I’m a member of the San Francisco Professional Food Society . Actually, I’m a board member – Incoming President – which means next year I’ll be president of the San Francisco Professional Food Society! That’s sure to be source material for lots of blogging which may or may not ever see the light of day (on my blog anyway!), but for this year it means I get to enjoy the incredible people and events that make up the wonderful Food Society without huge responsibility for any of it – a free ride!

The most recent treat was our annual BBQ last Saturday at the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum, a unique new facility and setting in Sunnyvale, CA. The museum is a replica of the original Martin Murphy family home and showcases displays about the Martin family and their significant involvement in the early history of California. In the very large courtyard in front of the museum, we sold new and used cookbooks and raffle tickets to raise money for important food-related organizations in the Bay Area (like Urban Tilth, Food Runners, CHEFS, and a scholarship for a Bay Area culinary student), listened to groovin’ music from The Blue Riders (“Rock & Blues & Classic Tunes”), tasted artisan foods from many special Savor California companies, ate BBQ, drank wine and enjoyed each others’ company.

There were so many incredible products to taste from the Savor California companies that I can’t cover them all here. I’ve highlighted just a few below, but check out Savor California for a more complete picture of the people and their creative products that are available online.

Sartain’s Sauce and Marinade: if you’ve shopped the supermarket shelves recently looking for a truly flavorful, well made sauce or marinade, then you know that many of the products have corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient – in fact, sometimes the very first ingredient! I’m not on a crusade against corn syrup – it has its place in the pantry – but not necessarily in my sauces. The Sartain’s sauce and marinade I tasted were wonderful. Full of bright flavor, with a nice balance between heat and tang – and no corn syrup!

Terra Sonoma Verjus and SABA: Verjus is similar to vinegar, but not quite as sharp. It can be used in place of vinegar or lemon juice for salad dressings or marinades – wherever you might use an “acid”. It was mellow and tangy, all at the same time. It’s created from wine grapes that are thinned from the vine during the growing season. SABA is a sweet winegrape syrup that can be used to flavor all kinds of foods – drinks, ice cream, breads, yogurt. I’m interested in trying it as Terra Sonoma suggests – in my spaghetti sauce in place of sugar to add a little sweetness.

Graziano Family of Wines: We tasted about five wines from the winemaker Gregory Graziano of Mendocino County. I enjoyed every one, but the Graziano Chenin Blanc was especially refreshing for a sunny summer afternoon; and the Graziano Zinfandel was especially good, too.

Fentiman’s Botanically Brewed All Natural Sodas: So many interesting flavors that actually taste like the real thing – because they are! Fentimans calls their beverages “adult” soft drinks, I suppose because they have a very slight amount of alcohol (less than 0.5%), but maybe also because the flavors are pretty sophisticated and more suited to an adult palate. They also make a Tonic Water mixer which I’m curious to try (in a mixed drink, I mean!).

As with any big event, the people behind the scenes did yeoman’s work so the rest of us could enjoy a fantastic day. In the San Francisco Professional Food Society, we are graced with many talented catering professionals, chefs, growers, marketers, producers and educators. For this year’s BBQ, Fred and Jennifer Martin of Fred Martin Events in Marin County, Deb Olson from C.J. Olson Cherries (they grow the plumpest, sweetest cherries you’ve ever seen or tasted right in Sunnyvale – their chocolate covered cherries are out of sight), and Rodger Helwig of Rodger Helwig Communications in San Francisco were the band leaders, and we were delighted to dance to their tune.

As summer winds down, I hope you’re able to gather in your favorite spot with a little food and drink to savor life’s simple pleasures – like time with family and friends on a warm afternoon.

Cheers,
Cathy