Cook Here and Now

San Francisco's Heart of the City farmers market hearing

Buongiorno.
Some of you may know that the city is planning to take over the Civic Center farmers market.
There is a hearing this Thursday to hear from the public and the farmers (who are opposing it because of higher fees for the stands and a few other changes).
Do come by, I'll be there from 5 or call the Mayor’s Office at (415) 554-6171 and let them know how you feel about it.
If you want to talk about it, I started a post on the Forum under Farmers Market talk.

" Last week, Mayor Gavin Newsom introduced legislation that would hand operation of the market over to the City’s Real Estate Division. Currently, the market is run by farmers and the community that loves to shop there, its board of directors made up of five farmers and two community members. The mayor wants to take over the operation — which includes 67 stalls that grossed $187,000 last year – saying he thinks the cash-strapped City could streamline the operation and bring in $234,000 to help close its $338 million budget deficit. "
--from the San Francisco Bayview

What:
Heart of the City farmers market hearing

Where:
City Hall Room 250

When:
Thursday, June 19, 5 p.m.

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday June 22nd ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,
Thank you. All our slots are full.
If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday June 22nd

Buongiorno, our next dinner is less than two weeks away and sustainable seafood is our theme.
Go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for a complete list of sustainable seafood choices in California. Pick a fish from the Best Choices or Good Alternatives columns.

Vegetables will be eggplant, summer squash (zucchini),  green garlic and green onions.
Fruit will be all berries (except strawberries). 

A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
45 of us will cook and eat together on June 22nd, starting at around 2:30.

The dinner will be in San Francisco. Jeremy has kindly offered his company's very large, multiple-range kitchen for our gathering at the last event. There will be enough space for us to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

We're expanding registration to 45 people, and I'm keeping at least 8 spots for newcomers to ensure everyone gets a chance to join us (we usually fill the spots in less than a day).
Every person coming (including any guest you bring, or your other half in a couple) will have to sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide local wine and beer (if beverages slots are available, see below).

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least four days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. Emailing me on shorter notice (or not at all) is unfair to everyone, especially the people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

We'll divide the meal plan this way:

15 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each (including some vegetarian options)
5 participants will make appetizers for 8 people each ALL SLOTS FULL
8 participants will make salads for 8 people each  
8 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each  
8 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine per person (not per couple) and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs.  ALL SLOTS FULL
3 participants will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 20 (sparkling water and juices, locally produced when possible) ALL SLOTS FULL

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 45 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment on the blog (do NOT email me directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.) 
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Join me for Raj Patel's presentation of his new book: Stuffed and Starved

You've probably had the pleasure of meeting Raj at one our events. Now join me for the Bay Area launch of his terrific new book on food politics and pick up a copy for yourself. I'll be at Stacey's on Tuesday at 12.30, but do go see him at his other Bay Area engagements: he's a riveting speaker.

What:
Stuffed and Starved

“One of the most dazzling books I have read in a very long time. The product of a brilliant mind and a gift to a world hungering for justice.”—Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine

Half the world is malnourished, the other half obese—both symptoms of the corporate food monopoly. To show how a few powerful distributors control the health of the entire world, Raj Patel conducts a global investigation, traveling from the “green deserts” of Brazil and protester-packed streets of South Korea to bankrupt Ugandan coffee farms and barren fields of India. What he uncovers is shocking—the real reasons for famine in Asia and Africa, an epidemic of farmer suicides, and the false choices and conveniences in supermarkets. Yet he also finds hope—in international resistance movements working to create a more democratic, sustainable, and joyful food system.

From seed to store to plate, Stuffed and Starved explains the steps to regain control of the global food economy, stop the exploitation of farmers and consumers, and rebalance global sustenance.

Raj Patel, former policy analyst for Food First, a leading food think tank, is a visiting scholar at the UC Berkeley Center for African Studies. He has written for the Los Angeles Times and the Guardian, and though he has worked for the World Bank, WTO, and the UN, he's also been tear-gassed on four continents protesting them.

Stuffed and Starved site

Stuffed and Starved Facebook group

Availability in other countries:
After having been published in the UK by Portobello Books , in Australia and New Zealand by Black Inc Books, in India by HarperCollins India, in Canada by HarperCollins it's finally arriving in the U.S.

There are also versions in Dutch, published by World Publishers (Uitgeverij De Wereld), in Italian, published by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, in Korean published by Younglim Cardinal, and in Spanish by Los Libros del Lince.

When and Where:

• Monday May 12, Oakland, CA, 7pm, Great Good Place for Books
• Tuesday May 13, San Francisco, 12:30 pm  Stacey’s Books
• Friday May 16, Berkeley, CA, 7 pm, Cody’s Books
• Wednesday May 21, 7pm, San Francisco, CA,  San Francisco University, a panel discussion sponsored by Global Commons Foundation

See you there!
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday May 18th ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,
Thank you. All our slots are full.
If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday May 18th

Buongiorno.
We're ready for our May spring dinner -- and we've been invited again to cook at the San Francisco Baking Institute! Thanks to Brian for the kind invitation.

We'll be featuring pizzas created with Northern California spring ingredients and baked in the wood-fired oven -- up for the challenge?

Be creative: come up with a recipe that combines seasonal vegetables with Northern California cheeses and meats for your toppings (please use free-range meats). There's a great selection of Northern California mozzarellas and goat cheeses at Rainbow (I often use Calabro's). Prime topping options this time of year include summer squash, spring garlic, asparagus, snap peas, english peas, mushrooms, artichokes, leeks, and basil.

For your reference, here are my posts on thin-crust pizza and pizza Margherita. There was also a great article on SFgate.com about cooking in wood fired ovens last fall. Go take a look.

Anyone not signed up for pizza: gas ovens and 6-8 gas and electric burners will also be available for your creations. Fruit will be cherries.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
40-45 of us will cook and eat together on May 18th, starting at 2:30 (before you sign up, remember it's the same day as the Bay to Breakers run).

The dinner will be in South San Francisco at the San Francisco Baking Institute.

We're expanding registration to 45 people, and I'm keeping at least 8 spots for newcomers to ensure everyone gets a chance to join us (we usually fill the spots in less than a day).
Every person coming (including any guest you bring) will have to sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide local wine and beer (if beverages slots are available, see below).

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least four days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. Emailing me on shorter notice (or not at all) is unfair to everyone, especially the people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

We'll divide the meal plan this way:

6 teams of 2 people will make 3-4 pizzas each (including some vegetarian options) 
5 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each (including some vegetarian options) 2 SLOTS LEFT
7 participants will make appetizers for 8 people each ALL SLOTS FULL
8 participants will make salads for 8 people each  
8 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each 1 SLOT LEFT
9 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs. 1 SLOT LEFT
3 participants will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 20 (sparkling water and juices, locally produced when possible) 2 SLOTS LEFT

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 45 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment on the blog (do NOT email me directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.) 
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday March 30th ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,
Thank you. All our slots are full.
If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday March 30th

Buongiorno.
Spring is here!
Since lamb is plentiful at the market this time of year, we should cook it for our dinner.
If you're making a non-vegetarian entree, free-range local lamb is our chosen ingredient.
Vegetables will be asparagus, leeks, Shitake mushrooms and sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes).
Fruit will be strawberries (organic, please) and lemons (Meyer, Lisbon, or any other kind you may want to try).
A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
40 of us will cook and eat together on March the 30th, starting at around 2:30.

The dinner will be in San Francisco. Jeremy has kindly offered his company's very large, multiple-range kitchen for our gathering at the last event. There will be enough space for us to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

We're expanding registration to 45 people, and I'm keeping at least 8 spots for newcomers to ensure everyone gets a chance to join us (we usually fill the spots in less than a day).
Every person coming (including any guest you bring, or your other half in a couple) will have to sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide local wine and beer (if beverages slots are available, see below).

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least four days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. Emailing me on shorter notice (or not at all) is unfair to everyone, especially the people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

We'll divide the meal plan this way:

15 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each (including some vegetarian options)
5 participants will make appetizers for 8 people each  ALL SLOTS TAKEN
8 participants will make salads for 8 people each  ALL SLOTS TAKEN
8 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each   ALL SLOTS TAKEN
8 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine per person (not per couple) and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs. ALL SLOTS TAKEN
2 participants will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 20 (sparkling water and juices, locally produced when possible) ALL SLOTS TAKEN

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 45 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment on the blog (do NOT email me directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.) 
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday February 10th

Buongiorno. We had a few last minute cancellations, so these slots are available for tomorrow's dinner on a first-come, first-served basis. Just post a comment here on the blog. When they're gone, I'll close the comments to the post. Directions will be mailed to those who got in.
For the ingredients, see the original post.
Ciao, see you tomorrow!
Marco Flavio

2 Entrée
2 Salad or appetizer
2 Dessert
1 Wine

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday February 10th ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,
Thank you. All our slots are full.
If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio