You don’t need to fly all the way to Munich to get an authentic Oktoberfest experience, even after October draws to a close. Whether indoors or outdoors, in Sacramento, Rocklin or Elk Grove, this area has many biergartens and other German-style spots to choose from.

When you walk into the new Crawdads on the Lake in Folsom, the first thing you notice are the expansive, sweeping views of the historic Rainbow Bridge, the bike trail below and Lake Natoma filled with dozens of colorful kayakers and paddle boarders. Your first thought is: “Why hasn’t this been done before?”

The 10-acre Placer County business off Horseshoe Bar and Auburn-Folsom Road in Loomis may officially be called The Flower Farm, but it’s much more than that — historic inn, gourmet cafe, wine tasting room, gift shop, wedding and events center, nursery and citrus orchard.

By applying machine learning and data analytics to plant breeding, this Davis-based company aims to elevate the chickpea as a key crop to address growing food demands while also improving crop resilience, yield and nutritional value.

Cuties. Chandlers. Cilantro. They all start with the letter C, but what else do those words have in common? Popularity. Do consumer preferences impact farmers and what they choose to grow?  

Enelalma, a name that comes from the Spanish term for “in the soul” and embodies Shelby’s belief drinking great tequila is a spiritual experience.

FFA, known to many under its old name, “Future Farmers of America,” is a national youth organization run by the Department of Education. We met a number of Capital Region young people who are learning about livestock rearing, forestry and more through the organization’s local chapters. 

Over more than a decade, Sacramento restaurateur Michael Hargis has made a reputation for himself by creating hip, one-off Midtown eateries and bars like LowBrau, Block Butcher Bar, Beast + Bounty, Milk Money and Holy Spirits. Recently he splashed out in an unexpected direction, opening a casually chic barbecuerie called Slow & Low Smokehouse in Elk Grove.

As she was simultaneously running Sutter Street Taqueria (which she founded), serving as mayor on the Folsom City Council and running for the 4th district supervisor seat she won outright in the March 2024 primary, Rosario Rodriguez was being treated for Stage 1 breast cancer, which had been diagnosed in November 2023. 

One way to heighten the already big anticipation of the annual Tower Bridge Dinner is to have the chefs unveil the menu for the night, which falls on Sunday, Sept. 8, this year. The chefs are adding two new proteins never used before in previous dinners — crawfish and goat.