Taylor, at left above, manages the 4-acre garden at Kendall-Jackson that provides ingredients and inspiration for Wangler’s menus. Sellers toasts the duo after filming a segment to air this season.
folks. John Harris of Harris Ranch was a delightful man. He was wonderful to sit down and talk to about Harris Ranch—and the history behind the label we all recognize. A pomegranate farmer asked if there was anything else he could do for me. I joked, “Why don’t you juggle for me?” He’s like, “OK!” And he did—he actually juggled the pomegranates he was holding! How do you keep in touch with viewers? The viewers have been amazing to me over the years—so kind, so welcoming, so interested in what we do. I’ve received a lot of handwritten notes. In this day and age to get a handwritten note, I mean, it’s great to connect on Facebook, but it’s so sweet to get a handwritten note. Sometimes they’ll email me, “Where do I get that recipe?” or “I love that sweater you wore. Where can I get it?” One gentleman was worried I wasn’t wearing enough sunscreen and was concerned about my fair skin. He was very sweet. What’s coming up on the show? We’re just beginning our seasons on stations in San Diego and Los Angeles, and we’ve got a lot of exciting stories and segments coming up. We have recipes and a story on one of the best-known wineries in wine country: Kendall- Jackson. We were able to go on an exclusive tour of their culinary gardens and see how they’re pairing wine and food in fun and delicious ways, and how they’re committed to showing people about both. Plus we’re going back to school—olive oil school, that is. UC Davis has an amazing program dedicated to building crops of the future, and we were able to visit with the students and professors and see what’s on the horizon for California olive oil. We’re also visiting a blueberry farm we visited 10 years ago, to see how they’ve grown, and we’re highlighting one of San Francisco’s hottest new restaurants with its own rooftop garden.
about how much California produce they feed the animals. Each species has its own nutritional plan— and it’s mostly California grown. And I got to feed a giraffe and a hippopotamus! What have you learned about farmers and ranchers through your stories? Farmers and ranchers really enjoy talking about their jobs and what they do and what they grow. They educate me and I then try to share what I’ve learned with the viewers. They’re always happy to take the time to explain things. That’s a commonality I’ve found from north to south— everywhere in California. Farmers and ranchers are the most positive people I’ve ever met because they have to deal with different things every day. And that’s also usually their favorite part of the job—not knowing what the day is going to bring, and being able to problem-solve and deal with what life throws at them. You have what many would consider a dream job— telling stories about California agriculture, and traveling to farms, wineries and restaurants. Yes! I do have a dream job. I get to travel to places that I probably would never travel to. I get to eat produce right out of the field when it’s at its freshest. I get to meet amazing people and eat amazing food, but I also feel very lucky and very blessed to be able to tell the stories of these folks. My job is to let people know about the agriculture that’s all around them that they may not realize. I’m still amazed when I go out on these stories. I still love learning about it. I’ve tried all kinds of things out in the field and in the kitchen—and you know, YOLO (you only live once)! You must have met some interesting people along the way. People warned me about Fred Franzia, the Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck guy. People warned me, “He’s a curmudgeon.” And he was delightful! So you never know. I try to find a commonality with
Judy Farah jfarah@californiabountiful.com
www.californiabountiful.com 15
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