verve Coffee Roasters
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Spotlight on a great Santa Cruz County dish: Sesame Lotus Root Stir Fry at Fusion Fare
I am spreading the word about Fusion Fare, an amazing Sichuan restaurant that opened in downtown Santa Cruz in January. I think the fresh, creative and affordable food deserves constant crowds and I am always surprised that I can walk … Continue reading
Pacific Foods tomato basil ravioli recipe & Santa Cruz foodie’s vegan adaptation
Photo by Tara Fatemi Walker Recently, Pacific Foods kindly gifted me with a few product samples, including a couple varieties of its ready to eat soup. The business also mentioned it offers many plant-based items, and when I started exploring … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Food News, Recipes
Tagged food news, Kite Hill, Pacific Foods, recipe, vegan, vegan recipe, Violife
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Holiday countdown: Santa Cruz County foodie shopping guide part 3 – Companion Bakeshop
Today I am providing details on a few holiday shopping possibilities at Companion Bakeshop. For more foodie gift suggestions, see Part 1 and Part 2. A few weeks ago, beloved bakery Companion Bakeshop opened an expanded retail shop—Companion Market—which is … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking & Chefs, Food & Food News
Tagged Christmas, food gifts, gifts, holiday shopping, Holidays 2024, Santa Cruz
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Holiday countdown: Santa Cruz County foodie shopping guide part 2 – gift card discounts
Hope you enjoyed Part 1 of the guide a couple days ago. Here is the next installment with more last-minute gift ideas; these are restaurant gift cards currently discounted for holiday shopping. Downtown Santa Cruz’s Kianti’s Pizza & Pasta … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Food News, Restaurant News, Restaurants
Tagged Capitola, Capitola restaurants, Christmas, Costco, discounts, food gifts, gift card discounts, gift cards, gifts, holiday shopping, Holidays 2024, Johnny’s Harborside, Kianti’s, Pono, restaurant news, restaurants, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz restaurants
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Holiday countdown: Santa Cruz County foodie shopping guide
It’s the official week-until-Christmas warning; if you’re like me, you are behind in shopping! Here is my first of a few “last-minute gift suggestion” posts. Pastry and confections business Spontaneous Confections has gift certificates available in $20 increments. Contact them … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Food News
Tagged Christmas, food gifts, gifts, holiday shopping, Holidays 2024, Santa Cruz, Spontaneous Confections, TspVanilla
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Spotlight on a great Santa Cruz County dish: Eggplant Basil at Avanti
I recently had the opportunity to taste a wonderful vegetarian appetizer, Eggplant Basil, prepared by Avanti. I wasn’t at the actual Westside Santa Cruz restaurant, but the version I enjoyed—at a Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County benefit—is the … Continue reading
Posted in Restaurant News, Restaurants
Tagged Avanti, restaurants, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County restaurants, Santa Cruz restaurants
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Spotlight on a great Santa Cruz County dish: Fried chicken at Bantam
Photo credit: Tara Fatemi Walker How could I forget about this restaurant? Shame on me: I hadn’t been to Westside Santa Cruz’s Bantam in a long time, and I went last weekend. Wow, what I’ve been missing! The fried chicken … Continue reading
Posted in Restaurant News, Restaurants
Tagged Bantam, restaurants, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County restaurants, Santa Cruz restaurants
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