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Blog
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BRINGING LOCAL FOODS
TO THE HOLIDAY TABLE.
Photo by Chris Stowell
RESOURCES
Apple Hill, www.Applehill.com
Churchill Vineyards, 775-423-4000, www.Churchillvineyards.com
Custom Gardens, 775-577-2069, www.Customgardens-organic-farm.com
Fontana Farms, 775-846-2582
Hulsman Ranch, 530-257-7262
Hungry Mother Organics, 775-267-3084, www.Hungrymother.cc
KT Hay and Cattle Co., 530-993-1045, www.Kthayandcattle.com
Lattin Farms, 775-867-3750, www.Lattinfarms.com
Murry Ranch, 775-848-9086, www.Murryranch.com
Nancy’s Green Barn Farm in Dayton, 775-246-8456
Peri & Sons Farms, 775-463-3640, www.Periandsons.com
Ranch One at Trimmer Outpost, 775-782-2518, www.Trimmeroutpost.com
www.Renoegg.com
Sussler Farms, 775-857-5755
Tahoe Ridge Winery, 775-783-1566, www.Tahoeridge.com
Truckee River Winery, 530-587-4626, www.Truckeeriverwinery.com
Wolf Pack Meats, 775-857-3663, www.cabnr.unr.edu/wpm
Workman Farms, 775-867-3716
For additional local food resources, visit www.Nevadagrown.com
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Recipes courtesy of Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
Photo by Jeff Ross
CHOCOLATE MONKEY
Hot chocolate, banana liqueur and brandy, with whipped cream
GROUNDED EAGLE
Chocolate liqueur, Irish cream, Grand Marnier,
and coffee, with whipped cream
ALMOND JOY
Hot chocolate with amaretto and coconut rum, with whipped cream
SNUGGLER
Peppermint schnapps and hot chocolate,
with whipped cream and chocolate
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Warm Caramelized Apple Tart
LA FERME DELIGHTS THE SENSES.
Written by Sandra Macias
Photos by Chris Stowell
L a Ferme draws food aficionados from as far away as New York and from as near as Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Carson City. Its reputation for fine French country-style food budded in Incline Village, its first home in 1992. The buzz didn’t fade when Owner Gilles La Gourge, who is French-Basque, moved it to Genoa six years later.
Set back off Main Street, La Ferme occupies a 1904 guesthouse, once belonging to the Victorian-style Pink House, a historical landmark, circa 1855, on Genoa Lane. Framed by towering noble trees, the little house nestles neatly in its rustic setting. No matter the season – whether brushed in Monet’s pastels or winter’s white – La Ferme is loaded with charm.
Coq Au Vin
While La Gourge is La Ferme’s meticulous steward, his chef, who has worked with him for 23 years, rules the kitchen. Here, in Yves Gigot’s realm, the emphasis is on cooking with the freshest ingredients. Produce comes from local, organic fields or is picked from La Ferme’s garden. Trimmer Outpost, across the street from La Ferme, supplies the all-natural, grass-fed beef. Hearty breads, charcuterie bites of pâté and smoked duck, silky ice creams, and fragrant fruit tarts are all house-made.
Warm Montrachet Goat Cheese Salad
Gigot’s cyclical menu is based on seasonal ingredients: a delicate heirloom tomato salad in summer, a roasted quail salad capped with wild mushrooms in winter. Monkfish replaces a wild King salmon summer entrée and caramelized apple tart slips into place when plums are past their prime.
For details, visit Lafermegenoa.com.
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STEVE AND MARCIA LITSINGER
CULTIVATE A WAY OF LIFE.
Written by Mike Colpo
Photo by Mike Okimoto
W hat Steve and Marcia Litsinger have accomplished in their pursuit of a simple life of thoughtful stewardship defines what many would call the highest level of organic growing. Marcia –– who Steve will tell you is the “brains behind the operation” –– uses bio-intensive (also known as “French-intensive”) growing techniques. Nothing grows around their vegetable patch that doesn’t serve a multi-layered purpose. The produce that supplies their fiercely loyal CSA customers is surrounded by fortifications of beneficials –– lavender, calendula, marigolds, and the like –– all serving to either draw in helpful insects, enrich the soil, complement companion plants, or all of the above. In keeping with their growing style, these beneficials are likely to show up in the regular CSA delivery. They come accompanied by instructions and suggestions for how to use them in everything from salads to homeopathic remedies. It’s been this way since they started doing produce deliveries 10 years ago.
The Litsingers’ approach to farming goes well beyond the food-growing end of the business. Their commitment to self-sufficiency informs everything they do, from the bank of self-installed solar panels behind their home to the natural spring that supplies them with water. Their property is entirely off the grid, and their growing houses are able to supply year-round vegetables in Nevada’s rugged climate without any electricity, making them the only CSA in the region to provide fresh, locally grown produce throughout the year.
“We never set out to become a big farm,” Steve says. “We knew how we wanted to live and we just kept trying things and working on ideas until we got it figured out.”
Indeed, the Litsingers’ friendly, encouraging energy has helped shape their deep connections to Northern Nevada’s community of organic growers. In the 10-plus years since Steve and Marcia officially began their CSA deliveries, they’ve been a part of every major effort to establish a market for locally grown organic produce –– from instructing classes through the River School in Reno to helping establish area farmers’ markets and forming the Great Basin Community Food Co-op (Greatbasinfood.coop). They are among the rare breed of folks who believe that it makes good business sense to show people how to take care of themselves. It’s why one of their regular produce deliveries might include an impromptu inspection of a customer’s fruit tree, or detailed coaching on how to grow the very vegetables that were just delivered.
For details, visit www.greatbasinfood.coop/about-us/farmers/churchill-butte-organics/.
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From left, Mike Stoker Jr., Lillian Francovich, Dr. Mike Stoker, and Sam Francovich.
Written and photographed by Barbara Twitchell
F rom mid-October until late December, the Francovich family comes together one day a week to re-create Francovich Holiday Nog, based on a recipe their ancestor, Eli Francovich, brought from his native Yugoslavia.
In 1867, Eli started making this distinctively light eggnog –– laced with just enough aged Kentucky bourbon and Jamaican rum for a modest 7 percent alcohol content –– to give as holiday gifts. Thus began a family tradition that has continued for five generations and for 143 years. And in a little more than a decade since going commercial, it has become a thriving family business.
After entering the retail market in 1999, the family continued to blend and bottle the concoction in the kitchen of Lillian Francovich, the family matriarch.
They later moved the operation to Sam Francovich’s restaurant, The Grill. In 2008 they expanded to a 2,500-square-foot facility at Crystal Ice and Oil Co. in Reno, where they remain today.
Although they’ve moved out of the kitchen, Sam says it’s still very much a family effort. And those family members include Lillian, who at 85 still is actively involved in the process.
“She has fantastic hands. She’s very fast,” he says. “Better than some of the young kids who work with us!”
Using a 1940s bottling machine, they manage to produce 4,800 liter bottles a day, 26,000 bottles for the year – a far cry from the days in mama’s kitchen.
The market for the product continues to grow. You now can find it at retail giants such as Costco and Walmart, as well as most major grocery chains in Northern Nevada and Northern California, including Ben’s Fine Wine and Spirits, Costco, Raley’s, Save Mart, Scolari’s, Smith’s, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, and WinCo.
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From left, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and
North Coast Brewing Company’s Old Rasputin Imperial Stout.
Both are available at 775 Gastropub in Reno.
FULL-BODIED BEERS TO
CELEBRATE THE SEASON.
Written by Marc Tiar
Photo by Jaci Goodman
Enjoy these local brewers’ favorite winter seasonals and other recommendations:
Both Ryan Quinlan, brewer at Great Basin Brewing Co. in Sparks, and Silver Peak Brewery in Reno Brewmaster Brandon Wright named Anchor Steam Beer’s Christmas Ale as a winter seasonal they enjoy.
Wright also offered the enticing Noel de Calabaza from Michigan brewery Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales as a pick.
Buckbean’s Brewmaster and Co-founder Dan Kahn and Quinlan both picked one of my favorites, Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale, as one they enjoy.
Kahn also mentioned Winter Ale from Alaskan Brewing Company, with spruce tips lending an extraordinary flavor.
One last pick from Quinlan, which I’ve never tasted, is Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Company’s award-winning Christmas Ale, brewed with honey, cinnamon, and ginger. Sounds delicious.
Also worth looking for:
- Deschutes Brewery releases Jubelale with a new label each year (designed by a different artist in their town of Bend, Ore.)
- Pyramid Breweries’ Snow Cap Ale
- Full Sail Brewing’s Wassail
- Rogue Brewery’s Santa’s Private Reserve
- Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale
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Dan Carter, chef/owner of 5th Street Bakehouse in Reno
LOCAL BREAD BAKERS
RISE TO THE OCCASION.
Photo by Alicia Santistevan
RENO-TAHOE BREAD BAKERS
5th Street Bakehouse
953 W. Fifth St., Reno
775-323-1885
Great Harvest
530 W. Plumb Lane, Reno
775-323-7733, Greatharvest.com
Haven on Earth Bread & Bakery Co.
10855 Double R Blvd., Reno
775-284-4200, Havenonearthbakery.com
House of Bread
1185 California Ave., Reno
775-322-0773, Houseofbread.com
Franz’s Backstube
3882 Mayberry Landing, Reno
775-624-2921, Franzbackstube.com
Josef’s Vienna
933 W. Moana Lane, Reno
775-825-0451, Josefsvienna.com
Sugar Pine Bakery
3564 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Unit G, South Lake Tahoe
530-542-7000
Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet Store
625 W. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
877-367-8246, Tahoe-house.com
Truckee Sourdough Co.
10607 W. River St., No. 2F, Truckee
530-587-3939
Whole Foods Market
6139 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-852-8023, Wholefoodsmarket.com/reno
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Davidson’s Tea supports farmers
and creates delicious recipes.
Written by Jessica Santina
Photos courtesy of Davidson’s Tea
I n 1976, John and Sharon Davidson created a little tea company in the eastern Sierra. Although just a small operation with only about 10 varieties of tea, Davidson’s Tea developed quite a following with its unusual recipes. As the years went by and their popularity grew, the Davidsons kept adding new varieties to their repertoire. Now, 33 years later, the company sells more than 200 different varieties of organic tea, herbs, and spices, and accessories to individuals and businesses around the country. All their products are USDA-certified organic. Even the tea bags are made from organic-approved, biodegradable paper.
In 2007, the Davidsons formed an alliance with a family-run organic tea farm in India, which has one of the country’s largest and oldest tea gardens. While most of the teas come from India through this partnership, domestic products such as chicory, carob, barley, and rose hips are purchased from U.S. farms. The materials, including Rooibos (red tea) from South Africa, rare blends from China, and certain herbs from Egypt (all organic), are sent to Davidson’s Tea’s processing facility in Sparks.
From there the teas are shipped all over the country. But locals appreciate the on-site store where they can buy fresh teas, gifts, and accessories, often at discounted prices.
RESOURCES
Davidson’s Tea Warehouse and Boutique
700 E. Glendale Ave., Sparks
Open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday
(closed the week after Christmas)
Order online at Davidsonstea.com
You also can find Davidson’s Tea at:
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Ice takes shape under Truckee sculptor’s care.
Written by Ann Lindemann
Photo by Court Leve
W ith age-old roots in the world’s chilliest locations, ice sculpture has experienced an exciting revival in recent years. While graceful swans are a perennial buffet table favorite, it’s the non-traditional pieces that are creating the real buzz among a whole new fan base.
Based in Truckee, Calif., Chris Banovich, of Bano’s Iceworks, is a key player in the region’s ice sculpture renaissance. Ranging from an intricately detailed five-foot eagle to a full-sized pool table for an Emeril Lagasse/Robin Williams bash, Banovich’s creations are both elegant and extraordinary. “Shot luges and ice bars have really resurrected the ice business from the traditional decorative pieces,” explains the classically trained chef, adding that raw seafood bars are another new ice sculpture favorite.
Whether it’s for a private holiday party or a large-scale corporate event, Banovich’s intriguing creations seem to elevate the occasion. His toolbox includes a cadre of chisels, chainsaws, hand routers, and nail boards.
Bano’s Iceworks serves Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Prices range from $75 for a centerpiece to more than $550 for an elaborate ice bar. For details, visit Banosiceworks.com.
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RATATOUILLE
from 4th Street Bistro in Reno
½ cup or so of olive oil
2 medium red onions (diced)
2 to 3 red or yellow peppers (diced)
2 pounds small fresh summer squash (diced)
2 pounds small eggplant (diced)
3 plump, fresh garlic cloves, finely minced
2 pounds Roma tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped) or cherry tomatoes (halved)
Fresh thyme, basil, garlic chives, or Italian parsley (chopped)
Sea salt or kosher salt to taste
Red wine vinegar to taste
In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Add the onions and sauté, shaking the pan occasionally, until they are cooked through but still firm. Add some salt and garlic and cook for another minute or so. (Salt will release moisture from the vegetables and prevent the garlic from burning) Toss in some of the herbs and remove to a sheet pan or bowl. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining vegetables. Add tomatoes and quickly warm them over high heat to reduce the liquid, or if using cherry tomatoes add to the vegetable mixture and toss lightly. When all of the veggies have been cooked, taste for salt, and sprinkle with red wine vinegar while still warm. Gently toss all together. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves about 8 to 10.
Delicious as a side dish with fish, chicken, pork, or in pasta.
SUMMER SQUASH SALAD
from 4th St. Bistro in Reno
Small summer squash (shaved thin on a mandoline)
Pecans (toasted and coarsely chopped)
Fresh mint and basil leaves (torn)
Hard cheese (white cheddar, gouda, goat, Parmesan, pecorino) (small dice)
Salt and pepper
Lemon vinaigrette (fresh lemon juice, minced shallot, salt, extra-virgin olive oil)
Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately. If not, the salt will cause water to release from the squash and it will be a soggy mess. You may assemble all ingredients ahead of time and toss with the vinaigrette just before serving. It makes as much as you want to shave.
4th St. Bistro
3065 W. Fourth St., Reno, NV 89523
775-323-3200 www.4thstbistro.com
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