We just wrapped up a successful wedding season with incredible events in Palm Springs, Corte Madre and our coastal home of San Diego. Over the last year, we’ve seen a big emphasis on family-style dining and people caring about the culinary experience at events more than ever.

At one recent event with San Francisco wedding planner Jesse Tombs, our MIHO kitchen was a 50’ open kitchen set up next to the barn, and we served two of my favorite dishes from our family-style menu, the jerk tomahawk and potato with allium. The tomahawk is sourced from Creekstone Farms in Kansas. We season the steak with jerk spices like thyme, allspice, peppers, brown sugar, tamari, and ginger and cook it on site just as guests are sitting down for dinner. Being on a farm, cooking in front of the guests, and eating a farm-raised steak just feels like all is right in the world.

To celebrate a successful season, I made my way down to Tecate to spend a few days with the wine makers at Bichi, who have now become good friends of mine. We met through Chelsea Colman (The Rose, Mabel’s Gone Fishing) during the pandemic. They wanted someone to cook for them during the grape harvest and they mentioned they had 16 puppies. I was in. I spent a week in Tecate and returned with a puppy, Lupe. Since 2020, I’ve been going back to the winery to cook paella for the workers after the harvest (vendimia). I love pairing the umami paella with salty Baja wine! If you’re looking to make a trip to Mexico, take a look at some of our favorite places.

I’ve also been enjoying going to Hillcrest Farmer's Market every Sunday. I love getting local produce there and meeting the farmers. Running into neighbors makes us feel we are part of a thriving community. My wife and I recently enjoyed a delicious spot in our neighborhood, Al Dente. If you go, try the pappardelle di ossobuco. And if you’re in the neighborhood, stop off at Clos Wine Shop before dinner for tin fish and a glass of natural wine.

In terms of wine, this is a must: Thymiopoulos Young Vines Xinomavro 2021. The Xinomavro grapes are unique to Greece, but they look very much like our Concord grapes here. The wine tastes almost like bubble gum, but in a very good way!

SEASONAL INGREDIENTS

Winter is abundant with various ingredients like creamy avocado, hearty root vegetables, and incredible leafy lettuces like chard, chicory, spinach, and robust bitter greens such as mustard, collard, and turnip greens. The chicories are just beautiful. When I make a chicory salad, I soak the leaves in salted ice water for 20-30 minutes before serving. It works like magic to settle the bitterness and add an extra crunch! Chicories are available all year, but especially good in winter months.

Chicory is the fancier cousin of regular lettuce and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It has a bitter earthiness and subtle sweetness that give your tastebuds a little wake-up call. Treviso radicchio (rad-eek-ee-oh) has vibrant red or purple leaves and makes for a gorgeous salad. One of our popular winter salads is treviso and endive mixed with roasted beets, walnuts, and smoked ricotta, all tied together with a coffee vinaigrette.

Endives, on the other hand, are like chicory in a smaller, tightly packed form, offering a mildly bitter taste. They’re perfect vessels for appetizers or ideal for scooping up hummus or liver mousse.

There’s a whole chicory family out there, including curly endive (or frisée), escarole, speckled radicchio, Castelfrancho, which is white with pink flecks, and Rosalba, which looks like pink rose petals.

With its vibrant color and delicious taste, Chicory will steal the show at any dinner party. While we source our chicory varieties from The Garden Of… in Los Olivos or the Weiser Family in Tehachapi, you can find chicory at a variety of markets. As always, start your culinary quest at the local farmers market.

FARM WORTH TALKING ABOUT

Established almost 30 years ago by Juan Garcia, Garcia Organic Farm in Fallbrook, California, has evolved into a thriving 29-acre, 3rd generation family farm. Juan's journey began in 1989 when he purchased 10 barren acres, committing to organic farming from the start, a feat certified by CCOF after a rigorous three-year process. Specializing in citrus and avocados, the Garcias gained recognition when invited to the Santa Monica Farmers Market in 1994, earning a coveted Wednesday market slot, a rarity with a waitlist of up to 20 years. The Garcias are known for their citrus and avocados but also grow a variety of other fruits to carry them through the seasons.

One of my favorite combinations is avocado & grapefruit. "What grows together, goes together." This quote is mostly used for food & wine, and I think is also applicable to produce. Oro Blanco, meaning “white gold” in Spanish, grapefruits are a hybrid citrus fruit known for their sweet and mild flavor and a stand out at the Garcia Farm. Oro Blanco grapefruits are like if a Duncan grapefruit and a Dancy mandarin had a baby. They have a thin, pale yellow to greenish-yellow rind and a juicy, seedless interior. These grapefruits have low acidity, making them less tart and sweeter than traditional varieties. I love pairing the Oro Blanco grapefruits with creamy avocado in a delicious salad.

I invite you to experiment with the bright colors of chicory, buttery avocados, and sweet citrus. It's an excellent time to visit local farms in Mexico and California and have fun in the kitchen. Who knows, maybe you’ll come home with a puppy, too.

Cheers,

Rocio