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Business & Tech

Pop Up Breakfast "Local FATT" & Santa Cruz Farmers Market

Fennel-Molasses sausage, Harley Farms chevre, local salmon and Salty-Caramel Sticky Buns with house-made raw honey butter will be on the menu at our Pop-up breakfast with Local FATT and the Westside Farmers’ Market.

SCCFM Director Nesh Dhillon with Foodshed Project Director Nicki Zahm

We are in the thick of food event season. Warm weather, bursting produce and abundant al fresco dining options make summer and fall here on Monterey Bay prime time for special food parties. Even right here in the Edible sphere, we have mentioned countless opportunities to partake. But generally speaking, the majority of those revolve around dinner. What ever happened to breakfast?

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Well, that is what Nesh Dhillon, Director of the Santa Cruz Community Farmers Markets, is wondering.

“Everybody loves breakfast, right?” he asks. He’s putting that question to the test on Saturday August 25th at 10am, when the Westside Farmer’s Market is teaming up with Kevin Koebel of Local FATT and a bevy of Westside market vendors to bring us the first of  hopefully many pop-up breakfasts. “It’s an idea I’ve had for quite a few years, wanting to do an ongoing event surrounding breakfast. Everyone does dinner, but no one does breakfast.”

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So when Edible Monterey Bay approached him with the opportunity to partner in some kind of pop-up event, he thought it would be the perfect chance to put the idea into action. However, just putting together a meal for people isn’t the goal. 

“Education needs to be a counterpoint to these events, to take it to another level,” Dhillon adds, because when you really think about it, just wining and dining and enjoying our local goods is great, but what does that really achieve?

That’s where Chef Koebel comes in. His organization, Local FATT (Food Awareness Through Teaching), aims to bring together food professionals, consumers and farmers through community-based networks. He seeks to create “Full Circle Food Systems” that are educational and collaborative while promoting environmental and consumer health and sustainability. “He really inspires people to think about what they’re doing around food,” Dhillon says.

Local FATT's Chef Kevin Koebel

The rest of the team contributing to this grand breakfast are the producers themselves, the majority of which participate in the Saturday morning Westside Farmers Market each week. Integral to the meal will be Roland Konicke (of Uncie Ro’s Pizza) and his new pizza oven, which will be a focal point for the space and will be used to cook much of the menu. Konicke is not only volunteering his valuable oven, but will also tend it with care throughout the event.

Produce will be provided by Live Earth Farm, Twin Girl, New Natives, Happy Boy, Route 1 and Everett Family Farms. Eggs will come from Fiesta Farms, flour from Pie Ranch, coffee from Lulu’s and cream, (for making butter!) from Clarevale Dairy.

Without giving too much away—Dhillon says there are some surprises in the mix—the menu will include incredibly tempting examples of local culinary collaboration: Salty-Caramel Sticky Buns with house-made raw honey butter, created in part by Companion Bakeshop; House Ground Fennel-Molasses Sausage with a little bit of El Salchichero’s magic behind it; pizza topped with the fennel sausage, Harley Farms chevre and wilted greens, then wood fire-baked and served with scrambled eggs. Local salmon, bacon, more eggs and seasonal fruit will also share the limelight. A breakfast not to be missed.

Where: At long tables set up especially for the event at the Saturday Westside Santa Cruz Farmers Market; diners are requested to bring their own plate and cutlery.  The market is at 2801 Mission St. at Western Drive.

When: Saturday Aug. 25 at 10am

Details: Tickets are $25, including tax, tip and some surprise menu additions! Seating is limited; purchase your tickets now by clicking on the PayPal button below.

For more information, call 831-454-0566 or email info@ediblemontereybay.com.

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