Wow . Just … wow . I was truly on a high this past Saturday , and I ca n’t even begin to express how thrilled , humbled , and thankful I am for all the people who came out to observe the release ofThe CSA Cookbook , as well as all the people who were there in look with us !
As soon as the last hors d’oeuvres were arranged and the first guest arrived ( hi Tiana ! ) , this was jolly much how I felt — all solar day long .
The issue happened at the historical Williams ’ Bookstore in the downtown art district of San Pedro , a quaint coastal community on the Palos Verdes Peninsula where I surf , raise , wheel , garden , Captain James Cook , and web log .
Williams ’ Bookstore has a fascinating history . It open in 1909 , the same class the townsfolk of San Pedro was consolidated with Los Angeles . Through two World Wars , a century of book of account sales and signings , the rise of Amazon and the pin of big box stores like Borders , it stay the onetime operating bookstore in the City of Los Angeles until it closed its doors in 2013 . It was quite a blast to our close - knit community to see such a meaning turning point shuttered with bars over its windows .
But a year later , John Van Hamersveld ( a peninsula native ) and his wife , Alida Post , moved into the blank and recreate it as an prowess art gallery . You might not experience his name , but if you ’re a surfer , a designer , or you grew up in the ’ 60s , you might know his work : John was the creative person behind the iconic Endless Summer picture poster . We ’re really golden to have these two in the neighborhood , especially on a street that ’s slowly moving toward gentrification .
With my love of the sea and my background as a couturier , it was only meet thatThe CSA Cookbookhave its moment in this special place !
Whole Foods Marketof Torrance allow for all the saucy green goods , olive , tall mallow , and charcuterie for my monumental crudité phonograph record . I spent the entire night before slicing and blanching a colorful assortment of snap peas , carrots , radishes , tomatoes , Asparagus officinales , pepper , Cucumis sativus , cauliflower , chicory escarole , berries , pears , plum , and grapes to create this smorgasbord .
To accompany the platter , I made a few recipes from the book : five different dip , two kettle of fish , a crostini , and some beetroot brownies . It was a fun way to sample several recipe and if you ’ve ever wondered whether you may get your child to eat their vegetables , well , I can tell you that my under-10 rooter club here wholeheartedly O.K. of the tidy spread !
Sequoia Grove Wineryof Napa institutionalize a pick of world - social class wines for the company , and the over-21 crowd enjoy bottomless pours of their Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay . I am so , so thankful to Sequoia Grove , as without them , everyone would ’ve been wassail Two Buck .
If you ever have a chance to visit Napa , I extremely recommend a trip to theirtasting room . We have a case of their reds at home , and while I ’ve never been much of a vino snob , there is a distinguishable difference between the $ 15 ( okay , sometimes $ 5.99 ) bottles I normally buy and the $ 50 bottles from Sequoia Grove . In a word , wow .
I was peculiarly excited by the takeaway at the party : artisan oils fromLa Tourangelleof Berkeley , premium fish sauce and umami common salt fromRed Boat Fish Sauceof Milpitas , and heirloom seed mailboat fromPetaluma Seed Bank . These are all brands I habituate and love , and I wanted to deal them with my client as well .
La Tourangellemakes the most delicious nut and seed vegetable oil , and their sunflower oil and goober pea oil are in veritable rotary motion in my kitchen . I call for both kinds in my book , so they ’ve go through many rounds of recipe testing ! ( I even use their walnut crude oil for myhomemade spoonful butter . )
As someone who makes a batch of Asian and Asian - instigate meals at home , fish sauce is a basic in my pantry andRed Boatis the good I ’ve found . ( This come from a very discerning tastebud that grew up with fish sauce ! )
While flash and more common brands have additives , Red Boat is a pure , first - insistency Vietnamese fish sauce made from a fermentation of disastrous anchovies and table salt . Their umami Strategic Arms Limitation Talks is script harvest from the same Mangifera indica Natalie Wood barrels that held their ferment fish sauce , and I enjoy to utilize it as a finish common salt for sum and vegetable .
WhenPetaluma Seed Bankhosted my first book signing a couple workweek ago , they sent me home with a traveling bag full of seed for summer . There were lot of striking varieties of Lycopersicon esculentum , common pepper , melons , and squelch , and it was such a delight to see hoi polloi thumbing through the packets and liken their growing experiences with other guests . ( At the company , I fielded equal amounts of cookingandgardening question ! )
I ca n’t think of a moment when there was n’t a continuous bombination of chatter and laugh in the way . It was incredibly high energy the whole 24-hour interval . I was signing ledger standing up ( heck , even Will was signing Word standing up ! ) and forget to eat and toast because I was so busy fill the most interesting reader , source , and blogger . the great unwashed were pumped , and I was pumped ! I love , love , love you all !
We raffle off off a few trophy midway into the company , and there were some truly stoked victor !
CamelBakof Petaluma donated their awe-inspiring Relay pitcher ( whichI use daily ) and a few of my favorite recyclable bottles from their line . I pass a lot of time outside and my stash of bottle ( from their Eddy Glass to their Forge insulated countenance ) has survived many a route trip and backcountry outing .
Hedley & Bennettof Los Angeles donated one of their beautiful handmade apron . And not only is it handmade , it ’s made correct in downtown LA ! They supply some of the serious eating house in the human beings and their designs are modern yet functional . ( The founder , Ellen Bennett , is also undeniably adorable with the most inspiringInstagram . )
AndGaribaldi Goodsof Santa Monica donated three generous talent baskets of their curated pantry staples , each comprise an artisanal pasta , olive crude , salt , mustard greens , and dearest from their rail line of local California - crafted goods . ( bury those eatable fruit transcription and generic embodied gift handbasket ; these are the ones I ’d send for special occasions . ) The proprietress , Vanessa Bolden , even picture up to the party and I can say that she genuinely care about quality and supports these lovely small producers , on top of being a pretty groovy gal .
