Seeking work allowing for creative expression I started a mobile restaurant and catering company, Fancy Pants Fresh, serving customers at farmer's markets in Marin and Sonoma County. It was a good test of balancing creativity with the desires of the market and veiwing a larger picture on the needs of a business.
I enjoy trying new things, in new ways, and Northern California has an abundance of exceptional foodstuffs. Many times I would buy ingredients from other market vendors, leading to plates like red walnut buckwheat pancakes or nopal cactus and cured chorizo breakfast quesadillas.
Markets and catering did not provide the income needed for the time committment necesssary to continue on my own. I approached Coffee Bazaar in Guerneville, CA and worked with them for several years, expanding their food offerings to include deli style grab and go, or heat and serve dishes.
I continue to cook professionaly in Reno, NV at Rattlesnake Club and am excited about integrating my love of food with specialty crop production on my urban test farm, Scrub Jay Farms.
driven to eat, we can choose to buy/barter the creation of others or create ourselves
tactile sensations, taste, smell, appearance, even the sounds of the environment come together to create a moment in time is impossible to match with any other type of art
cooking usually allows us to enjoy far better quality at a lower financial cost
advancing in cooking abliities demands an openness to negative feedback and correction; yet small changes can lead to great results, a kind way to grow
Operating a farmer's market food stand was a test of packing skills, everything fit in the Camry but the tent, which I lashed to the top like a Chrismas tree.