We had heard about and seen pictures of Buy N Bulk before but hadn't made our way to Lake Forest to visit until a few weeks ago. Upon entering and seeing their products, I wondered how I could have stayed away before. It is a playground of ingredients for everyone. A concept thought up in early 2011 to be brought to Southern California, Buy N Bulk in Lake Forest is the first store in the US for its main company which is based out of Toronto and known there as Bulk Barn. This bulk food buildout in Orange County comes from father-and-son team Steve and Adam Wilks of whom we met the latter. It was set up at the end of September 2012 and has been very well-received so far. Perhaps it is because they focus on healthy lifestyles and fresh food choices. With an emphasis on making themselves economical and environmentally friendly, Buy N Bulk carries thousands of products worldwide and from that running list of 250,000+ products to stock, the Lake Forest store has more than 1,000 bins.

We stepped inside, and everything was so neatly organized and clean. It was definitely an expansive building at just under 4,000 sq. ft of space and wide aisles for shoppers to walk through. The plans for the next few stores have them eyeballed at about 2,500 sq. ft, though there will still be ample space to move around. The experience is helpful as staffs move around helping customers find what they are looking for, and these customers tend to be health and eco-conscious ones. I spoke with Adam Wilks and Chris Carson about their store during our visit, learning that the majority of the products come from Amish country in Pennsylvania and are highly quality-controlled.


Adam walked us through the store and pointed out some of the reasonings behind Buy N Bulk's layout, including the easy-to-find and color-coded markings designating if something was gluten-free, sugarfree, and/or organic. Assuredly these prove helpful to those who walk in the door looking for healthful foods or ingredients to assist them in their diet that may have restrictions due to allergies. The very first real bins that we did see once we opened the door were marked tall and along the side that they were gluten-free and organic. Great to know! Additionally, many of the bins had recipe and preparation notecards for customers to take away in case they needed help with meal ideas or just how to prepare the ingredient. As for the process of buying there, it was simply written on an overhead sign:

1. Fill the bag
2. Write the bin #
3. Weigh & Pay

The categories were numerous, and the one that drew me in were the spices and seasonings section. With salts coming in at ~.02/oz and other spices showing inexpensive price tags, I couldn't avoid grabbing a few bags myself. They also have blends & rubs prepackaged as well. Adam explained to us that they are constantly price shopping on all ingredients and trying to keep themselves lower in a range of anywhere from 30-70% from other retail prices. I could believe it when I saw just how many herbs and spices I could purchase for what seemed like pennies.


So they are a buy-what-you-need type of store that doesn't pressure their customers to purchase large quantities. Granted, that does happen sometimes but it isn't the main focus. I liked that philosophy because there does seem to be a lot of food waste out there. Additionally, they keep their ingredients fresh, with all of their products and bins monitored through an automated shelf life tracker on their computers. If the product is starting to near the end of its shelf life, it gets donated to a place that will use it immediately/that day. Luckily for Buy N Bulk, they haven't needed to get rid of large quantities of product since their opening.

With more than 1,000 bins of products at the store, Buy N Bulk had me wondering which products they hadn't been able to sell in the past. Ones that fly off the shelves and always seem to be en route in an order no matter how large the inventory is at the store were things like saffron jasmine rice, gluten-free granola, and oats. Ones that have had to be switched out with more popular products included cocoa almonds, Cajun peanuts, and some candies and chocolates. Another success that they have had with items being sold quickly is through their customers of preschools and event planners who may need large bags of a particular item or another for their business. Preschools are the main purchasers of their big bag cereals and snacks whereas event planners will grab up custom amounts of candies and chocolates to coordinate themes.


There is certainly no shortage of product. I found some unique ones like spelt, German Black Rye Bread mix, Taco supper, and Xylitol which are more difficult to find elsewhere. These and other harder-to-find ingredients are good reason to come to Buy N Bulk. Another good reason are for all of the mixes that will expedite the meal cooking and planning process after a long day at work. Rice mixes are available for you just to add water to as are pastas. Soups and broths come in powdered form and will run from $2.50-$6.00/lb to be reconstituted again with just water. You'll find beans, seeds, cereals, and dried fruits (including the rarer kiwi and cantaloupe fruits) as well as barrels of snack mixes. Some of the most popular items are saffron jasmine rice, crisp vegetable chips, almond flour and all things gluten-free, large cereals, nuts of all kinds raw and flavored,  and especially holiday items. I found the prepackaged boxes neat because they are guaranteed to be $2 each regardless of their contents. There were even drink mixes and protein shake powders in dispensers along the wall to buy.


One of the most impressive sections for me in the store were their baking and candy products. Their expansive bulk candy selection rivals many candy stores in the county in terms of choices but basically trumps them in regards to pricing. At just about $5/lb for nearly all of the candies, Buy N Bulk is easily a contender in the candy market. I'm not referring to generic candies either - we saw many popular and beloved candies in the bins. One portion of the baking section that incorporated candy elements had sprinkles and toppings of all shapes, sizes, and colors and is is popular area of the store for event planners to browse. Having a dinosaur-themed birthday party? How about a graduation one? Maybe a 4th of July barbecue? Buy N Bulk has you covered.

If you want to bake all your things from scratch, you can find loads and loads of differing types of flours (almond flour being the most popular). Bread mixes are less than $2/lb and baked good mixes are in the same range but with a handful being $2.50/lb. Pudding mixes are available as are gelatin. Blocks of yeast sit on the shelves around the store, ready to be turned into something delicious. There are also bins of varying bread crumbs, dressings & dips mixes, and even gravies.


If the bulk stuff isn't impressive enough to lure you into the store, you should reconsider your decision due to another section of the store. It's a Yogenfruz, the biggest chain of frozen yogurt worldwide which focuses on keeping its product gluten-free and artificial ingredients-free. I thought about it often as I could see the station from the corner of my eye as I walked along the aisles. Yogurt-covered pretzels in the candy section tempted even more. Eventually we had tasters of the yogurt which was one of the smoothest we've ever had. If you're curious about Yogenfruz, do not hesitate. Their most popular item at the time of our visit was their Blue Ribbon Berry Pie. You should check in with what it is at the time of your visit but know that they're all quite delicious.


Hopefully the pictures and recap of our visit have given you a fair sense of the Buy N Bulk store. They are aiming to be the premier food retailer for southern California and have their sights on somewhere more northern in Orange County for the next store. We were tipped that a scouted location is in Fountain Valley, and if that ends up being the case, don't expect me to miss a week of not visiting! I know that there are bins upon bins of great ingredients waiting for me to try. They also do give access to customers to more than 250 recipes using their products so you could even walk in to find yourself a challenge. Visit them from 9AM-9PM daily at 22343 El Toro Road in Lake Forest.

To get you ready for your first visit there, Buy N Bulk has graciously donated a $25 gift card to one lucky winner to their store. Check the widget below for more details. Our BIG thanks go out to Adam and Chris for showing us around Buy N Bulk and for granting us a giveaway opportunity. So readers, put in your entries today!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photography available on Facebook here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway will run until 7/21/13 at 11:59pm PST. Winner will be contacted upon winning and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is drawn.

I feel like I've been on a cold drink kick lately with my recipes. I'm betting it's the summertime heat that's getting to me. I mean, I'm pretty thirsty in general but when the sun bears down on you, you kind of have to fight back somehow since thirst increases. As I've mentioned before, Duc has been growing an herb garden in his apartment and the pineapple sage has been prolific. I had done a smoothie with it before as well as putting it in butter to make a sage butter for dishes. This time, it was a chance to go back to the basic recipe that most people claim to use pineapple sage for - tea. I did an iced tea due to the heat but you can have this hot too! It has nice citrus notes and a natural sweetness.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 2-3 cups)

• 1 cup fresh pineapple sage leaves, tightly packed
• 3 cups hot water
• 1-2 lemons, juice only
• 2 tbsps honey

Step 2: Prepping ingredients
I boiled water in a kettle first while washing the leaves and placing them in a 2-quart saucepan. When the water is just below boiling hot, take it off the heat and pour over the leaves.


Step 3: Steeping
Steep the leaves for 20 minutes. Then add in lemon juice and honey.


Step 4: Finishing
When the tea has cooled enough, chill in the fridge. When ready to enjoy, pour over ice. If you'd like to amp up the citrus notes in the tea, you can make pineapple juice ice cubes to use.


Photography by Minerva Thai.

I had heard buzz about The Hood Kitchen Space for so long but didn't finally visit until Valenza Chocolatier's launch a month and a half ago. It's a fantastic space that rents out commercial kitchens in their 5400 sq. ft property. 24/7, chefs can use any of the six fully equipped kitchens (two of which are specially geared towards bakers) and even host private events. What a fantastic way for smaller businesses to still be able to produce their small-scale products in professional kitchens! We were invited to come out to their vendor tasting/open house a little bit ago and were so happy to meet several of their regular vendors. My goodness they make GOOD food!


In addition to hosting for other vendors, there are plans in the work for The Hood Kitchen Space to open a "market" of sorts in the front. We got to taste some of their creations in mind for this market too! The first was our cocktail for the evening made with tequila and Campari with tangerine. I'm not sure if that will be available regularly but it was definitely a refreshing start to the evening. Water and wine were also available for the non-hard liquor folks as well as local OC vendor Diesel Cold Brewed Coffee. This ready to drink cold brewed coffee comes in a deceptively beer-like bottle that adds some personality to your morning routine. It was cleanly smooth and tasty. I'm looking forward to more from them! Our hostesses that evening were co-owners Shelby Coffman and Christie Frazier who introduced to us the vendors and the story behind The Hood Kitchen Space.


Duc and I arrived before most of the guests did so we snuck around the back to where all of the chefs were still prepping their food. Hope we didn't bother anyone too much! We met Kyle Powers of Fork in the Road Catering with whom I bantered about the new Much Ado About Nothing film by Joss Whedon. Of course I'd find myself gushing Shakespeare with someone! It's okay - he had the excuse of having studied theater in school. He was busy putting together beetroot crepes (look at that beautiful color) and juicy lamb chops. Yum. We also sneaked a peek at the shrimp bisque bubbling by A La Carte and salivated when looking at the rolls Chef Steve Gregory had out for his miniature lobster rolls.


Another group we "bothered" in the prepping process were Executive Chef Donna Cali and Sous Chef Adam Bombly of Little Italy West. My look at the tasting menu for the evening showed that they had four plates coming out - how exciting. You would not have been able to stop my staring at the freshly made pasta resting on the sheet pans on their side of the kitchen. Originally with restaurants in Florida, Little Italy West has made its way into southern California and are looking for space in Orange County to set up delicious shop. I'm looking forward to when they do settle down because freshly made pasta? Count me in!


So what was on the menu? Vendor Massey Honey Company (family-owned and cultivating sustainable honey in Yorba Linda itself) was featuring Cheese Stuffed Figs Drizzled (marscapone stuffed figs with balsamic, drizzled with peppery Honey Port). Oh how I love figs. The marscapone was light enough in this dish to really allow the fresh fig flavor to shine through. We also had The Hood Kitchen's own "Gangsta" Sandwich (roasted pork sandwich with cowboy candy, grilled peaches, arugula, and smoky BBQ aioli on mini brioche) which also featured some more summery tastes with the grilled peaches. Sweet and smoky, it was a good starter. Chef Kyle of Allspice Eats, a gourmet Paleo meal delivery service, impressed with his Sweet Potato Mash Bacon Cups with Pineapple and Green Onion (sweet and savory spices, green onion, pecans, and bacon and pineapple bits in a crispy bacon cup) that combined sweet and smooth sweet potato with salty and crunchy bacon. I wish they didn't go so quickly because I definitely wanted more.


Then we had the dishes from the chefs we peeped at in the back. Chef Steve from A La Carte Menu brought out his Lobster Roll & Shrimp Bisque (warm New England lobster roll on a buttered mini brioche served with classic shrimp bisque shooter). Aside from being downright adorable, it was the perfect seafood bite to chase with a shooter of warm, creamy bisque. Then came the dishes from Chef Kyle of Fork in the Road - Lamb Chop & Beetroot Crepe (green salt crusted lamb chop with chimchurri and beetroot crepe filled with goat cheese, arugula, and pistachios). My my my, the lamb chop was my favorite for the night with just the right amount of salt and a very memorable crust. The beetroot crepes were also bright with color and taste, showing off the beautiful softness of a crepe surrounding the crisp and crunch of arugula with pistachios. I longed for a platter of my own. As for those lamb chops, I admit I went back for seconds...and maybe even thirds. Shh!


Then the slew of Little Italy West's plates came through - Pepper Crusted Colorado Lamb Loin (with balsamic reduction and parsley pesto) which was a peppery, tender morsel of goodness; Mandarin Parfumed Half Moon Duck Ragu Pasta (garnished with bask pear in red wine, arugula, and goat cheese) which was a hearty bite balanced by the sweet and bitter in its garnishes); Fresh Made Infused Papardelle Pasta with Porcini Sauce which I nearly inhaled before letting Duc have a try because it was just that good and full of mushroom goodness; and Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce which was an interesting take on gnocchi and very pillowy. The sauce was divine with it and quite fragrant by the sage.


Our last entree vendor for the evening was the amazing Chef Colt Munchoff of the Munchoff Foundation who had Albonigas (Spanish style meeting meatballs in tomato sauce). If you've never heard of him, click the link connected to his name to watch a video on what he does. The Munchoff Foundation is a nonprofit which focuses on adaptive cooking techniques and teaching for the disabled community. Chef Colt himself is disabled and without use of his left arm but manages to adapt his cooking style to what he makes. As he explained his dish which was made by his own students, he teared up several times and managed to make my own eyes glisten a little with the threat of emphatic waterworks. To read more about his story, you can also click here. And the meatballs? Fa-bu-lous.


But wait! We weren't done! The unfortunate tempting that we had that evening was seeing all of the desserts already laid out in our gathering room prior to being served. Foodies don't abide by the rule of not having sweets before dinner it seems. Rita Pham of M Cakes made everyone roll their eyes back with her Sea Salt Caramel Shots (made from scratch with pure cane sugar, cream, and butter with a sprinkling of Maldon Sea Salt) that were so smooth and creamy, I wondered how she was so small herself. I'd be "testing" my batches nonstop if I made them! We also got to meet Rula Abirafeh of District Cookie, the self-proclaimed "Cookie Connoisseur" (I have the business card to prove it!) She caught my attention with her soft cookies stacked slideways on the counter - Brown Butter Chocolate Sea Salt and Double Ginger Dark Chocolate. I'd write out her descriptions of these cookies but they go on and on in cravings-inducing lines that might make you claw at the screen for the pictures. Rich and oozy in chocolate, these were so distinctly their own flavors yet the ginger cookie left the greater impression on me for its spiciness from freshly zested ginger. You need some. You need some now. She tipped me towards Seventh Tea Bar though who do carry her products. Score!


Of course, we can't leave this post without talking about our favorite chocolate lady, as I so call her. The effervescent Amy Jo Valenza of Valenza Chocolatier was there too, not even lifting a finger to convince everyone there to have some chocolate. Are you kidding me? No one needs any persuasion to pick up a piece or two or three or...yeah. You just gravitate towards these well-presented bits, and I finally got to taste her Fennel Bonbon. It has a unique anise flavor of its own and paired well with its dark chocolate match. A single elegant fennel seed sat on a corner of each piece and finished off the bite with the slightest crunch. Then there were the PB+C Bars, a decadence of its own with creamy peanut butter and the smidgen of sea salt needed to elevate the taste from childhood nostalgia to adult indulgence. Her Turtles were obviously there as well, representing the 40-year-old recipe that put Valenza on anyone's radar - gooey caramel with crunchy pecans and the richest of chocolate can't stay away from anyone's mouths for too long!

Curious about exploring The Hood Kitchen Space yourself? They are located at 350 Clinton Suite A, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 and can be contacted at info@thehoodkitchen.com. Maybe you can cook something up for us, hint hint.

Photography by Duc Duong. More event photos to be available on Facebook.

Sometimes you go to restaurants and see menu items listing that they've been cooked in a particular herb butter be it sage, rosemary, etc. You salivate, embarrassingly wipe the drool off the menu, and order in anticipation. What if I were to tell you that you really needn't go out to a fancy restaurant to get this seemingly exotic butter? What if I told you this was actually how I use up the last few pats of butter I have as well as herbs?


Duc has been slowly working at growing an herb garden for me (so awesome of him) but sometimes the supply isn't enough. That results in having to buy herbs outside and gosh darnit if the portions aren't HUGE! I don't end up using it all so I turn my extras into fodder for herb butter. Pictured in this post is rosemary for rosemary butter, a common menu item ingredient. It's easy enough to make your own, and you can just toss it into the fridge to have on hand when you're feeling decadent. Some examples of how I used mine were in my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (rosemary butter), Harissa Shrimp with Sage Butter Pasta, and Red Wine Pasta in Mushroom Cream Sauce (sage butter). You're going to kick yourself once you see how easy this is.


The quality of butter is going to be important. I would suggest going with unsalted too so that you don't have anything tainting your stock. You'll have to let it soften in room temperature to make it easier to handle.

1. In the meanwhile, chop up your herb of choice and wipe the blade into the butter to preserve oils. I suggest rosemary, sage, pineapple sage, or any other that releases a lot of aromatic and natural oils (these infuse into the butter). 
2. Roll out plastic wrap and set both the butter and herb side by side on it. 
3. Wrap over the butter to flatten it and then roll onto herb. Massage the pieces well into the butter with the plastic wrap so you don't get your hands dirty! Depending on your ratios, you might end up with more herb than butter.
4. To pretty it up, undo any crinkled parts of the plastic wrap and then roll altogether tightly. I encourage you to put yours into this log format to make sure you accurately measure portions later. Go about the height & width of a normal stick of butter. Put it back in the fridge to harden, and enjoy!

Photography by Minerva Thai.

The Test Kitchen ingredient last week was a red wine pasta (fettuccine more specifically) from Marche Noir foods of Blackmarket Bakery. Unlike other recipes online that mention red wine pasta but really just mean pasta cooked in red wine, this pasta is made from wine flour (crafted from the remains of winemaking grapes). It gives off a distinct scent when taken out of the packaging but even more so when boiling in water. I smelled the Cabernet right away and was oh-so-tempted to pour a glass of wine then and there. Unfortunately I was in a rush when I made this dish; I had to get back to laying laminate down in my little brother's room. Fun, right? Anyhow, I thought a bit about the red wine trait in the pasta and decided it needed something heavy (but not so heavy to mask its flavor) with it. Mushrooms and steak chunks it was! Check out my recipe for a very simple cream sauce to pair with red wine fettuccine I know you're going to pick up from Marche Noir.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 2-3 servings)

• 6 oz. red wine fettuccine
• 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lb. steak cut of choice, 1/2" chunks
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in hot water
• parsley, roughly chopped to top
• freshly ground black pepper, to top
• white truffle salt, to top (optional)

Step 2: Prepping ingredients
For the pasta, it comes in a 12 oz. portion so you are free to cook the entire package if you'd like. I noted 6 oz. above in order to match the volume of sauce made. There are many ways to cook dried pasta, and I've tried several of them before. For the sake of using the ingredient for the first time, I followed the directions on the packaging which told me to boil heavily salted water before stirring in the pasta until al dente. Drain. While waiting for that to finish up, you can clean and slice up the mushrooms. Thinly slice garlic. For the beef, cut into small pieces for quicker cooking. Take milk out of the fridge to bring closer to room temperature.


Step 3: Making the sauce
In a large skillet, melt butter (I used a sage butter) and cook mushrooms. When the mushrooms have absorbed most of the butter, add in garlic and steak. Stir around for about a minute, which should be all it takes for your meat to get nearly cooked through, before adding in pepper, salt, and milk. Lower heat to low and stir constantly while sauce thickens. Dissolve cornstarch in hot water before adding to sauce to help thicken.


Step 4: Finishing
Once the sauce has finished, remove from heat. Serve pasta in appropriate portions and pour sauce over. Crack black pepper over it, throw on chopped parsley, and finish with white truffle salt if desired. Enjoy!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: yucca root
There didn't seem to be a proper way to take a picture of this in whole form without making it look a bit like a deuce. Sorry for the potentially unappetizing picture below BUT you can help me make it yummy by lending some ideas or requests on Facebook when this ingredient's picture goes up on there this afternoon. I haven't cooked with it before but I've definitely had it in tasty forms one way or another. Curious to see your ideas!


Photography by Minerva Thai.