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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

03/28/2016 - A Culinary Discussion with Victor Scargle, Behind the Scenes at The Kitchen, Fort Collins

Slow Living Radio gets serious on good food practices, farming, small and local with our two guests, Brent Jackson of The Kitchen in Colorado, and the esteemed Victor Scargle, Executive Chef of the soon to be opened Culinary Institute of America at COPIA.  Listen and be inspired about how you can make a difference to the world, the environment, the health of your family and those who will follow in our footsteps.


Head Chef  
The Kitchen Fort Collins
 

The Kitchen has locations across Colorado in Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins, one location in Chicago and three locations coming soon to Memphis. The Kitchen restaurants are built by a community of craftsman, serving food & drink from local farmers, ranchers and purveyors for the sustainable enjoyment of the whole community – including staff. Being a community establishment also includes their commitment to environmentally-friendly practices, including composting, wind power, eco-friendly packaging and recycling.

The Kitchen Community is a 501c3 non-profit organization, that was also co-founded by Hugo Matheson and Kimbal Musk with the mission of “Community Through Food.”  The Kitchen Community builds Learning Gardens, designed by Jen Lewin, to connect kids with Real Food. Since being founded in the spring of 2011, The Kitchen Community has already built over 200 Learning Gardens in schools across Colorado, Chicago, Los Angeles and Memphis reaching over 120,000 students.

To this day, we believe in the power of good food and good drink to connect people as family, friends & a community, and The Kitchen remains committed to the mission of “Community Through Food.”

 

Victor Scargle Named Executive Chef of The Culinary Institute of America at Copia
Former Executive Chef at Copia’s Julia’s Kitchen Returns to Napa


Photo credit: CIA/John Barkley
Well-respected chef Victor Scargle is returning to Copia. The former executive chef of Julia’s Kitchen at Copia has been appointed executive chef of The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, now part of the college’s Napa Valley-based California campus. In this role, Chef Scargle will oversee a new restaurant, along with wine-tasting experiences, food enthusiast programs, and other special events at the venue in the city of Napa.

Before rejoining the CIA staff in his current role, Chef Scargle served on the faculty of the college’s Greystone campus in St. Helena from 2009 to 2011. He was at Julia’s Kitchen from 2003 to 2007.

“Chef Scargle’s return to Copia is a ‘coming home’ for someone who is truly at the forefront of California cuisine,” says Thomas Bensel, managing director of the CIA’s California campus.
“Importantly, it also signals the first of more than 60 new jobs the CIA expects to bring to Napa with the college’s revitalization of a venue that has been closed for eight years.

”During more than two decades working in top restaurants in California and elsewhere, Chef Scargle was executive chef of Lucy Restaurant & Bar at the Bardessono Hotel in Yountville, Go Fish Restaurant in St. Helena, Grand Café at the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco, and Pisces in Burlingame; chef de cuisine at Jardiniére in San Francisco; chef at Aqua in Las Vegas and San Francisco; sous chef at Tribeca Grill in New York City; and tournant at Aqua in San Francisco, Patria in New York City, and Colony Bistro in Miami Beach.

Scargle was named a Rising Star Chef by both the San Francisco Chronicle and KRON television. The Chronicle also awarded three-and-a-half stars to Julia’s Kitchen and three stars to Pisces with Chef Scargle at the helm. He was featured in Sunset magazine’s “Chefs of the West” story in 2001.

Scargle studied economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara before pursuing his culinary career. The CIA is still determining the concept for the new restaurant at Copia, which is scheduled to open in late spring.

 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

03/21/2016 - Building Barrels with Julien Hittos, James Forbes with Dramophone Scottish Whisky App


Julien Hittos
Marchive Tonnellerie



Julien Hittos is the Sales Director for Marchive Tonnellerie (www.tonnellerie-marchive.fr). This is his ninth year at the firm. Barrel Builders is the U.S. representative and distributor for Marchive (pronounced ‘mar-sheev’) oak barrels.
 
Marchive Tonnellerie is a small artisanal cooperage (manufacturer of oak barrels specialized for the wine business). Marchive services wineries throughout France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, South Africa, Australia and Argentina.

Tonnellerie Marchive is headquartered at 8, Route de la Cigogne, BP 900 – 17 16300 in Barbezieux (outside Bordeaux).

Born in Bordeaux in 1978, Hittos lives there today with his wife. He graduated from the Université de Bordeaux and began his career at Seguin Moreau Cooperage, working both in the vineyard and in the cooperage (in Bordeaux).

“This is where I learned all about barrels and how to adapt a barrel (oak origin, grain, maturation, toast) to a wine regarding the expectations of a winemaker,” he explains. From Seguin Moreau he went to Marchive.
 
 


 
 
Hittos stays closely in touch with the winemakers and enologists who use Marchive barrels. “I spend most of my days tasting every barrel from the cellars of my clients to be sure that Marchive meets their quality expectations as closely as possible,” he says. “Finding the best barrel means that I constantly need to focus both on the profiles of the wines they are crafting as well as the type of barrel I suggest they use. It is by mastering these two parameters that I can be a true collaborator with our winemaker clients,” he adds.

“This is the most important part of my daily work, and also the most exciting to me because I help in the creation of their wines. For ten years I have been tasting and exchanging experiences about wine and the influence of oak---there’s always more to learn and share,” he says.

Hittos works with winemakers in Bordeaux, Cognac and the south of France as well as in the United States, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and Australia, traveling frequently to taste and observe.

In his spare time, Hittos plays soccer and handball and is also a runner---often competing in marathons in and around Bordeaux. He enjoys mushroom hunting and cooking.

 


Phil Burton
Barrel Builders

 
Born and raised in the hills of Connecticut, Phil came out to San Diego to attend college where he majored in surfing with a minor in biology. After college, he worked for various wilderness groups leading backcountry trips, ending up doing a pilot project with the San Diego Juvenile Probation Department. They took young offenders, many of whom had never been out of the city, on wilderness trips. At the end of the first year they had a very public dinner for the “success” cases, inviting the mayor and various city and state officials. Several purses got stolen at the dinner and the program was cancelled. Phil was vaguely headed to Alaska to get lost in the bush when he came across Napa Valley and got hooked. Needing a job; and he thought making barrels looked like fun Phil started hanging around Barrel Builders until they gave him a job as an apprentice cooper. That was 1974 and he’s been working with barrels and tanks ever since.

 Over the years, Phil has worked with wineries and cooperages all over the world, from the US and Canada to Argentina, Australia, Israel, China and several European countries. 


 


James Forbes
Bearshead Dramophone Ap and Napa Valley DVD


Although James Forbes comes from the North East of Scotland, he speaks fluent food & wine- which is of course essential in his adopted Napa Valley home.

He is the creator of Dramophone, the comprehensive ‘phone app guide to Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, as well as the Bearshead Napa Valley DVD which is a comprehensive interactive video guide to the Valley, described by Forbes Magazine (no relation) as a “lavishly filmed tour de force”. Bear’s Head  Productions also take commissions from wineries and so over the years James has produced movies for  Cakebread Cellars, Silver Oak Cellars, Grace Family Vineyards, Cuvaison Estates and St Supery amongst others.
 
 


James first came to the Valley in 1977, working for Domaine Chandon over the summer. He moved here with his family in 1993, but they all regularly return to Scotland, where James is Patron of the Lonach Highland & Friendly Society, which works to preserve Scottish Highland Dress and customs, the Gaelic language, and to care for the people of Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. In this capacity James leads the annual Lonach March of 200 clansmen at “Scotland’s friendliest Games”. This may be a clue to the source of his great knowledge of Single Malts.

Prior to moving to the US, James created the TV cooking show This Is Your Fridge which was very popular in Germany (Wo Bitte Ist Ihr Kuhlschrank?) and Sweden (Hier Ihr Dit Schielskoop) where it was voted Best Entertainment programme of 1992.
 
He worked as Executive Chef/Owner of Spats Catering Co (film location catering for feature films starring Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Charles Dance, Robbie Coltrane et al, and music promos for Sir Paul MacCartney, Genesis, U2, Sir Cliff Richard, Johnnie Rotten, Bjork etc etc, and was also Chef and co-founder of the Titanic Club, Berkeley Sq., London.

 

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

03/15/2016 - A San Francisco Reflection from the Kleins



Thomas and Barbara
(photo SF Examiner)




Slow Living Radio welcomes back Thomas Klein of the Fairmont San Francisco as he prepares for his next journey to Fort Worth Texas to work with Canyon Ranch.  We talk to him and his lovely wife, Barbara about their reflections and favorite things to do in San Francisco. Lorenzo Logoreci, the owner of one of their go to restaurants, the popular Italian Restaurant Allegro Romano, also joins us to tell his story and celebrate this wonderful couple.




We asked Thomas and Barbara a few questions about San Francisco favorites:

What is your favorite spot to enjoy a glass of wine (or cocktail).        
In our home surrounded by family!!    Also, Cavallo Point – love the rocking chairs sitting on the porch

Cavallo Point Lodge


 What is your favorite restaurant for a relaxed friendly vibe and great food?     
Allegro Romano on Jones Street in Russian Hill, and Shakewell in Oakland .

Shakewell Restaurant


Buena Vista Café for Irish Coffee

Historic shot, enjoying Irish Coffee
at Buena Vista


Waterbar  /  Epic SteakPark TavernFarallon / Spruce  /  A16    / Kokkari


Waterbar


On the beach………

Walking our dogs along the beach at Crissy Field

Tamalas bay! We go to Tony’s for oysters and champagne….  On the Harley Davidson



 Carmel Valley Ranch, Post Ranch Inn for lunch  or dinner  


Post Ranch Inn restaurant Sierra Mar


Friends, diversity, weather – beauty great Food & Beverage – proximity

World Series Win, Super Bowl 50, Americas Cup (Kiwis / Aussies ) and  Tony Bennett




Lorenzo Logoreci
OWNER AND CHEF
Allegro Romano


Located in the gorgeous Russian Hill, Allegro Romano is the quintessential small neighborhood restaurant.  You will feel as if you have walked into a local eatery in Rome, where our owner and chef Lorenzo grew up.  Our classic Roman cuisine will delight your palette and Lorenzo will provide an experience not to be forgotten! 
Chef Lorenzo and his wife Kelly Steckelberg
Chef Lorenzo grew up in world renowned, family-owned Tre Scalini Restaurant in Piazza Navona, Rome. After opening a successful restaurant in Heidelberg, Germany, he moved to the USA where he worked as Sous-Chef a the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead, Atlanta. In 2004, Lorenzo opened Allegro Romanot. With the atmosphere of a small Roman restaurant, hidden from the tourist tracks, Allegro is where local San Franciscans enjoy dining in luxury. The secret of Allegro has slowly escaped and has now become a standard for restaurant connoisseurs, politicians and celebrities looking to have a truly wonderful dining experience. Visits from well known people are common, as Allegro has become of Clintons, George Schultz  Willie Brown, Barry Bonds, Brat Pitt, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Bob Dylan, Ben Stiller, Joe Torre, Rudolf Giuliani, Conan O'Brian, Omar Visquel, World Champion GP and Superbike Max Biaggi, Miss Italia Eleonora Pedron, and many more.



Monday, March 7, 2016

03/07/2016 - Off the Vine - The World of Vinegar and "Rayzyns"


Slow Living Radio goes back to the vines in this week’s show, but not as you’d expect.  Our guests bring to us two fabulous products that utilize grapes, one in the dried form in a new and unique way, and the other a variety of delicious vinegars. 

 


Andrew Cates
The Wine Rayzyn Company


Andrew is the RayZyn’s co-founder and leads operations. Andrew had a successful career in the finance world in New York and San Francisco, but he ultimately decided to leave that all behind and "get back to real life".  Returning to his early farming roots, Andrew bought a vineyard in Napa Valley in 2013 -- Segassia -- that was already producing award-winning wines. 

When his family (his father is a cardiologist) came out for a visit soon after, they noticed that much of the fruit remained on the vine.  The idea of the Wine RayZyn Company was born, and now this start-up is harvesting the overlooked grapes and producing a nutrient-packed snack food. Andrew and his family are also helping foster more sustainable practices by helping farmers use more of their harvest without using extra water. 

Andrew also resides on and manages Seggassia vineyard on Mt Veeder in Napa. Fervent about his organic gardening tending not only to his vineyards, but also to his extensive garden, beekeeping and raising chickens.
 


 

Jesse Layman
Sparrow Lane Vinegars

 
An interview with Jesse:

Q: Tell us a little about yourself?

A: I grew up in the Central Valley around family farms and restaurants. So, I think I had the best of both worlds! I not only learned the love of food, but also a love and appreciation of the land. I have been in restaurants for over 23 years as a chef or owner for most of that time. It has been an amazing life, rough at times, yet I absolutely love it. I have three daughters and wanted to create a balance with them, so that they also can be involved in sharing my passion for great food. When the opportunity to join the Sparrow Lane team arose, I knew it was where I would be able to combine all my culinary loves. Since I had been using Sparrow Lane Vinegars for a long time in my own kitchens, it just made sense.

 Q: Why “head chef and marketing guy”?

A: Being hands on, I work directly with distributors, brokers and consumers to develop new business all around the country. I am able to create and share healthy recipes that use vinegars as an ingredient to enhance the true flavor of food utilizing my culinary skills.

 Q: What makes Sparrow Lane Vinegar so different?

A: Following in the footsteps of our founder, we use only the finest wines from the Napa and Sonoma regions, the best fruits and herbs from throughout California, such as a special variety of apples from Santa Rosa. But, our main emphasis is on the time tested Orleans method of making barrel aged vinegars, taking 13 to 24 months to make our vinegars! It allows us to get the best flavor and balance of fruit and acid to create the finest vinegars in the market place.

 

 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

02/29/2016 - Tastes of Spain


This week, Slow Living is excited to bring listeners a taste of Spain, broadcasting from the iconic Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.  We welcome our Spanish guests as they share their story, a glimpse of their region, and the wonderful products they have introduced to the US market.  We also welcome Jeffrey Shaw, of the Spanish Trade Commission, ICEX, to share an overview of Spain, and Christine Weiss, from Culinary Collective whose company is responsible in bringing these marvelous products to our doors.  Sit back and dream your way to Spain!



Jeffrey Shaw
ICEX

 Spain is well known, among other things, for its excellent quality of life, the open-minded character of its people and the wealth of opportunities on offer, both in the fields of education and culture and in the worlds of sport and leisure. 

It comes as no surprise that Spain has been ranked among the top world list of tourist destinations, not only in terms of visitor numbers but also in terms of revenues generated. 

Spain’s appeal for foreign investors lies not only in its domestic market, with 46.8 million potential consumers and a further injection from around 65 million tourists who flock to the country each year, but also in the possibility of operating in third-country markets using Spain as a base.
This is thanks to Spain’s privileged geostrategic position: it is a member of the European Union and serves as a gateway to the North of Africa and Latin America, due the country’s strong economic, historic and cultural ties with the latter.

 
Marc Moreno
Blanxart
 
Blanxart Chocolates, located in region of Catalonia, Spain, produces over 100 types of pralines and chocolates, each with its own personality and flavor, using traditional recipes and hand-made processes. Blanxart selects their own cocoa beans from Ecuador, Brazil, Cameroon, The Ivory Coast and Guinea, and then roasts them to ensure the right blend, aroma and texture. The finished products are 100% natural and 100% delicious.

In 1954 three brothers got together to produce chocolate with the belief that manufacturing chocolate is an art form. The company is still run on that hard and fast rule by the sons of the original founders. Traditional recipes, years of experience and an unfaltering attention to detail has made the Blanxart name a symbol of quality.

Everyone that works at Blanxart seems to be part of one big family. Or maybe its just that being enveloped by a cloud of chocolate when you walk into the workshop makes everything seem so wonderful! The love of creating chocolate as an art is infused into each yummy morsel.

 
Veronica Escuer
 

Paul & Pippa is a young company established with the objective of bringing fun and quirky biscuits to the market that reflect Mediterranean flavors and healthful ingredients. All of the products are made by hand in small batches using certified organic ingredients, sourced from small producers.

In keeping with the owners’ principles, the company contributes monthly to Doctors without Borders and to Smiles of Bombay. They also participate in pro-bono marketing campaigns for Pere Tarres Foundation and the Make a Wish Foundation of Spain.

These thin, sweet and pleasantly quirky biscuits come in four unique flavors; Cocoa & Salt (Cocoa Chips), Lime (Lime After Time), Apple Cinnamon (Me & Grandma), and Coconut (Coconut Valley).
 

Anna Vilaseca
Aneto

Aneto has been curing Serrrano hams and other charcuterie in the region of Cataluña for over 40 years. Making natural home-style broths from their Serrano hams was a natural extension. Today Aneto produces a wide variety of broths and cooking bases for paellas.  The Paella broths combine the Aneto fresh broths with finely cut vegetable, seafood and/or meat.


 

Rosa Vañó
Castillo de Canena

Rosa with her brother Paco

 Castillo de Canena, a family owned business, takes its name from the family castle nestled in the hills of the township of Canena, in Spain’s Jaen province in the region of Andalusia, the largest olive producing region in the world. The company’s olive producing history dates back to 1780.


Since 1780, the Castillo de Canena estate has been producing exceptional oils in the Guadalquivir Valley of Andalusia in the south of Spain. This Picual oil has been produced using strict Biodynamic processes and standards, including producing their own organic fertilizer through composting, incorporating beehives and sheep into the olive groves, and using crushed quartz in place of copper on the fields.
 

Biodynamic agriculture is a step beyond Organic farming method. It is founded on the harmonization between the different forces that govern nature: seasons, atmospheric phenomena, lunar cycles and the position of the constellations in the cosmos. Biodynamic agriculture seeks a comprehensive balance of soil, trees, animals and humanity.

Nine precision agricultural weather stations control variations in the diameter of the tree trunks, the climatological conditions, the soil and humidity in the area with a view to optimizing water resources available for irrigation. The electric power needed to run the orchard is obtained by onsite solar energy plants and all prunings are used for biomass. In addition, Castillo de Canena is the first Integrated Producer of olive oil capable of monitoring its carbon footprint.

 

Christine Weiss
Culinary Collective

 
Based in Lynnwood, Washington, Culinary Collective is an import and distribution company specializing in gourmet cultural foods that embody and promote native cultures and traditions. The company works with small family and community companies that take pride in producing all-natural foods using methods and recipes passed down through the generations. Under its Matiz España label, Culinary Collective imports and distributes an extensive line of traditional products from Spain. Under its Zócalo Gourmet brand, the Collective supports small-scale producers of all-natural cultural foods in Peru by bringing quality products such as grains, flours, beans and chili pastes direct from the producers to US and Canadian retailers and consumers.