Placer County Gets Real

It was just about this time last year after moving from the bay area to my new home in Auburn, CA., that I received a copy of the Placer County Real Food Cookbook by local authors Joanne Neft and Laura Kenny as a housewarming gift from my realtor. It was the perfect gift to welcome me to the richness of what Placer County has to offer and what makes it so unique and special. I read the book cover to cover (not something I usually do with a cookbook!) and was inspired. I couldn't wait to visit my local farmers market and start cooking! Thanks to Joanne’s efforts over the last 22 years, which includes dressing up in a big red tomato outfit to lure freeway drivers to the market, I now have a number of thriving farmers markets available to me year round. The cookbook is the natural outgrowth of her passion for local “real food” obtained from local farmers. The book is a collection of 52 meals all lovingly prepared with ingredients obtained entirely during Joanne and Laura’s weekly trips to the market, and then enjoyed with friends and family each Monday night throughout a year. The photograph’s, shot mostly by friend and local photographer Keith Sutter, capture the beauty of the food as well as the passion with which it was prepared.

Last night, Deborah and I attended the celebration and premiere viewing of KVIE’s America’s Heartland with Rob Stewart at the historic State Theatre in downtown Auburn, in which Rob visits our local farmer’s market with Joanne and Laura. Prior to viewing the KVIE segment we also had the opportunity to view a short video called “Our Farmers Are Your Neighbors – Preserving Open Space in Placer County”. Both were inspiring and a joy to watch as the audience clapped and cheered each time friends and family made their appearance. It was said last night that Joanne Neft is Placer County’s story teller and she has definitely told it well. I felt she was truly a woman of my own heart when she spoke of her passion for “good healthy local food”,  and then gently reminded us that "we are what we eat”.    

Deb, Joanne Neft, Dawn

Attending the premiere last night was truly a pleasure as well as an honor. It was the first time Deborah and I had met Joanne and we both found her to be warm, welcoming and most of all genuine. We enjoyed wonderful food which was provided by the Foothills Farmer's Market and was prepared by local chef Courtney Mcdonald. We left feeling we had made new friends and very much aware of how blessed we are to be a part of this rich community. 

 

Until next week ...

Love and Blessings,

Dawn

We would love to hear from you about your local farmer’s markets. Do you attend them regularly? What has your experience been?

Below are some links for you as we want to encourage you to attend and support your local farmers and farmers markets. 

  Foothills Farmers Markets

  Nevada County Farmers Markets

  Sonoma County Farmers Markets

  Find A Farmers Market in Your Area 

If you are interested in viewing the America’s Heartland segment, the link below will take you to the program schedule. 

Welcome To Our Blog - A Day in Truckee, California

Deb, Dawn, & Lulu

Dawn Adams (writer/food coach/photographer) and Deborah Jordan (writer/food coach/yoga instructor) have embarked on an exciting journey and we invite you to come along with us as we explore and discover all things related to good food and happy, healthy living! Join us as we visit exciting new restaurants, organic farms, farmer's markets, unique spice and kitchen stores, and all things gluten-free. Two spirit-soul-sisters we are - who love food and l-o-v-e to travel. In addition, we plan to share our experience as we write our first cookbook for those with food sensitivities that reflects the wealth of our combined experience and our mindful, positive approach to eating.

Truckee River

On Tuesday, we headed out on Hwy 49 from Auburn, California, where we live, up to the beautiful historic town of Truckee for our first blogging adventure! It was a stellar day… Lulu (Dawn’s adorable Boston terrier) was in the backseat of Dawn’s bright red Volkswagen beetle with her pink Peace-Love t-shirt on ready to go! With the sunroof open and the sun shining, we began to make a list of the questions we wanted to ask in our first interview. We started the day with a stroll along the Truckee River.  It was slow-going as Lulu had not been there before and was busy sending and receiving what Dawn and her husband lovingly call “pee-mail”. The day was perfect for Dawn’s photography as you can see.

Suzanne Preaseau & Romeo

Our next destination was downtown Truckee for our visit to the Cooking Gallery, one of Deb’s favorite Truckee stops. Owners, brother and sister, Suzanne and Mike Preaseau, were gracious and welcoming. There store was humming with activity from both local and tourist shoppers and yet they happily showed us what was new in the store. Mike and Deb had a stimulating conversation about non-stick cookware while Dawn was busy snapping photos of the store. When you check out our blog next week, we hope you will participate in our discussion about the practical, environmental, and health aspects of various non-stick cookware. We will also share with you Mike and Suzanne’s best selling alternatives as well as their hottest new items.

Sebastian at the Squeeze In

Lunch anyone? We were ravenously hungry by now and had planned to visit Deb’s new favorite restaurant for Dawn’s birthday but instead decided to go to plan “B” so Lulu could eat with us too! Hot days are not good for being alone in the car. We enjoyed lunch outside at the Squeeze In, a whimsical restaurant featured on the Food Network and touted as serving the “Best Omelettes on the Planet.” Our adorable waiter, Sebastian, is featured in one of Dawn’s best photos of the day. We thoroughly enjoyed our salads and they accommodated our gluten-free requests, although they do not market themselves as a gluten-free restaurant. More to come about the Squeeze In in future posts!

We look forward to returning to the area at the beginning of October for the 2nd Annual Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week featuring 60 participating restaurants. So, look forward to our mid-October blog about this event.

Also, coming up in September we will be celebrating the local success of Placer County Real Food Cookbook authors, Joanne Neft and Laura Kenney. We will be attending and blogging about the premiere of KVIE's America's Heartland show on Joanne, her book, and the Auburn Farmer's Market on September 14.

Thanks for reading us. We invite you to join our blog and “like” us on Facebook. Until next week, we say live happy, eat healthy…and as Lulu says: “Peace and Love” to all!