It’s a road trip for the holidays
It’s the last delivery day of the season and as I head north on Hwy. 280, my van filled to capacity with bags of local delicacies, I soak in the sun that looms overhead. As most Wednesdays go, my delivery route through the city will be a whirlwind rollercoaster ride as I make my way from home to home, office to office – over before I know it. Not only am I looking forward to the end of the day, for it has been a long, rigorous year, but I’m also looking forward to seeing many of my customers one last time before our winter break begins.
My first destination is Bernal Heights where I make a couple of home deliveries. Today Mission Street, the main artery through this neighborhood, seems quieter than usual. At one of the homes, Greg greets me at his door as does his black cat, Angus, who doesn’t fail to offer me his usual meow as he bats his eyelashes at me. We exchange holiday greetings and I move on.
Down Caesar Chavez Street I go toward Noe Valley where I pass dozens of groups of men who linger on the streets waiting for work. Noe Valley is a more upscale neighborhood and I am always amazed at how, in San Francisco, by just going a couple of blocks you can find yourself in a completely different neighborhood.
I double park my car in front of Sanchez Street Studio – the only way you can get a parking spot in this neighborhood – which operates out of a beautiful Victorian house transformed in to a three-story pilates studio. Carol, the owner, meets me on the street to unlock the door for me. We lug the produce uptairs to her office where folks come and get their food after their workouts. As a thank you for hosting a pickup site for us, I offer Carol a jar of strawberry jam before moving on to my next stop.
Next up are a few more gorgeous Victorian homes, all of which are uniquely crafted, each representing an era of San Francisco life. First, a dulled brown hue trimmed with shades of cream and faded brick rises above me and I can easily envision stagecoaches parked outside as I make my way up the steep staircase that leads to the main floor. Knowing the residents aren’t home, I leave their box in the shade and go. The butter cream Victorian home that’s next is my favorite stop in this neighborhood where the nanny always greets me with a big smile, a baby in one arm and a very shy 2 year old clinging to her leg. Sometimes the 2 year old will say, “Hi vegable lady,” to me, her fingers in her mouth, shy brown eyes looking up at me when she’s feeling more outgoing. I say goodbye and set out to the last Victorian which surely represents the hippie era with its royal blue and lavender paint complete with orange and gold trim. No one is home here either so I am instructed to leave the box behind the recycling bin in the alley alongside the house. For a ‘big city’ the fact that you can trust a delivery system like this makes me appreciate where I live.
Next I make my way up, up, up a steep hill of small one-way streets, the challenge being sharing the road with construction trucks, for there are always renovations going on in this neighborhood! My destination is a brand new renovated townhouse where a couple who just moved here from Manhattan lives. A chef friend of theirs recommended our program to them – they are one of the many transplants from the East Coast that have found us this year – proof that the dot com world is in fact booming again.
I leave their large order on their front porch and pick up the canvas bag they left for their next delivery and head towards Twin Peaks where I make two more home deliveries before circling back to the Castro neighborhood.
One of our oldest drop-off points in the city is the Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Transexual Center on Market Street where I leave food for the chef at the Three Dollar Bill Cafe in the center as well as several employees and members of our program who live in the neighborhood. A friendly receptionist is always waiting to greet me as I lug the orders to the reception area.
Now done with the center, the anticipation of finishing the work day becomes more vivid. Downtown is a much more fast-paced part of the delivery route, complete with looking for available parking, dodging meter maids where you can only double park to get your deliveries done, and avoiding collisions with aggressive buses and taxi drivers.
To be continued…
Need New Year’s party suggestions? Here are a couple of my favorite appetizers:
Clam Dip
2 cans clams
1 c.cream cheese
1 ½ c. sour cream (or nonfat Greek yogurt)
½ c. minced parsley
2 minced shallots
3 tbsp. minced chives
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with crackers of your choice. If you like black pepper, I recommend making this with lots of it!
Artichoke Pesto on Ciabatta Bread
from Giada DeLaurentis
1 (8-ounce) package frozen
artichoke hearts, thawed
1 c. fresh parsley
leaves, packed down
1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 c. grated Parmesan (2 teaspoons per cube)
In a food processor combine the artichokes, parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Run the machine to finely chop all the ingredients, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. Then, with the machine running, drizzle in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Spoon the pesto into the cups of an ice cube tray. Tapping the tray gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Mix in the Parmesan. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the ciabatta slices with the 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Grill until toasted, about 5 minutes. Spread the artichoke pesto over the toasted slices and serve.
