Each year, over Labor Day weekend, food is king at the Sacramento Greek Festival at the Sacramento Convention Center, located at 1400 J Street in Sacramento. This year's festival runs September 3 through 5, with the hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free on Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., otherwise it's $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (55 and over), and children under 12 are free.

The Sacramento Greek Festival features authentic Greek cuisine and pastries, including lamb, dolmathes, pastitsio, spanakopita, mousaka, gyros, kalamari, baklava, loukoumathes, and much more; Greek wines and beer, or for the more daring, Ouzo and Metaxa; Greek folk dancing and live music performed by the band Mythos; a large cultural display that explains the history of Greece
and the customs and tradition of the Greek people; a pantopolion (a marketplace of imported Greek gifts and jewelry); and cooking demonstrations.

On Friday, lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the following combinations are $8.50 each: Combo A: Mousaka with spanakopita and dolma; Combo B: Pastitsio with spanakopita and dolma; Combo C: Shrimp santorini with rice and beans; Combo D: Vegetarian with rice, dolma, spanakopita, tiropita and fasolakia.

For more information about the Sacramento Greek Festival, click here.

by Juliet Farmer

If you're headed to Lake Tahoe over the Labor Day weekend, be sure to enjoy the first-ever Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week while you're there. Thirty participating restaurants are offering three-course prix- fixe menus - all at exceptional values - as part of the seven-day celebration, September 5 through 12. (Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week attendees also save on lodging, up to 35 percent off, simply by booking at participating properties).

No passes, tickets or coupons are necessary -- simply visit one of the many participating eateries, historic bistros or charming resorts, and enjoy a three-course, prix-fixe menu (prices are set at $20, $30 or $40 per person, tax and gratuity not included, and price depends on the restaurant). Reservations are recommended.

Lake Tahoe chefs won't disappoint, with many employing local, seasonal and organic ingredients for the freshest of dishes. In South Lake Tahoe, 19 Kitchen & Bar has lobster corn chowder and beef medallions fromage, with Fresh Ketch providing a stuffed halibut with shrimp, lobster, scallops, Brie, dill and lemon beurre blanc. For authentic Mexican, Latin Soul has lamb steak with goat cheese crust and caramel flan with seasonal berries. And don't miss the maple leaf duck breast at Edgewood Restaurant, which is served with an apple ginger sauce and sweet potato gnocchi.

North Lake Tahoe restaurants are also pulling out all the stops. Cottonwood Restaurant is offering a pine nut crusted Asian Basa with a tomato and dill beurre blanc and roasted autumn vegetables. River Grill has green chard raviolis with Sonoma goat cheese and portabella mushrooms. And Six Peaks Grille is providing a pan seared Bristol Bay salmon (with $2 of every $30
three-course dinner going to the Tahoe Forest Cancer Center). Right on the lake, Lone Eagle Grille has a mesquite grilled New York steak over watercress and red cabbage salad.

To learn more about Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week, or plan where you're going to eat and check out each participating dining establishment's downloadable prix-fixe menu, click here.

by Juliet Farmer

For those (like me!) who were saddened to see Andiamo restaurant on Folsom Boulevard shut its doors for good, there's finally a reason to celebrate. Good Eats Grocer, Inc., a local start up enterprise based in Sacramento, has officially opened Good Eats Kitchen Bar & Grille today, August 23.

Michael Ashker, Co-Founder and CEO of Good Eats, has described the new shop/restaurant as "a distinctive wine bar and shop where customers can find their favorite selections, make new wine discoveries and enjoy wine tasting events."

Good Eats Kitchen also features fresh local ingredients, unique foods from around the world, a variety of ready-to-go meals, a selection of the freshest produce, a wide array of cheeses, butchered meats, and seafood, a wine shop, fresh baked goods, fresh cut flowers, and a selection of quality ingredients for cooking at home. Good Eats Kitchen's dine in/take out seasonal menu features an ever-changing variety of freshly prepared hot and cold items.

Better yet, the company supports local growers and sustainable practices, as well as strives to provide the highest quality, freshest and best tasting products available. They focus on a broad assortment of product choices, but a select number of items within each category, which they say will "simplify [the] customers' shopping experience by offering the best quality and value options available at every turn."

Hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays, Good Eats Kitchen is located at 3145 Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento. For more information, call 916-737-5272 or click here.

by Juliet Farmer

With Gourmet Meals For Pick-Up or Delivery

Prepared by On-Site Culinary Team, Nutritious Meals are Deliciously Convenient

After launching a number of exciting new Wellness Programs earlier this year, Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa now offers nutritious and delicious pre-packaged meals  for pick-up or delivery*.  The freshly-made meals are nutrient-dense and prepared on-site with all natural ingredients.  Nearly 40 meals are available as part of this elevated focus on nutrition which include breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert options that range in price from $6.00 (breakfast or dessert), $8.00 (lunch) to $12.00 (dinner).

With tasty choices such as Spinach and Red Pepper Frittata, Cilantro Lime Chicken Sandwich, Pistachio Halibut or even a Seasonal Fruit Galette for dessert, the meal choices change monthly and are freshly prepared daily at the resort by the top-notch culinary team.  The new gourmet meals are packed with nutritious ingredients, can be customized to fit special dietary needs and do not exceed 700 calories for the most hearty dinner entrees.   Designed to help individuals or families achieve their weight loss or nutrition goals, the meals can be ordered individually or as part of a personalized Professional Plan program developed by the on-site nutritionist.   Special quantity discounts apply when food orders are placed one week, two weeks or a month at a time.

“Food is powerful.  Along with fitness, proper nutrition is key to living a healthy lifestyle,” said Lisa Taylor, Nutritionist at Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa.  “These convenient new meals not only ensure proper portion control, but are a critical step to increasing overall wellness.  We encourage individuals and families to try the new meal plans for a week and begin to create healthy new eating habits to last a lifetime.”

All Wellness Programs and meal plan offerings are open to resort guests and members alike.   To order or find out more detailed information about the new pre-packaged meal plan options, visit www.ardenhills-wellness.com or call 916-482-6111 to speak with the concierge.  Meals must be ordered in advance and menu options are subject to change on a monthly basis.

*Delivery fees apply as follows:  $5 to homes in the Sacramento/Carmichael area; $10 to homes in outlying areas; $7 to offices in the Sacramento/Carmichael area; $12 to offices in outlying areas.

Wednesday, September 1, at 6:30 p.m. at Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar in Loehmann’s Plaza, get the chance to learn about salmon and wine, participate in a blind salmon tasting, and learn all about what it takes to get salmon from water to plate.

Attendees will taste three different types of salmon (a 1 oz. piece of each: Pacific King, Sockeye and Loch Duart Scottish Salmon) in a blind tasting. Each participant will write what they think each salmon is on a comment card for discussion. The wines will be provided by Francis Ford Coppola Presents, LLC. Jack Marx, the winery’s District Manager of Northern California, will also be on hand to talk about each wine as it relates to the salmon it is paired with.

The blind tasting answers will be revealed, and Scott’s Seafood owner Alan Irvine and Scott’s Executive Chef Ashley Eilers will talk about the different types of salmon, the history of salmon and fisheries, spawning, Marine Stewardship Council Certification, sustainability and processing.

The cost for Scott’s Seafood Salmon Tasting and Wine pairing is $10 per person, reservations are required, and space is limited. For more information or to reserve a space, call 916-489-1822. Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar in Loehmann’s Plaza is located at 545 Munroe Street in Sacramento.

Henry's Farmers Market, a full-service neighborhood grocery store featuring affordable prices, great value and good old-fashioned service, opens tomorrow at 8 a.m. in Elk Grove at 8211 Laguna Blvd. (a former Circuit City location). This is the first Henry's to open in northern California. (During the grand opening tomorrow morning, the first 200 guests will receive a pre-packed bag full of groceries.)

Henry's sells natural beef, pork, lamb and poultry; ocean-fresh fish and seafood; farm-fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables; bulk bin items such as grains, rice and pasta; deli meats and cheeses, fresh salads, and rotisserie chicken; and a large selection of natural and organic vitamins and body care items.

Henry's is owned by Southern California-based Smart & Final but is operated independently in most regards. Henry's Farmers Market established its roots in 1943 as a family-owned business selling truckloads of fresh, local peaches on a street corner in San Diego under the name Boney's. Since then, Henry's has opened stores throughout California and has made a name for itself by offering that same old-fashioned shopping experience reminiscent of produce stands and neighborhood butcher shops of the 1940s and 1950s.

For more information about Henry's Farmers Market, call 1-877-7HENRYS, or click here.

by Juliet Farmer

Great Chefs, a gourmet celebration to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento, is Saturday, August 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza, 300 J Street in Sacramento, just off the I-5 freeway.

This 9th annual event, sponsored by California Family Fitness, features head chefs from some of the area's finest restaurants, wineries and breweries, who will be pairing foods and beverages for a fun-filled, one-of-a-kind evening. In addition, the evening includes a silent auction and dancing, as well as delicious desserts. Featured restaurants include Aioli Bodega Espanol, Bake Sense Inc., Just 4 U Catering, Event Architects, California Capitol Chefs Association, Sacramento Cookie Factory and River City Brewing Company.

Last year's Great Chefs event drew over 400 people, and even more are expected this year. Pre-sale tickets to Great Chefs are available now for $50 per person, or purchase a 6-pack for $260. Tickets will be $65 at the door on the night of the event. To purchase tickets now, click here.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is the oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization in the United States, and has been the leader in one-to-one youth service for
more than a century, developing positive relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young people. Big Brothers Big Sisters Sacramento serves children, ages 7 through 15, in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, and San Joaquin Counties.

by Juliet Farmer

In celebration of National Peach Month, otherwise known as August, here are some local recommendations (and one that's a short drive), any of which is sure to fulfill your peach-y dreams.

Ella Dining Room and Bar, 1131 K Street in Sacramento My husband and I were just there last week, and we shared the most amazing pork chop with a perfectly balanced yet sweet peach sauce and fresh peach sliced on top. It was delicious!

Yogurtagogo, 19th and L Streets in Sacramento Among Yogurtagogo's special flavors for August is Peaches & Cream, a nondairy frozen yogurt.

Gunther's Ice Cream, 2801 Franklin Blvd. in Sacramento Peach ice cream. 'Nuff said.

Ikedas, 13500 Lincoln Way in Auburn On the way to Tahoe recently, we stooped at Ikedas for burgers. While I highly recommend the turkey burger, my husband and I also loved the fresh peach milkshakes they were serving up.

If you want to stay in your kitchen and still enjoy peaches, here's a trick I have been loving: try a Diestel turkey, basil, Dijon mustard and peach sandwich. It's the perfect blend and sweet, salty and savory!

Or, for a different take on dessert, put sliced peaches and mozzarella cheese on pizza crust, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, bake and enjoy.

by Juliet Farmer

August 14 and 15, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Sacramento Buddhist Church at 2401 Riverside Blvd. in Sacramento is hosting the 64th Annual Japanese Food & Cultural Bazaar, a tradition that started in 1947 as a way for church members and the local Sacramento Japanese and Japanese-American community to share food, memories and friendships. Today, the Bazaar includes Japanese exhibits and demonstrations, such as flower arranging (Ikebana), classical dancing (Odori), tea ceremony, concerts, Taiko Drum Clubs, and many other cultural activities.

An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people are expected to attend this event, where one and a half tons of rice, 10,000 + pounds of chicken teriyaki, 400 pounds of shrimp, 1,500 pounds of beef, 500 pounds of noodles, 150 gallons of soy sauce, 500 pounds of sugar and 100 pounds of salt, 6 tons of ice, and 2,000 pounds of charcoal will be used to feed the crowd numerous Japanese dishes.

This two-day event is supported by volunteers from ages 7 through 90 contributing countless hours throughout the year to share the festival with the Sacramento community. Proceeds from the Japanese Food and Cultural Bazaar support the Sacramento Buddhist Church and its affiliated organizations such as youth sports programs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, youth groups, adult and senior groups, the Japanese language school and many other church activities within the community.

For more information, call 916-446-0121.

by Juliet Farmer