I’ve never understood how a fruit as delightful and sweet as a raspberry could have inspired the term “blowing a raspberry.” How could such a sweet and luscious plump red berry get such bad rap? Out of curiosity, I looked up the term. From what I can tell, it all started sometime in the late 1800s when some witty Brits thought the sound they produced when making derisive spitting noises sounded like flatulence. As “raspberry tart” rhymes with “fart” (a word that never ceases to incite giggles with my daughters and I’m sure was hilariously funny back then as well) the term was born. Makes no sense to me, but apparently it’s part of a British rhyming tradition. As my family is originally from New York City, I’m more able to understand the reasons behind why someone would blow a raspberry (or give a Bronx cheer) than the etymology behind it.

So what does this all have to do with shortcake and berries? Well, not much other than I adore raspberries and have been contemplating how wonderful they are, particularly now, when they’re in season and reasonably affordable. My mind also has a tendency to wander into etymological corners — a trait I once assumed was charming, but now fear makes people nod off — and this is where it led me as I stared at a beautiful mountain of raspberries in Whole Foods the other day.

Now that raspberries are in season, I want to gorge myself on them, sucking up their potent antioxidants and sweet juiciness. Earlier this year, I stopped buying raspberries (and all berries) when they’re out of season because they’re usually grown in Mexico, often with the help of strong pesticides that end up killing off song bird populations. Out of a sense of environmental responsibility and guilt, my family and I have gone a long hard winter without berries and we are ripe (excuse the pun) for indulging ourselves.

To celebrate raspberry season, I decided to indulge in a dessert where the raspberries are fresh and uncooked. I wanted to pay tribute to their sweet unadulterated plumpness, and so paired them with a slightly-sweet (but not too sweet) shortcake with whipped cream. As I love the flavor of almonds with raspberries, I added some nuts to the shortcake. The result was everything I had hoped for: a fresh burst of raspberry flavor atop buttery shortcakes, finished off with pillowy whipped cream and a hint of almond crunchiness. It was really the antithesis of a Bronx cheer.

Raspberry Almond Shortcake

Serves: 6

Ingredients for shortcakes:
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup chopped toasted almonds
6 Tbsp cold butter
1 cup whole milk
½ tsp almond extract

Ingredients for topping:
4 cups raspberries
½ cup sugar
½ tsp lemon juice
2 cups whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Toasted almond slivers for garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and almonds in a large bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly.

3. Cut in the butter (you can either do this by hand with a pastry cutter or with your fingers. If you have a food processor, just pulse about ten times).

4. Add the almond extract to the milk and then add to the flour mixture.

5. Gently incorporate the milk into the flour. Be sure not to over mix as doing so will make the flour rubbery. If the mixture remains too wet to properly handle, add a little more flour until you can pat the dough firmly into a round disk.

6. Cut with a biscuit cutter (if you don’t have one, you can use a jar or ramekin) and place onto a baking dish or large cast iron pan.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Mix berries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

9. Beat cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until whipped (but not too long or you’ll have butter).

10. When ready to serve, slice each shortcake in half. Top the bottom with a healthy dollop of whipped cream and then cover with berries. Top with more whipped cream and lay the top of the shortcake against the berries. Serve.

Lemon Buttermilk shortcake alternative:
1. Substitute buttermilk for the milk.
2. Remove the almonds and almond extract.
3. Add 1 Tbsp lemon zest.

Strawberry shortcake alternative:
1. Use strawberries instead of raspberries.
2. Use the buttermilk shortcake alternative for the pastry.

It’s that time of year.

Farmer’s Markets are exploding with great spring fruits and vegetables. My favorite among them is cherries. If this were prime time television, the cherry would be a superstar, hosting its own variety show in the best time slot possible. Like a Saturday night bookended by very special episodes of The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Both of which would guest star Adrienne Barbeau.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched television.

Well, I’ve taken to cherries again this year like I always have , but this time, I am looking at them through Hungarian eyes. With the possible exception of the cucumber, whenever a Magyar is faced with a piece of fresh produce, he or she does what comes most naturally to them– they boil the hell out of it. Or pickle it.

There’s an dish I have always been meaning to try from our dear, goulash-eating cousins, and that’s Meggyleves, or Sour Cherry Soup. The only problem was that I didn’t have immediate access to sour cherries. I wanted it now, so I had to make do with the local ones instead. Since I wasn’t going for authenticity, I thought I might as well just appreciate the recipe for its inspiring qualities and move on.

Not-so-sour Cherry Soup

I’ve taken some liberties with this recipe. What I like about the original is its simplicity. I’ve basically adhered to that theme, just some slightly different ingredients. I do not recommend substituting whipped cream for sour cream. I tried it and it was, well, cloying. The sour cream adds just the right amount of tang– especially since we’re not using sour cherries. The Hungarians do know what they’re doing.

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cherries, pitted
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 quart water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cardamom (some like cinnamon, others, clove. You choose.)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1⁄4 cup Amaretto (or Kirschwasser, or holy water from Lourdes.)
Juice of one lemon
Sour cream

Preparation:
1. Bring water, sugar, cherries, and cardamom to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Make a slurry of the cornstarch and two tablespoons of water. Pour into stewing cherries and stir until clear and slightly thickened.

3. Remove about one cup of the cherries and purée. Add back into the pot. Add lemon juice, stir, and chill.

4. Add Amaretto or other liqueur before service, stir, then pour into bowls.

5. Place a generous dollop of sour cream on top and garnish with whatever you like, or nothing at all. I chose crumbled amaretti for all the obvious reasons.

Serves: 4 to 6.

I grew up in the 1970s in Dallas, Texas, at a time when processed food was the hot new thing (think Funyuns, Cap’n Crunch and Velveeta, and the list goes on…). So you can imagine what I must have been surrounded by foodwise.

Fortunately, my mom was a foodie at heart—she baked loaves of bread, cultured her own tangy yogurt, and not only grew a good-sized vegetable garden, but maintained a healthy compost pile. She was no doubt considered “weird” for the time and the place, and I for one have never stopped appreciating her weirdness.

My mom’s garden was really sweet, and gave me a whole new appreciation of fresh vegetables as a kid. I remember once she grew a cucumber that was nearly as tall as my younger brother. We were in awe. I also remember stealing plenty of tomatoes, fresh off the vine and warm from the sun. And I still think that there is probably no better thing in the world that you can eat than a freshly-plucked tomato at the peak of ripeness.

Up until now, I haven’t really been in a place where I could easily grow my own vegetables. So, a few weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to buy a few half wine barrels and start my own urban garden. I managed to find 4 barrels for only $20 each with free delivery on craigslist . What a steal! Finding the soil and then lugging it up our steep flight of stairs to the front of our house wasn’t quite as easy, but somehow we managed.

I have to admit I went a little overboard and bought 9, yes NINE, tomato plants and planted 3 in each barrel (I’m saving one barrel because my mom is bringing me cranberry beans to plant this weekend). If they actually work out, I’ll be swimming in tomatoes, but that’s ok. I love them. Especially plucked right off the vine.

How to Make An Urban Tomato Garden

Ingredients
1 half wine barrel (make sure it has a few holes drilled into the bottom)
A warm, very sunny spot
3 bricks
About 6 large handfuls of large pebbles or rocks or broken terra cotta pots
2.5 cubic feet of good-quality, preferably organic, soil
.5 cubic feet of compost
1/4 to 1/3 cup organic vegetable plant food
2 or 3 tomato plants (I chose brandywine, early girl, beefsteak, roma, and sweet 100s)
A tomato cage
A hose for watering
Gardening gloves

Preparation
1. Put the wine barrel in your sunny spot. Perch the wine barrel atop your 3 bricks so it’s stable and not wobbly.

2. Get all your ingredients gathered round and put on your gardening gloves.

3. Cover the bottom of the wine barrel evenly with the pebbles.

4. Add enough soil to fill the barrel about 2/3 full. Water the soil and mix it around with your hands.

5. Add the compost and more soil, and mix them all together with your hands to make a nice, rich base for your tomatoes.

6. Water the soil again, and mix together.

7. Sprinkle the plant food over the soil and mix it in.

8. Place the tomatoes on the soil in the spot you want to plant them. Try to position them so they are evenly spaced from one another, not too close to the outer edge or the center.

9. Dig a little hole for each tomato under the spot you placed them. Remove the tomato plant from it’s container (gently!) and (gently!) loosen it’s roots.

10. Place the tomato plant lovingly into its hole and pat the soil around it so it feels all snug and tucked in. Water the plants again.

10. Position the tomato cage so the tomato plants can grow up and around it. You might have to tie them as they start. Make sure to water them, not too much and not too little. And give them lots of love and care, and hopefully you will get loads of flavorful, succulent, juicy tomatoes.

Calling all cupcake lovers! Make them or buy them and share or just eat them, this Sunday at CupcakeCamp.

Cupcake tastings will be scheduled at different time slots (e.g. by flavor, baker, or store) and categories to be judged include Best Frosting (flavor), Best Cake, Most Creative/Unique/Original/Bacon.
For those bringing cupcakes, the limit per person is 1 dozen large or 2 dozen mini. There will be 8 time slots, 30 minutes each, and the schedule will be posted the day of the event. People bringing cupcakes need to bring them by 1:30pm and everyone attending should be prepared to take leftover cupcakes home!

When: Sunday, June 1, 2008 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Where: Citizen Space, 425 Second St., #300, San Francisco
What: CupcakeCamp
How: RSVP to attend or RSVP if you plan to bake or buy cupcakes to share

Note: If you plan on bringing cupcakes, you need to submit how much and what type of cupcakes you are bringing along with your RSVP by Friday, May 30 at noon. There is no cost associated with this event.

In case you are looking for a foolproof and crowd pleasing recipe, consider this version of Black Bottom Cupcakes from masterful pastry chef and food blogger, David Lebovitz.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

MAKE THE FILLING
1. Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

MAKE THE CUPCAKES
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

The Great Book of Chocolate © 2004 David Lebovitz. All rights reserved.

There’s not a whole lot I wish for in San Francisco. City-wide peace. Perhaps a sharkless surf. A mayor who actually cared about the murder rate. Maybe the odd snowstorm complete with school closings that wouldn’t actually affect me, but for which I would still get up at 6 AM to tune the radio appropriately. However, after re-watching one of my all-time favorite episodes of The Office, I now wish for Agri-Tourism.

The Bay Area is clearly the perfect place for a Schrute Farms bed and breakfast. Or The Stalk Inn, one of the cutest little asparagus farms you’ll ever see. Now, maybe visitors wouldn’t necessarily want to learn table-making from Dwight’s lapsed Amish and potentially psychotic cousin, Mose, or have Harry Potter read to them by the innkeeper himself, but tending to the beets? Digging the asparagus beds? I’d totally sign up for that!

Think about it: in our hungry quest to become one with our food, we already chat extensively with farmers, attend farm dinners, volunteer at some farms and visit others — clearly the next step is to sleep over at and work the farms themselves. Plenty of farms across the country already offer more than just a farm stand. Up in Philo, for example, The Apple Farm offers cooking classes, and in Hawaii, there’s at least one coffee farm that offers accommodations.

Can we pick the coffee beans? Can we help bring in the harvest? Surely willing guests could be trusted with the most mundane of farm tasks, if only to get a weekend taste of reveling in growing things and honest dirt. There are also locavore B&Bs to be found in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia where you can be sure to sup on locally-grown victuals. I also discovered that there are farmstays to be had in Lancaster County and in Canada. At some places you can learn a great deal about farming, along with holistic uses for herbs and vegetables, while other farms simply encourage you to participate in vegetable picking for the inn’s meals.

All of the above are great starts, but I’m looking for the same sort of intenseness you get from volunteering at Alemany Farm. A stay where you get covered in dirt and sore muscles from pulling weeds or harvesting beets. A stay where you go back to your soft room and take a long hot shower before settling down to a large farmhouse meal. A stay where you collapse into bed tired, happy, and knowing that you have sated something deeper than your stomach.

The CCA’s Carême Room served its last grand buffet this past Friday. Anyone who has recently driven by that familiar corner of Polk and Turk, with its clumps of white-clad culinary students smoking on the sidewalk, would have suspected as much, what with that huge sign advertising “Building for Lease.”

With only 300 students enrolled — down from a peak of over 2,000 — it became untenable to sustain two separate facilities. The SF Weekly’s exposé last year about the institution’s “burnt chefs” is old news. For years already, chefs and kitchen managers (myself included) had banned CCA interns from our kitchens because of their abysmal lack of skills. Still, few of us expected to hear that the grand Polk Street location would be abandoned in favor of the Potrero Hill’s cold, unwelcoming space.

Going out in style, the academy hosted a multi-course buffet representing the culinary trends of each decade since their Polk Street kitchens opened. We moved from Salmon Coulibiac to blackened fish, through gooey macaroni and cheese to the “mo-ga” of present fascination (molecular gastronomy, the woman in front of me in line explained).

My husband, gesturing toward one particularly complex and well-executed ballontine, asked me “Is that a turducken?” Even I, with my 12-inch, dimpled-blade slicing knife that I haven’t used since my final garde manger class in 1996, had to laugh. There were the usual glistening ice sculpture, two red-meat carving stations, and the ever popular and elaborate dessert table.

Standing before the deeply sculpted, soaring columns of the main dining room, current CCA president, Jennifer White, tried to put a positive spin on the evening. She reminded us that the heart and spirit of the school resides not in the building but rather in those gathered in the room.

The indomitable Chef Hervé Le Biavant, former executive chef (booted out a couple of years ago by the same administrators responsible for the academy’s overeager expansion) returned for the evening. Several of us didn’t recognize him at first, as he was wearing decidedly civilian clothes rather than his usual spotless whites, but seeing him helped stoke the nostalgic embers.

Every alum has a Chef Hervé story. Mine involves a fingertip cut off in butchery class, and his assurance, in his surprisingly un-gruff school nurse role, that I didn’t need to go to the emergency room. He wrapped an extra Band-aid then a finger cot around my forefinger, advised me to be more careful when scraping around chicken bones with a flexible blade, and then told me to get back to class. Amazingly, my fingertip grew back, though there’s a bit of a dent in the nail to remind me of my deboning lesson: a fancy knife is only as good as the person who uses it.

Next Course
Their new restaurant, Carême 350, opens on Wednesday, May 28. Enjoy 25% off if you bring one guest, 50% off if you bring two guests, and 75% off if you bring three or more guests. Discount is only valid on Wednesday, May 28, only between the hours of 11:30-am and 1 pm. Discount will be deducted from the total bill.

On Thursday, June 5 they’ll be serving a special lunch and dinner menu: 3 1/2 courses for $3.50. Not sure what half a course is, but if anyone can deliver half of what’s expected, the CCA certainly can.

Carême 350
350 Rhode Island (at 16th Street)
San Francisco, CA
(415) 216-4329
Lunch: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Dinner: 6:00 pm – 8 pm
Grand buffet every Friday

There’s more to urban hunting and gathering than visiting one’s local supermarket. Grocery shopping need not be limited to the likes of Safeway, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. They’re just so… corporate, and this shopper is a bit bored with the over-marketing of, well, markets. Small, individually-owned stores might not provide their customers with all their shopping needs, but they do offer something that the Big Boys cannot — individuality.

One such store exists in my Polk Street neighborhood — You Say Tomato. It’s British-owned and operated, by one David Kidd, originally from Stoke-on-Trent. If you’re unfamiliar with the name of that town, think again. Yes, the china with the Christmas trees on it — Spode. Very good. I’m proud of you for remembering. I hope dredging up those holiday memories wasn’t too painful for you.

Currently, a flexible-jointed punked-out doll greets passers-by from the front window with a gesture that is considered rather obscene in Britain, which might indicate that this is no typical tea-and-crumpets venue. No, it isn’t typical, but, well, there are the crumpets in the cold case to the left, and the tea sits proudly on the shelves near the back. Sensible Anarchists agree that one cannot undermine authority on an empty stomach.

I think it can be agreed that most Americans do, in fact, say “tomato” with the rough pronunciation of toh-may-toh when referencing Solanum lycopersicum. Though I am indeed one of them, I often find my inner voice pronouncing it toh-mah-toh like an Englishman, because I’m just that way and I have a rich, satisfying inner life.

There is evidence, however, that the English do not pronounce “potato” poh-tah-toh:

Mmm…prawn cocktail.

Though I am an Anglophile and have been since childhood– memorizing the Monty Python jokes I didn’t fully understand, and aping the signature hiss of Terry-Thomas , one need not necessarily be like me to enjoy this shop. Two minutes of browsing will make clear the refreshing British distaste for focus groups and gender-sensitive marketing:

(The above Yorkie Bar from Nestlé provoked a train of conversation with David Kidd that led him to pull up their UK adverts on YouTube. Much time was happily wasted by me upon my return home.)

Besides, browsing here is fun, largely because everything just sounds dirty, but isn’t: Crumpets, Country Ploughman’s Pickle, Ginger Nuts, Chicken & Mushroom Pasties, and my favorite:

How I love the British.

Beyond fun packaging, You Say Tomato is an excellent source for things like Devonshire cream, kippers, tea, jam, sweets, and just about any British foodstuff one could wish for. Don’t smirk. There’s something here for everyone:

Give a metaphorical “V” sign to the big chain stores once in a while and stop by for a visit– it’s definitely worth it. It’s a great resource for stocking one’s larder with tasty conversation pieces.

Now, for those of you who don’t understand the store’s name, shame on you. It’s an homage to one of George Gershwin’s most playful tunes, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”. To be accurate, there is only mention of liking tomatoes, not saying the word, though that is, of course, implied.

I’ll let Fred and Ginger explain it to you. And on roller skates, too. If I have to explain who Fred and Ginger are, I might just have to kill myself.

You Say Tomato is located at:

1526 California Street (Between Polk and Larkin)
Tel/Fax: 415 921 2828
yousaytomato@sbcglobal.net

Hours of Operation
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Friday: 10:00 am -7:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 am -5:00 pm

The summer months are a great time for thinking about and eating all those lovely fruits and vegetables that are ripe and in season. But what if you couldn’t afford to buy cherries, peaches or watermelon, let alone milk or peanut butter? What if the rising costs of fuel and food made is so that you could no longer adequately feed your family? This scenario is increasingly becoming a reality for many people in the Bay Area (as well as nationwide), which is why our community food banks are now, more than ever, so important.

I spoke with Suzan Bateson, the Executive Director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, so I could learn more about food banks and hunger in the Bay Area. I focused on Alameda County as it’s where I live, but also because it covers such a large area. Here’s what I learned:

• 1 in 3 children in Alameda County faces the threat of hunger each day
• 38% of food bank recipients have at least one working member in their family
• Calls to the Alameda County Community Food Bank are up 34% from last year
• The number of people calling in April of 2008 was 1,890, compared to 1,059 in April of 2006
• The average number of calls has been steadily increasing since last July, with each month establishing a new record
• Since the beginning of 2008, the Alameda County Community Food Bank has received 1,188 calls from people who have never called before

These statistics are disheartening, to say the least, particularly when you consider that as more and more people sign up to receive aid, less and less food is being donated by the federal government to food banks nationwide. As we’ve all been hearing, the crop surpluses of years past are over. Excess grains are now being used to create fuels and are also being exported to other countries. Food banks now receive 34% less donations from the USDA than in 2003 because of these changes. People are also donating less money individually to food banks as they struggle to feed their own families. The outcome is that our food banks are increasingly in need of help.

But wait, there’s also some good news. Local food banks are increasingly trying to find fresh and local produce for families to eat. It’s not just canned beef and creamed corn anymore. Because of people like Suzan Bateson, there is an emphasis on providing fresh produce to recipients. I was surprised and excited to hear that 50% of the foods provided by the Alameda County Community Food Bank are fresh fruits and vegetables. This is possible because of a network of local growers and distributors who provide year-round greens, sweet potatoes, and citrus to the food bank for literally pennies per item. The food bank then distributes this food to over 300 agencies, who then get it to the people who need it most. Ms. Bateson also has two nutritional experts on staff to provide information and training to help people cook and eat more healthfully.

But as great as this is, local food banks really do need your help to keep their operations running. Luckily, they are staffed with dedicated and very organized people who have come up with many different ways for you to help make your local food community a stronger and healthier place. Following is a list of some things you can do:

How to Help

• Volunteer: If you have some extra time and are looking for an opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives, give your local food bank a call. Most rely on volunteers to staff food help lines; sort food in warehouses; provide help in their administrative offices; and help plan special events.
  Volunteer in Alameda.
  Volunteer in San Francisco
• Donate: If you have some extra cash to spare, a cash donation can really make a difference. Food banks are usually able to provide around $7 worth of food for every $1 donated because of their low operating costs and agreements with local growers and distributors, so even the smallest donation can really help out.
  Donate to the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
  Donate to the San Francisco Food Bank.
• Start Your Own Food Drive: Donated nonperishable food items are an essential part of keeping any food bank going. You can help provide these materials to your food bank by collecting these goods. This is actually easier than it sounds. Just call your local food bank and ask them to deliver a bin to your office, school, church, or any place you’d like and then ask people to pick up an extra item or two while grocery shopping so they can add it to the bin. This could be a great summer project for kids.
  Start your own food drive in Alameda.
  Start your own food drive in San Francisco.
• Advocate for Change: Write or call your representative, senator, or governor about food issues that concern the poor. Too often these programs are an afterthought, but if enough people call, they will become a priority.
  Learn more about advocacy for the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
  Learn more about advocacy for the San Francisco Food Bank.

You can also support your local food banks through the following upcoming events:

Upcoming Events

Empty Bowls
Alameda County Community Food Bank
7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland
Thursday June 5 at 5:30 – $40 for a family of four to attend or $20 a person
A great way to get your kids involved, this event allows you to select a bowl that was hand-painted by the children at Redwood Day School, enjoy a delicious soup and bread dinner, and take part in a family art project with your children. There is also a silent auction. You can register online or contact Pam Gidwani at 510-635-3663, ext. 328.

A Rockin’ Night of Music
Brava Theatre
2781 24th Street (at York), San Francisco
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Rockfeeds is a group of dedicated musicians who volunteer their time and effort every year to produce a grassroots benefit for the San Francisco Food Bank. Amateur singers are challenged by their friends by way of donations to get up on stage and sing a song in front of an audience, backed up by professional musicians. To participate, donate, or to find out more information about the event, please visit the rockfeeds.org.

Family to Family Volunteer Day
Alameda County Community Food Bank
7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland
Saturday, August 23, 9 -11 am
With an age-appropriate lesson on hunger for children 5-10 years old, an art project, and a food sorting activity, this event is a great way to inform your kids and also get your entire family involved in your local food bank Space is limited and registration required. Just call 510-635-3663 ext. 308 or email volunteer@accfb.org.

Go to Bat Against Hunger
Oakland A’s Home Games
The Oakland A’s have set up food bins for each Wednesday’s home games. Bring two nonperishable food items to these games from June to September, and you’ll receive a free ticket to a future game. Drop off your food donation before each game at food drive barrels located at the Coliseum BART Plaza and at gates C and D.

To find information on the many local food banks in the Bay Area, go to Bay Area Hunger.

With talk of an economic downturn people may be tightening their belts a bit. Not surprisingly, restaurants are trying to make eating out more enticing with special deals. Here’s a round up of deals, just be sure to check with each restaurant before dining since these offers do come and go…

Dine About Town is back! From June 1 - 15th the now bi-annual event features prix fixe deals for lunch and dinner at San Francisco restaurants, specifically a 3-course lunch for $21.95 or dinner for $31.95. Restaurants include Bushi-tei, Campton Place, Fringale and Roy’s. Check out the Dine About Town site for details and a list of all the participating restaurants.

Castro stalwart 2223 hosts $12 Tuesday when starters are $6 and entrees are $12. Choose from comfort dishes such as Classic Mashed Potatoes, Southern Fried Chicken Salad or Braised Pork Shoulder in Salsa Rojo. The menu has 4 starters and 5 entrees choices.

Brave the bad parking on Russian Hill! 1550 Hyde has an award-winning wine list and is offering $10 off any bottle of wine priced $40 or higher. They have plenty of wines under $40 as well.

Nick’s Crispy Tacos, chosen by 7×7 magazine readers for “best meal under $15″ hosts $2 Taco Tuesdays from 5 until 9pm. Tacos, quesadillas or chips, salsa and guacamole are only $2 each. $2 happy hour menu includes domestic beers, well drinks and margaritas.

For prix fixe deals we turned to Kevin Blum of SF City Dish. Kevin’s weekly newsletter, web site and dining card offer great deals and discounts at restaurant citywide and beyond. Here’s what he uncovered for us:

Civic Center favorite Indigo restaurant hosts a nightly Ultimate Wine Dinner. Guest may choose one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and drink freely for the evening from a select choice of wines. That’s right, it is an all-you-can-drink dinner. Guests must arrive after 8 p.m. The dinner is $49.

Nob Hill brasserie Rue Saint Jacques restaurant is offering a three-course menu and a glass of wine for $23 every day from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Guests can take their choice of appetizers (soupe du jour or pâté du jour), a choice of main course (New York steak or moules frites) and a choice of a dessert (crème brûlée or mousse au chocolat). Rue Saint Jacques, 1098 Jackson St. at Taylor St., San Francisco, CA 94133, 415-776-2002.

On Russian Hill Luella has a spiffy prix-fixe menu that includes its addictive romaine, radicchio, and watercress salad with Gorgonzola and walnuts that has a fan club of its own. But then you have to turn down the baked mussels with bacon over mashed potatoes! Oh, decisions. Their roasted pork loin with pancetta-braised cabbage is then followed with a vanilla and fresh mint crème brûlée. All this for $26, which means you can splurge on one of their wines from their well-chosen list of unique vintages. Available Monday-Thursday 5:30 p.m.-6:30pm.

South of Market Supperclub which describes itself as offering “an innovative multi-sensory fine dining experience” is doing a 3-course prix fixe that includes entertainment as well as dining in bed, for $35 every Tuesday.

In Palo Alto, La Strada is hosting regional Italian wine tastings. Chef Donato Scotti will pair sultry wines with light bites inspired by different regions of Italy. Enjoy the evening in a convivial and relaxed atmosphere on La Strada’s open-air patio. 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. $20 per person; includes wine and appetizers.

Fior D’Italia celebrates their 123rd year in business, America’s oldest Italian restaurant by offering a Special Prix Fixe Menu (all summer long) for just $18.86.

The traditional, 3-course menu includes a choice of first course salad, Serra Mista or Caesar Salad a second course pasta entree, Lasagna al forno, Ravioli, Cannelloni, Gnocchi alla Piemontese, Fettucini Alfredo, Tagliatella Bolognese, Tortellini alla Panna, or Trenette al Pesto and choice of dessert, Tiramisu, Sorbet, or Gelato.

I fully intended to write about my newest bit of foodie finery that will soon hang happily around my neck. After three years of gazing at the gallery with longing and indecision, I finally made up my mind and bought a necklace from SpoonFed Art. SoCal artist Karin Collins started her collages as therapy for her eating disorder, but four years ago her therapy turned into a successful online business. Collins fills an empty bowl of a spoon with her whimsical and alluring collages, making them both jewelry and delicate works of art. However, excited as I am for my “Berried” to shimmer at my throat, it was actually SpoonFed Art’s packing material that really took my breath away.

As mother and father to two cats, my husband and I are very concerned about packing material. Cats (and presumably dogs) should not be let near Styrofoam peanuts or popcorn. If they bite the stuff — and if you have cats you know they will try to bite, chew, or eat it — cats have a good chance of choking to death on the Styrofoam. Therefore, whenever we receive a package that is well padded with floaty, sticky, staticky Styrofoam, we Hazmat the entire area.

The cats are sequestered in another room, and the package is carefully slit open with sharp scissors and the flaps laid flat. The contents are slowly lifted out by one of us, while the other brushes it down and keeps a weather eye out for escaped Styrofoam. After the contents are decontaminated more thoroughly than anything on the Enterprise, the box is resealed, Styrofoam within, and the entire area is checked for escapees. Even the tiniest bit of styro-schmutz is tagged and bagged before the cats are allowed back in the room.

Therefore, when I opened my SpoonFed Art package and saw that my necklace was thoroughly padded in actual popcorn, well, I’m not ashamed to admit that I let out quite the squeal. Aside from the popcorn within the mailer, there was also an actual popcorn box, likewise stuffed with popcorn. Tucked snugly inside that humorous box was my lovely necklace.

Of course I know eschewing Styrofoam is better for the environment, but I’m a cat person first and an environmentalist second, therefore on behalf of Hunca Munca and Poppadum, I thank and adore Karin Collins for coming up with such a clever, thoughtful, and thoroughly foodie way of packing her delicate creations.

Now if I can only convince my husband to stop eating it.

SpoonFed Art
1076 Hi Point Street
Los Angeles, CA