CONSUMED with Jaime Lewis

The Mountain Air owners Josh and Lindsey Haring on camping and cooking

Josh and Lindsey Haring own The Mountain Air, a shop in downtown San Luis Obispo that sells outdoor gear like skis, sleeping bags, and hiking shoes. And because it’s summer, and because Josh and Lindsey have been dear friends of mine for years, I thought we could talk about eating and cooking on the trail or at the campground. Camping and backpacking food and gear has come a long way since I was a kid, and I wanted to share the Harings’ expertise with you, as well as their story. The Mountain Air opened in 1975, so there’s lots to cover. And yes, we talked about radishes, a vegetable that Josh believes shouldn’t be served at Halloween parties. You’ll understand why.

 

Website: themountainair.com

Instagram: @themountainair

Coffee roasting in Oceano with John Quint of Deltina Coffee Roasters

John Quint (who pulls a JFK and also goes by Jack Quint) owns and operates Deltina Coffee Roasters, located in Oceano and, as of this summer, a location near Cal Poly on Taft Street in San Luis Obispo. As a native of Seattle and the nephew of a prominent master roaster, Jack comes by his coffee culture honestly. He started his career as a CPA specializing in international taxation, but when coffee became his true love, he made a plan to start a roastery. Why did he and his wife Jill — yes, Jack and Jill — why did they choose the little coastal town of Oceano to set down roots with their five kids? And why open a new spot? You’ll have to listen to find out. Oh, also, Jack sent me a few pounds of Deltina coffee and I am loving its French-Roasty style.

 

Website: deltinacoffeeroasters.com

Instagram: @deltinacoffee

Teaching Asian cooking with Annie Yu, San Luis Obispo

Annie Yu learned how to cook from her grandmother, who grew up near Canton, China. Her style of cooking included a lot of seafood, rice, and milder spices than Northern Szechuan cuisine. As the first American-born of seven siblings, Annie spent a lot of time in Chinatown in Boston, traveling to the markets with her grandmother. Today, Annie teaches Asian cooking in San Luis Obispo after many years in the world of corporate training. She shared with me her secrets for stir fry, which are fascinating, her dad’s one wish for his kids, and the reason she and her husband decided to move from the East Coast to San Luis Obispo.

 

Instagram: @sloasiancooking

Photo: Jen Olson

 

Chef/owner Rusty Quirk, Linnaea’s Cafe, SLO

Rusty Quirk is a chef and the owner of Linnaea’s Cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo. If you’ve spent any time in SLO since 1984, you probably remember the little cafe with the long walk to a leafy back patio with a koi pond. Linnaea’s is one of a rare breed of small, family-owned businesses in SLO that have retained their original charm for several decades. It’s a cozy, simple place where the focus falls more on fostering relationships and art than on getting esoteric with the coffee. And now with Rusty at the helm, it’s going to have even more delicious pastries, too. She has served as pastry chef at Hotel SLO, Bell’s in Los Alamos and Bar Le Cote in Los Olivos. (By the way, I butchered the pronunciation of that restaurant in our interview, and Rusty was gracious enough not to correct me. Anyway, mea culpa.) Here she talks about her experiences on the line in kitchens from New York to California, her background in graphic design, and how her musician husband is helping to boost the musical offerings at the cafe.

 

Website: linnaeascafe.com

Instagram: @linnaeascafe

Functional nutritional therapy with Stephanie Killen of Sound Body Nutrition, SLO

Stephanie Killen is the Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner behind Sound Body Nutrition in San Luis Obispo, a service that works with women to resolve their health concerns using nutrition, lifestyle guidance and natural therapies. In addition to her training in functional nutritional therapy, she has a unique edge: a culinary school degree. Stephanie became interested in nutritional therapy when she sought help for her own severe hormonal imbalances. With her culinary experience, she was able to tailor a program of nutritional recovery that uses data from extensive lab testing to nourish her clients and restore digestive and hormonal balance. We used my own physical woes and imbalances as jumping-off points for her to share her expertise, which was kind of fun.

 

Website: soundbodynutrition.com

Instagram: @sound_body_nutrition

Vitality Smoothie Recipe

Stephanie recommends this smoothie for all her clients. She says “it’s great for breakfast as it is a balanced meal that promotes regularity, satiety, energy, balanced blood sugar, nourished adrenal glands, and digestion.”

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut water or regular filtered water

3/4 cup unsweetened almond, cashew, or coconut milk

1 scoop Ora Organics vanilla, chocolate, or unflavored protein powder 

1 tablespoon organic hemp or chia seeds 

1 tablespoon organic chia seeds

1/2 avocado

1/2 inch knob peeled ginger

1 tsp camu camu powder 

handful leafy greens

Blitz everything together in a powerful blender. Serve.

Olive oil tasting with Marisa Bloch Gaytan of Pasolivo Olive Oil, Paso Robles

I’ve shared before that a loaf of rustic bread and a bottle of olive oil are pretty much all I need to be happy (oh, and a glass of Prosecco), so imagine my delight when the general manager of Pasolivo Olive Oil, Marisa Bloch Gaytan, came over to chat and taste through their many olive oil varieties. Marisa is a level-2 olive oil sommelier and Pasolivo’s master blender, so she knows a thing or two about liquid gold. We talked about how she transitioned from the wine business to the olive oil business, how she gets the basil olive oil to taste so fresh, and whether she can tell the variety of my olive tree, right outside the window.

 

Website: pasolivo.com

Instagram: @pasolivo

Gardening (and free popcorn) with Miner’s Ace Hardware president Paul Filice, Arroyo Grande

Paul Filice is the president of Miner’s Ace Hardware, a collection of nine “hardware stores” across the Central Coast. I put “hardware stores” in quotes because Miner’s is so much more than a hardware store, though that’s certainly how it began. In addition to all the usual stuff — hardware, tools, paint, etc — Miner’s has a wonderful housewares section featuring Traeger grills, Yeti coolers, Ball canning systems and more that I could spend all day exploring. It also has one of the best nursery departments in the business, which is our top choice for everything from seeds and veggie starts to the avocado tree, satsuma tree, and espalier apple tree in our front yard. It’s a family business: I grew up going to school with Amy Miner, Paul’s wife, so I’ve been able to watch it grow over the years. Listen to Paul tell stories about legendary employee Wally Lewis who retired at the age of 95, the man who drove a Harley directly into the Los Osos Miner’s and continued to shop on it, and about how the community knew COVID was over when the popcorn came back.

 

Website: minersacehardware.com

Instagram: @miners_ace_hardware

Quick pickling with Andrea Wasko and Meaghan Gilbert, Los Osos

Andrea Wasko and Meaghan Gilbert are the people behind the Quick Pickle Kit, which they call “the DIY pickling kit for people on a journey” — I love that. They started the company in 1996 with a couple goals. One, they wanted to give people a healthy and stress-free way to pickle fresh produce. Andrea’s mother was a pickler and would send jars of them to Andrea as a taste of home. And secondly, they wanted to give back to their community. Philanthropy is a massive reason the Quick Pickle Kit exists. Andrea and Meghan employ adults with disabilities and donate a portion of every sale to nonprofits — and they always have. Listen in as they talk about their backgrounds, their inspiration, and their passion for a crunchy pickle.

 

Website: quickpicklekit.com

Instagram: @quickpicklekit

“Nature-positive” winemaking with Matt Trevisan at Linne Calodo Winery, Paso Robles

Matt Trevisan is the winemaker and owner at Linne Calodo Winery in Paso Robles, California. Along with his wife, Maureen, he has built the Willow Creek District-winery into a really special producer of Rhone-varietal blends and Zinfandel wines. And they’ve been at it for 25 years, constantly tweaking their process and pulling at the thread of what kind of winery and business they want to be. Over those years, Matt has been especially interested in pursuing a “nature-positive” model — one that forces farmers and winemakers to live “within the bounds of their land’s natural resources and rely on natural solutions and manual labor rather than chemicals and carbon-burning machines.” That’s actually a quote from Matt himself, and one worth mulling over in depth. Aside from wine, we discussed his obsession with flying, car racing with KCBX DJ Neal Losey, and the concept of “learn by failing.”

Peasant’s Feast and Peasant’s Deli chef/owners Michael and Sarah Cherney, Solvang

I didn’t realize it until just now, but I’ve known Michael and Sarah Cherney for years. Okay, I didn’t know-them know-them, but I definitely enjoyed their hospitality a few times at Sides’ Hardware and Shoes, the charming restaurant in Los Olivos where Michael was chef and Sarah worked front of house. The Cherneys have since started their own business called Peasant’s Feast in an iconic restaurant space in Solvang — a town known more for its aebleskivers and Christmas-all-year-round charm than for its cuisine. With the success of the restaurant, they’ve opened a beautiful second spot called Peasant’s Deli across the walkway. There’s also a fun little secret inside the deli worth exploring, but I’ll let them pique your interest. We talked about Michael’s veggie legs, Sarah’s theater background, and how deferred dreams led them right to the Peasant’s Feast’s door.

Website: peasantsfeast.com / peasantsdeli.com

Instagram: @peasantsfeast / @peasantsdeli

Photo: Bri Burkett