Reclaiming the T: Diving into the World of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) with Shalin Shah

Omid Vojdani of Four Lights Wellness

Reclaiming the T: Diving into the World of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) with Shalin Shah 

By Omid Vojdani 

Health & Wellness Editor, Edible Skinny

I’ve been in the health and wellness space for almost 18 years now (I know, I’m getting old), but I’ve been a male for much longer than that! I say that, because once I started approaching 35, I noticed things starting to slow down gradually. Gone were the days where I could crush a workout Friday morning and then head to Vegas for a sleepless weekend to simply crush Monday’s workout. Nowadays, I just plain don’t recover as easily as I used to, often feeling lethargic if I miss even a few hours of sleep. This change led me down a deep research rabbit hole looking for reasons beyond simple aging, and landed me squarely in the realm of hormones. 

Shalin Shah of Marius Pharmaceuticals

Well, after a few years of learning and understanding the biology of hormones and their roles in everything from metabolism to mood, I tried to do as much as I could to balance out my hormones on my own. And while all of the natural interventions (eating right, getting to bed on time, lifting weights, etc) helped me feel better, I still felt like I was delaying the slow decline into feeling old at 40. 

That’s when I met Shalin Shah, CEO of Marius Pharmaceuticals, and learned all about the next generations of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Shalin, whose company makes the TRT Kyzatrex, educated me about how testosterone has been successfully used therapeutically for nearly 100 years, including to help women through menopause! But progress with hormonal treatments was stifled in the 90’s when congress labeled it as a class three controlled substance. “It was sad,” Shalin explained, “because the FDA was against it, the AMA was against it, even the DEA was against it. It was all just political pressure because highschoolers were starting to use it to be like their pro athlete heroes.” 

Ok, let’s slow down, and explain testosterone a little bit. The most important thing to understand about testosterone is that it’s not just a male hormone, although males do have more of it than females. Testosterone is crucial for things like metabolism, bone health, muscle development, and is even neuroprotective (aka it can savage, recover, or even regenerate neurons). And both males and females need to have a balanced ratio of testosterone with all the other hormones for us to feel, well, good. 

Omid Sourcing his own Mountain Water 

And while testosterone levels naturally fluctuate with age, these days we face two big challenges. One, we just plain don’t challenge the body physically enough to stimulate the need to create and use testosterone. In other words, if you don’t use it, you lose it. The second problem being a LOT of hormone disruptors in our food and water, and even in the air we breathe that cause our body to not be able to utilize the hormone. 

Over the last nearly 100 years, we’ve seen testosterone used to treat lots of things, but the synthesized versions were quite harmful to the liver. Then people started injecting more bioavailable versions, but in doses that were so high (super physiological) that the body would end up saying “well, I don’t have to make that anymore,” and would start to shrink and even atrophy the body parts that make the hormone naturally. 

With this next generation oral testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), the doses are low enough that the body’s natural testosterone factories don’t fully shut down.  As Shalin explained, “The factory is still running, but just at half capacity. Sure, they’ll lay off some of the staff, but none of the equipment goes into disrepair.” The benefit is that you can try out things to keep levels more balanced, and see how it works for you. If you (and your doctor) are not satisfied with the results, you can get off of it and try other things. 

Ok, back to why I’m so excited about this solution to hormone balancing. The problems with liver toxicity are not there at all with these new orals, as they have created a way to distribute the hormone via the immune system itself! Not only is the liver bypassed, but now the hormone can get to many more areas of the body, such as the brain itself. The fact that they can be a twice a day pill, rather than an injection is also much more inviting for people that need the help, but might be squeamish around needles. And finally, the dosing can be much more precise, increased or decreased based on your lifestyle and the results you’re looking for. 

Omid's Adventures in Biohacking

Because at the end of the day, the anabolic effects put to the side for a moment, all anyone truly wants is to feel like life is a little easier and less stressful.  Now, testosterone is still scheduled as a class 3 drug, so you still have to go to your doctor to get the prescription. But the good news is that while not covered by all insurance companies, TRT is an easy and affordable way to get your life back.

I want to be clear about this last point. I didn’t agree to write this article to specifically promote Kyzatrex! While I did a ton of research on it, and found that it’s the leader in the next generation oral TRT space, Shalin told me he and Marius’ number one priority is educating the public and descheduling testosterone. “When you think about it,” he said, “testosterone is the single most telling barometer of your overall health because it gives you an insight into your overall cardiovascular health. It gives you an insight into your overall insulin sensitivity. It gives insight into overall inflammation in the body. So why wouldn't that be a core test?"

Cheers to Shalin Shah again for spending the time with me, and cheers to you for reading! Whether or not you talk to your doctor about next generation orals, I’d love for you to talk to your friends about demystifying testosterone as not just another male libido thing. It’s time for us to realize everyone would benefit from getting their hormone levels checked and optimized. 

Omid Vojdani is a health and wellness expert with over 18 years of experience, focusing on integrative health and functional movement therapy to get people living their dream life. You can find more info at fourlightswellness.com

SAN FRANCISCO CHRISTMAS DATE NIGHT: ONE SHORT DAY IN THE EMERALD CITY!

SAN FRANCISCO CHRISTMAS DATE NIGHT: ONE SHORT DAY IN THE EMERALD CITY!

One short day, in the Emerald City, one short day!

Earlier in December Edible Skinny was lucky enough to celebrate the Holiday Season in the City by the Bay!  For six hours on a Tuesday, I was able t
o experience the whirlwind of cable cars festooned with garland and twinkle lights, satin Sugar-Plummed point shoes, and Christmas craft cocktails that would make Santa extra Jolly!

Here's to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and moments of Holiday Wonder and Joy in the Emerald City!

FAIRMONT GINGERBREAD HOUSE

First stop on my voyage with the Fairmont to San Francisco to see their marvelous gingerbread house!

For more than a century, Fairmont San Francisco, one of SF’s most iconic and historic hotels,  has enchanted guests with its joyful holiday festivities and exuberant seasonal ambience.  And for the last ten years, thousands of visitors have flocked to the hotel to see their famous 2-story gingerbread house.  The 22-foot gingerbread house is on display in the hotel lobby, along with other Christmas decorations such as a grand tree decked out with lights and ornaments and a Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar.

Making this massive holiday decoration isn’t easy; the hotel typically starts planning way back in July.  Each year, the life-size Victorian structure takes the Pastry Shop 375 hours to create the gingerbread house.  It then took the Engineering Department 772 hours to build, light, and animate this abode.  All in all, 10,250 pieces of gingerbread were glued together with 3,300 lbs of royal icing.  The mansion is then decorated with 1,650 pounds of candies including Lollipops, Peppermint Candy Canes, Chocolate Confections and so much more!  

There’s nothing like a 2-stories of sugar to bring out the kid in everyone!

SEASONAL ATTIRED CABLE CARS

Can you believe I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 3 Years and I have never ridden on one of SF’s historic landmark cable cars?  

San Francisco’s cable cars are the world’s last manually operated cable car system, a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street (FYI: in case you were a bit worried, they have been updated to modern standards).  Operating since 1873, these right-out-of-the-Smithsonian cable cars were named a national historic landmark in 1964 (the only moving vehicle to have this honor!).   

Well I figured there’s no better time to experience this classic San Francisco experience than the Holidays!  Every year, scores of volunteers, along with a few off-duty cable car operators, gather in the cable car barn to deck the cars with bows of holly, along with lights, garland and ornaments.

So with inspiration striking, I hopped on board the seasonal attired Powell & Market car.  And just like that, I was marveling at the rollercoaster-like drops, and delighted in the bell ringers clanging away in sounds that would make Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life proud!  

THE NUTCRACKER 

With the Fairmont’s gingerbread house sparking my sweet tooth, I headed over to watch the San Francisco Ballet’s version of the Nutcracker, one of the city’s most popular and beloved holiday shows.  This is the 80th Anniversary of America’s first Nutcracker, presented in 1944 at the same location I was seeing it that night: the War Memorial Opera House.  

This year was also  the 20th Anniversary of Helgi Tomasson’s version of the ballet.  The former Artistic Director for the San Francisco ballet set this 1915, inspired by the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, a World’s Fair held in San Francisco to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal.  

San Francisco has one of the best ballet companies in the United States, and it shows!  With dancers beginning rehearsals in October, this year the company put on more performances of the Nutcracker than ever before.  Over 1,200 pairs of pointe shoes are used during the production.  

So as the lights faded, Tchaikovsky’s enchanting melodies whisked me away to a fantastical realm where snowflakes, flowers, and yes even candy danced before my very eyes.  

MIRACLE @ P.C.H.

I finished off the night in jolly good fashion at Miracle @ P.C.H. (Pacific Cocktail Haven)

Miracle has become one of my favorite events of the Holiday Season!  For those yet to be in the know, Miracle is a Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar that serves holiday cocktails in a festive setting.  With kitschy holiday décor, professionally-developed cocktails, and the nostalgic energy of the best office party you’ve ever been to, Miracle can get even the grouchiest grinch in the holiday spiri
t.

The concept was born in 2014 when upon the advice of his mother, owner Greg Boehm decided to halt construction of what was to be his new East Village cocktail bar called Mace and transformed the unfinished space into a pop-up bar serving holiday-themed drinks among over-the-top Christmas decorations.  After the crowds swarmed the NYC location, the pop-up bar expanded the following year to 4 locations.  In 2016, it went worldwide with pop-ups in Greece, Montreal and Paris. Currently, Boehm and manager Joann Spiegel have expanded the concept to all corners of the US, plus pop-ups in Canada, Europe, Asia, and Central America.  In 2024 there were over 200 locations worldwide with seven located in the Greater Bay Area.  This year I decided to check out Miracle at Pacific Cocktail Haven aka P.C.H. in Union Square, which BTWs is the only Miracle that is actually in San Francisco.  

Founded in 2016 by “Best American Bartender” Kevin Diedrich, the bar has transformed from a neighborhood bar into a must-see destination for locals and visitors alike.  Since its inception, P.C.H. has been recognized as one of the nation’s best bars. P.C.H. won “Best American Cocktail Bar” at the renowned Tales of the Cocktail awards.  P.C.H. is known for its creative, balanced cocktails (I actually had a pea flavored cock
tail there last Spring, it was Auh-Mazing).  The staff is knowledgeable, attentive, and (most importantly) never pretentious.  

Miracle @ P.C.H. did not disappoint.  Like almost every Miracle, you couldn’t make a reservation so I was required to wait in the obligatory line.  Luckily it lasted all of 10 minutes and my other Holiday patrons spirits were Merry and Bright.  After paying the $10 Cover via Venmo (which I totally understand as P.C.H. is a pretty teeny tiny drinking establishment), I was transported to a magical land where Christmas trees hung from the ceiling, there was a throne dedicated one of Home Alone’s most famous quotes, and it snowed, that’s right I said SNOWED, every 15 Minutes.  As I sipped my Koala LaLaLa (Tequila, Apple Liqueur, Tamarind, Eucalyptus Bitters, and Soda), I reveled in the absolute wonderment of my Auh-Mazing Holiday Adventures in the course of six hours! 

So, once again, here's to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and moments of Holiday Wonder and Joy in the Emerald City!

Happy Holidays!  See you in 2024!

Kat Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to making your life postcard worthy.  She is also the CEO of the creative media company This Way Adventures.  You can find more about both brands at:  http://www.thiswayadventures.com

Focusing on Authenticity: Cornerstone Vietnamese Cuisine with Chef Hang Truong’s Noodle Girl

By Kat Thomas

“A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”

—Thomas Keller

Consider a kernel of corn, Chef Hang Truong sure has.  

When Chef Hang’s company, Noodle Girl, recently released their Vietnamese Corn Snacks, there was quite a discourse on kernel size.  Turns out American kernels are just all wrong.  “We tried using them but the kernels were too large and not sweet enough to be authentically Vietnamese.”  Naturally the only logical solution was to start importing Vietnamese corn to America, because for Chef Hang this dish's savory soul is found in the authenticity of its ingredients.  

And Chef Hang should know what makes this dish authentic as these Vietnamese Corn Snacks were one of her favorite bites growing up in South Vietnam.  During the Vietnam war, her uncle grew maize, as it was the cheapest food people could afford at that time.  With this corn, Chef Hang's mother developed her Corn Snack recipe.  The perfect nosh, composed of fried Vietnamese corn and then tossed with a mixture of chilies, salt, and sugar.  This mouth-watering recipe then migrated with Chef Hang from Vietnam to the Bay Area to evolve into Noodle Girl’s first snack option. 

Noodle Girl is a Bay Area catering company providing fresh, modern Vietnamese food with garden-fresh produce, bright flavors, and high-quality, local organic ingredients.  Traditionally the Vietnamese cuisine is prepared with minimal use of oil and dairy and relies more on the light, fresh flavors of herbs and vegetables.  As a result, Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

Noodle Girl was born out of the San Francisco based food incubator program: La Cocina. This non-profit program is designed to support low-income entrepreneurs, mostly immigrant women and women of color.  It provides affordable commercial kitchen space, industry-specific technical assistance, and access to market opportunities.  

Since opening its doors in 2005, La Cocina (Spanish for “The Kitchen”) has had a hand in helping launch almost 120 food businesses, whose entrepreneurs have gone on to open more than 30 brick-and-mortar locations.  They’ve boot-strapped such diverse budding food businesses as an Arab bakery, an Algerian restaurant, a Cambodian bakery, a Gumbo joint, and a Nepalese restaurant.  La Cocina helps the underutilized carve out their niche in the Bay Area’s culinary landscape; and Chef Hang Truong of Noodle Girl is one of their shiniest success stories. 

Chef Hang has a deep connection with the noodles and soups of her native country. Growing up in the South of Vietnam, Hang began working in her mother’s noodle shop when she was just ten years old. Each morning was focused on serving noodles and as Hang painstakingly learned, the art of creating appetizing noodle dishes.

Chef Hang’s love of cooking became a cornerstone of her life as she married and moved to the U.S.  But it was the necessity of caring for her husband during serious illness that prompted her to explore healthy cooking like never before, combining the nurturing dishes she had learned so early in her life with fresh vegetable-forward, highly nutritious ingredients.

When Chef Hang's husband passed away two years after she moved to San Francisco, she suddenly found herself in need of a way to support herself and her young daughter in the most expensive city in America.  Her nostalgic memories of her mother's cooking, her passion for creating dishes from fresh ingredients, and her deep roots to Vietnam inspired her in 2016 to start Noodle Girl.  Three years later, Hang was nominated in 2019 for a James Beard Award, the food equivalent of the Academy Awards.  

Noodle Girl’s dishes are now served at Golden State Warrior games. Chef Hang’s recipes were featured in La Cocina’s first cookbook:  We Are La Cocina: Recipes in Pursuit of the American Dream.  Her Noodle Club serves a bi-weekly rotating selection of truly authentic Vietnamese style noodles and noodle soup dishes with choices including Noodle Bowl Salad with Five Spice Lemongrass Chicken, Vietnamese Style Pork Baby Back Ribs, and Blue Pea Flower Rice Bowl with Chicken.  And of course, there’s those authentic Vietnamese Corn Snacks!

So here’s to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and every day being the perfect pairing of sweet and spicy as authentic as Chef Hang’s cuisine. 

Kat Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to making your life postcard worthy.  When not on an investigative culinary adventure, she is the Creator of This Way Adventures, a Creative Media Company focusing on Peter Pan Ideas and Pixie Dust Magic.  

Searching for Less Stress in a Can with Zenify

Searching for Less Stress in a Can with Zenify

By Omid Vojdani, Edible Skinny

I’ve been fairly absent from the blog for a while. With trying to keep up a thriving therapy business during a pandemic, buying a home, starting a 3 year program to become a holistic healthcare practitioner, and as of 6 months ago becoming a father, life has definitely been a whirlwind. Time as well as simply brain bandwidth has become an incredibly important resource (as well as sleep with a 6 month old), and I had resided myself to putting aside product reviews for a time to catch up on life. 

Until I was told about Zenify. 

What is Zenify?

Zenify is a beverage that touts being able to keep you alert yet calm with zero caffeine and no drowsiness. They achieve this with all natural ingredients, including a helpful dose of a variety of B vitamins for energy. But the magic of Zenify comes from the combination of L-Theanine, GABA and Glycine, all three of which have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. The LA based company says the drinks have the antioxidant equivalent of 25 cups of green tea with zero of the caffeine. 

What’s even better is Zenify has a zero sugar option for people like me who want to keep blood sugar spikes to a minimum. They achieve this by switching out the 13g of Non-Gmo Crystalline Fructose with a combination of Erythritol, Stevia and Monk Fruit, all of which do not raise blood sugar levels. And while the original flavor is only 50 calories, the zero sugar option is only 10 calories, so I can have multiple in a day without feeling calorically guilty. 

MY EXPERIENCE

I want to start out by saying both the original and the zero taste excellent, but the taste is quite difficult to describe. Some people say it has a mild citrus taste, but I don’t feel like that’s an accurate description. Before I became a health and wellness guy, I had a bad habit of enjoying Red Bull energy drinks a little too much. I loved the effects, but hated the chemical taste. Zenify does have a slight ‘unnatural’ taste to it like those other energy drinks, BUT in a slightly sweeter, more pleasing way. It’s sort of like the difference between eating watermelon and a watermelon flavored something. It’s never going to be watermelon, but it can still be very enjoyable. 

The effects of the drink for me were honestly slightly mixed. My busy dads-life self was hoping for an antidote to stress, almost like ‘Zen In A Can.’ The reality was that these antioxidant beverages really only rounded the sharp corners of a stressful day. But honestly, that’s more than enough for me. We all know what it’s like to be so wound up that even just a small amount of tension release can be the difference between making it through the business meeting and burning the building down. 

Lastly, I did notice that the zero sugar was slightly better when it came to the wind down effects. Both have the same amounts of L-Theanine, GABA and Glycine, all which are supposed to promote Serotonin and Dopamine. But I ended up finding that the original with 13g of sugar was better as a post lunch drink, and the zero sugar was better with or after dinner. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

I can’t describe Zenify as the anti coffee, but I definitely can say Zenify fulfills its promise of being a drink that helps reduce stress. The taste for me is amazing, just sweet enough without being candy. The effects are just enough to take the edge off and wind down from a stressful day, and even make that slog after the 2pm slump more enjoyable. 

While you can find Zenify in some grocery retailers and amazon, zenifydrinks.com is the best place to go for all the information and occasional sales on the original and zero sugar. Also be sure to check them out on socials @zenifydrinks as well. They do partner with the Coexist Foundation, and post many helpful tips to increase a little bit of Zen in your life. 

So, if you’re feeling stressed at all in life, which is pretty much everyone during a pandemic especially, give Zenify a try, and see if you love it as much as I do! 

Omid Vojdani is a health and wellness expert with over 10 years of hands-on experience focusing on injury rehabilitation, postural alignment therapy, relationship counseling, and spiritual growth. You can find more info at succeedwithomid.com

The Event People Launch Party!

 

Talk about Socially Distanced parties done right!  CHECK OUT this fun video highlighting The Event People’s Launch Party on November 20, 2020.  This Las Vegas Creative Co-Op’s artfully Socially Distanced private networking picnic featured Edible Skinny’s Sister Brands: BlingOSaurus' Mowgli the Dinosaur and typewritting poets The Zelda Fitzgeralds!

The event included so many other amazing Professional Artists including:

—Live Entertainment by the Swing It Girls & Becky Fullington

—Build-Your-Own Flower Crown Station by The Petal Pushers (Sponsored by Do Right Industries) 

—WineStation by Napa Technology 

—CBD Cocktails by The Green Light District 

—Vegan & Gluten-Free Food Options by Debois Tacos 

Thanks for inviting us to the Swinging Party!

Solving the World in Solvang, One Glass of Wine at a Time!

By Kat Thomas, Edible Skinny

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.”

--Rumi

Some say a vacation isn’t defined by the length of the distance you go, but the ability to allow yourself to step into another world.  And with Covid severely restricting airplane expeditions, the day-trip adventure has become the way to hack travel in 2020.  Which is why Edible Skinny delighted in voyaging to the perfect Los Angeles Stand-In for Europe: Solvang, CA.  The trip might have been just two hours north of the City of Angels, but it sure felt like a world away.  

As Psychology Today reports, “vacations allow your body to “re-set’ and to be more present in the moment.”  Even if we can’t escape to Europe we still need to escape.  “Worry ages a person and vacations, whether around the globe or around the backyard fire pit, allow you to turn off the worry and allow your mind to shift into neutral.”  A couple hours in the car and Kelly and I were overnighting to a drivable fantasy: exploring old-world European architecture, savoring Burgundy quality wines, and reveling in food experiences that rival the Food Halls of Italy.  

Solvang is a little slice of Denmark in Southern California.  Known as the Danish Capital of America, this tiny hamlet has the quaintness of Carmel, the wine quality of Sonoma, and the foodie experiences of Napa.  The town, of course, is housed in the middle Santa Barbara wine country.  This expansive wine region is composed of a patchwork quilt of micro-climates and terrains, resulting in one of the most diverse grape growing regions in the world.  That’s 275 plus wineries in the seven approved American Viticultural Areas (AVA) harvesting a total of 16,166 acres of land.  If you close your eyes you’ll think you’re in the south of France.  

So in preparation for your own great escape, the following are some places of note to explore when you want to discover yourself in your backyard.  Here’s to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and power and love returning into your life.  

THE HAMLET INN

http://www.thehamletinn.com

Upon arrival in Solvang we contactlessly checked-in to The Hamlet Inn.  It’s a simple hotel, but it’s simplicity done right.  

For a wandering traveler, a hotel space that incorporates specific individual distinctions will completely transform their time from a “hotel stay” into a “hotel experience.”  All of The Hamlet Inn’s 15 Danish-inspired rooms are Scandanavian in design and decor from an offset sink allowing for easier access to your toiletries to the plethora of hooks to hang your clothes on to the red and white colored Danish flag bedspread.  Instead of having these rooms just be a place to sleep, each space also includes a dining area, with a coffee maker and fridge, and a workstation/productivity area with lots of plugs.  The free Wi-Fi was perfect for a traveling telecommuter like Kelly.  On the entertainment side, the hotel offers free use of their bicycles providing guests with alternate transportation to nearby shops and wine tasting.  And for those who just want to chill and drink some of the wine they bought during their day’s tastings, there is an outdoor gazebo.  Added bonus, vouchers at Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery for a breakfast pastry the next day!  

LUCAS & LEWELLEN

https://www.llwine.com

Louis Lucas and Royce Lewellen met in 1975.  Louie was a third generation grape grower who had been supplying premium wine grapes for reputable Napa and Sonoma wineries for decades, while Lewellen was a Superior Court Judge who was a passionate wine enthusiast with a vision for the future of the Santa Barbara County wine industry.  Over time their friendship blossomed into a 25 year old business, 400 estate acres, three major wine labels, two popular tasting rooms in downtown Solvang, and a state of the art winery.  

Kelly and I sat down for some delicious wine with Michael Lewellen, Managing Partner, Sales and Marketing Director, and son of founder Royce Lewellen.  2020 was quite a year for Lucas & Lewellen.  Besides the issues with the Vid, this summer was one of the hottest on record in Santa Barbara County (115, not ideal for grape growing).  And then there were smoke issues from the fires in Napa and Sonoma (once again, not ideal for grape growing).  But positivity prevailed and the harvest was successful!  Plus the city of Solvang closed the street that their two downtown tasting rooms are located on.  This allowed Lucas & Lewellen to create a patio experience tasting room so their wines could still be discovered in an al fresco environment.  It’s been quite a wild ride, but Lucas & Lewellan’s steadfast focus has allowed their brand to have one of their best sales years to date.

Lucas & Lewellen have been crafting wine for generations, and you can taste it.  All of Lucas & Lewellen wine is made with 100% estate fruit (which means the grapes are grown solely on their property) from three different vineyards from three of Santa Barbara County’s separate and distinct climate zones.  Each property creates a different style of grape, that when blended with an alchemist style of attention to detail create some fantastic wines for an amazing price point.  And with 24 grape varieties, the permutations are endless.  This is a brand where creativity is embraced.   

One standout wine for Kelly and I was their “High 9” Pinot Noir.  This is a limited vintage from the highest nine acre block of the Goodchild Vineyard, which also happens to be an outstanding location to grow the superior clone 667.  The wine is then aged in French oak barrels, creating bright red fruit flavor and a lingering finish.  As Kelly said, “It’s like it’s saying ‘I’m here’ with a lot of pucker; like it’s the wink on a semicolon.”  An opinion that’s echoed in the 91 points rating they received in the July 2020 edition of Wine Enthusiast.  

Another amazing discovery was their “Cote del Sol” Cabernet.  The “Side of the Sun” is Lucas & Lewellen’s reserve level-Cabernet crafted from a combination of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah.  This bottle toys with the aspects of time.  The Cabernet grapes are first harvested from the “sunny side” of their Valley View vineyard.  Once these grapes are grabbed, Mother Nature puts her time and effort into energizing the grapes on the more shaded side of the mountain.  After a week or two these shadow grapes become more complex in nature, they too are then harvested.  And while this is happening, the winery is also delaying the harvest of the 8% Syrah grapes for an extra 2-3 weeks.  Even though these two varietals are not traditionally harvested at the same time, through the magic of creative farming Lucas & Lewellen make it so.  Thus allowing for them to be crushed together so that the grapes, and their juices, can co-ferment.  The result is a wine that hints at the secrets of dark plums and garden herbs with a subtle softness that begs for a sunset to toast to.  

TOCCATA TASTING ROOM

https://www.llwine.com

Once we finished up at Lucas & Lewellen, Kelly, Michael, and myself crossed the street directly to their sister brand the Toccata tasting room.  The old world meets the new world at Toccata, which pours estate-grown classic Piedmontese varietal wines.  But there’s no bad blood here.  In the spirit of sibling harmony, if you purchase a wine tasting at one tasting room Lucas & Lewellen will take half off the regular tasting fee at the other tasting room.  

All this attention to detail has created quite a following for these brands.  In Santa Barbara wine country the average wine club retention rate is 2 ½ years, but for Lucas & Lewellen it’s double that.  Speaking about their wine club, it is a total steal at its price point.  It includes bi-monthly releases of 2-3 wines to compliment each season.  Wine club members automatically get 25% of the wines in the shipment and a 20% off savings on all non club wine purchases.  And for those fussy drinkers, the brand will tailor your shipments to match your preferences.  Their events include experiences such as the ability to prune a vine, opportunities to participate in (pre-Covid) wine cruises, and of course parties!  You could say it’s totally La Dolce Vita.  

INDUSTRIAL EATS - RESTAURANT & BUTCHER SHOP

https://industrialeats.com

After sipping the high life, it was time for some Eats, Industrial Eats that is! 

Industrial Eats is a quality focused dining experience tucked away in a repurposed warehouse on Industrial Way in Buellton, California.  As its Instagram bio explains the restaurant was “born on december 9 2013 with one big ass fan and two wood fired ovens.”  Owners Jeff and Janet Olsson, who have operated New West Catering since 1998, said their intent with creating Eats was to open a restaurant that they themselves would want to frequent.  The result was a foodie wet dream built on prices and flavors that speak to the masses.    

Details matter here.  The space is tattooed with graffiti of produce on its exterior walls, there’s a craft butcher counter filled with house made treats, and multiple dishes unexpectedly involve caviar.  Kelly and I started off with one of their “Get In My Belly,” aka salads, which consisted of Smoked Pheasant, Basil, and Citrus. This lettuce had the Bliss Point perfection of the richness of a smokey gamey meat and the healthiness of farm to table veggies.  One bite and we knew: this is the type of place where skilled chefs have just plain mad respect for honest ingredients grown in their backyard.  

Eats’ two wood fired ovens churn out thousands of seasonal dishes every year, all sourced from sustainable farms and food pioneers.  So Kelly and I went for their best selling Fennel Sausage Pizza.  This was no hum-drum pie, this was a lesson in gastronomy.  The crust was thin and crispy, the fennel sausage was homemade, and the crispy basil on top was the piece de resistance!

THE GOOD SEED COFFEE BOUTIQUE

https://goodseedcoffeeboutique.com

The next morning, I rolled out of bed and strolled over to The Good Seed Coffee Boutique.   This micro-roastery is owned by Brad and Leyla WIlliams, whose mission is to create coffee for a thoughtful life.  As both a Q Grader (someone who ranks coffee quality similar to a wine comelier) and a roaster, Brad is intimately attentive to each new batch of coffee seeds for their coffee house guests and club members.  The barista explained to me, “he’s like a mad scientist when it comes to roasting.”  Dedication is what transforms dreams into a reality and when that dedication is directed toward the perfect cup of coffee the result is a cup of joe where just one sip can transport you to another universe.  And just to add a bi
t more quickness to their tale, Brad’s wife Leyla crafts and sells 8 different types of sourdough bread loaves made per pre-order, with a 3 day fermentation process beginning on Wednesday for Friday pickup.  Swing by and sample one of their Superfood Lattes!   

Kat Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to making your life postcard worthy. She is also the CEO of the creative media company This Way Adventures. You can find more about both brands at:  http://www.thiswayadventures.com

The Pain-Doughlorian from One House Bakery

By Kat Thomas, Edible Skinny

In October, I was lucky enough to be in Benicia, CA during the town’s annual Scarecrow Contest where one edible scarecrow was creating quite a bread buzz!

One House Bakery took Benicia's straw mannequin game into hyperdrive with what they referred to as the “Pain Doughlorian,” a series of baked life-size replicas from The Mandalorian made from everyone’s favorite carb to love-to hate-to love.  

"I Have Spoken!"  Named for “pain,” the French word for “bread,” the collection included three full-sized recreations: Din Djarin’s “Pain Doughlorian,” “Baby Dough-da,” and “The Pandroid,” the bounty hunter lethal-android-come-retooled-babysitter IG-11.

"Don't Eat That!"  The immersive art installation took two weeks to create by One House owner Hannalee Pervan and her staff and family.  The Pain Doughlorian’s armor was crafted entirely of bread, Baby Dough-da utilized bread while floating in mixing bowls, and the Pandroid consisted of “pans and other kitchen tools'' from One House's bakery.  

The result was magically awesome!  The perfect fusion of Star Wars nerdiness blended with Cordon Bleu culinary prowess.  This was the way...to a fun time!

Kat Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to making your life postcard worthy. She is also the CEO of the creative media company This Way Adventures. You can find more about both brands at: http://www.thiswayadventures.com