Page 635 – Good Times

Love Your Local Band: Emily Lewis

Aaron Carnes

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July 30, 2019

Last year, Emily Lewis released her debut solo EP Dreamtrax—a heartfelt, emotive, harmony-rich Americana record. While she’s baring her soul, she’s hoping to connect with other people feeling the weight of darkness crushing them, and also emphasize the importance of being in touch with one’s own feelings.

“A lot of the themes that come out in my songs are universal,” Lewis says.

She’s been playing music for 22 years in various groups, though more seriously the past eight years. Her most recent group was a duo with Naia Graham called Sweet Medicine that formed in 2012. It was a folk-oriented project that Lewis says played “medicine music.” She’s a believer in sound healing, and wrote these spiritual songs utilizing healing techniques she learned. They’d play yoga retreats and retreat centers.

“We incorporated chants and mantras into our music,” Lewis says. “We also wrote new material, which were lullabies for adults in a way.”

But Lewis had a lot of other material, including the emotional, intimate songs on this new record. In “Grief” she sings, “Grief comes in waves/sleepless nights. Belly Aches/sometimes the waves overtake me/I am lost at sea.”

She sees her solo music as its own form of sound healing, as well.

“I see my music as a way of connecting people to their own emotional experience,” Lewis says. “It gives people permission to express what they’re feeling.”

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. Michael’s On Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $10. 479-9777.

Theatre Review: ‘Into The Woods’

Lisa Jensen

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July 30, 2019

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Don’t believe in fairy tales? You may change your mind when you see Into The Woods, the second production of the summer season at Cabrillo Stage. While the show itself takes a somewhat sardonic view of the flip side of “happily ever after,” and cautions us to be careful what we wish for, the Cabrillo production is so teeming with the magic of live theater, it’ll make a believer out of anyone.

The blockbuster musical from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is a fairy tale mashup that examines the tropes of the genre—true love, quests of honor, virtue rewarded—before and after the tales’ traditional happily-ever-after conclusions. It’s a gift of a show, but also a challenge, from Sondheim’s fiendishly clever and intricate (but often tongue-twisting) lyrics to creating the necessary magical mood by means of stagecraft alone. Fortunately, director and choreographer Janie Scott and her intrepid team are up to the task in this beautifully sung, wonderfully atmospheric production.

“Once upon a time … ” intones the onstage narrator to start things off. Andrew Ceglio is a formidable presence throughout in the role, observing the action with cool aplomb. (He also plays the Mysterious Man running loose in the woods with unhinged glee.) Against a gorgeous, eerie, cleverly functional forest backdrop from scenic designer Skip Epperson, the principal characters are introduced.

Young Jack (played with eager innocence by Jackson Brivic) lives with his exasperated mother (Alice Christine Hughes) and his best friend, their cow Milky White. (Yes, it’s a guy in a cow suit, but Isai Centeno brings humor and a touch of genuine pathos to the pantomime role.) They wish they weren’t so poor that they have to sell the cow.

Cinderella (Ashley Rae Little) rakes ashes out of the grate for her mean, social-climbing stepmother (Melanie Olivia Camras) and vain, twittery stepsisters (the fractious comedy duet of Morgan Peters and Catrina Contini) and wishes she could go to the prince’s festival. Little captures Cinderella’s feisty fortitude, and possesses perhaps the loveliest, most ethereal voice in a cast of strong singers.

The hard-working village baker (Ian Leonard) and the loyal baker’s wife (Melissa Harrison) wish more than anything for a child. But they can’t produce one, because the witch next door (Kristen Hermosillo) once visited a curse on the baker’s long-gone father. This salt-of-the-earth couple grounds the more fantastical elements in the show, with Harrison an especially strong presence in what may be the most demanding and pivotal role.

But the curse may be lifted if they obtain for the conniving witch some magical objects—a quest that sets the rest of the plot in motion. Into their orbit skips gluttonous, reckless Red (a very funny Brittney Mignano) with her basket of goodies for Granny. Rapunzel (Amy Young) is imprisoned in her tower by the doting witch, who longs to be her surrogate mother.

The prince who discovers her (Michael Stahl), and the smitten prince who doggedly pursues Cinderella after the festival (David Jackson) turn out to be brothers, equally fickle in their romantic attachments. (“I was raised to be charming, not sincere,” explains Cinderella’s prince.) The princes’ ironic duet “Agony” is a highlight, as is the dueling wordplay of Cinderella’s prince and the baker’s wife in “Any Moment,” deep in the woods. Jackson is also great fun as the slinky wolf with designs on Red.

Maria Crush’s costumes are storybook-perfect. Kyle Grant’s lighting design is effective throughout, from the way the treetops overhanging the stage are lit to create depth to the sudden blackout inside Granny’s cottage when things get too gruesome. Scott has imaginative staging solutions for tricky elements, like the arrival of a giant (well, part of her), or a carriage full of revelers, complete with prancing horse. When one of the princes tours the village, he slides along on an ornate carousel pony.

Scott conjures a winsome, witty production of this tale of bittersweet enchantment. It’s everything an audience could wish for.

The Cabrillo Stage production of ‘Into the Woods’ plays through Aug. 18 at the Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos. 479-6154, cabrillostage.com.

Santa Cruz Shakespeare Now Foodie-Friendly

Christina Waters

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July 30, 2019

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Santa Cruz Shakespeare Now Foodie-Friendly

Grab a glass of chilled Birichino Malvasia Bianca and an avocado and jack cheese sandwich from The Buttery, and enjoy the spectacular view from the picnic tables overlooking the Monterey Bay. You’re at the Delaveaga Grove, where Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s 2019 season now includes tasty food offerings and a brand new wine and beer bar, featuring the wares of such local favorites as Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Sones Cellars, Birichino, and others.

Some nice choices of light meals you can enjoy with your theater date while perched on one of the 22 picnic tables with views the folks in Iowa would kill for: the Buttery’s Cobb salad, a chicken-romaine classic, a turkey and swiss sandwich, and more. Perhaps a coffee and something from Pacific Cookie Company will hold you all the way through the second act.

Of course you can stop by and order items at the concession window, or simply pick up a glass of wine—the handsome stemless glassware comes engraved with Santa Cruz Shakespeare on the bowl ($3 extra). Nicer than plastic.

Or you can have your order waiting for you. Here’s how that works: Pre-order fresh sandwiches and salads when you purchase your tickets, and your food items will be waiting for you at the concession area, better known as the Q-Hut Café, as early as 90 minutes before the show. Don’t forget that pre-orders must be placed online or at the Box Office no later than 6 p.m. two days in advance of your performance. It’s your best bet, since there’s limited daily delivery of non-reserved meals. Terrific expansion of the longstanding tradition of eating and drinking while enjoying Shakespeare—just the way the Bard himself did.

Wine Discoveries at Soif

I tasted my way through a galaxy of new-school wines from a new generation of Santa Cruz Mountain winemakers at a brilliant little Soif event last weekend. On offer were not only dozens of fresh-edge ideas in locally made wines—natural methods, unexpected sources and very low-intervention craft—but eight winemakers themselves, pouring and charming the tasting crowd. Practicing their rockstar marketing moves, the young oenologists were happy to explain what they were up to. Very exciting.

Ryan Stirm was one of the assembled who works, shares and conceptualizes collaboratively with his colleagues, trading technical know-how, experiments and grapes to refine each others’ vintages. A favorite was Stirm Wine’s 2017 Kick-On Vineyard Riesling ($24), with a gorgeous ginger ale nose and 13.5% alcohol gravitas. “It was a ripe year,” he grinned. “Next year’s Riesling will be much lower alcohol.” I was fine with this well-balanced structure.

Equally impressive was a 2018 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc made by Megan Bell of Margin Wines, using grapes sourced entirely from the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation. Brimming with the lively acidity you expect from this grape, it offered a floral opening leading to green apples, gardenia and quince, all in ultra-light, crisp 12% alcohol ($28). You’ll find Margins Wines at Bad Animal, The Cremer House Home, Vinocruz, and of course at Soif.

I was smitten with Madson Wines’ PM Staiger Vineyard Chardonnay 2016. At 13.1% alcohol, it’s a racy, non-oaked beauty ($32). Light, grape-driven, sustainably-made, experimental, and lower alcohol seem to be this generation’s motifs. These are feisty, often-elegant creations well worth searching out. Also impressive was an excellent new school 2017 Moonmilk Chardonnay (not oily or heavily oaked) from Florez Wines, made by James Jelks from Scotts Valley grapes. Perfection at under 13% alcohol.

Film Review: ‘Lost and Found’

Lisa Jensen

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July 30, 2019

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In a season traditionally ruled by superheroes and mayhem, what a pleasure it is to discover a quiet, quirky little comedy like Lost and Found. In this Irish anthology of seven interconnected stories, the characters are refreshingly life-sized as their stories play out in and around the Lost and Found room at a suburban Irish train depot.

It was written and directed by Liam O Mochain, who also gives himself the featured role of Daniel, a new hire on the job whose story threads in and out of all the others. Unlike other anthology stories like The Red Violin or The Yellow Rolls Royce, the narrative doesn’t revolve around the fortunes of a single item as it passes from one owner to the next. Rather, it centers on a handful of people going about their daily lives, whose small interactions gradually knit the larger story together.

Daniel works weekend nights tending bar at his uncle’s neighborhood pub. But for a day job, he applies to the Lost and Found department, a small outbuilding connected to the station. It’s his first day on the job, working alongside Joe (Brendan Conroy), a genial, feisty little leprechaun of a fellow who pretty much leaves Daniel on his own to sort out what to do with items brought in from the passing trains—everything from a wallet and jewelry to a wooden leg and a gurgling baby in a pram.

Most of the characters who figure in the later stories are introduced in this opening sequence. The movie’s segments are divided by separate titles, like short stories, and as their plots unspool, the subject matter is sometimes tragic—death, illness, loss—but the movie never loses its whimsical sense of humor as it grapples with the foibles of human nature.

In “Ticket To Somewhere,” an extremely polite yet befuddled senior (Liam Carney) gradually arouses suspicion as he haunts the platform, asking kind-heated travelers for help finding his lost ticket or his lost wallet so he can visit his ailing wife (and/or daughter) in hospital. It turns out to be a very moving story, especially when ticket-taker Moya (Norma Sheahan) comes on the scene.

Wistful family drama coincides with comedy in “The Tent,” in which Daniel attempts to fulfill a promise to his aging granny. As a 7-year-old girl, she was sent out of Poland by her family and relocated to Ireland in 1939. Asked to retrieve a childhood bracelet she had to bury in the backyard before she left, Daniel sets out to camp overnight in a field now belonging to a hospitable but understandably bewildered German couple.

In the funniest story, “The Proposal,” Daniel’s friend Gabriel (Seamus Hughes) plots a romantic vacation with his girlfriend Sile (Aoibhin Garrihy). But the details are top secret—he’s planning to pop the question in mid-flight—so even Sile doesn’t know where they’re going. And Gabriel’s desperate and increasingly futile attempts not to let anyone spoil the surprise—neither ticket clerk nor airport security—leads to a mounting cascade of comic catastrophes.

Another comic highlight is “Bar Makeover.” It’s the saga of Daniel’s slow-burning Uncle Podge (a very funny and irascible Donncha Crowley) and his dogged attempts to lure elusive customers by repeatedly changing his decor—from Tiki bar to Asian to Australian (renamed “Skippy’s,” with a kangaroo logo and an endless loop of “Tie Me Kangaroo Down” on the jukebox). He does finally fill the place up, but not in the way he expected.

Other stories concern a will and a wedding, but no spoilers here about those. Filmmaker O Mochain is a personable onscreen presence as Daniel, game in the face of whatever absurdity comes his way. He and the rest of this very deft cast—along with a buoyant, almost Klezmer-like soundtrack—keep things rolling along.

LOST & FOUND ***(out of four) With Liam O Mochain, Norma Sheahan and Brendan Conroy. Written and directed by Liam O Mochain. A Gravitas Ventures release. Not rated. 96 minutes.

Food & Drink Magazine 2019

Georgia Johnson

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July 25, 2019

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Our dining scene has a bit of a chip on its shoulder—and not the savory, delicious kind.

Despite all the culinary talent here over the years, Santa Cruz County has never really been taken seriously as a dining destination. But sometimes all it takes to change conventional wisdom—and attract attention to all of the interesting other things that are happening here—is one high-profile addition to the foodie landscape. Some like … a three-star Michelin restaurateur moving into the neighborhood? Exactly.

That’s why David Kinch’s latest endeavor Mentone is the most anticipated opening in this area in a long time. But what exactly does the Manresa mastermind have planned for us? Find out in Christina Waters’ interview in this issue. And while you’re at it, check out Georgia Johnson’s profile of the Dueck brothers, who are trying to bring a similar kind of transformation to Watsonville’s scene with the Hangar. Can it be the kind of culinary hub that South County has been lacking?

While we’re on the subject of big changes, Tabitha Stroup—who we’ve written about in the past as the culinary innovator who turned her small, artisan Friend in Cheeses Jam Company into a national business—is doing something truly different with her newest company, and trying to change the world in the process. You’ll find all that, plus breakfast, the spritzer trend and more in this issue. Let’s dive in!

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR

FEATURED STORIES:

David Kinch On New Restaurant Mentone

Could the Hangar Become Watsonville’s Abbott Square?

Terroir in a Jar Finds Life for Farms’ Unsellable Foods

Santa Cruz County’s Best Breakfasts

Sweet Curls Reinvents Santa Cruz Ice Cream

Spritzer Trend Comes to Santa Cruz

FULL ISSUE:

David Kinch On New Restaurant Mentone

Christina Waters

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July 25, 2019

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This area’s most anticipated restaurant opening of the year is about to launch in Santa Cruz County.

Aptos Village is the home of chef David Kinch’s latest culinary adventure, Mentone (pronounced “men-tawn-eh.”). The chef and creator of three-star Michelin restaurant Manresa, Kinch has lived in Santa Cruz for the past 22 years. And while his heart belongs to the Central Coast, right now his mind is fixated on the French/Italian Riviera and the town of Menton, where Mirazur has just captured its third Michelin star.

It’s one of Kinch’s favorite dining spots, so to celebrate the honor, he’ll join Mirazur chef Mauro Colagreco for some culinary creativity. “We’ll be cooking on the beach for 120 lucky people,” Kinch says with a grin.

So smitten is Kinch with this stretch of cinematic Riviera that he has named his new Aptos restaurant after Menton. “It’s the Italian version of the French town’s name,” he explains. This region was part of the Republic of Genoa right up until 1860, when it became part of France. Hence the co-mingled cuisines from Italy and the south of France at the new restaurant—Mediterranean coastal cuisine spun through Kinch’s own California vision.

The Inspiration

“It reminds me of our stretch of coastline,” Kinch says of the azure European coast discovered while visiting friends on culinary visits and cooking odysseys. Anyone who’s visited the South of France, or the Ligurian coast between Nice and Genoa, can understand exactly why he would be taken by the bold, sun-drenched flavors of the region.

After all, this is the place that gave us focaccia, salame and pesto. Far from the concept-intensive world of Manresa, this Kinch eatery will be casual enough to highlight pizza—fueled by Kinch’s inventiveness and the freshly milled flour from Manresa Bread, the bakery branch of Manresa powered by superstar baker Avery Ruzicka.

The Place

Why Aptos? “My business partner Andrew Burnham found this opportunity,” Kinch says. “And he urged me to buy the building.” The chef has been steadily building his brand since he opened Manresa in Los Gatos in 2002, and the restaurant earned its first two Michelin stars in 2007 (it was upgraded to three in 2016). Kinch had been looking for a new restaurant space in downtown Santa Cruz for a few years. Bywater, the more casual, New Orleans-inspired restaurant he opened in 2016, is also located in Los Gatos.

“I wanted to be on this side of the hill,” Kinch says. “I like expanding our reach. I think we can fill a need.”

He also looks forward to a minimal commute. “Right now, I’m waiting to build—just waiting for the final signing,” Kinch says. “We spent most of last year working on this. They’ve built the shell. It just needs finishing inside.” The food entrepreneur says the end result “will evoke the area we were inspired by, as well as our own Central Coast.”

The Setup

Yes, there will be a full bar, “with a lot of amaros and Italian wines,” he says. The chef at Mentone will be Matt Bowden, currently Executive Sous Chef at Manresa. “If I’m in town, I’ll be in the kitchen, too,” says Kinch, happy finessing the pizzas. “We’re going to be doing five pies using a Mugnaini wood-fired oven. We have our own mill, and can now mill our own grains.” The flavor and freshness, he contends, cannot be rivaled. “I’m developing pastas—we’ll make lots of pastas,” he says. “It’s going to be simple. It’s going to be food inspired by the region.” Authentic, yes, “but with my own spin.”

“We’re having a lot of fun working on this,” he says. “Andrew Burnham is a great business partner. He’s my partner at the bakery, and with the restaurants. Andrew’s business expertise allows me to work the food side.”

The Menu

Kinch’s concepts can be subtle, and tend to defy categorization. But the seasons and the geographical setting are invariably folded into his menus. He shows me a glamorous shot of actors Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni at the height of their cinematic fame and beauty. “That’s on our brand,” he says with obvious pleasure. Two film stars, one French, one Italian. That’s the sizzle Kinch wants for Mentone, accessible and appealing.

There will be pesto, farinata, ratatouille, pizza, and, “We’re developing our own focaccia,” Kinch says.

The new spot will be kid-friendly, headds, “like a trattoria.” Dinner-only at first, six nights a week, with perhaps a brunch on Saturday and Sunday. “We’ll have take out,” he promises.

Kinch fans can look forward to “a lot of custom salames, like culatello, coppa,” specialty charcuterie that will be made for Kinch in the Bay Area. “And a wine list that harmonizes with the food. It’ll be a short wine list, 30 reds and 30 whites, Provencal and Ligurian wines. Some Sicilian whites, Dolcetto d’Alba, a Cotes Ventoux, and of course Bandol.” Cioppino? “Definitely. But Central Coast style,” he says. “We’ll make it with Dungeness crab and abalone from Monterey.”

Kinch is elbow-deep in tinkering and experimenting with pastas for the Mentone menu. “I’ve perfected cacio et pepe,” he says with an impish grin. “And I’m working on pesto. Pesto is one of the greatest sauces.”

Kinch wants the best and freshest produce from local growers for Mentone. “We’re working with several organic growers now,” says the chef, who famously had biodynamic specialties grown exclusively for his restaurant. He’s especially excited about using custom-grown Genovese basil. The magic chemistry of garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and basil is one of Italy’s greatest gifts to cuisine. “Our trenette al pesto [made with three different varieties of basil] will have a California spin,” says Kinch. And then he reveals the secret California ingredient in his pesto, which I will not divulge.

The Star

Anthony Bourdain once described Kinch’s cooking as “wildly creative … beautifully presented and surprisingly minimalist—very, very tasty.” Kinch keeps living up to that assessment.

After learning everything he could in top kitchens in New York, San Francisco and Europe, Kinch opened a small, Catalan-inspired dining room in Saratoga in 1995 called Sent Sovi, which is where I first tasted his cooking. Then came Manresa, where the Michelin stars began to accumulate, as did international culinary guest chef gigs and James Beard awards, including Best Chef: Pacific in 2010. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Louisiana, Kinch opened Bywater as a spicy love letter to the Cajun and Creole foods of his New Orleans roots. But now his imagination has zeroed in on the Mediterranean climate of his current home.

Fit and tanned, drinking iced green tea at the Delmarette, Kinch has just returned from two weeks of cooking and eating in Toulouse, Marseilles, Genoa, and the Dolomites. “I’m doing less and less guest chef gigs,” he insists, suddenly looking reflective. “I’m getting near the end of expansion, and I don’t know what I might do next. There’s still a lot of French bistro cooking I’d like to do. But I tend to take baby steps,” he admits. “I like to get everything lined up and worked out in advance.”

There are a lot of reasons Kinch enjoys living here. “It’s close to the ocean, it’s got the university and all the activity that goes with that,” he says. “I’ve lived in Manhattan and in San Francisco. I don’t want a big city anymore. I need a separation between my personal and professional life.”

Food is the focus of his life, and it always was. “I fell into that rabbit hole early on, and pretty hard. I’m always curious. And I’m not afraid to learn.”

But Kinch says he needs to recharge a few times a year. “Especially as I get older,” says the 58-year-old chef. “For me, it’s always a beach. I relax, surf, sleep a lot, have a rum drink at two in the afternoon. It helps to reorganize my priorities. I try to do that twice a year.”

His favorite thing to do is having great restaurant meal. “Fine dining—that’s where the ideas are,” he says. What he loves is not so much particular dishes, but “experiencing the whole place, the chef’s vision.”

Kinch says he tries not to travel during the summers so he can stay home in Santa Cruz. “I’ve got the beach, I cook at home. Simple picnic foods—pastas, tomato salads, roast chicken, very simple.” But right now, he’s not exactly kicking back. In addition to overseeing the finishing touches on Mentone, he’s just signed a second cookbook deal and currently spends the mornings working on recipes. “The manuscript is due in November, and then photography for the cookbook will start.” He suddenly remembers, “I’ve got a busy travel schedule in November.”

On that note, Kinch zooms off on his powder blue Vespa looking every inch the seaside—Santa Cruz—Italian.

Mentone

Location: Aptos Village

Size: 3,000 sq. feet; seating for 100

Chef de Cuisine: Matt Bowden, executive sous chef at Manresa

Special features: Full bar; Italian and California wines; Mugnaini wood-fired pizza oven

Cuisine: French/Italian/Coastal California—pasta, pizza, cioppino, focaccia, custom salames

Ambience: Casual; family friendly

Opening date: Late summer/early fall 2019

Other David Kinch projects: Look for the upcoming Mineta San Jose Airport installation of California Market by David Kinch—a dining, bakery, coffee and bar experience curated and designed by the James Beard Award-winning chef.

Update: This story previously misstated the birthplace of David Kinch and misspelled the name of Avery Ruzicka.

Terry McAuliffe on ‘Send Her Back,’ Dem Debates

Steve Kettmann

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July 24, 2019

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Terry McAuliffe on ‘Send Her Back,’ Dem Debates

Editor’s note: This conversation with former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is part of this week’s GT cover package on the legacy of Charlottesville and McAuliffe’s upcoming Bookshop Santa Cruz event.

STEVE KETTMAN: The timing on publication of this book seems uncanny. Your subtitle is ‘Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism,’ and your main subject is racism. This month, racism has dominated the headlines, with Congress passing a resolution condemning Trump for his racist attack on four Congresswoman, the first time the House of Representatives has rebuked a President in more than 100 years.

TERRY MCAULIFFE: Racism has never gone away. For a very long time, many people felt we had dealt with racism, and it wasn’t an issue. It wasn’t a problem that existed in America today. What happened in Charlottesville ripped the scab off, and people realized that racism is still prevalent, and not nearly enough has been done to deal with the issues behind racism, inequality in schools and housing and access to health care and a racist criminal justice system, and on and on. We don’t need more words. We need more action.

As a former Democratic National Committee chairman, you’ve been around a lot of Democratic debates. What was your take on the first two Democratic debates, held in late June?

I was disappointed in the first two debates. The candidates didn’t talk enough about the issues that affect everyday Americans. I heard no discussion of issues of K-12 funding for education, and no discussion of how to address failing infrastructure, which is crippling cities around the country, and no discussion of workforce development and workforce training and no real discussion on lowering the costs of prescription drugs. Our education system was built for the industrial revolution, and hasn’t transformed for a 21st-century economy. And I heard no discussion of the ballooning budget deficit that’s going to cripple our children’s future.

What about the way racism was addressed? Were you at all surprised at the way California Senator Kamala Harris came at Joe Biden?

Listen, when you’re the front runner, you know everybody is going to come after you. Vice President Biden should have been prepared for that. I thought Bernie Sanders was going to use the debate to go after Biden. But Harris obviously prepared very well and executed in knocking Joe Biden off his game. The goal of the debates is to have a break-out moment, and she clearly had a break-out moment.

Biden set himself up by making that comment early in June about the “civility” of the good old days when he worked with openly Segregationist Senators like James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia. Was that tone-deaf of Biden?

There was no reason for him to bring Herman Talmadge and James Eastland into the discussion. They were racists. I understand what Biden was trying to do, he was saying that even with these vile individuals in the Senate, he was able to work with them on legislation to move the country forward, but he could have made that point a different way. Jim Eastland actually said that African Americans were “an inferior race.” He should never, ever be cited in any example except one talking about racists.

Integrity Wines’ Powerhouse Pinot Noir

Josie Cowden

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July 24, 2019

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Integrity Wines’ 2017 Pinot Noir is simply outstanding. It has already won serious awards, including the Director’s Award for best Pinot Noir in the 2019 Monterey International Wine Competition in May with a score of 95 points (platinum), plus 91 points from Wine Enthusiast.

On top of these prestigious accolades, Integrity’s Riesling Santa Lucia Highlands won gold at the Orange County Fair.

Integrity wines get better and better, thanks in huge part to Proprietor and Winemaker Mark Hoover, who goes all-out to produce top-notch elixirs. Wines are made in small batches, and Hoover cares about handcrafting, carefully sourcing all the ingredients.

The Pinot Noir 2017 Santa Lucia Highlands ($36) has deep notes of Bing cherry, pomegranate seed, red raspberry, fresh violets, black tea, fennel, and cured leather. With its “damp soil on the nose, along with raspberry jam, ripe strawberry, dried lavender, and crushed graphite on the palate,” this intensely complex wine crescendos to a gorgeous mouthful of Pinot. Hoover says it pairs well with ribs, pork chops, roasted duck breast, fresh salmon, and halibut.

For those who truly appreciate exceptional food and wine, there will be a Taste of Integrity Summer Harvest Dinner at the winery on Saturday, Aug. 3, with Chef Diego Felix at the helm. Felix, of Colectivo Felix, will create seven Argentine-inspired courses that perfectly pair with seven newly released Integrity wines. Hoover will talk about his wines at the evening feast.

The event is open to the public and reserved for guests 21 and over. Tickets cost $150.

Integrity’s wines are also now available in many liquor stores, clubs and restaurants, such as Soif Restaurant & Wine Bar, West End Tap & Kitchen, East End Gastropub, Gayle’s Bakery, Cantine Winepub, and Kuumbwa Jazz Center. The winery’s Watsonville tasting room is open from noon-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Integrity Wines, 135 Aviation Way Suite 16, Watsonville. 322-4200, integrity.wine.

Goat Yoga Wins Santa Cruz Converts

Georgia Johnson

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July 24, 2019

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Let’s be honest: no one is here to sweat. We’re here for the tiny hooves and the bleats. Forget the planks and down dogs, and bring on the baby goats.

In retrospect, it’s astounding we haven’t covered goat yoga yet given how obsessed Santa Cruz is with yoga. There’s laughing yoga, stand-up paddle board yoga, even broga yoga (yoga for the bros). Humble Sea, Mount Madonna and Beer Thirty have all jumped on the goat yoga bandwagon with the help of Aptos’s Kinderwood Farm, which breeds Kinder goats perfect for yoga because of their small size—only about 5-7 pounds as babies.

Goat yoga is a form of animal therapy and emotional support (which doesn’t involve unnecessarily taking them into restaurants). Coupled with the relaxation of gentle yoga, an adorable, cuddly baby goat bouncing around the mat is cathartic. Socialization is also an important step in rearing tame and gentle adult goats, so it’s a win-win for people and goats alike.

“I wanted goats growing up, but my mom said no,” says Kinderwood Farm Owner Lauren Linkemyer. “My husband agreed, since he loves cheese.”

Linkemyer and her husband, Mack Ellis, bought goats around three years ago to start a small-scale dairy farm. With the help of online resources and mentors, they now have their very own Kinder herd.

“We are having trouble producing enough goats for the people that want them,” Linkemyer says. “We sold a couple of babies to Rocking Horse Ranch Daycare in Soquel, but there are still people that want to buy them.”

While the couple didn’t start the farm for goat yoga purposes, the idea coincided with the rise of the trend that started in Oregon.

“I didn’t have to go north to do goat yoga. We have baby goats,” Linkemyer says. “We started working with Beer Thirty, and more and more people wanted to have goat yoga events. They are almost all sold out now.”

To be clear, this isn’t hot power yoga, and no one is trying to do a handstand with a goat. Goat yoga is gentle yoga, and Linkemyer puts some grain on each mat to entice the kids to jump all over the yogis. Child’s pose, down dog and plank are some of the preferred poses to accommodate people and goats alike.

“The classes are like 70% goat and 30% yoga, maybe higher on the goat percentage,” Linkemyer says. Each class includes a bottle-feeding session with the baby goats.

Linkemyer has hosted more than 30 classes, both private and public. While they can’t host goat yoga on the farm because of space constraints, Kinderwood has partnered with breweries around town to host events while also getting leftover grain to feed the goats. They bring between seven and 12 goats per class, and classes are usually around 25 people.

On Memorial Day, a few attendees were lucky enough to also get piglets at their baby goat yoga. “They aren’t as cuddly as the goats, but they are hilarious little creatures,” Linkemyer says. “They are huge now, though. My favorite one, Popcorn, is like 45 pounds now, so I don’t think they would be great for yoga.”

After more than two years in the goat yoga game, Linkemyer says one of the best parts of her job—among many perks—is the gratitude and happiness people get from the goats.

“People always talk about how happy it makes them, and how they are in a much better mood and much more joyful,” she says. “I wasn’t really surprised, because I love them. They are just fantastic.”

As summer winds down, Kinderwood Farm is taking a break from goat yoga to train their new puppies and build puppy-goat relationships. They expect to resume classes in September. “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” she says. “And I’m so glad other people can appreciate the goats, too.”

kinderwoodfarms.com.

UK Transplants Serve Up Scrumptious Fish and Chips

Georgia Johnson

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July 24, 2019

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UK Transplants Serve Up Scrumptious Fish and Chips

When Tim and Helen Korinth moved to the U.S. nearly 20 years ago, there was one big thing the England natives missed: fish and chips. Everywhere they tried was a disappointment, so they decided to make their own. They progressed from serving family and friends to hosting pop-ups under the name Scrumptious Fish and Chips, recently adding a food trailer to serve more at local breweries.

Since their fish is beer battered, the recipe changes based on what beer is available at each brewery. Coupled with hand-cut chips, homemade tartar sauce and curry ketchup, the Korinths are bringing the chippy to Santa Cruz with a fresh, local, sustainable spin on the British classic.

Do you notice a difference in the types of beer you use depending on the brewery?

TIM KORINTH: There is a slight difference in saltiness, but the main difference is in the color of the batter. We typically use an amber ale. That gives the batter a nice golden color.

Do you miss the fish and chips from home?

I go back to English once or twice a year, and maybe I’m a bit biased, but I think mine are better. People are starting to cut corners. I try to make everything to order from scratch. We use Pacific Cod, and it’s about making the freshest, best product that I can.

Are you expanding the menu? Where are the mushy peas?

We just added mushy peas, and I’m doing a pickled onion now too. When you go into fish and chip shops in the U.K., there is a big jar of pickled onions. We have also just added British bangers for those who don’t like fish. We can do it naked or battered in the same batter as the fish.

Scrumptious Fish and Chips will be at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery on Sunday, July 28 from 7-11 p.m. Check online for other pop-ups at scrumptiousfc.com.

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7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. Michael’s On Main, 2591 Main St., Soquel. $10. 479-9777.

The Cabrillo Stage production of ‘Into the Woods’ plays through Aug. 18 at the Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos. 479-6154, cabrillostage.com.

Wine Discoveries at Soif

LOST & FOUND ***(out of four) With Liam O Mochain, Norma Sheahan and Brendan Conroy. Written and directed by Liam O Mochain. A Gravitas Ventures release. Not rated. 96 minutes.

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FULL ISSUE:

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Mentone

Integrity Wines, 135 Aviation Way Suite 16, Watsonville. 322-4200, integrity.wine.

kinderwoodfarms.com.

Scrumptious Fish and Chips will be at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery on Sunday, July 28 from 7-11 p.m. Check online for other pop-ups at scrumptiousfc.com.