Culinary Adventures with Camilla

When I ran into Sarah, from Edible Monterey Bay , at the inaugural Independent Marketplace earlier this month, she told me about the next supper club. All I needed to hear was: Earth Day. Farm Tour. And organic Asian Street Food. After the amazing first pop-up supper club at Lokal last month, I didn't hesitate to (1) put it on our calendar, (2) line up a babysitter, and (3) rope in some good friends to join the culinary adventure. Sarah did ask that I not blog about the event until it hit their website; that was tough, but I did it. As soon as it hit their blog , it hit mine . On a farm. In the dirt. Followed by street food. Oh, yes! Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day. It was. We met up with everyone at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems' Farm & Garden where Liz Milazzo, the Field Production Manager, led us on a walking tour of the 25-acre farm that employs organic production methods and serves as research, teaching,...

I just got the skinny on Edible Monterey Bay's next pop-up supper club . On a farm. In the dirt. Followed by street food. Oh, yes! We're heading to Santa Cruz - to celebrate Earth Day with an afternoon at the Farm & Garden at University of California Santa Cruz’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems followed by a dinner at Charlie Hong Kong . We'll feast on several of the restaurant’s delectable and popular signature dishes, including Gado Gado, Laughing Phoenix Red Curry, Chaing Mai Noodles, Banh Mi and salad wraps. Can't wait. Asian street food! Hooray. A culinary adventure for date night. Hooray. Hooray! Wanna join us? There are only 30 tickets available. Oh, wait. There are only 26 tickets available. I bought four.

Tonight my adventure was not something that I cooked. I just got to be the culinary paparazi, well-fed culinary paparazi. Jake and I went to a pop-up supper club, Edible Monterey Bay magazine's inaugural, for a slightly belated anniversary dinner; Brian and Pia joined us for the fun and food. Lokal, in the heart of Carmel Valley village, is the soon-to-be-opened brainchild of local boy Chef Brendan Jones. Click here to read the article that appeared in Edible Bay Monterey last August about the hip, elegant, but unfussy new restaurant. Did I mention "soon-to-be-opened"?!? We are the first people to eat in this restaurant that, for sure, will be a hit. This prix-fixe menu consisted of six surprising courses. By "surprising" I mean innovative and delightful. Surprising. The first course: Hot and Cold Gin Fizz - lemon, gin, and warmed egg whites. Herby and zesty topped with a frothy mouthful of soft meringue. Wow. I have never had anything like this. Th...