Right in the heart and commotion of the Midtown bar scene, a calming, peaceful urban sanctuary for the body, soul and spirit serves Mayan spice chocolate French toast with a side of Tibetan bowl sound therapy, or perhaps a cocoa butter massage, to people seeking nourishment and relaxation. This multi-faceted center of well-being, Ancient Future, is located at 2331 K St. and opened its doors and its arms to the public on July 1. “It’s been rewarding seeing the vision come alive and watching people in the space being able to take a nice deep breath and enjoy themselves and one another,” owner Teresa Flint said. “I really want this space to be a gathering place for the community.” Ancient F

Chocolate frosted. Glazed old-fashioned. Powdered jelly. Maple iced. Just naming doughnut flavors triggers thoughts of warm, comforting, yeasty smells. Doughnuts are well-known as “one of the best comfort foods around,” according to the Perishables Group, a food consulting firm. The executive chef for Dunkin’ Donuts says a doughnut “puts you in a calm place, if even for a short time.” Clearly, the humble doughnut warrants further attention, and I made it my mission to discover the best doughnut shops in Sacramento. Sacramento has many doughnut shops, so I needed to narrow the field. I explored multiple websites for their “best doughnut” listings and I consulted friends and family. From

The holidays are a time for family gatherings, but let’s face it – sometimes dealing with Awkward Uncle Andrew is best done with something sweet in-hand. The Sacramento Press talked to local bloggers and pastry chefs about their favorite holiday desserts and compiled the following recipes. Ginger Elizabeth Fudge Brownies – Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates “It’s one of the first recipes I learned to make in restaurants when I was younger, and throughout all the different bakeries and schools and everywhere I’ve been, it’s still my favorite brownie recipe,” said Ginger Elizabeth, owner of the Midtown chocolate shop. “I think it’s the perfect blend of cakiness and fudginess.” The following r

Whether you are hunting for speckled eggs or spending time with loved ones, don’t forget to stop by local eateries for their special Easter desserts this weekend. Get ready for the cuteness overload. Freeport Bakery 2966 Freeport Blvd. Freeport Bakery has a beautiful display of Easter decorations and a variety of creative and beautiful cookies, cupcakes and large cakes. You can purchase bunny, duck or Easter egg cookies in a bag, box, on a tray or by the piece. You can also purchase rich chocolate or golden buttermilk cupcakes, topped with buttercream or chocolate frosting and Easter decorations.  Each cupcake is $2.95. There are a variety of cakes available on their Easter menu, i

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been celebrated with a simple dinner for two. Couples exchange cards professing their appreciation for one another, gift the usual candy and jewelery and call it a day. As Valentine’s Day draws closer, many people are looking to celebrate that special day in a more memorable way. Sacramento has a number of exciting events and specials to choose from on Valentine’s Day and the weekend prior. While many make reservations at their favorite restaurants, why not book a Valentine’s Day Lovers’ Cruise, provided by Hornblower Cruises, for a change? “Sacramento’s Cupid’s Valentine’s Weekend Brunch Cruise,” on Sunday, is a two-hour cruise departing from the L-S

Local chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth shared the farm-to-storefront process of making chocolate Sunday as a part of Time Tested Books’ Living Library series, at Time Tested Books, co-sponsored by Midtown Monthly. “Chocolate is my life, and my mission is to educate the Sacramento region about chocolate,” Elizabeth said. And educate she did. According to Elizabeth, all the chocolate we consume comes from the cacao tree. The farmer grows the cacao tree, which has football-like cacao pod blossoms that grow from its trunk. Each pod yields about 40 beans, Elizabeth said. When it’s time to harvest the beans, they are fermented. Without this process of fermentation, the beans wouldn’t taste like

Marni Rubin took her guests on a journey through the tastes, textures and pairings of specialty cheeses, chocolates, ports and dessert wines Saturday. C’est le Cheese owner Jody Lagorio and her husband, Dan Hague, hosted the event at the Lofts on L street. Rubin is a wine educator by trade, teaching class through Wine One One, but she said this class is her favorite to teach, especially around the holidays. She is self educated and she is also a certified wine specialist by the Society of Wine Educators. Before teaching she worked as sommelier. “I enjoy bringing people together to enjoy and share food and elevate their knowledge of all aspects of food,” Lagorio said. The guests are gree

In the hot Sacramento summer, knowing how to make ice cream may come in handy when trying to cool off. Thankfully, that’s exactly what was on the agenda for Ginger Elizabeth Hahn’s summer class last Saturday. Thirty-five students gathered at Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates — Hahn’s boutique — which offers classes for $35 per person. The class was located at the 1818 L St. Lofts penthouse kitchen across the street. Hahn, a chocolatier, taught two sold-out classes that day. She first told the class of her training, which includes the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She has worked with world-renowned chocolatiers such as Jacques Torres and pastry chef En-Ming Hsu and had the chance

Chocolate lovers gathered for their sugar high Saturday morning for a course in cupcake creation hosted by Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates. The class was taught by owner and world-renowned chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth Hahn. Students meet in front of the L Street retail store and filed across the street to a penthouse kitchen classroom in the 1818 L Lofts. Getting a spot in the class was highly competitive. Within 24 hours of the class' announcement, Hahn said the 35 seats were filled. A second afternoon class was added to accommodate wait-listed students and was filled within hours. In the end, more than 60 people were turned away. "I couldn't wait to see if my friends wanted to take the cl

Ginger Hahn of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates may be best known as the area's chocolate connoisseur but if her cupcake classes are any indication, she may need to add a wing to her popular Midtown shop. I stumbled upon Hahn's class thanks to an article in a (not to be named) Sacramento paper several weeks ago. My mom was planning a visit to Sacramento, and as anyone with family outside the area can attest, Old Sacramento loses its luster after multiple visits. I wanted to show my mom the Midtown I'm proud of. A cupcake making class in the L Street Lofts Penthouse seemed like the best way to show off our city's great views and culinary treats. After a sold out chocolate making class several

Several years ago, Ginger Elizabeth Hahn opened her wholesale chocolate operation, Couture Chocolates by Ginger Elizabeth, on nothing but a $5,000-limit credit card. After a name change to make it simpler, and a lot of dedication, her Midtown store Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates is now one of Sacramento's premier chocolate boutiques. Hahn studied under famous chocolatiers like Jacques "Mr. Chocolate" Torres, Daniel Budd and En-Ming Hsu, and opened her store at the age of 24. Today, her store produces about 3,000 French-style square-cut truffles per week (22 kinds in all), cakes and a handful of other chocolate-based foods. Hahn grew up in the foothills, but it was a course at Culinary Insti

While there are many phrases in life that are sure to bring a smile to my face—“early retirement,” “winning lotto ticket” and “three-week vacation” among them—I must admit “Food and Wine Festival” is right there at the top of my list. I can hardly contain my enthusiasm ("ARE WE THERE YET?") as the rubber meets the road, with a full tank of gas, a couple of baguettes and a Google map at my side, knowing that at the end of the journey lies my pot of Epicurean gold. One thing Sacramento does not lack is geographical appeal (a.k.a., location, location, location). In two hours or less, you can be skiing, gamboling, taking a bay cruise beneath the Golden Gate, or walking the vineyard trail, tra

Even though Valentine’s Day is over, that doesn't mean the chocolate has to stop. On Saturday, Feb. 21, the L Wine Lounge will host its first wine and chocolate tasting. The tasting includes an informational speaker from Ginger Elizabeth chocolates, who will also provide a chocolate dessert bar. The L Wine Lounge will specially pair seven artisan chocolates and seven wines and will offer a unique chocolate cocktail. The cost is $45 per person and includes tasting of selected wine and chocolates. The tasting is from 1-3 p.m. Seating is limited, so to reserve a spot call the L Wine Lounge at (916) 443-6907

A few months ago I started up a second job with Department of Corrections writing contracts for their prison construction projects. It's every bit as exciting as it sounds. I just go in for 3 hours after work Monday through Friday and 5 hours on Saturday. It's an extra 20 hours of overtime a week, so it's good for some extra cash. This is unrelated to the story really.   Back around Christmas time, I decided to skip out on going in to do overtime so I could go in and discuss refinance options on my house. After going by the bank, I promptly headed home hoping to be able to get all my gifts wrapped as it would be my only chance before Christmas. Upon my arrival at home I walked in to the