14 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM Olivia Allen-Price out of bed in the morning. She’s the driving force behind KQED’s Bay Curious, the radio show that answers all your questions about the Bay Area’s quirkiest people, places and things. (Page 27) You’ve probably heard of Henry Coe State Park, but if you’ve never been to this underappreciated gem, check out our tips for a perfect day trip to Northern California’s largest state park. (Page 46) If you’re feeling the need to treat yourself, this month’s issue has a few things that might tempt you. Jackie Peng of Anytime Macarons tells us about her “ATM” at Hillsdale Mall that dispenses sweetly colorful double-stuffed delights. (Page 60) Chef Sri Gopinathan shares his inspiration for inventive Cal-Indian cuisine at eye-popping Eylan, the convivial new Menlo Park restaurant. (Page 53) To take rest and relaxation to the next level, a pair of enchantingly refreshed beachside resorts on Monterey Bay make for the perfect weekend getaway. (Page 41) Feeling neutral about prevailing home interior hues? Check out Shea Ross and Dimitra Anderson’s classy-yet-colorful design of a Burlingame abode. (Page 75) And if it’s your yard that needs a pop of color, Mercedes and Juan Navarro are here to help. The personable couple behind Ladera Garden and Gifts welcome the chance to answer questions and offer advice. (Page 80) Are you ready for all that summer has to offer? Then dive right into our June issue for inspiration! Andrea Gemmet andrea@punchmonthly.com {editor’s note} here, a few things there, instead of having to plan ahead for every meal. My only once-a-week excursion was to Menlo Park’s year-round farmers market. Shopping for local, seasonal ingredients is a lot more work at the grocery store, where you can find tomatoes in December and melons in February. At a farmers market, you’ll know when tomatoes aren’t in season because there aren’t any. Oh, but when they are in season, watch out! Once you acquire a taste for vine-ripened beauties, you’ll never be able to stomach insipid, optimized-for-global-shipping tomatoes again. At the farmers market, I discovered tart and juicy tangelos, cured my fungus phobia with maitake mushrooms fried in butter and brought home armfuls of fresh basil and filled the freezer with homemade pesto. Besides swapping recipe tips with fellow shoppers and watching preschoolers with strawberry-stained mouths gorge themselves silly, I love getting to know the people who grow my food. I’ve gotten a beekeeper’s insights on colony collapse, sympathized about farm labor shortages and heard some strong opinions about state water policy from both farmers and fishers. I don’t take my easy access to bountiful fresh produce for granted, and over the years, I’ve gained an appreciation for just how difficult it is to make a living farming. That’s especially true for small, organic and regenerative farms. When I heard about Twisted Fields in the Coastside hamlet of San Gregorio, a research farm that created a solar-powered autonomous rover to support sustainable farming techniques, I jumped at the chance to learn more. See what I discovered in this issue. (Page 100) Curiosity is the thing that gets At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I am a farmers market devotee. The array of Peninsula markets wasn’t much on my radar before my husband and I moved to downtown Menlo Park with our toddler. Once we settled in, our food shopping patterns shifted to something that my grandmother would have found familiar. Call it the Old World model—with virtually everything I needed just a few blocks away, I ditched the car and gave up my weekly trips to the supermarket. It was so easy to grab a loaf of bread on my way home from the train station, or make a quick stop on an evening stroll to pick up some chicken for tomorrow’s dinner. A few things
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