Isla Vista Community Cooperative

If you haven't been to the Isla Vista Food Co-Op, you need to go there! They buy the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables from local farms. You can buy bulk organic herbs and spices and just about anything else you need to fill your pantry at really reasonable prices... because it's a cooperative. That means you pay a yearly membership fee. You can volunteer hours of work, but it is not required.

A Little History
Dave and I first participated in the co-op during the summer right after the IV riots. We'd rented an inexpensive apartment in IV and discovered that we could get really fresh produce and cheeses if we bought through a group that met a someone's house. Our job was to gather the cheese orders, pick up bulk cheese from Quality Market (a lovely market at Mission and De la Vina where the baby store is located today), and cut it into portions to fit the orders. Then we took it to the Saturday gathering place (someone's yard) for other members to pick up. This was the late 60s and early 70s at their best. It seems like there were about 20 participants, but there might have been more.

The Co-op Today
Now all this is available 7 days a week under one roof. It's even fresher and they offer a whole selection of dairy products, healthy snacks, and even eco-friendly housecleaning products.

Fostering community is still an important mission. They have frequent tastings and special events. In fact, there is an event coming up on July 3rd, but don't wait until then to check it out.

They also make delicious sandwiches, so if you work in Goleta, you can shop at lunch AND get a great healthy sandwich.

IV isn't crowded during the summer and the co-op would really love it if more Santa Barbara folks would come out to shop there. When you go out to Costco, drop by the Co-op as well.

To get there, take Storke Road toward the ocean. When Storke dead-ends into El Colegio Road, turn left onto El Colegio. After the next stop light, turn right onto Camino Pescadero. Then turn left on Seville (you'll see the Swiss Chalet apartments at that corner). The co-op will be on your right.

A Request
Since I've agreed to help the Co-op put together a summer newsletter, I want to know what interests you about the market. So here's my proposition. If you already shop there, email me a note about why you shop there. If you don't shop there now, go out there for a visit and email me your impressions. What would you come back to buy? What would you like to know about the Co-op?


The Reward
Everyone who emails me about the Co-op will be entered in a drawing for a pan of 8 sticky buns (not vegan). I'll choose two winners. The deadline for the drawing is June 27, but the sooner the better.

Here's my pitch for buying local seasonal food:

• You support and help maintain local food sources
• Your food is fresher and more flavorful because it can be picked when it is ripe
  
• Seasonal food gives you something to look forward to
• Food traveling long distances is more likely to have begun to deteriorate, losing nutrients and fostering more bacteria growth

Food for Adults

Okay, last post I mentioned that the money from our upcoming Taste of the Nation event would go to feed local kids. But here's the thing, to help those kids, local restaurants, caterers, beer brewers, and wine makers are offering you tastes of their own creations for a donation of only $55... if you buy your tickets online (http://tinyurl.com/TOTNSB) now, before all the tickets are gone.

If you wait until Sunday to purchase at the door:

• Admission will be $75 (instead of $55)
  
• The event may be sold out

Being on the organizing committee has a lot of benefits, like working with people who passionately share my love for good food. But the most exciting benefit is getting a preview of what foods will be offered at the event. So just to temp you a little here is a little inside scoop on the kinds of things that are planned:

• Ca'Dario - Ravioli al burro e salvia spinach and ricotta ravioli with brown butter and sage sauce

• Ariel Catering - Local ridgback shrimp a la plancha with golden sun-dried tomato and apricot gazpacho

• Opal Restaurant and Bar - Vegetable curry puff pastry empanadas with a mild jalapeno cilantro aioli

• Square One - Whole roasted spring lamb flatbread, harrisa, cured lemon-olive relish

• Montecito Country Club - Mini lamb gyro, basil chili tzatziki, butter lettuce, shaved marinated shallots, confit cherry tomatoes in mini pita pockets

This is only a tiny selection of what the 20+ food booths will be offering. There will also be wine and beer tastings, awesome views of the ocean, music, live and silent auction items, and even a photo booth. All on the upper lawn at the Montecito Country Club this Sunday, May 31st from 3 to 6 pm.

All of the ticket sale money goes to Food Banks in California, with 70% of it staying in Santa Barbara to support our own Food Bank and nutrition education for grade school children.

Hope to see you there!

Food for Kids

Click on the graphic to see a larger, more readable, version

Share Our Strength is a national non-profit group that brings together local food professionals to raise money to help feed local children. Our local event takes place on Sunday, May 31st, on the upper lawn at the Montecito Country Club. Enjoy an afternoon of food and wine sampling with live music and spectacular views of the ocean and Channel Islands, .

I have been working on the organizing committee for this event. Tickets are $55 in support of the Food Bank of Santa Barbara. You can purchase your tickets online now at http://taste.strength.org/site/Clubs?club_id=1401&pg=main. We have sponsorship levels if you would like to donate an additional amount.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us on the day of the event. Email me (Nancy@StarlightBakery.com) if you would like to volunteer on the day of the event.

Marshmallow Rabbit Winners
Our marshmallow rabbit winners (just in time for Easter) were Roxanne Erskine and Laurel Lyle. I'm told those little bunnies almost didn't make it to the Easter table... a nibble here and a nibble there.

Edible Santa Barbara Magazine
If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you get a copy before they run out. Copies are available at places like the Farmer's Markets, C'est Cheese, and IV Co-op.

I personally tested the recipes, so I can tell you they are all really good. In fact I'm making the shrimp fritters again tonight.

I'm thinking that a subscription to this magazine would make a thoughtful gift for out-of-town friends and family.

What We're Up To
Dave is keeping up with consulting jobs and working on his solar project in his spare time. I'm assisting in cooking classes at Braille Institute and Peabody Charter School and working on future articles for Edible Santa Barbara. We're also expanding our vegetable garden. Yum!

Stay in touch. We miss seeing our friends on a more weekly basis.

Emerging from Chocolate World

Persimmon Fudge

Hmm, not sure I'm actually ready to emerge from Chocolate World. Every day for the past 3 months I've thought, "I'm really getting pretty sick of eating chocolate." But then a few hours later I come up with another idea to try... and taste. Oh, the burden of creativity.

After deciding to give up our commercial kitchen at the end of December, I signed up for an online chocolate course to learn how to use chocolate in a way that consistently produces professional looking results. The course began in early January.

Chocolate is very tricky stuff. Even an accurate thermometer doesn't guarantee perfect results (or sometimes even acceptable results). Plus I had to develop centers using things like homemade fondant, caramel, fudge, and toffee. These are temperamental candies where I have to control the crystallization of a sugar syrup to create just the right form of crystallization. One small mistake and it becomes something entirely different. You can see my final results and read about what went wrong along the way on my Chocolate Temper wiki.

So, to celebrate finishing this course, I'd like to offer two lucky winners each 12 Marshmallow Rabbits. This is not your traditional marshmallow rabbit. Nope, it looks like this:

Marshmallow Rabbit

I start with a homemade marshmallow, dipped in homemade caramel topped with a pecan half. That is dipped into a bath of perfectly tempered chocolate. (Tempered means that it will have a lustrous shine and a clean crisp snap.) The bunny faces are lovingly painted in white chocolate.

Here's what you have to do to enter this drawing. Go to my Chocolate Temper wiki to identify the 5 candies I submitted for my final project as well as the one candy that I chose not to submit. Email me (Nancy@Starlightbakery.com) with your list. If correct, you will be entered in the drawing to take place at noon on March 29th, rabbits to be delivered the following week.

I would offer it closer to Easter, but I need to fly to Portland to help an aged friend celebrate her 60th birthday.

Edible Santa Barbara Magazine
Be on the lookout for the new quarterly Edible Santa Barbara Magazine. It will be on the stands at the end of March. It will focus on local regional foods and wines. I'll be writing articles for it. Plus I've been testing the recipes and I can tell you they are really good! It's the kind of magazine you'll want to collect and save.

Stella Mare's Jazz
We've also been going to Stella Mare's (by the bird refuge) every other Weds. night to sit by the fire and listen to jazz. Our son Shaun plays the drums in a jazz trio (bass and keyboard) that night. Upcoming dates are March 28 and April 1st. They start at 7 pm. Stella Mare's makes delicious appetizers. My favorites are the grilled artichoke and the crab cakes. You can order wine, a cocktail, or hot chocolate as well.

Maybe we'll see you there? Saraphina goes with us and likes to sing along with the trio, so the more friends to distract her, the better.

Mission Accomplished

The BCRC Tea and Fashion Show was a raging success. In fact you might want to buy your tickets now for next year. We sold out ten days early and had a waiting list of 25. This is unheard of in Santa Barbara where everyone waits until the last minute to buy tickets for events.

I deeply appreciate all the people who helped plan, bake, prep, plate, and serve. It was a symphony of smiles and laughter. From now on I'm only serving on committees where our focus is on eating.

The Sad News
Dave and I have decided to give up our commercial kitchen space. That means after December, we can no longer do large scale baking or offer a weekly special. We will, however, work on our website, to put up photos of the things we can bake if you have a private party and need someone to bake.

Blogs
Stay in touch because we're always baking. I will continue to update this Starlight Bakery blog with special notes about what we are baking and my local food discoveries. The Starlight Mice will continue their adventurous mischief as well. In fact, two mice have recently returned home from a trip to Egypt.

Bries for December

This is a ready-t0-bake brie wrapped in puff pastry. Inside the pastry, the brie is topped with raspberry jam, chopped apples, and almonds.

Take it out of the freezer, bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes (until puffed and golden). Let it sit about 15 to 20 minutes to cool the molten cheese a bit.

These keep in the freezer a long time. I recently served one I made last December. They are great to take to a party or serve as an appetizer. They also make good gifts.

I will have them available until the end of the month.

Ingredients: Brie, puff pastry, almonds, apples, raspberry jam.

Starlight Mice
We have also had requests for Starlight Mice for gifts and for holiday platters. (Actually they are really good to eat too.)

I'll be making these challah dough mice with chocolate hearts.

You can order these through the end of the year as well. Just send me an email and let me know when you need them.

Prices

• Ready-to-Bake Brie - $15 each
  
• Starlight Mice - $1.30 each

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

Tea Menu

Okay, I have the best committee in the world to work with me on the Breast Cancer Resource Center tea menu. Here we are making sure that our menu works. We've eaten our way through two working meetings. We think we have the menu pinned down, but it might take a little more tasting.

It might not surprise you to note that a Starlight Mouse showed up when we started our cheese tasting. We were looking for cheeses that pair especially well with hoshigaki (hand massaged dried persimmons) and grapes. The staff at C'est Cheese helped us choose a selection of cheeses that taste delicious with hoshigaki. Then our committee tasted and narrowed down the selection to these three: Double cream gouda, Ossau Irati, and Midnight Moon.

Obviously the Starlight Mouse is eager to confirm our choices.

Also on the tea menu are a pineapple fruit bowl filled with melon, grapes, pineapple, and pomegranate; salmon with cucumber, dill, and cream cheese finger sandwiches; layered sundried tomato pesto, basil pesto, and goat cheese finger sandwiches; almond pound cake slices with lemon curd and raspberry; rosemary lemon tea cookies; and chocolate coated nibs from Chocolate Maya.

As of last night 70 of the 100 seats at the tea and fashion show were already filled. This is awesome for an event in Santa Barbara... where people usually wait until the last minute to buy tickets. So, if you want to join us, purchase your tickets ($40) quickly at https://www.regform.net/bcrc/tfs/tfs.php.

Apple Pies
This is the last week for ready-to-bake apple pies. The pies are $14 each and you need to get your order in by Sunday noon for pick up on Monday at our kitchen at 5392 Hollister between 9 am and 6 pm.

Brie en Croute
Yes, we will make bries in December, but not until after the tea. I'll let you know more about those in December.

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers

P.S. There's a Starlight Mouse sighting update at www.StarlightMice.blogspot.com

A Busy Week

In addition to watching election returns and baking, we have been busy this week planning the menu for the upcoming Breast Cancer Resource Center Tea, which Starlight Bakery is hosting.

BCRC Tea
The Breast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC) is our local information and support center for women and men dealing with breast cancer and breast health issues.

The BCRC is often the first stop after a breast cancer diagnosis but we also provide information and support to anyone who needs help getting a breast lump evaluated, waiting for the results, and to family members looking for ways to support a loved one. It was built and run by the community it serves... a network of local women and men reaching out to help each other during times of uncertainty, treatment, and healing.

The tea will include a Coldwater Creek fashion show featuring models from the BCRC. The event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6th at the Unitarian church hall (where we held our first organizatonal meeting for the BCRC). Tickets ($40) are available online at https://www.regform.net/bcrc/tfs/tfs.php or by calling the Breast Cancer Resource Center at 569-9693. There will also be an admission free Artisan Faire in the courtyard with opportunities to buy holiday gifts made by local craftsmen.

Apple Pies
I have more apple pies. I will continue to stock the freezer until Thanksgiving. But get your order in now, so you won't be disappointed when we run out.

Rosemary Focaccia
This bread is really versatile. For the tea, we are slicing it in thin horizontal slices and layering it with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumbers. Then we cut it into strips and cut those into colorfully-layered finger sandwiches. The strips can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut the sandwiches... an easy make-ahead appetizer.

I'll add a photo the next time I make them.

Special Items this Week

• Rosemary Focaccia - $6.00
• Ready-to-Bake Apple Pie - $14.00
  

Drawing of Week
I've been hired to bake pans of cinnamon rolls and sticky buns for a weekly meeting at a local technology company. I have an extra pan of 8 sticky buns available this week. If you place your apple pie order by this Sunday noon (for pickup on the 10th, 17th, or 24th), I'll enter you in a drawing for the sticky buns.

Roxanne Erskine won the apple pie last week. Yay Roxanne!

Pickup or Delivery
You can pick up your order from 9 am to 6 pm at 5392 Hollister on Monday or I can deliver it to your place on work on Tuesday morning.

Thanks!
Nancy and Dave Oster, Starlight Bakers