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Featured in: Journal del Pacifico – Summer 2013

 

The Flavor of Memories

By Ashley Self

 

When I cook, it is three-quarters necessity and one-quarter pure pleasure. That means, when I’m not scrambling to throw together one thing or another for my family at the end of a long day, I am thumbing through recipes, searching out variations on the familiar, trying to replicate some flavor or uncover what exactly was done to “that amazing soup” that made it so perfect. In fact, that’s what brought me to my cooking class with Chef Rodrigo Bueno at Rancho Pescadero. I’d had a taste of his Aguachile de Camarón and was far from replicating it.

 

The class took place in the hotel’s remodeled Garden Restaurant, which has a lovely, Food Network-worthy open-air kitchen overlooking the hotel’s organic garden, and long, reclaimed-wood picnic tables perfect for friendly, communal dining. (Rancho Pescadero has plans to open the Garden Restaurant for Sunday brunch and dinner two nights a week beginning in December.)

 

We were cooking Aguachile de Camarón (at my request) as well as Chef’s semi-famous Snapper a la Talla served over black beans and traditional Mexican rice. For the most part it was easy going—a little slicing, a little marinating, a little grilling, a little mixing—all with beautiful, fresh ingredients.

 

As we de-seeded dried chilis for the talla sauce, Chef admitted he has come a long way since his first experience cooking from scratch at the age of four, when he wowed his family with a desert concoction of Jello, animal crackers, banana, fruit and, yes, toothpaste (he felt it was missing a minty flavor). He now maintains an impressive résumé that includes Sous Chef at Romano’s Macaroni Grill in Mexico City as well as Executive Sous Chef at The One and Only Palmilla, before settling in at Rancho Pescadero.

 

But there’s an even more interesting backstory that dictates what’s on the hotel’s nightly menu, which is sometimes Asian, sometimes Italian and more often traditional Mexican. It turns out Chef’s real resume, the one that inspires his versatile cuisine-without-borders, reads more like a travelogue. From the shoji screened restaurants of Mexico City’s Chinatown to a little seaside restaurant in Barra Vieja that prepares fish a la talla over an open fire—his ritual meal after a late night at the disco in Acapulco and a day off spent sleeping on the beach—Chef Bueno’s culinary preferences are influenced as much by memories as they are by flavors. In fact, when we put the snapper, smothered in thick marinade, on the grill, Rodrigo shook his head and smiled. “Barra Vieja,” he said.

 

There wasn’t much talking as we ate, aside from my ineloquent assessment consisting of “Oh my God. This is so good!” repeated several times. I was craving an Indio or maybe a rich California Cab, but I’d asked for water. I guess that means I’ll have to do a do over. After all, how else will I bind the rich flavors of Snapper a la Talla and pungent Aguachile to my memory of a rainy September afternoon in one of the most beautiful places in Baja.

 

(The restaurant at Rancho Pescadero is open daily from 7am to 9pm. Individual, group and couples cooking classes are available anytime by appointment. For reservations call 612.135.5849.)

 

Rancho Pescadero Aguachile de Camarón

3 jumbo shrimp cleaned, tails removed

10 limes

1 large bunch cilantro

2-4 serrano chilis (depending on how much heat you want)

1/2 cucumber

1/2 red onion

2-3 cherry tomatoes

3 oz. olive oil

 

Thinly slice the shrimp from head to tail into three thin slices. Place in a shallow dish, cover with the juice of 4 limes, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

 

For the sauce, blend the juice of 6 limes, the serranos, the cilantro, the seeds of the 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 of the red onion, 2 ounces of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

 

Arrange the shrimp on a plate, cover with the sauce, and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a salad of thinly sliced cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes and serrano chilis.

 

Provecho!

 

 

Featured in: Journal del Pacifico – Summer 2013

 

In The Know

by Ashley Self

 

The resort might bristle at this sentiment, but attendees to Ken Stringfellow’s acoustic show at Rancho Pescadero on January 27 aren’t going to remember the bonfire, the imaginative margaritas, the yummy appetizers or the s’mores. All they are going to remember—and talk about until it becomes legend—is the show.

 

En route from Limerick, Ireland to Portland, Oregon, Ken Stringfellow (of The Posies, REM and Big Star fame) will stop in sleepy Todos Santos to blow the minds of any- and everyone savvy enough to attend his show at the second annual Todos Santos Music Festival (todossantosmusicfestival.com).

 

But, even better than that, he will be playing a more intimate acoustic show at Rancho Pescadero Wendesday evening. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Fans of Stringfellows lyrical voice and honest, poetic songwriting will be forever changed.

 

Contact Rancho Pescadero at 612-135-5849 for show details.

 

 

Featured in: Destino Los Cabos – Summer 2007

 

Swimsuit Savvy: Couple your sexy attitude with a great suit

by Ashley Self

 

Like most things in life, a bathing suit is not just a bathing suit. If it were, we wouldn’t pay $250 for eight ounces of fabric that generally looks way better on the model than us. Bathing suits are about sex (what isn’t?). The beach or pool is the stage for a parade of minimalist plumage that screams, “Pick me! Pick me!” Survival of the fittest in this case refers to a suit that fits and a fit body.

 

But it wasn’t always that way. Before we allowed ourselves to acknowledge our lust for each others’ bodies, bathing suits looked more like three-piece suits. Even Kate Moss would look frumpy in one. Slowly, ever so slowly, the bathing suit made the move toward less bulk and more comfort, and then, when swimming became an Olympic sport in the late 1800s, swimsuits became sporty—sporty meaning a much less bulky one-piece blouse and trouser ensemble.

 

It wasn’t until the 1940s that the world was willing to be sexy. The fact that Jane Mansfield’s swimsuit covered her belly button doesn’t mean she wasn’t incredibly sexy, and still is. The classic pin-up girl didn’t need a thong and Pilates to turn heads. Nonetheless, once the bathing suit became about sex, it didn’t take long for the bikini to come along in 1946 causing a new revolution in the world of women’s swimsuits. French bikini creator Louis Reard was heard saying, “It was so small that it revealed everything about the girl except her mother’s maiden name!” So, what are we revealing nowadays?

 

From then on, changes in swimwear have been about fit and style. Aside from the topless monokini and the thong, bathing suits have followed a similar model, with changes in style reflecting current fashion trends. Fabrics and prints change annually, and things like the 80s–90s high-cut, to 2000’s hipsters change every few years. Sometimes less is more, like thong and Brazil cuts, and sometimes more can be equally sassy, like this summer’s trend toward 40s-style suits that leave a little to the imagination. You can’t buck bikini trends, even if you don’t look great in the cut-du-jour. However, the sexiest part of the bathing suit is the woman who is wearing it, so if you are feeling sexy and confident, what you are wearing will always take the backseat.

 

Here in Cabo, some great shops carry the latest trends in swimwear and accessories for both men and women. If you are looking for a great suit in this land of sun, sand and sass, you are sure to find just what you are seeking.

 

 

Featured in: Central Coast Magazine – October 2008

 

Generous Earth, Generous Hearts: A local winery joins mission with international organization to fight hunger one acre at a time.

by Ashley Self

 

At the end of a nondescript dirt driveway east of Paso Robles sits a well-tended one-acre vegetable garden. It is full of tomatoes, squash, asparagus, melons, peppers and basil, bordered by lavender, and surrounded by the lush, green vineyards of Steinbeck Vineyard & Winery. It is thriving in perfect rows, fresh-faced alongside the modest original Steinbeck home and its half-century-old outbuildings. However, this is not your average family garden. To the people tending this plot, it is a garden of opportunity, both literally and metaphorically, and they are master gardeners.

 

The garden is the first in a pilot program called Vineyards Growing Veggies™ and is an extension of Urban Farming’s Include Food™ movement to include food-bearing plants when landscaping. Established in Detroit, Michigan in 2005 with a mission to end hunger in our generation, Urban Framing is now an international organization with gardens growing from Jamaica to England.

 

Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery is the first vineyard anywhere to participate, donating one acre, nestled among thousands of acres of vines, that will generate approximately six to seven tons of fresh local produce annually, all of which will be distributed to individuals and families in need. In San Luis Obispo county, there are an estimated 35,000 people who are considered “food insecure”—meaning they live their daily lives in fear of hunger or starvation. That is 15% of the population, and the national average. Carl Hansen of the Paso Robles chapter of the Food Bank estimates that two or three of these one-acre gardens could serve the entire population of “food insecure” residents in this county.

 

The intention of the pilot program is to use this model to expand the Vineyards Growing Veggies™ initiative state-, nation- and ultimately worldwide, planting and harvesting small plots of fallow vineyard land using donated resources and volunteer labor. It is impossible not to liken the scenario to the organic life cycle of a garden: a seed is planted, it bears fruit, from that fruit seeds are collected and distributed, and the cycle begins again in another garden.

 

The seed was planted last summer at the final competition of the Winery Music Awards at River Oaks Hot Springs and Spa. Kathy Kelly, founder and producer of the Winery Music Awards was introduced to Taja Sevelle, founder of Urban Farming, and the two collaborated on how they could work together. That collaboration resulted in two initiatives: the Vineyards Growing Veggies™ Pilot Program and Cal Poly’s involvement with Urban Farming’s “Food Chain” edible wall project in Los Angeles. While Urban Farming is focused on growing produce in low-income, inner-city neighborhoods, it seemed natural, given the surroundings, to expand into a rural setting, making use of the rich, fertile resources this region is known for. From there, Kelly approached Cindy Steinbeck-Newkirk, Director of Marketing for Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery, whom she had met several times, and the family readily agreed. The program evolved to include Melanie Blankenship, owner of Nature’s Touch Nursery in Templeton, as Master Gardener, Amy White of Backyard Harvest for distribution and Carl Hansen, director of the Paso Robles chapter of the Food Bank. The irrigation system, seeds and seedlings, compost, tools and labor were generously donated by Farm Supply Company, Greenheart Farms, Botanical Interests Seed Packets, Hometown Nursery, Home Depot, Green Acres Lavender Farm, Community Recycling, Premier Ag and Trader Joe’s. Local photographer Richard Baker donated his services to document the project.

 

To the creative and passionate individuals behind Vineyards Growing Veggies™, this garden will literally feed the hungry, and literally and metaphorically bring people back to earth, back to the soil that sustains them, and give them a reason to appreciate it intrinsically—through the unmistakable taste of a ripe tomato just off the vine. Amy grew up in the area and gets her green thumb handed down from many generations of home gardeners. Both Cindy and Melanie are daughters of farmers—Cindy’s farming roots go back six generations in Paso Robles and Melanie’s grandparents were migrant farmers at a time when the land that is now the Paso Robles Fairgrounds was a family farm. They speak with the confidence of women who could feed their families through hunting and farming if the need arose. For them, this program is also an opportunity to impart some of that wisdom with the hopes that the art of living sustainability is not lost.

 

Kathy Kelly also grew up in a rural setting in a small east coast town about the size of Templeton. She ran through acres of cornfields and even grew her own vegetable garden every summer. After 30 years of living in concrete jungles from Atlanta to LA, getting back to the earth gives her a renewed appreciation for the area. With 29,000 acres of vineyards in the county and 35,000 hungry people, she saw the need and the ability to fill it. It is her hope that the pilot program will run seamlessly, making it easier for other vineyards to say “yes.” It seems to be going that way. The garden was planted on May 31 with volunteer labor. To date (8/2/08) over 726 pounds of fresh, locally grown veggies have been harvested and given to the Food     Bank for families in need all around the county.

 

During WWII, Americans planted 20 million victory gardens that grew millions of tons of produce so that commercially farmed goods could be saved for our troops. At the hands of an experience gardener, a patch of dirt, a handful of seeds, water and sun can change people’s lives. Vineyards Growing Veggies™ plans on proving that, one vineyard, one acre at a time.

 

For more information about Vineyards Growing Veggies please contact Kathy Kelly at (805) 434-5100 or (310) 717-8750. To find out more about those involved in the program please see the following:

 

Urban Farming:  www.urbanfarming.org

Steinbeck Winery & Vineyards: http://steinbeckwines.com/

Backyard Harvest: http://www.backyardharvest.org/

Nature’s Touch: naturestouch [at] sbcglobal [dot] net or  805-434-3062

Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County: http://www.slofoodbank.org/

Winery Music Awards:  www.winerymusicawards.com