By Johnathan L. Wright, Reno Gazette-Journal

It all started 25 years ago in a campground in Tahoe City. A small group of food and wine enthusiasts had gathered in a tent to sample the objects of their affection. They shivered as it began to snow.

Cut to 2010. The tent is long gone. The Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, which ran from Sept. 10 through 12, now sprawls across the Village at Northstar and, this year for the first time, up Northstar Mountain to the new Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe.

Add in the inaugural Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week, with places offering $20, $30 and $40 prix fixe menus through Sept. 12, and the result was a mix that drew locals while giving visitors a reason to come to Tahoe beyond Labor Day, the traditional end of the summer season.

“Fall is our third season in Tahoe, and we think this helps anchor the season,” said Judy Laverty, the festival’s director, who was one of the original shivering few in the tent a quarter century ago.

Read the whole story

By Kristi Buffo

When 37-year-old Dwayne Joyner was diagnosed with kidney cancer, his wife asked him what his biggest regret would be should he not survive, besides—of course, missing her and his two young children.

“He said he had always wanted to enter a barbecue competition and, ultimately, open a catering business… and that’s how we came to create the Bucket of Nuts barbecue team,” says John Cain, Joyner’s brother-in-law. During the first weekend of October, Bucket of Nuts will join several dozen teams slated to compete in the Smokin’ for Gold KCBS sanctioned BBQ Cook-off at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds.

Dwayne Joyner

The competition on Oct. 2 is a part of the three-day Gateway to the Sierra Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Expo.

Cain admits that at first the competitions had a bitter-sweet undertone for the team, but recently Joyner had an MRI showing that he’s cancer free.

“The first time we presented our chicken the skin slid right off and slapped the judge right in the nose. Of course that was the end of that competition,” Cain said. One of the key judging points for barbecued chicken is to present “bite through skin.” Cain thinks he and Joyner have finally figured out what that means and how to do it — but it’s a secret.

In addition to chicken, teams will compete for prize money in a variety of categories, and one team will receive the grand trophy.

Think you might have what it takes to compete? Visit the Fair’s website for details about the Smokin for the Gold competition or the Fun BBQ cook-off (amateurs invited), which will be Oct. 3. Tastings will be available following both competitions, $10 for five tastes.

By USA Today

Time flies when you’re running one of the world’s most profitable grocery chains. Whole Foods, the organic and natural foods supermarket trendsetter, turns 30 today.

The relatively tiny chain, which has 300 units in 38 states, has had a cultural impact more akin to that of Starbucks, which has more than 11,000 U.S. locations.

Yet, last year, in one of its most challenging years ever, Whole Foods still posted sales of $8 billion.

USA Today marketing reporter Bruce Horovitz talks with co-founder, cosmic thinker and conservative hippie John Mackey, 57. The interview is edited for length and clarity.

Read the whole story

By James J. Gormley, All Voices

Do you grow heirloom tomatoes you sell on your own property or at a local farmer’s market? If so, you will be in for a whopper of a surprise if Senator Durbin’s Senate Bill 510 (S.B. 510) passes: you may be receiving a visit from inspectors.

Products not grown according to designated standards will be considered adulterated and your business records will be subject to warrantless searches by inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all this without any evidence that you have violated any law.

Wonder why the National Guard or Federal agents have effectively imposed martial law by quarantining your town? Under S.B. 510’s House counterpart bill, H.R. 2749 (Section 133b, “Authority to Prohibit or Restrict the Movement of Food”), sponsored by Congressman Dingell, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will have the power to prohibit all movement of all food within a geographic area, whether the food is in your grandmother’s grocery bag in her Toyota Hybrid or on a flatbed. No court order will be needed, just a phone call to the appropriate state official and a public announcement will be sufficient.

Read the whole story

Watch a video about the subject.

Half of consumers say they would like more practical tips to eat right and are interested in a personal nutrition consultation. Thanks to Moderation Nation, a program sponsored by the American Dietetic Association and the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, Lake Tahoe residents looking to improve their health can receive two hours of free nutrition counseling with Amber Wilson, registered dietitian and founder of NewLife Nutrition.

Moderation Nation is a consumer awareness campaign designed to help people achieve a sustainable healthier lifestyle through balance and moderation. The program emphasizes the importance of registered dietitians as a critical resource for diet and health and who are specialists in teaching consumers to enjoy all food in moderation as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Amber Wilson

As part of the promotion of Moderation Nation, consumers may download a certificate for a complimentary initial consultation with a registered dietitian to get more consumers to see registered dietitians and benefit from the knowledge and insight they provide.

Wilson will provide two additional complimentary follow-up nutrition consultations for individuals with a Moderation Nation certificate.

Additionally, Wilson will donate $25 to local health-related charities for each person who follows through with a complimentary consultation.

For more information or to set up a complimentary consultation with Wilson, contact her at a.wilson@new-life-nutrition.com.

When Rick Lattin of Lattin Farms in Fallon planted his corn maze last May, he didn’t know it would draw the attention of the White House.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan visited Nevada earlier this month and was so delighted with the theme of the Lattin Farms maze, Know Your Farmer Know Your Food, that she posted a picture of it to the White House Blog.

The maze is carved out of 3 acres of corn, with a design that features produce, dairy and other farm products. The theme was inspired by the USDA Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative to better connect consumers with local producers.

This is the 12th year for the maze which has a different design cut into the corn each year.

“We love this new USDA campaign,” farmer Rick Lattin said in a press release. “We used it for our maze because it’s the perfect way to educate people while they’re having fun. We have a trail quiz inside the maze with questions about Nevada agriculture.”

Lattin is founder of NevadaGrown, a nonprofit association that promotes Nevada farmers.

Greetings from the Food Service Department!

Just a quick note to let all of you know that I have purchased some pesticide free and wax free Gala apples and pesticide free petite red seedless grapes from Mt. Moriah Farms in Lodi. The grapes were just picked Sept. 13 at this family run farm.

Farm to school … pretty great.

The items were being delivered to the cafeteria sites Tuesday morning. This fruit will be offered over the next several days with cafeteria lunches.

Please encourage your students to try this delicious fruit.

Thanks for your continued support of our department.

Shelley Giannotta, Lake Tahoe Unified School District

On Sept. 25 at 2pm share in locally-raised, seasonal foods as Moody’s Bistro Executive Chef Mark Estee and Chef de Cuisine Guy Frenette roast a Berkshire hog raised in pasture at the small, sustainable Shaw Family Farms in Truckee during Roast on the Range.

· Proceeds from this event will benefit Girls on the Run – Sierra, a life-changing, nonprofit prevention program for girls in grades 3-8. Their mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.

· Tickets are $100/person, and include a dinner prepared by Estee and Frenette, wine, live music, and tours of this local farm. A free butcher demonstration will be that Saturday from 9-10:30am on the back patio of Moody’s Bistro.

· For tickets, email jbossin@gmail.com or call (530) 587.1690

· Roast on the Range witll take place at the Shaw Family Farms, located at 12654 Samuel Drive in Truckee. The butcher demonstration will take place at Moody’s Bistro, 10007 Bridge St. in Truckee.

In partnership with Sierra College, Dragonfly sushi chef Kris Phaivanh and chef and owner Billy McCullough will present a sushi making class at the Truckee restaurant on Sept. 18 from noon to 2pm.

Veteran sushi chef Phaivanh will lead the class, sharing his knowledge on the intricacies of sushi and sashimi creation. He will demonstrate traditional shaping and cutting methods, as well as providing modern twists on making sushi.

A strong supporter of the Slow Food movement, McCullough will discuss the importance of utilizing sustainable fish in the creation of sushi.

Cost is $32 for the class plus $25 for the materials. The maximum number of people allowed is 25.

Dragonfly Restaurant and Sushi Bar is located upstairs at 10118 Donner Pass Road, Truckee — (530) 587.0557.

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe presents the inaugural Beer Dinner at the Cutthroat’s Saloon on Oct. 1.

There will be a five-course menu created by Chefs Chris Moore and Justin Kaufman paired with select beers from Samuel Adams.

The event begins at 6pm with a reception featuring Sam Adams Light to welcome guests to the Western-inspired bar.

Tickets are $59 per person. Reservations may be made by contacting David Hamer at (775) 886.6730 or david.hamer@hyatt.com.