A recent post on our Instagram account has lead me down a nostalgic path. I've always been fortunate but looking back over the years, I had to work really hard to get so lucky!  (with the great Annie Sommerville from Greens Restaurant) People forget. I forget! In the early days, I sold the beans almost exclusively at farmers markets. I couldn't get into the Napa market (which was idiotic but a tale best saved for another time), so I did the Yountville, Calistoga, and St Helena markets in Napa. I quickly expaned to the Grand Lake market in Oakland and...

One of the first things I did when I started Rancho Gordo was to offer free calendars every year featuring almost exclusively the art of Jesús Helguera. I love the idealized, often policially incorrect, images of post-revolutionary Mexico. There are some real problems but there's a clear sense of Helguera's patriotism, and loads of campy good fun. I asked Karla from our customer service department to do some research on Helguera so we all could know a little more about him. She used an uncredited book I have, Jesus Helguera (1989, Galas de Mexico) for much of the information. -...

We're on a Chili con Carne kick. In a big way. Please join us as we learn from a master, my pal Taylor Boetticher from The Fatted Calf (Napa and San Francisco). After you watch the video, download our free ebook on chili and order some of our 100% pure chile powder and make your own bowl of red. We know that chili people are like martini drinkers and often they are willing to duel with someone they disagree with. I'd love to hear your comments below but let's make sure we remain civil.

My much too glamorous and clever friend, Carrie Brown, has a new book, The New Christmas Tree. When she told me about it, I thought, that's nice. I'm a little bah humbug about the holidays but this book lit a fire under me. There are all sorts of beautiful and wacky trees to inspire, but there are also very practical instructions on how to make them and the ornaments and you really are a cold fish if you don't find this fun. Of course a new book deserves a book launch party and we had one at our Ferry Building...