Allen Pierleoni is a freelance writer in Sacramento. He worked for the Sacramento Bee as a writer and editor in the features department for 30 years. He contributes to a number of publications, including the Southern California News Group and the San Jose Mercury News.
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![Kal and Yulia Morsey founded their water buffalo farm eight years ago and have since grown the herd from eight animals to nearly 400. (Photos courtesy of Morsey’s Farm)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0821_blog_waterbuffalo_lead.jpeg?1629485861)
How Asian Water Buffaloes Got to Sacramento County
One of the only water buffalo dairies in the United States is
Morsey’s Farm in Wilton, which makes Italian-style cheese and
gelato.
![The Capital Confections website has brought in new customers during the pandemic, although the business also maintains its loyal long-time clientele. (Photos courtesy of Capital Confections)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0421_blog_familybusiness1.jpg?1618854424)
Sweet Taste of Success
How Capital Confections thrived through the unexpected
When they opened Capital Confections, a small business
specializing in handcrafted chocolates, more than 24 years
ago, husband-and-wife partners Teresa and Craig Higgins knew to
expect the unexpected.
![Tess’ Kitchen & Culinary buys from more than 400 vendors to stock the 6,000-square-foot store. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0321_dept_taste_debbiecunningham_embed1.jpg?1615999686)
Something for Everyone
How a 90-year-old store with a new owner is surviving a pandemic
Small businesses continue to open, and some longtimers — like Tess’ Kitchen & Culinary — have found ways to thrive under new owners.
Sponsored
![Illustration: Elements from Shutterstock](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1119_ss_chronicpain_shutterstock.png?1577874530)
What a Pain
Workers’ chronic discomfort affects a company’s health too
Hold still, this may hurt.
“The biggest cause of injury in the office setting is inactivity,” Raymond Espinosa, of Espinosa Family Chiropractic in East Sacramento, says. “The ligaments, tendons and joints ‘freeze.’ Movement is the key.”
![Mad Will’s cooks, bottles and labels products onsite that its customers then distribute and sell as their own house-branded products.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0619_dept_taste_embed1_debbiecunningham.jpg?1577874530)
New Recipe for Success
After a change in ownership, contract manufacturer Mad Will’s is cooking again
Amid the clatter of machinery and the beeping of forklifts, workers wearing white hair nets tend their stations around the assembly line in the warehouse-like production kitchen of Mad Will’s Food Company on the outskirts of Auburn.
![Jeffrey Callison prepares to board a Capitol Corridor train at Sacramento Valley Station in downtown Sacramento for his return to Roseville. Callison is one of a growing number of workers who use public transportation for at least a portion of their daily commute.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0519_feat_transportation_fredgreaves.jpg?1577874530)
Rail Warriors
As more workers commute by train, Amtrak has plans to get them there quicker
It’s safe to say Jeffrey Callison never gives a thought to the Transcontinental Railroad when his alarm wakes him at 5:25 a.m., even though May 10 marks the TCRR’s 150th anniversary.
![(Stock Image)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0519_sb_feat_transportation_ss.png?1577874530)
Transcontinental Railroad Turns 150
The construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad was one of the greatest engineering feats in American history, one whose ramifications are felt to this day. The six-year project involved two competing railroad companies laying nearly 1,800 miles of track across the continent, linking west with east.
![The business makes 750 pounds of chili a month to sell at its store. (Photo courtesy Chili Smith Family Foods)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0219_blog_food_chili2.jpg?1577874530)
The Comeback Legume
Chili Smith Family Foods in Carmichael capitalizes off renewed interest in heirloom beans
More than 40,000 varieties of beans exist worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but only a small portion are commercially grown.
![Rick Mindermann has been working at the Corti Brothers on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento since 1995. (Photos courtesy Rick Mindermann)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1118_blog_food_corti1.jpg?1577874530)
How Corti Brothers Got With the Times
The ever-bustling Rick Mindermann assumes myriad roles as the store director of Corti Brothers, the old-fashioned specialty grocery store in East Sacramento known for its eclectic array of high-quality products from around the world.
![”Rick Mindermann films Darrell Corti for Corti TV, which the store director created in 2011 and now has an archive of more than 800 videos.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1118_dept_taste_lead_debbiecunningham.jpg?1577874530)
Mr. Fixer
Corti Brothers’ Rick Mindermann brings new ideas to the time-honored market
Corti Brothers’ Rick Mindermann is bringing a new-school mentality to the old-school market.
![From left to right: Pat Brousseau, Sharon Anapolsky, Bruce Anapolsky, Lori Anapolsky, Sam Anapolsky, Gulay Bayramoglu and June Shawhan](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0518_feat_fashion_lead_mikegraff.jpg?1577874530)
House of Style
Success in high-end fashion retail hinges on impeccable style and long-standing relationships
Julius Anapolsky opened his haberdashery in 1922 to clothe blue collar workers before moving into the fashion industry a decade later. Now in its third generation of ownership, Julius Clothing is constantly evolving to stay competitive in the marketplace and bring high-end fashion to Sacramento.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0118_feat_philanthropy_lead_kj.jpg?1577874530)
Labor of Love
Chef Edwin Burton, who feeds hundreds of people daily at Loaves & Fishes, understands life on the streets — because he lived it
In Sacramento’s culinary community, the limelight loves local celebrity chefs. Beyond the buzz, Loaves & Fishes Chef Edwin Burton is an unsung hero, serving 500 lunches per day to those in need — having himself survived life on the streets.