Monday, August 29, 2011

Locations for the week of 8/28-9/3 Plus 2

Good Day Blogoteers,

We have a few changes to our normal weekly schedule.  We're taking Tuesday off and Thursday is a Food Truck Rally courtesy of Payette Brewing Co and Radio Boise.  In addition, there are events on Sunday and Monday for your viewing pleasure.

Sunday - Wednesday 8/28-8/31:
The truck is down for the first half of the week for nonroutine maintenance.  I admit it.  I broke the truck. 

Thursday 9/1:
We will be at a food truck rally at 4th and Grove from 5-9pm for First Thursday.  Thank you to The Hawk and The 'Stache at Payette Brewing Co for setting things up.  Beer on tap, Hillfolk Noir on the stage and a super special on the B29 Streatery.

Friday 9/2:
B29 Streatery will be doing a catering at BSU on Friday.

Saturday 9/3:
I got nothing.  I am open for suggestions, otherwise I will be making a guest appearance at Brick 29 Bistro.

Sunday 9/4:
The Streatery will be at Ste Chapelle Winery for the Highstreet Concert from 11am-4:30pm and then will be heading to a private catering afterwards.  Did you know B29 Streatery offers catering?  If you read the blog, you sure do.

Monday 9/5:
Ze truck vill be at ze Parktacular Event at Settler's Park on Ustick and Meridian Roads from 11am-6pm.  Admission is free so come down and get some Streatery eats. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Locations for the week of 8/21-8/27

  • Tuesday 8/23:
Back to the 2C!  The B29 Streatery will be at the Canyon County Courthouse from 11:30 until 1:30.  We will be set up with street parking, but readily available.  

  • Wednesday 8/24:
The truck is taking the day off and I am making a guest appearance at Brick 29 Bistro. 

  • Thursday 8/25:
B29 Streatery will be at Meridian Urban Market from 5-9pm.

  • Friday 8/26:
The Streatery will be serving lunch at 13th and Main from 11:30-2pm and from there will head to Payette Brewing Co!  We will serve there until evening and head to 5th and Main for late night.   

  • Saturday 8/27:
We are doing a private function Saturday evening.  Didn't know we did catering?  Absolutely!  Large and small private functions are our specialty.  The Streatery will set up at 5th and Main for late night service Saturday Night after the catering!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Trouble with Being Local Part Deux

So a couple of weeks ago I mouthed off on this blog about local product.  Then Tara Morgan at the Boise Weekly ready my blog and gave me the opportunity to mouth off to her in person.  She wrote a very good piece on Cobweb regarding my mouthiness.  I have attached the link here

I thought about what I said.  I thought about how I said it.  I laughed and decided that a little background info is in order regarding my point of view.

I grew up in Caldwell and graduated high school from Vallivue in the same graduating class as Randy King, chef extraordinare and Boise Weekly blogger.  In other words, I grew up around people who actually farmed.  Second, third and fourth generation farm families, to be exact.  These aren't small, sustainable and organic farms.  These are massive tracts of land and could easily be used as the definition of "agri-industrial complex."  This doesn't make their product any less local, and in fact, this is the vast majority of Idaho's agricultural business.

I applaud anyone who works the earth.  I've tried it.  I have changed siphon tubes.  I have moved wheel lines.  More specifically, I moved the wheel lines, kinked one, and spent the next 4 hours changing the kinked pipe while my general and specific deficiencies as a helper and human being as a whole were disparaged in minute detail by my boss.  It is a back breakingly hard, 7 day a week, 365 day a year process and in no way could I do it. 

I still have family and friends who own and work on farms around the Treasure Valley.  And it really burns my biscuits when the work that they and others like them do is disparaged or dismissed. 

I have been fortunate to work around the country and see different approaches to utilizing local product and how the industry has grown around that term.  One thing that sets the Treasure Valley apart from major cities is the fact that we are still a predominately agricultural area.  Our state's economy is transitioning towards a much more diverse base but agriculture will always be strongly present and this isn't the case in states with vast populations.

Big Ag is labelled as a devil and in a lot of ways I agree.  I don't agree with their practices regarding the water supply, unethical treatment of animals and a whole slew of other issues that don't need to be addressed right this second.  But at the same time, we need to look at our situation as an agricultural state and realize that our farmers, the multigenerational backbone of our economy, are overwhelmingly Big Ag. 

By supporting local large producers, I am not supporting all of their policies and giving them a hall pass.  I am supporting the families that I grew up around and watching and supporting them as they improve practices and transition to a better understanding of how their operations affect their surroundings.  Baby steps people, baby steps.  The Agricultural revolution won't come strictly from the small guys.  It has to come from the big boys and our local farmers get that.

B29 Streatery, still being mouthy in public.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Locations for the week of 8/14-8/20 + 1

Howdy Bloggers,

So last week saw some scheduling snafu's.  I apologize for posting bad info and will submit myself to flogging post-haste.  Here's our really real schedule for this week plus one day!

  • Tuesday 8/16:
Back to the 2C!  The B29 Streatery will be at the Canyon County Courthouse from 11:30 until 1:30.  We will be set up with street parking, but readily available.  

  • Wednesday 8/17:
The Streatery will be serving a private banquet at the Caldwell Night Rodeo for Intermountain Community Bank's Customer Appreciation Day.  Following the banquet, the crew will be enjoying the rodeo! 

  • Thursday 8/18:
We will be set up on Holly Street in Nampa on the NNU campus for lunch from 11-2pm and following that will be at Meridian Urban Market from 5-9pm.

  • Friday 8/19:
On Friday the Streatery will make its triumphant return to 13th and Main for lunch and will be catering the opening of the Comic Book Exhibit at The Boise Art Museum in the evening.  Following the Museum, we will head to 5th and Main for late night. 

  • Saturday 8/20:
The Streatery will set up at 5th and Main for late night service Saturday Night!

  • Sunday 8/21:
We will be serving a Living Social Event at Payette Brewing Co called Blues, Brews and Bites in the afternoon.   

Thanks for playing and I hope to see you at the truck!  B29 Streatery, bringing Meatloaf back in style.  For really real.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Locations for the week of 8/7-8/13

Welcome to the middle of August!

  • Tuesday 8/9:
Back to the 2C!  The B29 Streatery will be at the Canyon County Courthouse from 11:30 until 2:00.  We will be set up with street parking, but readily available.  Following that, we will be at a private catering.

  • Wednesday 8/10:
The Streatery will be parked at KTVB on Fairview for lunch from 11am-3pm and following that will be heading to The Discovery Center of Idaho for dinner service. 
  • Thursday 8/11:
B29 Streatery will be at Meridian Urban Market from 5-9pm.

  • Friday 8/12:
The truck will be off on Friday for servicing.  Sorry 13th and Main, we have to take a week off!

  • Saturday 8/13:
The Streatery will be at Edmark on Garrity for lunch from 11am-2pm, followed by Payette Brewing Co and Late Night at 5th and Main. 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Trouble with Being Local...

Good evening Blogoverse,

There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding buying and eating local.  As a Streatery conscious of this movement we strive to offer local products whenever possible.  There is a very fine line that we have to walk in offering local product but still keeping our final cost to our customer down.  This past week I have heard some very odd statements regarding "local" product.

To reach our goals we do have to make compromises.  In some cases it is purchasing a local product that isn't necessarily an artisan good.  There are a number of companies in the Treasure Valley that are well established, make a solid product and make a lot of it.  We are proud to feature Dairygold Cheese and Gem Pack meats.  These are the companies that the little guys want to grow up to become.  Dairygold is a farmer owned company that keeps the vast majority of Idaho's dairy farmers working.  Gem Pack is one of the oldest Meat Packing plants in Idaho and has been in business since 1947.  It is a family owned and operated facility for the past 60 plus years.  I was told a couple days ago that Gem Pack Hotdogs (a fantastic product, by the way) was not a local product.  In fact, Gem Pack was compared to McDonald's.  It was this statement that prompted this blog post. 

If whether a locally owned company uses only locally produced product or not determines their "locality" then Cafe de Paris and Zeppole's can't be considered local.  I proudly support and use both bakeries for our sandwiches and happily list them as a local product, no matter where their flour comes from!

In other cases, we have to expand our concept of what is local.  Or more specifically, the concept of what is regional.  We buy the majority of our pork from Utah.  The reason for this is that Utah has the largest pork processing facilities in our area.  Yes, we are bringing in product from out of state.  But look at it this way:  if you drink beer from Rogue or Widmer, the beer is traveling as far as my pork.

B29 Streatery does use artisan products, both for breads and proteins.  We have offered Snake River Farms Kobe Beef, Double XL Farms Pork and M&N Kobe Beef.  We will continue to offer both what the big guys and the little guys have to offer from our locality and our region. 

B29 Streatery, coming right back atcha!

Locations for the week 7/31-8/7

So this week we have some private events and this weekend we're at Boise Beer Fest in Ann Morrison Park.

  • Tuesday 8/2:
Back to the 2C!  The B29 Streatery will be at the Canyon County Courthouse from 11:30 until 2:00.  We will be set up with street parking, but readily available. 

  • Wednesday 8/3:
We're taking the day off to prep for Boise Beer Fest Saturday and Sunday at Ann Morrison Park! 

  • Thursday 8/4:
B29 Streatery is looking for a lunch gig and then will hightail it to Meridian for the Meridian Urban Market from 5-9pm!

  • Friday 8/5:
Friday features lunch at 13th and Main followed by evening service at Payette Brewing Co in Garden City.  No late night, the truck will be getting ready for Boise Beer Fest!

  • Saturday 8/6:
Boise Beer Fest!!!  The truck will be in Ann Morrison Park for the Boise Beer Fest.  In addition, we will have a booth set up at Hot August Nights at the Bitner Vineyards.

  • Sunday 8/7:
Boise Beer Fest again on Sunday and we will have a booth at Ste Chappelle Vineyards for an Idaho Humane Society Event!