Food

The interior of willow and their cavolo campanelle

Chow Bella

Willow serves up love, Southern Italian style, with a side of colorful and texture-rich decor. After three tough pandemic-impacted years, the downtown restaurant scene is looking up.
Carla Meyer, Photos by Anna Wick,
Tapas style dishes from Juju Kitchen

Good Juju

The team behind The Press Bistro reassembles to open Juju Kitchen & Cocktails downtown, introducing new farm-fresh dishes and bringing back old favorites that we’ve missed. We’re reunited with chef-owner David English’s signature grilled calamari, and it feels—and tastes—so good.
Carla Meyer,
Sally Schmitt and her Six California Kitchens Cookbook

Our French Connection

The French Laundry may be a celebrated Napa Valley restaurant, but its origin story began over 60 miles away in co-founder Sally Schmitt’s childhood home in Citrus Heights. In a new culinary memoir, the pioneering chef honors her Sacramento roots.
Leilani Marie Labong,
Alexa Hazelton and Nick Dedier stand together

Birds of a Feather

Auberge alums and Milestone owners Nick Dedier and Alexa Hazelton team up again to launch Mom & Pop Chicken Shop. The result? Twenty-hour-brined chicken with 20 herbs and spices that’s finger lickin’ great.
Leilani Marie Labong,
Dsc 2743

Rob Archie

In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25 and subsequent protests, Sacramento restaurateur Rob Archie (Urban Roots Brewing & Smokehouse, Pangaea Bier Cafe, and Bawk) channeled his anger and sorrow into positive action, organizing We Stand with You, an unprecedented service-industry “walkout.” For three hours beginning at noon on June 4, over 200 restaurants, bars and breweries around the region—from Kru in East Sacramento to Crooked Lane Brewing Company in Auburn—closed for service and held staff discussions about workplace racism while also showing support for the Black community. Here, the Woodland native talks about his impromptu campaign, the problem with color-blind hiring, and the importance of listening.
Curtis Yee,