Thanks for your support in voting for us! We won the ‘Best Raw Bulk’ in City Weekly’s Best of Utah!
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-10917-best-of-utah-2010-food-drink.html?current_page=4#BestRawBulk
.
.
From a friend of Cali’s! Enjoy this blog!
http://www.kombuchachic.com/?p=178
.
Here are some of the reviews of Cali’s Natural Foods!
Chef Ian Brandt and Cali’s Natural Foods featured in Utah Bride and Groom Magazine
Utah Bride & Groom’s guide to planning an eco-friendly, socially conscious wedding.
By Tessa Woolf
Catering
Serve organic, locally grown foods. Check out your local farmer’s market to see what organic foods are in season.
Consider a vegetarian, vegan or even raw food menu from a local caterer who specializes in these foods.
Ask your caterer if they use free-range chicken and naturally raised beef, if you choose to serve a meat dish.
Choose organic beverages from local sources. For nonalcoholic options, try Howie’s Premium Root Beer, bottled in Orem, or a selection of natural juices and sodas from Liberty Heights Fresh. For alcoholic options, try Squatters Brewery’s Organic Amber Ale, or the selection of red and white wines from the Castle Creek Winery at the Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab.
Serve organic, fair-trade coffee and tea from The Salt Lake Roasting Company or hot cocoa from Farmington-based Stephen’s Gourmet Cocoa. Serve with organic sugar, locally grown honey like that from Logan’s Cox Honeyland, and milk and cream from Utah’s Winder Farms.
Collect and recycle cups, bottles and cans from your rehearsal dinner, reception and farewell brunch.
Don’t just trash leftover food: Work with your caterer to package up leftovers and drop them off at a food bank or local shelter.
Choose an organic wedding cake. Ask your baker to use organic ingredients like sugar, flour, butter and eggs. Ask about organic fondant and sugar for décor elements like fondant ribbons and sugar flowers. A vegan cake is also an option, like this chocolate raspberry cake by Ian Brandt.
Expert tips
Ian Brandt, chef and owner of Cali’s Natural Foods, Vertical Diner and Sage’s Café in Salt Lake City (sagescafe.com), dishes out tips for an eco-friendly menu:
Consider the season when selecting local foods. Depending on the time of year, some foods will be more readily available, making them fresher and better tasting, as well as less expensive. “The most harvestable time of year for foods in Utah is late summer and fall,” says Brandt. “There are a lot of fruits and vegetables available.”
Don’t be afraid to try something new. If you want to incorporate vegan or raw foods into your menu, but not as your main entrée, serve them as appetizers. Brandt suggests popular appetizers made with vegan and organic ingredients
like foie grais (made with mushrooms), cashew paté-stuffed crimini mushrooms or tofu quiche made with sun-dried tomatoes and portabello mushrooms.
Serve a vegan wedding cake. Like traditional cakes, vegan cakes can be made in different shapes and sizes, including round and square cakes, and three, four or more tiers. Brandt favors vegan chocolate and carrot cakes.
Complement your cake with an organic dessert buffet. Brandt recommends mini tarts and fruit tortes, teacakes, brownies and small Phyllo dough pastries, all made with vegan ingredients, including his specialty, Kahuna Confections, made with coconut, dates, cashews and pineapple.
See article here:
http://www.utahbrideandgroom.com/Utah-Bride-and-Groom-Magazine/Spring-2009/Weddings-with-a-cause/index.php?cparticle=3&siarticle=2#artanc
If you are interested in having Cali’s Natural Foods cater your special event please contact Ian Brandt at (801) 259-3106 or info@sagescafe.com
And from http://lya-w.blogspot.com/2010/01/bring-on-beans.html
What better way to combat these long, cold days with a nice pot of soup or chili simmering away on the stove? In other words, now is a great time to experiment with beans, lentils and the like. Both are nutritious and make for some great economical one-pot dishes. They’re also a good way to try some new flavors by using Indian spices and so forth.
Recently I checked out Cali’s Natural Foods (389 W. 1700 S.) and they carry a variety of organic beans and lentils you can buy in bulk. It’s a new place and they are just getting started, but they are great people and are eager to offer low-cost organic foods at competitive prices.