Christina Waters

That would be Katherine Stern, who’s busy transforming the season into edible orgies of flavor, texture and delight.

Last night we sampled an outstanding entree of roast halibut, toasted farro and roasted leeks sauced with a pistachio pesto.

A great pasta dish and the never-better antipasti plate of mixed salumi (shown below) took us a long way to enlightenment.

Dessert involved More…

Yes there is a new chef, and a new name over at the Bonny Doon Tasting Room. Le Cigare Volant’s the name, and Ryan Shelton—formerly of the Michelin two-star restaurant Baumé in Palo Alto—is the chef.

Our initial dinner last week gave us plenty to smile about. The food is deeply flavorful, i.e. not tricky or overwrought. The ingredients impeccable, and yes, the presentation was both attractive and uncluttered.

Here are some observations. We began with a small plate of house-cured boquerones ($5) fresh from the Monterey Bay. And they were outstanding, neither “fishy,” nor aggressively seasoned. Actually delicate. Great with glasses of Le Cigare Volant Blanc and the 2008 Nebbiolo.

Next we shared what I predict will be the destination starter at the new Le Cigare Volant—an order of the evening’s flatbread creation, topped with spinach, earthy hen of the woods mushrooms and fresh lemon basil sprigs ($14). More…

If you’re intrigued by the healing properties of medicinal herbs, don’t miss this workshop by herbalist Darren Huckle, founder of Roots of Wellness, this Sunday April 1 from 10am - 1pm.

The workshop will focus on cultivating and using herbs for teas and salves that can help alleviate a range of physical ailments. The cost is $30 for the general public, $20 for Friends of the Farm & Garden, $5 for UCSC students.

For details call 831.459-3240 or email casfs@ucsc.edu.

Maybe it’s just me, but it’s going to take more than three bright green patio umbrellas and a glut of signage to convince me that Mex-Italian cuisine is a sound idea.

When a restaurant, for all the good will in the world, is consistently empty….it might occur to the management that “it’s the concept, stupid.”

Cupcake freaks (you know who you are) will want to check out the luscious array of cupcakes on offer at Starz‘ new outlet. It’s inside the Yogizmo located at 1717 Mission Street (next to Avanti).

Imagine getting to wrap your mouth around cupcakes, made-from-scratch, totally decadent —even the non-sugar ones, and the gluten-free ones. Here’s the “Elvis” - a sweet, creamy tribute to bananas and butter.

Yes we all know that the world is scheduled to bite the dust on the 21st of December, 2012 (according to those playful Maya astronomers).

Better sit down for this one.

Combining the edgy visuals of comic cult legend Charles Burns and the micro-brews of Seattle’s Elysian Brewing Company, a series of twelve beers will be released on the 21st of each month in 2012 featuring the uneasy label artwork of Burns and the well, unusual herbs, spices and rare yeasts used by the Elysian brewmasters.

January will bring the release of Nibiru, named for the mystery planet beloved of conspiricists the world over. See for yourself.

A spectacular presentation of pan-roasted black cod utterly festooned with spun daikon, carrots and cucumbers, and sauced with soy, mirin, sake and mustard. The secret weapon was home-grown red chiles and cilantro, plus caramelized garlic and shallots.

Where did I dine?  At the home of Steve Spill, a home chef willing to tackle just about anything.

Here’s a vintage portrait of the highly independent woman whose fruitcake recipe I used, with much variation, in my own recent effort.

According to her niece, Lisa Jensen, this portrait of Anna Augusta Kirstine Jensen was taken in 1920 or 1921, “when Chris would be 18 or 19 years old.”

Her fruitcake heyday happened much later, when she retired to Hermosa Beach, California.

Thanks Aunt Chris!

This was how the Magdalene must have felt, anointing the body with precious spices and elixirs, carefully wrapping it in clean linens before placing it in the cool dark place where it would wait—preserved and guarded—until its ultimate appointment with destiny.

As I watched my fruitcakes slowly cooling on their racks, the mythic significance suddenly hit me. Since the dawn of time, women’s hands had carefully wrapped such precious bodies—in some cases a dead loved one, in others a symbolic cake—the bearer of costly ingredients, memories and hopes for the future.

All such creations were intended to undergo a transformation. To wait until the moment when they would grace the center of the ceremonial table. I considered how many hearths, through how many centuries, had witnessed this preparation.

Mixing the ingredients of two bowls (there was just too much to manage in a single bowl) laden with chopped figs, More…

David Kinch - guru-in-charge of Manresa.

Read the GQ piece here.

Kudos David!