LA Food Fest – A Taste of Street Food Trucks

By Susie, 3 August, 2010,

The LA Food Fest in July was a glorious celebration of mobile food businesses and old school Mexican food trucks, dishing out generous portions of artisan ice creams, dim sum, sweet potato fries, and ethnic foods from around the world. (Street food is so hot in LA it’s become part of the dating scene. “My truck or yours?”)

Coolhaus made me want to move to LA

Even for those on a budget, the Food Fest was truly a great value for unlimited tastings from tons of trucks, as well as addictive nut butter crunch from my friends at p.o.p. candy. (It was fun handing out samples to foodies, glaze-eyed from this fabulous food orgy yet as they stood in line for ice cream.)

Click a photo to enlarge…

You Ate the Food Now Check Out the Art

At the Renegade Craft Fair I couldn’t get enough of 3 Fish Studios – particularly their linoleum block prints of real food trucks in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Both in black and white and in some versions hand painted with color, they’re an awesome homage to the street food scene.

More LA food events coming…

There’s a bevy of ways to keep up with the many food events in LA:

Where will you be eating next?

Amazing East Coast Food Job Postings

By Susie, 2 August, 2010,

I think Good Food Jobs needs to change their name to Did You Ever Think There Would Be So Many Dream Food Jobs?

Too long. Suffice it to say I nearly had an aneurism reading the postings this week, let alone the previous weeks’.

If you’ve ever wanted to move to the Hudson Valley-ish area of New York, this week there’s a job at Katchkie Farms. Last week’s postings included a Facilities Director for Stone Barns Center – a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating, teaching and advancing community-based food production and enjoyment.

Not to mention THIS week Basis Farm to Chef which delivers artisan foods and produce CSA style needs a forager in New York. (I talked to them at the New Amsterdam Market to “forage” Kruggerand Farms goat cheese.) Basis has a fantastic mission to get good food direct from producers into the hands of companies who want it, conveniently…and so if this is your passion make sure to check out that job as well as some back office jobs.

Here’s the full listing for this week, brought to you by Good Food Jobs. (Re-printed with permission until their site is up and running and it is my pleasure!)

Which Weekend Farmers’ Markets to Visit in Los Angeles?

By Susie, 27 July, 2010,

Los Angeles has almost as many farmers’ markets as citrus varieties. Having been to a bunch of markets over the weekend, I thought I’d share my thoughts if you’re in a quandry…especially after hearing about yet another awesome sounding market, from Sandra of Embrace Sweets who was at the Larchmont Market:

If you are in town Thursday evening, you should plan to visit the Yamashiro Farmers Market in the Hollywood Hills. It’s from 5-9 pm, a lot of fantastic vendors – unlike the traditional markets. It’s more of a community gathering, lots of tables and chairs to meet up with friends, they have wine tasting, pairing, buy by the glass or bottle, great hot foods, a great view of Los Angeles; we share a booth with an Australian coffee company, jazz band and open mic for other musicians to come in perform.” (In particular she raved about Vinyl Soul.)

On Saturdays the Santa Monica market is a classic, although I was truly surprised to see it only 2 blocks long this week.

Sundays are a tough choice. Just a few of your options:

At the 4 block long Hollywood Farmers’ Market you can discover the new pastries and preserves from Valerie Confections; goat cheese from Soledad Goats (now also at Beverly Hills; the cheese in olive oil is a MUST try) and lots of great produce, honey, nuts, and even couture clothing.Avila Farms‘ new pistachio, pecan, and other nuts butters they make from their nuts are a must try. They’re going to be ramping up production soon. Plus there’s the market cafe, which I have yet to experience.
A market in Beverly Hills on Little Santa Monica behind the police station often has petting zoos and live music. If you haven’t had Bolani from East & West Afghan Gourmet, based in the Bay Area, I’d trip here for a taste.
A small market in Larchmont Village has a nice selection of fresh produce and a few stands I hadn’t seen elsewhere, including sun tea.
Visit the Mar Vista market where my friends of p.o.p. candy often sell their freshly made butter crunch and you’ll find great granola and other treats, in this small market.
If you haven’t gotten enough, trip on over to Venice where you’ll find a market packed with beach goers and locals. Be sure to try Basil Tops pesto. They grow their own basil. Yum. (Also now at Hollywood.)

This is a small smattering of available markets that can keep you well fed and loaded up with fresh fruit, ready to eat avocados, and plenty of delicious breads and pastries.

Find farmers’ markets all over Southern California.

Valerie Confections lemon cake at Hollywood

Fun Food Job: Sensory Manager @ Amy’s Kitchen

By Susie, 23 July, 2010,

I’m no Good Food Jobs but I was contacted about this job at Amy’s Kitchen with a title and role too delicious not to spread far and wide. Located in Medford, Oregon in the heart of Oregon’s Rogue Valley, a big and affordable center of food and wine heaven.

Amy’s Kitchen, Sensory Manager

Are you a Foodie with a passion for creating great tasting meals? Do you have a background as a chef in a restaurant where you developed an appreciation for food prepared the right way?

We are looking for candidates with the above qualities to help us bring the same sensibility into our production environment. We prepare frozen organic meals on two shifts, Monday through Friday, in a new production facility near Medford , Oregon . We are looking for someone to work with our production and quality staff to ensure that each meal that we produce is of the highest quality. The successful applicant will enjoy working with people in a production environment to help generate a focus on the sensory qualities of the food we prepare. These positions are designed to provide a communications and training bridge between our kitchen and the production lines to ensure that we never drift from our goal to make perfect meals every time.

If interested please email a resume to orjobs@amyskitchen.net or visit our website at www.amyskitchen.com

Bay Area Food Festivals in August

By Susie, 15 July, 2010,

A list for myself as much as others – there are SO many cool food events going on! Great for kids and adults, locals and visitors.

“Off the Grid” Every Friday Night – Fort Mason

What: A roaming gourmet mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft and soul.
(The San Francisco Cart Project is where to find the vendors ongoing or find out how you can live your mobile food truck dream!)

“an impressive lineup of street food vendors and numerous trucks serving crazy-delicious food hailing from all over the dang place, from India to Seoul to Malaysia.” -Tablehopper

August 9-15 in Union Square – San Francisco Food, Wine & Spirits Week

SFChefs 2010 is a food and wine event celebrating the unique flavor, diversity and bounty of Northern California. The main tasting tent will be in Union Square, where chefs, wine makers and distillers will offer an exploration of taste featuring local products. Classes and seminars will offer interactive opportunities for the public to participate with local farmers, ranchers, chefs, winemakers, distillers, media, luminaries, authors, vintners, mixologists and culinary experts in an entertaining forum.

August 21st – SF Street Food Fest

(Free!)

What: The San Francisco Street Food Festival is an event hosted by La Cocina that advocates for the creation of policies that support the formalization of mobile food vending in San Francisco. Eat, drink and scavenger hunt.

Who will love this: If experiencing amazing new foods – especially ethnic – checking out the mobile street food scene, and supporting very small food entrepreneurs is your thing, don’t miss it.

Visting San Francisco? It’s easy to get there by BART.

August 22nd & 23rd – Fort Mason, San Francisco

Over 325 winery members of the Family Winemakers of California will be at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion for the Association’s 20th Annual “Tasting” in San Francisco. This special 20th Anniversary tasting gives wine enthusiasts an outstanding opportunity to meet the winemakers themselves, taste over 1,000 different wines, and find their new favorite varietals.

August 27, 28, 29 2010 – Eat Real Festival – in Oakland

(Free!)

What: With a focus on food craft, street food, artisan beers and local wines – all featuring sustainable local ingredients – we showcase food in all its different forms. But eating is only part of the fun – we’ll show you how to make it and grow it!

Where: Jack London Square is a beautiful ferry ride away from San Francisco’s Ferry Building. (A great and affordable secret attraction!)

More >>

Especially cool: On Your Mark, Get Set, Can!

Start your canning or get a fermenting project going for a series of contests that pay homage to the tastiest homebrewed beer, best homemade jam, finest pickled preserves and most kickin’ kombucha.

And this is just August!

More Bay Area food event listings:

Visit California has Bay Area food and wine event listings.
Yelp – lots of little local food events around the bay.
Meetup – Find people organizing get togethers around food events.
SF Weekly Food & Drink Events

Follow me to hear about interesting underground and over ground food events. What “can’t miss” did I miss?

Eat Real Festival was founded in 2008 by a group of people who believe that delicious, convenient, affordable and sustainable food should be celebrated through an annual food festival.