San Francisco Indulgence: Nopa

The San Francisco journey continues! 

Before I even left for this trip I had a lot of fun researching possible restaurants I might try while visiting the Bay Area. Trying to choose a restaurant in San Francisco is like deciding where to travel to in the first place -- so many options, so little time! 

I decided to treat myself to dinner at Nopa. 

Known for its local, organic and sustainable fare, Nopa is self-described as "a San Francisco gathering place" — the perfect place for me to eat, drink and connect. From the moment I entered the restaurant, the place was alive with conversation, cocktails being prepared, wines being poured and of course, wonderful aromas from thoughtful plates of food traveling from the kitchen to diners' tables. Being a 'table for one', I decided to sit at the bar, the perfect place to park yourself if you're traveling alone.

Instantly I was greeted with a smile by the handsome and friendly Sam. A bartender named Sam...not sure if he ever played baseball but he did have a good head of hair and a great smile. I chose an elderflower sparkling wine cocktail to begin and started reading the menu. Shortly after I settled in, a cute young couple sat down to my left and we struck up a conversation (see above re: best place to sit as a solo diner). They gave me recommendations for my upcoming Napa tour and we enjoyed sharing stories like how they met at a breakdancing competition and how I ended up writing a food blog.

Having just visited Fish in Marin, I opted for the little fried fish as a starter. Fresh, with just the right amount of breading and salt and nicely balanced by the creamy dipping sauce, it was a perfect beginning to the meal. I asked if it was supplied by Two X Sea and lo and behold, it was. This was the stuff of 'local food stories' that I was hoping to experience on this trip. It was pretty cool that I had just met the fisherman who caught these little guys, and that I knew that they were caught sustainably.

For my entree, I chose a baked fish dish cooked in a beautiful broth and served with fresh, seasonal vegetables.  Nopa is known for its rustic food that highlights fresh product from local producers and farmers. As I sat and enjoyed my meal and conversation with Sam and the cute couple to my left, I noticed that Nopa is also known for its sense of community. The service was warm, friendly and professional. I felt cared for, not rushed, and valued as a diner. 

I ended my meal with an indulgent cheese and madeira experience. I usually opt for a dessert wine, and Sam told me that they were known for their selection of sherry and madeira. I had never tried madeira before so I decided to have a taste. Sam wasn't wrong and I enjoyed my after dinner drink with a perfect plate of aged cheeses, honeyed almonds and toasted fresh bread.

Like many restaurants that focus on local eating, Nopa lists their purveyors on their website. Take a look here and you'll even read a few stories about some of the farmers and other producers. In case you were wondering, the name "Nopa" is a commonly-known nickname for the area where the restaurant resides — a centrally-located area referred to by some as "North of the Panhandle". During my SF visit, I learned that most locals actually call this area "The Western Addition". A multicultural area, NOPA/The Western Addition is known for its Victorian  homes, jazz music roots and bars, restaurants and small businesses.

You can check out Nopa's current dinner menu here. During my brief visit, I barely even scratched the surface of the delicious, fresh and local food they offer. I get the feeling that if I was a SF local, it might become a place where "everybody knows my name".

Photo Sharing

Hey friends!

I recently submitted some photos to the 2013 86'd Food Photography Awards organized by the fabulous Ivy Knight. Last year one of my photos was a finalist and I was grateful to the judges for choosing it! I took this photo at a friend's family farm in Burnstown, Ontario. It is a cream separator that is used to filter sap during the process of maple syrup.

This year I was not a finalist but I still wanted to share the photos with you and give them a bit of context. I hope you enjoy :) *Please respect that these photos are my own and if you wish to use them for anything, please contact me directly. 

Beautiful grapes in the vineyard at Waupoos Winery in Prince Edward County. I took a great trip with my sisters there last summer.

A picnic I had with my pal Jamie in Big Sur, California. Post coming soon! 

I grabbed this shot inside the old hacienda at Scribe Winery in Sonoma, CA this summer. Post coming soon! Amazing winery.

A humble shed on site at Medlock Ames Winery in Healdsburg, CA. Post coming soon :) Also really liked their wines. 

I love Scribe, did I mention that? Even their labels are awesome. Beautiful quote.

Cappy the bartender at Spoonbar at the H2 Hotel in Healdsburg, CA. He makes a mean cocktail. This is the man that introduced me to Amaro Montenegro. More on that later :) 

Token Instagram photo. Also at Spoonbar. Beautiful edible garnish on the bar.

Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners of this year's awards! I had a lot of fun taking these photos and I hope you enjoyed them :)

San Francisco: Buyer's Best Friend in the Haight

In August I spent a few weeks in California, starting in San Francisco. I started telling you about it a while back, but other projects started to take priority. I figured with this recent snowfall, now is as good a time as any to harken back to sunnier, warmer days. I hope you enjoy re-living my trip with me!

On a sunny afternoon while walking through the Haight district, I saw this sign: 

Of course I followed the directions of this sign and went inside! I was greeted by a cute and friendly clerk named Alex, who quickly showed me the many food samples I was permitted to enjoy. As she told me about the store she was also nice enough to recommend some restaurants in the area. I love being a tourist because people are so forthcoming with ideas of what to do next! 

The store that I had ventured into was (and is) called Buyer's Best Friend Wholesale & Mercantile. It's a wholesale artisan food shop that carries over 2000 different products, all made by small shops, entrepreneurs and artisan food producers. The store also carries health products and beauty products, and they have a few different locations throughout the city. They also have an extremely comprehensive e-commerce system on their website for wholesale buyers and sellers. If you are an artisan food producer or you make organic beauty products, check them out! (I'm not entirely sure if it's exclusive to the U.S., but you could ask!)

The owner, Joyce (pictured below), showed me great hospitality, touring me through the store and introducing me to her team in the back warehouse/office area. She insisted I take home some samples to try and it was clear the passion she and her team had for the handmade food products in store.

The first thing that appealed to me about Buyer's Best Friend (besides the sign outside, of course), was the design of the store. These days many of us love that antique, old-timey feel, and in this setting it worked well to highlight the products. They used old suitcases, antique wine barrels, kitschy lamps, gramophones and velvet chaise lounges to decorate the store and create a very homey feel.

I purchased some Stumptown Coffee and a gorgeous-smelling handsoap from Clean Getaway Soap Co. for my cousin and his wife whom I'd be visiting in Oakland in the next few days. I was tempted to empty out the ice cream fridge pictured below but I figured I'd better hold off. People say that calories don't count on vacation...I'd like to know who these people are!? Trust me, I made up for this sacrifice later in the trip.

Examples of the aforementioned artisan food samples included: caramel corn, dark chocolate, a whole shelf full of artisan balsamic vinegars, granola, nuts and other delicious snack food items. It was great to see such a selection of healthy, handmade, gourmet, artisan and/or unprocessed foods available for sale in one place! I love it when you turn a product over and there are only 4 or 5 ingredients listed on the back.

I took my bounty home to the cute spot I was renting in Cole Valley — packed some for the road, stowed the gifts safely, and chowed down on the rest over the next few evenings. Thank you, Joyce and Alex, and to everyone at Buyer's Best Friend. Without a doubt my favourite snack was the Boulder Granola which made a perfect breakfast the morning I left Oakland for wine country.

Stay with me as I continue to post about my California journey! More San Francisco to come, as well as wine country, Big Sur and more! 

The Red and White: Chef Katie Brown

What is the Red & White?

The Red & White is a charity fundraiser in support of Harmony House Women's' Shelter and each year it showcases talented chefs and amazing local wineries and breweries. Combining food and drink with fundraising, this annual event raises funds to provide support for women and children fleeing violence.

Last year's event was a great success featuring Chef Michael Blackie and Chef Lora Kirk -- you can see a full recap of the festivities here. This year's event takes place on Wednesday, January 16th at 7:00 PM at Ashbury College.

Three chefs are featured in this tasting event mixed with live demonstrations and food and beverage pairings: Chef Caroline Ishii of Zen Kitchen, Chef Sarah Allen of Union Local 613 and last but not least, a personal favourite of After the Harvest, Chef Katie Brown of Beckta Dining & Wine.

Each of these three chefs is paired with a blogger to cover the event, and because of this, I was lucky enough to get the chance to work with Katie again! I caught up with Katie at Beckta to chat about her involvement with The Red & White:

Katie Brown, Chef de Cuisine at Beckta Dining & Wine

After the Harvest (ATH): What made you want to be a part of The Red & White? Why is it important for you to support women's' charities such as Harmony House?

Chef Katie Brown (KB): I was given the opportunity to support Harmony House earlier last year with a female cooking group at an event called the "Clam Jam" where we raised a lot of funds for the charity. When I was approached to raise more funds I was on board immediately! I really wanted to be involved in supporting a women's' charity such as Harmony House because I believe it is important for women to see other women in leadership roles such as chefs. I like to believe it motivates and encourages them.

ATH: How are you enjoying your new digs at Beckta? What have been some of the most interesting or exciting changes that you've experienced there since moving from Play?

KB: It has been a very exciting challenge for me, with menu writing especially. It has been quite the transition going from a less elaborate menu at Play, where each plate had a few components and they were all appetizer size. Now I have a whole a la carte, dessert, 5 course blind tasting and 8 course blind tasting menu to create! Beckta is known for its fine dining experience, so I am also constantly being challenged by finding a way to wow customers with not just flavour but also with techniques, textures and presentation.

ATH: This year the Red & White features a talented cast of female chefs, of course, including yourself! What are your thoughts about being a female in the industry?

KB: Throughout my career I have been very fortunate that I have never experienced any difficulties being a successful chef because of my gender. I feel being a female has nothing to do with our talents and I have been very lucky to be surrounded by other females in the industry. I feel even luckier to have an opportunity to cook with these other two talented ladies at the Red & White.

ATH: What are some of your favourite dishes in winter? What are some dishes on the menu at Beckta right now that you're really excited about?

KB: Winter is always a challenging time for chefs because of our produce availability, but I find it's a chance to use up a lot of the pickles and preserves that we processed earlier in the season. I also really enjoy root vegetable soups and braised dishes in the colder months. I am very proud of the menu right now and would have to say I get most excited about the tasting menus which really give us a chance to use products that are limited or not always available.

ATH: What are your favourite wines and beverages this time of year?

KB: This time of year I crave braised dishes with lots of heat and spice. I find myself wanting to curl up with a full bodied red or a creamy porter or stout beer.

Mmm, sounds good, Katie!

Many thanks once again to Katie for her time and I am sure many of you will be excited to taste her delicious food at this event!

If you'd like to attend The Red & White, tickets are on sale now!

Purchase tickets online using Eventbrite or call (613) 853-3250 or email fundraising[at]harmonyhousews[dot]com.

See you there!

A Little Update

Hello friends!

I know I've been a bit absent from After the Harvest lately but I assure  you, it is for good reason! I am currently working on a few projects that I will soon share on the blog, as well as many backlogged posts that I look forward to sharing.

Here's what's coming up on the horizon: 

1) Eat.Drink.Connect -- the first video story in this series will be finished soon! I shot the footage for this story way too long ago, but I am happy to say that very soon it will be ready to share. Mega thanks to Chef Katie for being my muse!

2) Surprise Project -- looking forward to sharing! This one could be yours to keep :)


3) Sister Project to After the Harvest -- this is a big one! Might take a few months to share more news....but it's a big announcement! Can't wait!

4) California -- blog posts from my trip to San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Big Sur and Los Angeles. Food stories and lots of photos to share! It is my intention to work on these in the next month or so to give you some holiday reading when the snow starts to fall.

Thanks so much for staying in touch with After the Harvest, I truly do appreciate it and I love connecting with you on Twitter and Facebook too :)

Much Love!
~Heather

Blog Action Day: The Power of We

It's Blog Action Day! A day where millions of bloggers around the world unite and write about the same topic! The aim is to create awareness, provoke thought and incite social change.

I try to participate each year in Blog Action Day and this year's topic is The Power of We!  In 2010 the topic was water and in 2009 the topic was climate change and food.

How does this year's topic, "The Power of We" relate to After the Harvest? Recently I started having monthly Sunday Dinners at my place. For someone who has lived alone for most of my adult life, inviting people into my home on a regular basis meant I actually had to hide the pile of ironing I've been putting off for months, clean up the place and *gasp* share my home with other people around the table! Still with all of this on the horizon, I looked forward to it with anticipation.

The first dinner was a smashing success! Here are the happy Sunday diners:

Obviously I enjoy eating with others, or I wouldn't have dreamed up the concept for this blog, to "eat, drink and connect", but I'm sure some of you single-dwellers out there will agree, that it is so easy to get into a rut of eating alone night after night, in front of the television, reading your favourite book, or if you're like me, catching up on favourite podcasts. Usually when I eat, drink and connect it's at someone else's home or at a restaurant, so although doing so at my own home would be fun, I would have to stretch my single apartment dweller muscles and approach this idea with open arms.

The main reason for hosting Sunday Dinners was because I realized I was lacking a sense of community in my own home and I thought it might be a great way to focus less on me, and more on "we". This gives me a chance to see friends old and new, enjoy some great food (potluck -- I'm no Martha Stewart...) and simply connect. It's great to jump out of my routine once a month and I like the idea of a revolving cast of characters meeting and chatting over food and drink.

I guess you could say this whole idea speaks to "the power of we" -- the sense of community that is shared when you eat together. I've always believed food is a great equalizer, connector, peacemaking tool, icebreaker etc. I'm sure you can agree that food can take many forms in our lives, in addition to being a delicious meal on a plate.

I think what I'm trying to say here, is that food is always better when shared. When it comes to eating, drinking and connecting, "we" is so much more powerful than just "me". Without the "we" there would be no connecting.

Who are you sharing food with these days and how is it enriching your life? 

Prince Edward County: By Chadsey's Cairns

During our July Prince Edward County trip, my sisters and I visited By Chadsey's Cairns. This was our last stop together on that weekend's winery tour before we headed into town for dinner at East & Main Bistro (a restaurant we very much enjoyed; thanks to my pal Ryan for the recommendation). 

I loved the setting of this winery, an old farm property originally owned by Ira Chadsey himself (inherited from his father, circa mid-1800s), that now serves as a winery and guesthouse run by owners Richard Johnston and Vida Zalnieriunas. 

Complete with food, outdoor art and even an historical Chadsey family cemetery, this winery definitely had character. Before we even stepped into the tasting room our eyes led us into a giant barn that appeared to be an event space. We later learned that musicians play in this space and it also seems to be a great spot for a rousing game of ping pong. 

Once inside the tasting room, we enjoyed some wines and learned a lot more about Chadsey and "cairns", a word I had not heard of before that day. A "cairn", you see, is a stone marker, and with the cemetary nearby and the legend of Chadsey's stone fence, there were many a cairn to be seen and heard of on this property. Slowly the name of this winery started to make sense. Things really became clear when Richard shared with us the story of Ira Chadsey and his fabled demise; legend says it was suicide:

Local legend has it that seven years after [his wife] Roxey’s death, at the age of 77, Ira built a large bonfire in his maple syrup shack, located down the laneway by the cairns, and shot himself so that his body would be flung into the flames.  The fire is said to have been so intense that nothing was found but the metal barrel of his gun.

A tragic, poetic character, Chadsey was, as he 

...is alleged to have declared that he would return after his death reincarnated as a white horse, and he was building the stone markers so he could find his way home.

 

 

My sisters and I enjoyed the charm and quirky feeling to this winery, and the wine wasn't too shabby either, especially the Muscat. We enjoyed some great summer wines such as their Chenin Blanc and Rose as well. Perfect patio wines. 

I would definitely go back for more wine, some music and maybe even to stay the night. Don't judge this one by its modern sign out front. By Chadsey's Cairns will take you back to a pure and simple country feeling, and leave you with a sense of history and legend. 

*Note: Although I found the legend and lore of the Chadsey story to be interesting, by no means would I ever speak about suicide by romanticizing the idea. If you are in pain and contemplating suicide, please call your local Distress Centre for help.*