Pop-Up Brunch with Chef Kendra Baker

This past weekend I got to attend the Westside farmers market pop-up brunch (click for the pop-up brunch series) by Chef Kendra Baker of the Penny Ice Creamery, Picnic Basket, and Assembly. I've worked with the Santa Cruz Farmers' Markets before, photographing their events. So when they asked, I said, "Absolutely!" In fact, as they are finishing up their fourth full season, we realized that I was at the inaugural event in 2012.

And though we make the Penny a regular destination - at Valentines, at Halloween, and whenever we get anywhere close to Capitola or Santa Cruz - I had never met Chef Kendra.

She is delightful, makes amazing food, and looks as though she's having fun doing it. Those are all necessary for success in the food world. The gal has it all! Yep, she's a regular food guru serving varied palates all over the Santa Cruz area.

I had thought this would be a great date. Unfortunately, Jake was wrapped up with the house remodel and under the gun with his deadline. So, he didn't get to come with me. Instead, I brought my littlest kitchen elf as my date. He loved it.

Here's what we ate...

Homemade Yogurt and Olive Oil Granola

with Homemade Apricot Jam

Seasonal Fresh Fruit and Assembly's Fresh Bread and Salty Butter

Kale and Farro with Dried Apricots and Toasted Coconut

Grilled Summer Squash, Pickled Green Beans, and Sweet Corn with a Fine Herb Aioli

Peak Summer Quiche with Cherry Tomatoes, Almonds, Basil, and Garden Variety cheese

Crispy Potatoes with Sweet Onions and Chili Jam

El Salchichero Bacon

Assembly's Sticky Buns with Strawberries and Chocolate

Sparkling Wine Courtesy of Equinox Wine

D brought a book to read between courses and while I worked. It's such a relief that he's mostly self-sufficient. He's reading, or maybe it's re-reading, one of the Lord of the Rings books.

What a morning! Now I can't wait to check out Assembly and the Picnic Basket. Soon!

Comments

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy. Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page . We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating childhood favorites. Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love , Sue of Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of Making Miracles , and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the following prompt: "Childhood favorites. Did you have a favorite dish growing up? It could be something your family cooked or a restaurant dish, even a Chef Boyardee canned good or packaged ingredients like Rice-a Roni or mac and cheese. Recreate THAT dish from SCRATCH for this event." Here's the #SundayFunday childhood favorites line-up... Chili Mac from A Day in the Life on the Farm Ham and Mushroom Breakfast Burritos from Making Miracles Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Homemade Wonder Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories K-Mart Sub Sandwiches from Palatable Pastime Kempakki Dosa from Sizzling Tastebuds Meat Chilly Fry by Sn

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog