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Digesting our Fall Staff Dinners

October 25th, 2011 by Kirsten

Don’t see any better way to share what makes our fall staff dinners so special than telling it straight from the horse’s mouth. Sam cooked dinner for all of our hundred-plus Market and Creamery staff over the course of several Mondays this fall–always with a steady flow of wine. Here’s what some of us had to say about it:

“Drink in hand, I walk into that vast space of sheen and awe, the kitchen. Sam’s there tossing together the remainder of the meal, doing it oh so effortlessly, as he does with everything. He turns to me and asks how I came to where I am, why food. Sam always manages to take time to know the people who help make it all happen. There is nothing quite like the Bi-Rite family and all of the relationships we build together. As for the food, his risotto is out of this world. Its the lightest and most perfectly seasoned risotto that I’ve ever tasted.” –Jaymi (produce)

“The annual staff dinners are the epitome of why working at Bi-Rite is extraordinary. Whenever I get to brag about how much we all love each other, how well we’re treated and how well we’re fed, this is my favorite story to tell. It’s amazing too because it’s OUR produce! Simon grows it, and Sam cooks it. Sam is not just a pro, he cooks with love!” –Rebecca (cashier)

“I spend all year thinking about Sam’s carrot salad that appears at the staff dinner. I love that Sam gets so emotional about having the staff all together and celebrating food that he can hardly give his toast. It’s so inspiring to eat food that was grown on Bi-Rite’s farm. You can’t get more local than that. I love hanging out with people from all different departments.”–Alli (grocery)

“Always an honor to gather together with the family, the passionate folks I truly respect.…to open yourself up, like a fine wine.…a little chance to breathe and hit full flavor.  As for the chef, the food, the space, the farm, the preparation, the service, the celebration…has always felt so right”– Matt (produce)

“I have never lived in such a “melting pot”, with so many unique and amazing people, delicious foods, and a backdrop unlike any other; this city is truly one of a kind. Nor have I ever had the pleasure of working with the “cream of the crop”. I am amazed by the wealth of knowledge, passion for food, and unwavering kindness that the staff provides on a daily basis for the guests of the market. The opportunity to sit down at a table and share an incredible meal, lovingly prepared by a most genuine soul, surrounded by these people was an absolute honor!”–Jon (cashier)

“There are so many great things about staff dinner — it’s fun, it’s delicious, and it’s amazing to share a family-style dinner with co-workers who really feel like family. But above all, it is truly an honor to be fed by Sam. Not only is his cooking phenomenal, it’s also overflowing with such sincere gratitude, big-heartedness and love.”–Maria (grocery)

“As a brand new employee to Bi-Rite this experience was the ultimate welcome to the team. Seeing Sam cook for everyone and walk around excited to see us being the ones fed was a really humbling experience. And to taste the quality of food and the amount of food and wine was mind blowing. Really showed how much the staff of Bi-Rite means to Sam and to Bi-Rite as a whole. It was also a wonderful experience because everyone who works at Bi-Rite is really fun and full of character. The Rum punch was delicious! Oh and the dish with the peppers…and the pasta…i could go on…”–Sarah (cheese)

“Dinner made with love, enjoyed with beautiful people, and served with a seemingly endless supply of beverages, two of which were hand-crafted by Michael and Linh. All of the components for a truly memorable evening!”–Tina (catering)

“I love serving the staff dinner. I like giving back to staff since they all help out 18 Reasons so often. I like seeing them put their feet up, drink a glass (or 20! ) of wine and just relax as friends. It is amazing to help make that happen.”–Rosie (18 Reasons)

“The staff dinner is so special for me because it not only gives us a chance to enjoy Sam’s delicious cooking and learn about his family’s recipes, but it is a time specifically allocated for all of us to come together to learn more about each other. It is so fun to be sitting next to someone that embraces the same passion and excitement of what Bi-Rite is and what it means for our community, while learning more about their own specific passion and what specifically brought us all together to make-up the Bi-Rite family.”  –Kylene (cashier)

“Sam truly knows how to bring people together and have them socialize on another level. The food was great, as well as the conversation, music and art. I really appreciate the fact that Sam gets satisfaction out of pleasing others and not just himself. It really proves to me that Bi-Rite is very family (community) oriented. I loved the carrots in tahini but I was in love with the Creamery’s mint chocolate ice cream cake. Thanks everybody and shouts to Sam and Morgan for cooking a great dinner. Spread the love.” –Asif (grocery)

“Socializing makes me nervous.  Bosses make me nervous.…I peek into the kitchen and see a few platters of food waiting to go out.  Calvin is helping Sam with stuff.  He greets me with that wonderful smile and hello of his and thanks me for making it.  I tell him, ‘Thank You! for this!’  I am so humbled to see the two of them working their buns off for all of us.  Sam notices me as he takes a moment away from whatever is bubbling on the stove and roughly goes through all the hostly greetings that Calvin just did.  Again i say thanks.  He sees the beer in my hand, grabs his own, and comes over to clink bottles with me.  I liked that.  I respect the hardworking blue collar sensibility that our place has.”–Yayoi (grocery)

Thank you, Sam!

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Simon

Diggin’ Deeper: Bringing Home the Bounty

September 15th, 2011 by Simon

Sometimes the stars just align, and this past Saturday was one of those sweet days at the Bi-Rite Farm.  18 Reasons’ Farm Summer School came to an end with a harvest party that brought in the most produce we have ever culled from our fields in one day!  We got oodles of Marvel Stripe tomatoes (get ‘em now in our produce department!), and  pounds and pounds of mixed heirlooms landed in Sergio’s hands for his famous gazapacho. We also picked our new favorite shelling bean, Tongues of Fire, awesome cucumbers, summer squash, rainbow carrots, and fingerling potatoes.

Driving back into the city felt great: the green pick up was laden with boxes (and my regular pickup of butter from Vela), our bodies were tired from picking veggies, and our stomachs were probably a little too full after Sam cooked the Farm Summer School graduates a feast to celebrate their hard work and contribution to feeding our community.

There are loads more tomatoes to pick, many of which will become Morgan’s roasted sauce; their rich flavor will get us through the winter months when there is nary a good tomato in sight.  We’ve also got more eggplants, peppers, and basil to pick.  And since a farmer’s work is never done, in early October we’ll be putting winter crops in the ground– while there may not be a Marvel Stripe in December, we still want to offer you fresh veggies grown by us all year round.  Broccoli and escarole anyone?

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Kids Rule: Youth Programming at 18 Reasons

September 14th, 2011 by rosie

18 Reasons ran our first ever youth camp this July, and it was one of the real highlights of the summer for us.  Over the course of one week, our eleven campers took care of sheep and chickens in the mornings and in the afternoons learned to make pizza from scratch. From milling their own flour that they later kneaded into dough, to pulling mozzarella and making tomato sauce, the kids made everything we needed to throw the best pizza party ever on Friday afternoon.

Teaching kids proved phenomenally rewarding for us; it allowed us to fulfill our mission in whole new, rich, and powerful ways.  “Deepening our relationship to food and each other” is our calling, and watching these 9–11 year-olds master new cooking skills, care for animals, and get excited about food allowed us to help them do just what our mission prescribes.  It was rad! So much so, that we are doing a lot of youth programming, starting this fall with Peanut Butter and the Pen, a creative food writing after school program on Wednesdays.  Students will tackle letter writing, autobiography, fiction, and basic grammar skills all while writing about (and tasting) food.  We’re also developing some camp ideas for school vacation weeks; we’ll keep you posted!

As part of our efforts to expand our youth programming, 18 Reasons is also reaching out to the garden coordinators, teachers, nutrition counselors, and parents who teach our children.  We’ve worked with the Green Schoolyard Alliance and the Nutrition Education Project to identify needs in the education community that 18 Reasons is equipped to address.  As a result, we’ve planned two new programs: First, we’ll be holding furlough day workshops on how to cook and teach in edible school gardens; these classes will help facilitate teacher comfort using outdoor classrooms to teach all sorts of skills and subjects.  Second, 18 Reasons is hosting quarterly support and community building sessions for garden coordinators working in San Francisco schools.  We’ve got the space to bring people together, and we cannot think of a better group of people to get in the same room and share skills than those who are teaching the City’s kids.

As always, thank you for your support of 18 Reasons as our programming evolves. Your ticket sales and membership dues support all of this exciting new work, and we honestly couldn’t do it without you.

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Chinese Knife Shaved Noodle Making, Caught on Video at 18 Reasons

August 27th, 2011 by rosie

This month we hosted our final noodle lab at 18 Reasons: we learned to make dao xiao mian, traditional Chinese knife shaved noodles! This was the third in our international noodle lab series, and our friend Henrik Meng captured the whole thing on film for us. Watch Bi-Rite chef Linh Phu take the class through the steps of creating these noodles from scratch as has been done for centuries, from rolling the dough to shaving it, then cooking the noodles into a hot pork soup.

In Henrik’s own words, this video is “nothing fancy, and I highly doubt that Ken Burns has anything to be worried about, but hopefully you’ll like it!  At the very least, watching it reminds me of how awesome and delicious the class and our dinner was.” Thank you Henrik for capturing the night for us!

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Ever Wonder Where We Got the Name for 18 Reasons?

August 11th, 2011 by rosie

Have you ever wondered where the name 18 Reasons came from? Weathered San Francisco Mission residents  might remember a sign above the space that is now Thrift Town (formerly Redlick’s Furniture) that simply, and mysteriously, stated: 17 Reasons.  Turns out, there were no reasons and the sign was a gimmick to bring customers into the store. The sign was torn down in 2002, but up until that point had been a landmark in the Mission District. The sign is even featured in Nathaniel Dorsky’s 1987 underground film 17 Reasons, and the play 17 Reasons (Why) produced by Intersection for the Arts in 2002.

So what about our space? It all started with Cliff Leonardi and Dan DiPasquo, active members of the 18th-and-Guerrero community, who set out to create a workplace, event venue, and gallery in the neighborhood. They dubbed the little storefront at 593 Guerrero Street “Blue Space” and happily carried out their mission until 2007, when Cliff and his family left for the arguably greener pastures of Portland. To mark the change in the gallery’s management and pay tribute to this much-missed icon, we decided to rechristen the space as 18 Reasons. 18 because of 18th Street, and because…well, it never hurts to have one more reason.

San Francisco-based food and beverage photographer Scott Peterson captured images of that old sign–seventeen of them, in fact. Scott is a long time San Francisco resident, artist, musician and food lover. His work will be on display in the gallery for the month of August, come to an event and take a look!

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As Close As We Can Get

August 10th, 2011 by Sam
This summer has brought us closer to where our food comes from than ever before. I’m so grateful for the hard work of all our staff and the passion of our committed producers who have brought us under their wings, inspiring and teaching us about the food we sell in the Market.

Our produce buyer and farmer, Simon Richard, has been keeping busy on our Sonoma Farms and as a result we have hired another farmer, Riley Nowicki, to help us manage the day to day operations. We recently built a chicken coop, added 30 hens and a lone rooster for good measure, and can’t wait for them to start laying eggs next month! We have 3 breeds of chickens: Rhode Island Reds, Australorps, and Barred Rocks. The 10 dozen or so eggs they will lay each week won’t be enough to sell as refrigerated eggs, but look for them in our prepared foods as a garnish on salads, in sandwiches or just simply boiled for a quick, nutritious snack. We are excited to have the opportunity to better understand egg production and gain a greater appreciation for all the hard work our ranchers do in providing us with amazing pastured eggs.

This summer, our farm operation grew to 1–1/2 acres; the original half-acre that we have been farming for the past 3 years, plus an additional acre we rented about 5 miles south behind the Fremont Diner (killer grub if you haven’t tried it yet). The new acre is part of Circle JR Ranch, six acres owned by Richard and Joanne Andreotti. The other five acres have been pasture for our first two cows, a partnership we developed with Rich to naturally maintain growth of his wild grasses and an opportunity to be part of raising our own cows and seeing them all the way to your plate. Chili, our head butcher, has been beaming with excitement. This is his first opportunity to work with and sell meat from livestock that we had a hand in raising. Rich has been super-supportive and really excited to see his parcel being used for something so productive.

We’ll also be making burgers from the two black angus, 100% grass fed and finished steer for this Saturday’s 18 Reasons Barn Dance Barbeque and Fundraiser (tickets still available!), which will take place on the same land they were raised on! Once the barn dance is over, three more cows will be raised on the land so we can continue learning about this process.

That same land has also been host site for a dozen students in the 18 Reasons Farm Summer School. During the past few months, they have planted, tended, and learned all about the eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and beans in the ground next door to the grazing land. Talk about getting to know where your food comes from!  We have already started harvesting and using these veggies in our summer menu at the deli. Our tomatoes should be popping soon and with that harvest we plan to can our roasted tomato sauce again and to keep you all supplied with Sergio’s delicious gazpacho.

As an added treat, here is the recipe for Sergio’s Famous Gazpacho that will be our deli mainstay over the next couple of months. This is one of the 90 recipes in Eat Good Food, the book Dabney and I wrote that comes out October 18th. You can see a copy of the book at the cashier counter. Just ask!

Rich has also been gracious enough to let us put beehives on the property as well. Two are already in and two more will be coming in the next week or so. Spencer Marshall, of Marshall’s Honey fame, will be tending those hives in addition to the hives he has managed on our other plot. Spencer is really excited and says that area produces some of the most exquisite honey he has ever had. We will have three sets of hives now, and plan to harvest the original two (one of which is on our market’s rooftop) in the next couple of weeks, so look for it on our shelves soon.

Finally, Anthea and our cheese team have developed a relationship with cheesemaker Marcia Barinaga of Barinaga Ranch who graciously allowed us to buy an entire day’s make (21 wheels) of her limited production farmstead ewe’s milk cheese, Baserri.  We’ll open two wheels each month (until that last precious month where we’ll only have one!) to taste as the cheese ages and evolves, savoring all of the changes along the way.

Hope to see you at the Barn Dance on Saturday, so we can celebrate on our Sonoma Farm together!

Sam

Posted in 18 Reasons, Book, Eat Good Food, Meat, Fish & Poultry, Produce, Who We Are | No Comments | Article Page


Diggin’ Deeper: The Business of Farming

June 21st, 2011 by rosie

Hey there. 18 Reasons checking in on the Diggin’ Deeper Blog.  We run Farm Summer School with Simon (and Garden for the Environment) and, man!, things are looking great up in Sonoma. Before I get to what plants we got in the ground, trellised, and otherwise tended to, I wanted to let you know about the other part of Farm Summer School: the classroom time.

Each month our future farmers meet on the second Thursday to learn about the business of farming. This month Darryl Wong from Freewheelin’ Farm blew us away with his presentation (he also drove some students to pour an extra glass of wine when he showed us his spreadsheets detailing revenue, profit, and costs of starting a farm).  Did you know the average return rate for farmers is $0.10 on the dollar? But did you also know that passion can make that return feel like 10 x as much?  Darryl was honest about the real ups and downs of starting a farm, and told us all the nitty gritty with good humor. It you ever get the chance to hear Darryl speak, jump at it! He can really break down why a bunch of organic kale, grown responsibly, costs $2.99 in a way that makes you laugh but also drives the point home (hint: he uses Mad Libs!)  Darryl taught us all about the real price of food and the real work of being a farmer.

Two days after Darryl’s great visit, we headed up to Sonoma where our group of 12 got to work, and got to work hard! In just under 6 hours we trellised thousands of tomato plants, hilled potatoes, weeded like we were possessed, and planted row upon row of seeds and seedlings.  Here are the varieties we planted — get excited about eating it all from the Bi-Rite deli case later this summer:

Carrots: Nelson, Rainbow, Atomic Red

Beans: Tongue of Fire, French, Romano

Cucumbers: Diva

Already in the ground are eggplants, tomatoes, squash, peppers, potatoes, and flowers.  With this heat and sun, we are expecting that in one month when Farm Summer School meets again, we will see some major growth and even be harvesting our first veggies.

Note: Farmer Simon is eye-high in produce and plants, so Diggin’ Deeper is guest written this month by Rosie Branson Gill, from 18 Reasons.

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Food Trucks & Healthy Eating: Nextcourse’s Veggie Fiesta is Saturday!

May 10th, 2011 by Kirsten

I wrote about our partnership with SF nonprofit Nextcourse last month after I visited the Mission High Culinary Leaders group and did some group pickle blogging. Well the Nextcourse students have been very busy, and this Saturday they’ll throw their biggest event of the year.

They’ve partnered with Off the Grid to produce the 2nd annual “Veggie Fiesta” this Saturday, May 14th. This free, family‐friendly event will transform Dolores Street between 17th and 18th into a food truck court from 11:00am to 3:00pm. You’ll be able to choose from several of the city’s most popular food trucks, which will feature signature, vegetable‐inspired menu items that showcase the best of the Bay Area’s spring produce. A portion of the food truck sales will be donated to the nutrition education program at Mission High.

In additon to the special menu items for sale at the food carts, visitors will be able to purchase a special treat that Mission High School’s Culinary Leadership Team developed as part of their nutriton education program (we’ve helped them get their hands on the raw ingredients but I’m not telling you what the treat is!), with all proceeds going towards the nutrition program. The Fiesta will also feature games and a raffle for prizes including a butchering class from 4505 Meats, a 3‐day “romance package” in New Orleans, and two round‐trip Virgin America airline tickets to anywhere in the United States.

Nextcourse, a San Francisco nonprofit that teaches sustainable food education and cooking to lower income groups, has been teaching nutrition and cooking classes at Mission High for the past five years. The “Eat UR Veggies” project introduces students to cooking with local, seasonal, fresh foods, and recruits participants with a passion for food to the culinary leadership team. The team teaches their peers about healthy eating, while learning about the culinary industry through hands‐on experiences with local food businesses.

The students involved in the program are a truly special group (I speak from the experience of working with them in the classroom and serving their peers a feast today at Mission High’s Cinco de Mayo lunch fiesta) so I encourage you to make the Mission High parking lot a stop on your Saturday stroll!


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