Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Every summer the  Santa Cruz Farmers' Markets  hosts a series of pop-up brunches. I was lucky enough to go to the very first one in 2012; and every year since I've been invited back for an event or two as a photographer. This morning my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf was my date. What delicious fun! Today Chef Katherine Stern of Santa Cruz's La Posta was the headliner. I've never been to her restaurant, but after what we tried today, I definitely want to get up there. We always shop the market stands before and after the brunch because these events are also about the farmers and the seasonal produce...     ...they are about the people. In this case Nicki Zahm and Nesh Dhillon of the  Santa Cruz Farmers' Markets  wrangled Chef Katherine and her team cooked for all 145 of us. The duo of   Stockwell Cellars  poured two of their wines - a 2015 Chardonnay Tondre and a yet unlabeled Rosé of Pinot Noir. The youths of  FoodWh...

Every summer the Santa Cruz Farmers' Markets hosts a series of pop-up brunches. I was lucky enough to go to the very first one in 2012; and every year since I've been invited back for an event or two as a photographer. What delicious fun! Today was the inaugural event for the 2017 series. You can read more about the line-up here . As for the title of this post: Thousands of Words...well, you know what they say about a picture. And I took a lot of pictures. I thought I'd share a few...with a few words alongside the photos. These events are about the farmers and the seasonal produce...    ...they are about the people. In this case Nicki Zahm and Nesh Dhillon of the Santa Cruz Farmers' Markets wrangled Chef Erin Lampel of Companion Bakeshop (their Facebook page ) and her team cooked for all 145 of us. The sister duo, Nicole and Natalie, of Santa Cruz Cider Company shared their hard cider. The youths of FoodWhat?! served. And we heard from Sarah at ...

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...