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Ashley Gonzalez won $200 in the Farmers Market cooking competition with her nopales ceviche. Human Bean coffee locations will donate $1 per drink sold Aug. 8 to Food for Lane County. Park Street Family Cafe closes.
Home cook wins top prize
The Lane County Farmers Market held a cooking contest during the Tuesday market, Aug. 5. Ashley Gonzalez, an enthusiastic home cook whose experience includes hosting many dinner parties, claimed first place with her traditional ceviche using nopales, or the pads of the prickly pear cactus.
The competition challenged seven contestants to create dishes using only ingredients from the farmers market plus one secret ingredient from home. Participants had $55 to shop for fresh ingredients from the market, followed by 30 minutes to prepare and plate their creations. They could use small appliances such as blenders, but there were no heat sources.
Gonzalez, who owns Dulce Madre offering doula services and Mayan and Aztec traditional medicine, won $200. She brought limes. Second-place winner Keagan Andrea, who cooks at Eugene restaurants Wayback Burgers and Teriyaki Madness, received $50 for his watermelon caprese with marinated onions. Andrea’s secret ingredient was mozzarella. Third-place winner Locust Messina, who cooks meals in a group home, won $25 for their summer fruit salsa on Danish pastries. Messina brought lemons.
Judges evaluated dishes on technique (25%), appearance (25%) and taste (50%). The panel of judges included Isaiah Martinez, chef owner of Yardy Rum Bar; Rocky Maselli, chef owner of Osteria DOP; and Dr. Lauren Dallas, a family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Chase Gardens, who spoke about the nutrition available from fresh ingredients.
Other creative entries included beef tartare with summer squash soup, smoked salmon crostini with blackberry basil vinaigrette, vegan mushroom ceviche, and capicola sandwiches with aioli. Farms that vend at the farmers market donated herbs.
Emcees Connor Mackenzie and Andrew Martin, who work with Maselli at Osteria DOP, checked in with the contestants and gave the crowd glimpses of what they were creating throughout the competition.
Gonzalez’s winning dish involved brining the nopales in salt before mixing with fresh vegetables, herbs and lime juice — a method that “cooks” the ingredients through acidity rather than heat.
Human Bean raising funds for Food for Lane County
Lane County locations of The Human Bean coffee chain are hosting their Annual Food Drive on Friday, Aug. 8. One dollar for every drink sold will be donated to Food for Lane County to support local food assistance programs.
“This giveback helps ensure that our neighbors have access to healthy meals during the summer and year‐round,” Brandy Anderson, director of operations of The Human Bean in Eugene and Springfield, wrote in a news release. “Pooling efforts with our team and customers during the Annual Food Drive is a special way of coming together to make sure local needs are met.”
On average, one dollar provides three meals for those in need. Last year, all of The Human Bean locations across the U.S. collectively funded the equivalent of 202,998 meals. Each participating drive‐thru chooses a food bank in their community to support.
The Human Bean opened its first drive‐thru espresso stand in Ashland in 1998, and has more than 260 locations open or under development in 23 states.
Longtime restaurant Park Street Family Cafe closes
On Aug. 5, Park Street Family Cafe’s manager Angela O’Brien posted a sign on the door at 776 W. Park St. indicating the restaurant is closing. The sign read: “Dear Park St Family Cafe Customers! Due to multiple equipment failure we cannot afford to fix or replace, we are sorry to say we are being forced to shut down effective immediately! Thank you for your loyalty! Park St Family Cafe Team.”
Information on the restaurant’s website went into more detail about the owners having spent thousands since February to keep the equipment functioning. The website said the expenses have created “a domino effect I can no longer afford.” The update went on to say that the team is sad to have to close but they are “defeated” and are looking for buyers for the restaurant.
In February, previous owner Sherri Thieben sold to O’Brien’s sister-in-law Trisha Temby. Temby rebranded as Park Street Family Cafe, keeping the cafe’s original recipes, which were focused on breakfast, brunch and lunch omelettes, scrambles, salads and sandwiches. Thieben started Park Street Cafe in 2006.
