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Going Inside Google: 7 Cafes in Two Hours

partysugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:14:58 -0700

Last Friday I grabbed my camera and headed down to the Google campus - home to more than 4000 Google employees - in Mountain View. Before chatting with chef Eric Dela Cruz, my Google girlfriend and I took a whirlwind tour of 7 of the 17 cafés during their two hour lunchtime. From whole roasted fish to Spanish tapas to fresh wheatgrass, the Google cafés have something to offer everyone. To check out what happened when I went inside Google, click on the "Start" button.

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Eric Dela Cruz: My Life As a Google Chef

partysugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:03:31 -0700

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's a known fact that the employees at Google live a charmed life. Besides massages and Internet-wired shuttles, Googlers are invited to free breakfast, lunch, and dinner each and every day. The Google campus has 17 gourmet cafés, complete with 700 culinary staffers and 20 chefs. Last Friday I was lucky enough to check out some of the cafés - more on that later! - and speak with Eric Dela Cruz, a chef at Cafe 7. To see what his life as a Google chef is like read more.

Eric studied culinary arts at the City College of San Francisco. Before Google, Eric worked at Draeger's cooking school and as a chef for Bon Appétit magazine. After sampling some of his fresh, California cuisine, Eric and I sat down to chat. Here is what he had to say:

PartySugar: Why did you decide to work at Google?
Eric Dela Cruz: Well, I work Monday through Friday. I get weekends and holidays off. I live the chef's dream. Not too many chefs have a schedule that allows them nights and weekends off. One of my old bosses called to tell me Google was hiring and I immediately knew it was right for me. I get to cook whatever I want with the best quality food around. It's really great because we purchase everything top quality and everything we buy has a positive effect on the environment. We buy 100-percent sustainable, local ingredients. There is no pressure to make money on each plate, I don't have to cook what sells. Food is art and Google is my playground.

PS: What is your day-to-day schedule like?
EDC: I get into the kitchen at 5:45 every morning and start to prep the day's meals. I write a lot of the menus, so I work on those. I answer emails, oversee the arrival of our ingredients. By 6 a.m., I make sure the cooks are prepping the food. The cooks are very important, they are everything. I make sure they know the menus and have decent knife skills. Service starts at 11:30, so we have a couple of hours to make everything. Each day we serve several amuse-bouches, salad and soup bars, a noodle station, two entrées, a veggie station, two pizzas, a sandwich station, and a pastry dessert station. After lunch, we prep for dinner service. I make sure that gets underway with the night cooks and leave around 4 in the afternoon. But we are always preparing, cooking, and serving. In the morning we set out a continental breakfast, lunch service is from 11:30-1:30. At 3 we set out a healthy snack like crudité platters and cheese plates. We have sushi on Thursdays and a full happy hour on Fridays.

PS: Is each café responsible for obtaining their own ingredients or does everyone get the food from some giant Google refrigerator?
EDC: Each cafe functions individually like its own restaurant. We all get our food from the same providers, but since the menus vary, what we order is an individual thing. In my café, there is a person - the receiver - whose job it is, each morning between 6 and 10, to make sure we receive all of our ingredients. There isn't really much competition between the cafés. Naturally you want yours to be the best café, but really what is special is the variety. You know we have 17 different cafés that make totally distinct types of food. You could eat at a new one for 17 days in a row, that's almost half the month tasting new foods.

PS: How do you feel about the chef who left Google to work for Facebook?
EDC: God bless the guy. Congratulations and good luck! You know when opportunity comes knocking, you have to answer the door.

PS: What did you eat for lunch today?
EDC: Nothing. I don't really sit down and have full meals while I am at work. I'm tasting things all day that by the end of the day I am full.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when I take you on a photo tour of the Google cafés!

Yummy Link: Hop Around the SF Dining Scene

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 06:18:31 -0800

If you're in the Bay Area - or just need to know everything about the food scene in it - then be sure to sign up for the tablehopper's weekly emails. It's a free newsletter that gives you all the ins and outs of the San Francisco dining scene (including all the juicy gossip!). I read it from top to bottom each week, and wouldn't know half of the tidbits I know without it! - Tablehopper

Why Is Your Home Town A Culinary Paradise?

YumSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:17:37 -0700

Alan Richman, a writer for GQ, recently wrote:

"Alice Waters and sourdough bread aside, the Bay Area has contributed surprisingly little to the culinary ripening of America."

What? Is he crazy? Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle thought so and offered up a 25 point rebuttal on his blog today.

Included in his list are:

Chuck Williams - founder of Williams-Sonoma
Robert Mondavi - he brought French modern techniques in winemaking
Ceclia Chiang - whom Alice Waters calls "The Julia Child of Chinese Food
Thomas Keller - only American to have top ratings for both his NY and Bay Area restaurants
Wine bars - The London Wine Bar is credited with starting the wine bar genre
The Mai Tai, Martini & Lemon Drop - while there's some debate, both are usually credited to the Bay Area
Laura Chenel - made the first artisan goat cheese in America (which makes her my hero)

The whole list is pretty interesting (although, admittedly, there are a few things that you've never heard of), but I'm glad he threw it together. This place is a tasty slice of food heaven.

However, even if it didn't have any of the history or famous people behind it, there are currently so many different cultures and great produce that it's definitely a food lover's dream come true.

So tell me, why is your hometown a culinary paradise?

Santana Joins the Celebrity Turned Restauranteur Crowd

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:43:12 -0800

Turns out that Grammy Award-winning Carlos Santana and his wife Deborah are die hard foodies too. So much that they've decided to take their passion for food to the public by opening a new chain of restaurants named Maria Maria. The restaurants, which are named after Santana's 2000 Grammy-winning song, are being developed by the Dudum Sports & Entertainment Corporation (which is responsible for several other celebrity restaurants) and "promises" to deliver authentic Mexican cuisine in an atmosphere inspired by Santana's music.

"The passion that we have for food and for creating a unique experience really resonated with Carlos and Deborah," said DSE executive Jeff Dudum. "I couldn’t be more excited about having the opportunity to work with them on restaurants that honor and celebrate Latin American culture, food and music."

The first location will open in Walnut Creek, CA in April, followed by one in Mill Valley in May and Santa Rosa in June (all of which are in the Bay Area). Now, I know that Santana lives in the area, but I wonder how much participation he'll have. Do you think he'll actually be there, or is it just something to put his name on...

Source: NBC 4
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Finger-Lickin' Good: Scenes from a Barbecue Cookoff

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:00:09 -0700

There is nothing that I love more than Southern barbecue, so when I heard that the Bay Area Barbecue Cook-Off was being held this weekend, I eschewed any social engagements in favor of firing up the 'cue. It was a perfect day for the event with clear blue skies, live country music, and some of the best barbecue around. Here are a couple of highlights.

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Yummy Link: Blue Cheese and Chocolate Truffles

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 09:43:13 -0700

Do you love blue cheese? Do you love chocolate? How about blue cheese and chocolate truffles? Personally I can't wait to try them! - Bay Area Bites

Yucky Link: Sad Times for Bay Area Fishermen

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:11:33 -0800

Oh San Francisco Bay, I hope you clean up soon. The oil spill is really hurting the local fishing industry. In fact, they've suspended all fishing and crabbing in the affected areas. - Bay Area Bites and San Francisco Chronicle

Tasting Starbucks Small Batch Clover Coffee

YumSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:25:14 -0700

Starbucks has been keeping itself busy. Not only has it developed a whole new line of food items, but the company has been working on a bigger product launch: its Clover Small Batch Coffee, a new offering that highlights high-end coffees. The new coffee program has two important elements: high-quality beans from varying origins, and specific coffee equipment known as Clover machines to brew the beans. The idea is to encourage customers to taste coffee like they would wine. Because like wine, coffee's origins, soil, and climate are reflected in its taste. At $11,000 each, Clover coffee makers aren't cheap, but they employ a vacuum-press process, turning out individually brewed, made-to-order cups that highlight coffee's true flavors.

This morning, Starbucks launched its Clover Small Batch Coffee Program in San Francisco (it has already been released in Boston, Seattle, and Portland). From a choice of five coffees, I selected the Ethiopia Nardos brew. The coffee was floral, and its notes of sweet brown sugar were enhanced when I took a bite of my croissant. At $2.75 for a tall, it was a treat well worth it.

Have you tasted Clover coffee yet? What did you think? To see if there is a Clover program location near you, read more.

San Francisco Bay Area
1364 Park Street, Alameda, CA
1160 Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame, CA
1230 Broadway Avenue, Burlingame, CA
3595 California Street, San Francisco, CA
350 Rhode Island Street, San Francisco, CA
295 California Street, San Francisco, CA
7 Third Street, San Francisco, CA
2292 Bridgepoint Parkway, San Mateo, CA

Seattle
701 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA
10214 NE 8th, Bellevue, WA
601 S. Grady Way, Renton, WA
7100 E. Greenlake Drive N, Seattle, WA
1524 7th Ave. Seattle, WA
505 5th Ave. South, Seattle, WA
21920 Highway 99, Edmonds, WA
1420 5th Ave., Seattle, WA
400 East Madison Ave., Seattle, Wa
2135 Queen Anne Ave. N, Seattle, WA

Portland
8400 SW Nimbus Ave. 120, Beaverton, OR

Boston
1016 Paradise Road, Swampscot, MA
1154 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA
159 Sudbury Road, Concord, MA
473 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA
1662 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
68A Central Street, Wellesley, MA
165 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
350 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
183 Grove Street, South Brookline, MA
14 Main Street, Andover, MA
211 Congress Street, Boston, MA
910 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA
147-151 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA
31 Church Street, Cambridge, MA
521 Main Street, Melrose, MA
723 Broadway, Saugus, MA
84 Burlington Mall Road Suite D, Burlington, MA
1655 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA
112 Trapelo Road, Belmont, MA
60 Bedford Street, Lexington, MA
552 Adams Street, Milton, MA
101 Drum Hill Road, Chelmsford, MA
1660 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton, MA
847 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
1810 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA
6 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA
5 Rever Beach Pkwy, Medford, MA
750 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
1 Charles Street, Boston, MA
The Garage 36 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA
75-101 Federal Street, Boston, MA
513 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA

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Putting on the Ritz!

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:13:39 -0800

If you're looking for a nice splurge for your foodie, then send them to the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay - 40 minutes south of San Francisco - for their Inside the Kitchen series. The series brings a top chef from the Bay Area and beyond into an intimate classroom environment. Meet and learn from renowned chefs like Traci Des Jardins, Ryan Scott, and Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huynh. All classes are demonstration-style cooking classes that include step-by-step instructions, beverage pairings and a recipe booklet to take home. The best part is that their sous-chefs are in the back creating large amounts for the entire class to taste!

Most of the courses are set up as full menus, and the chance to interact so closely with these chefs is phenomenal. The cost of the class is $90 - a portion of the proceeds goes towards Meals On Wheels of San Francisco - but they also have deluxe overnight packages starting at $529. It's definitely a tall cost to juggle -especially once you consider airfare and travel arrangements - but when else will you be able to work so closely with these phenomenal artists?

Classes begin Jan. 6; be sure to check out the full schedule of classes and instructors. In addition to the class, each chef will step into Navio - the restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton currently helmed by Aaron Zimmer - for a one-night-only chef's tasting menu. So if you're not interested in cooking, you could always sit back and eat instead.

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