Rising Sun Catering; Embracing Sustainable Foods

by Martha Blanchfield

“I find it interesting how many local high-end restaurants have known for years about the benefits (taste and quality) of organic, but that special events people are only now discovering and embracing organic. We live in such an amazing year-round agriculturally-rich area that upholds a lot of respect for the environment.”

The Napa and Sonoma Valleys truly have a seal on fine foods, flavors and aromas. Those who book weddings or corporate events in the area have a tremendous selection from which to choose when it comes to hiring a caterer or food preparation team. A very important cuisine trend for the sister valleys is a move to ‘sustainable' foods.

Napa-based caterer Heather Harris and her husband Chad founded Rising Sun Catering nine years ago with the goal to bring a restaurant-like experience to off-premise catering. “It seemed only natural to follow the restaurant world's lead in becoming sustainable,” notes Harris. “We have always had a following with an organic clientele – not to be confused with ‘vegetarian' or ‘granola-y' types.” Rising Sun is definitely not serving just nuts, berries and tofu.

More Than A Sustained Trend

What are the big trends in organic/sustainable catering, dining and food prep in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys ? According to Harris, organic catering is a fairly new trend. “But having been a sustainable caterer for the past five years, gives us an even newer way to look at food and catering; it's very exciting. We hope the trend grows because it not only benefits us personally as a family-owned company, but radiates out to encompass and support our community. We and others purchase food from local family farms, small producers and food artisans. It also helps the Earth.”

Sustainable – Organic. What's the Difference?

Harris shares that more and more growers, producers and preparers are shying away from the term organic now that the government has started using it. “The federal government adopted the word in 2001 and there's grumbling over its definition. Some uses say organic labeling will permit producers to employ certain pesticides, allow animal testing or abuse, disregard fair trade practices, or permit GMOs (genetically modified organisms).” She prefers the term sustainable. Other like-minded companies are also adopting sustainable and terms such as ‘bio dynamic' or ‘beyond organic.' There's even a company northeast of San Francisco that's coined the name ‘Tairwá.' According to Knoll Farms, “Tairwá is abstracted from the French term terroir which loosely translates to ‘the essence of place.' The Tairwá label will represent quality and the philosophy some may refer to as ‘beyond organic,' but which we prefer to call organismal or ecological farming.”

Rising Sun Catering selects and features food products that sustain the land, the waters, the farmer, the supplier and the food itself. “When clients ask if we are organic, I respond by asking them what they feel organic means. If it means that we don't believe in using foods laden with pesticides, then I say YES! But the company is so much more.”

Continues Harris, “We also decided a few years ago to fight the myth that organic needs to cost more. We keep our prices reasonable. We are not budget caterers, but we will work within your price range as best we can. And if we aren't able to fit into a certain budget, we're happy to steer a client to a more conventional caterer that can meet the numbers. Real food costs real money.”

So just who is ordering sustainable? For Harris, she's been blessed with wonderful clients. “Whenever I hear of other caterers complaining about their brides I always chuckle because our ladies are nothing like bridezilla. If you were to profile our client, I'd say the one thing that they all have in common is that they are big foodies! Not only do they love to eat and share a good meal with friends and family, but they really care about the origins of their meal. We're lucky. Our customers are very respectful of the people who raise, harvest and cook their meals.”

What's Popular In The Valleys?

Brides and grooms want food that represents this area -- wild California king salmon, Hog Island oysters, Cowgirl Creamery cheese, Haas avocado, coastal artichokes - food that is simple to us, but carries a note of the exotic with family and friends traveling to the area.

Her corporate guests ask for exotic and new …. things that don't affect the actual food but influence its preparation or presentation. Interactive stations and unusual serving vessels are important. Notes Harris, “Our Santa Maria-style barbecue was a big hit this past summer for large corporate events, as well as rehearsal dinners, because we took something as overdone as a barbecue and put in it a slice of California history. The Santa Maria-style barbecue dates back to the early 1800s when the mainstay of the California economy was cattle, and America 's first cowboys, the colorful vaqueros , held large beef barbecues at the rancho following every cattle roundup. *** Or see below**

This past autumn, Rising Sun had the pleasure of working with Julie Atwood of Atwood Design and Atwood Ranch. Atwood is a much-respected leader in both the sustainable and event planning industries. “She is so dedicated to sustainability that she coaxes the caterers that she works with (who are not already organic/sustainable) to become sustainable for her events,” says Harris, who worked side-by-side with Atwood to prepare feasts for a bride and groom. She planned and prepared both the rehearsal dinner held at Kunde Estate and the wedding reception held at Atwood Ranch. Here's how it played out:

Rehearsal Dinner / Santa Maria-style BBQ*:

• Niman Ranch top sirloin grilled over oak charcoal with heirloom tomato pico de gallo
• Macaroni & Matos cheese
• Pinquito beans from Rancho Gordo slow-cooked over coals in a lodge Dutch oven
• Alba red butter leaf lettuce with Haas avocado and California ruby red grapefruit simply dressed with Pasolivo extra-virgin olive oil and lemon
• La Brea garlic bread warmed over coals

The grill buffet set-up included tin camp plates and wooden handle steak knives, plus paper napkins

Wedding Reception / Hors d'oeuvres :

• Bruschetta of big eye tuna and avocado tartare
• Breasola and little gem wraps
• Corn fritter w/ancho chile remoulade

Wedding Reception / Customized Family Menu:

• La Quercia Prosciutto Americano, Bel Fiore mozzarella, Adriatic figs, sweet basil salad
• Della Fattoria organic Meyer lemon boule served with DaVero extra virgin olive oil
• Vella jack and porcini mushroom risotto
• Local California white sea bass in paper with Willey's baby artichokes, butterball potatoes and lemon thyme
• Niman Ranch skirt steak w/caramelized shallots atop a bed of county line farm rucolla

Local Organics

“We are so incredibly blessed to live in an area that is so rich in food options,” says Harris. “The produce we use is grown along the coast and surrounding valleys. The meat we use is raised on the nearby hills and plains. We use many food items from Sonoma ; there are some truly great artisans there. And the most amazing cheese varieties can be found in Sonoma and nearby Marin. If we get thirsty, there's always wine (and beer), too.”

The move to sustainable and organic is growing. It used to be that about half of Rising Sun's clients even cared that the business operated as a sustainable caterer. “Now, as they bite into a peach and ask us why it tastes so damn good, I wonder if we are not only feeding their bellies but also feeding their minds with the idea that food grown with love is a superior product,” adds Harris. “More and more clients and guests are asking the questions that we should all be asking ‘where did this product come from and what was its life before it reached my plate?' ”

About the only challenge for Rising Sun is too many guests. Harris notes that it's hard to feed lists of 500 and more. Her suppliers are small family farms and micro batch artisans. “We did a huge fundraiser event in San Francisco a couple of years ago and we must have wiped out about three farmers markets that weekend.”

Why would you not use sustainable foods? Harris points out that the whole food movement basically began in Berkeley with food goddess Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. There are not many places on the planet where such an abundance of product and prep talent abound.

“Vote with your fork!” – one of Harris's favorite quotes from Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, author and educator.

For more information on Rising Sun's catering service, contact :

Rising Sun Catering, St. Helena , (707) 968-9891; Bay Area (650) 589-0157, www.risingsuncatering.com

For information on great local organic food products, visit :

Knoll Organics, www.knollorganics.com

Atwood Ranch, www.atwoodranch.com

Kunde Estate, www.kunde.com

Hog Island , www.hogislandoysters.com

Cowgirl Creamery, www.cowgirlcreamery.com

Marion Nestle, www.foodpolitics.com

About the Santa Maria Barbecue…

“The history of Santa Maria Barbecue dates back to the early 1800s, when the mainstay of the Early California economy was cattle and America 's first cowboys, the colorful vaqueros , held large beef barbecues at the rancho following every cattle roundup.

Throughout the years, the tradition has been kept alive by groups and organizations in the Santa Maria Valley who have made the barbecue a specialty of all major events. Traditionalists will tell you that it cannot be done for fewer than 100 people, but that's not true. You can do it in your back yard.

The only secret of the Santa Maria Barbecue is its simplicity -- no special sauces or magic ingredients. It consists of thick cuts of beef, seasoned with nothing but salt, pepper, and garlic salt, and cooked over Santa Maria Valley red oak coals. It's all served with toasted sweet French bread to sop up the natural juices from the serving pan.

The cut of meat called for in an authentic Santa Maria Barbecue is a 3-inch thick cut of boneless top sirloin weighing 3 to 4 pounds. If that is a bit more meat than you need, there is another cut of sirloin that works well, the tri-tip. The tri-tip has become the most popular cut for family barbecues in the region. It weighs only about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, a far better size for a small family. See also: History of the tri-tip.

The traditional combination of side dishes consists of pinquito beans, macaroni and cheese, tossed green salad, toasted sweet French bread, salsa, coffee, and a simple dessert. The pinquito bean, a small pink bean that retains its firm texture even after long slow cooking, is unique to the Santa Maria Valley , as is the red oak. “ --- Los Angeles Times, 4/22/88