An artisan coffee roaster and baker brought their old world values into a new world context when they created the Old Soul Co. boutique coffee roaster and bakery in midtown. Roaster Jason Griest was co-owner of the Naked Lounge when he met baker Tim Jordan, who was one of his early customers. The two realized that they both shared an old world appreciation for true craftsmanship and for quality products that spoke for themselves without the need for glitzy advertising methods. Old World Model Griest said that he and Jordan pictured American immigrants, from the 1700’s and 1800’s, arriving in New York on boats and bringing their strong work ethic and craft to the new world to make better

On a hot summer day, when an egg could be fried on a sidewalk, nothing sounds better than a unique and refreshing frozen dessert from FatFace, Ginger Elizabeth or DavePops to cool things down. The photo essay below gives descriptions of the frozen popsicles and frozen treats. FatFace Popsicles “(Coming up with the flavors) is just experimenting,” said owner and creator of the multi-flavor popsicles, Jaymes Luu. “I’m always thinking about it, even when I’m eating out. I’ll get a salad and I’ll go, these peaches and jalapeños taste great together - that should be a Popsicle.” With such flavors as Kaffir Lime and Avocado and Blueberry and Lemon Yogurt, FatFace provides a unique Summer tre

Sacramento food blog Munchie Musings held an online auction on Friday and Saturday to raise donations for the nonprofit ShelterBox, which will send aid and supplies to tsunami and earthquake- devastated Japan. The bake sale was organized as an auction by Catherine Enfield, the writer behind Munchie Musings (link) blog. The idea was one she had seen before. “Last year, I saw similar bake sales for Haiti,” she said, “but I wanted mine to be Sacramento area-oriented.” Enfield said there were more than 52 items donated to the online auction, such as a dozen cupcakes from Angelina Ray Cupcakes, dinner for 10 from Chipotle and a dim sum brunch for five from Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar. The auc

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

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