Sierra National Forest excursion

Hiking in the Sierra National Forest with Jerky Chews serving as perfect fuel!

Mid-hike snack break - Jerky Chews

The moon is peeking through

Checking out Waugh Lake Dam

My Vintage (food) Wedding

Some of you may already know that I got married the weekend of June 1st. It was a good time spent with the closest family and friends. Back when I got engaged (half a year ago) I knew from the start that I wanted something very intimate with delicious, savory food and fun entertainment. All the other details we pieced together with personal touches; designed and put together invites...

...table numbers,

Imaginite Photography www.imaginite.com

...favors,

...and photobooth (thanks to the self-managing photobooth apps you can now easily download and then customize to your liking).

Soon after I got engaged, I found the only off-white dress sold at a local vintage shop (that happened to fit me) and the choice inspired the ‘50s theme for our day. My talented mom made some alterations to the dress by adding a blue ribbon belt that she embellished with ‘50s jewels. She also sewed on a petticoat lined with a blue ribbon to match the belt and to complete the flirty retro look. I don’t wear dresses much these days, but find old-fashioned ones that define the waist to be feminine and quite flattering. Sticking to eating lots of grass-fed meats and seasonal cooked and fermented veggies over the years has helped keep my waist trim, so I embrace wearing what I love. :)

San Francisco wedding photographer: Sasha Photography 

You could say that the menu I chose for the wedding is vintage as well. I hired Chef Simone of Zenbelly Organic Catering after having attended one of her very tasty popups in February and looks like she has another one coming up this month - check here! She is local to SF and understands the needs of a Paleo bride, making it easy to compile a delicious menu consisting of traditional food made from quality, locally sourced ingredients sans fillers (gluten) and industrial oils. Just take a look, starting with hors d’oeuvres: 

...horseradish cream and whitefish over latkes,

...beets and goat cheese on gluten-free crostini (from Mariposa Baking Company), 

...and grain-free crackers with liver pate.

On top of that my family procured other traditional appetizers typical of a Russian/Jewish kitchen: pickled cucumbers/tomatoes/cabbage, smoked fish, egg roe and crepes, cow tongue (source: Brandon Natural Beef), and gefilte fish. Here is a pic of leftovers from the next day.

leftovers

And finally, Zenbelly pulled through with her deliciously-made entrees (served family size): Wild salmon with dijon herb butter with a side of asparagus, and Fallon Hills lamb with a side of rosemary and garlic buttered potatoes (sorry, my photographers didn’t get this one at the wedding, but Zenbelly does have the pic from her February Popup that sealed the deal for us. Such tasty stuff that people thought it was beef - no aftertaste).

It was a showcase of the best local, seasonal, organic food. Exactly how I’ve been eating and what I’ve been treating my family and friends to for a while. In case you didn’t notice earlier in the post - favors that served as table placements were of Jerky Chews. How else to get your brand out there, other than through personal samples? Shameless marketing :)