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Culinary Explorer: Li Donghui’s Unique Approach to Chinese Cuisine in California

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

Li Donghui, born in 1993 in Shandong, China, is a highly acclaimed professional chef and master of Chinese cooking. With rich experience and numerous honors in the culinary world both domestically and abroad, he has won a Gold Medal in Chinese Cooking, holds a Senior Technician (Level 1) certificate in Chinese culinary arts, and has been recognized as one of the top ten chefs in China (national). Not only does he strive for perfection in his techniques, but he also innovates in blending Chinese and Western culinary cultures, making him one of the pioneers of Chinese-Western fusion cuisine and Chinese-style dishes with a poetic essence.Since 2011, Li Donghui’s career has rapidly developed in China and expanded to Singapore in 2021. In 2022, he went to the U.S. to study and research Chinese cuisine suitable for Californian palates. He has published several papers in this field, contributing to the international promotion and development of Chinese culinary culture. His innovativ...

Behind the Brand: An Interview with Beauty Mogul Koko Hayashi

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

In the beauty industry, where fierce competition and ever-evolving consumer trends create a relentless battleground for market share, Koko Hayashi has successfully carved a niche, distinguishing herself with a unique blend of face yoga and beauty wellness.Koko is a beauty expert and the visionary behind beauty companies Koko Face Yoga, focusing on utilizing yoga or face exercise to achieve a natural youth appearance, and Mirai Clinical, which crafts all-natural ingredients such as persimmon extract to treat Nonenal or body odor caused by aging.In an interview with LA Weekly, Koko provides a glimpse into her rise to prominence, answering questions on entrepreneurship, success, and vision for her brand’s future.Koko’s Success as an EntrepreneurCan you walk us through the initial stages of your entrepreneurial journey? What inspired you to delve into the beauty and wellness industry?In my first consulting business, I’ve always been interested in beauty and health, so I wanted to do bus...

Holiday appetizers: Baked Camembert with Persimmon and Rosemary

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

This showstopper makes the perfect appetizer for holiday gatherings.Persimmon, pomegranate and rosemary celebrate the season and impart festive flavor and color to an oozing, molten wheel of Camembert cheese baked with pecans and honey. Slather it onto toasted crostini or crackers for an easy, fuss-free party snack.Camembert is Brie’s bolder, earthier sibling and pairs beautifully with the fruity flavor of pomegranate and persimmon, although Brie certainly can be substituted. Used up all your pecans in your pies? No problem, just substitute walnuts or almonds instead.You’ll see two varieties of persimmons in local markets. The flatter, tomato-shaped Fuyu persimmon is the one to use for this recipe. It’s less astringent than its bulbous cousin, the Hachiya, and can be sliced and enjoyed raw or briefly baked, as it is here. (Save the Hachiya for steamed puddings and other sweet baked goods.)Baked Camembert with Persimmon and RosemaryServes 8INGREDIENTS8-ounce round Camembe...

Q&A with Jordan Michelman, co-author of “But First, Coffee”

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

With Thanksgiving looming and winter on the horizon, one great way to stay perked up and cozy is to indulge in one of the Bay Area’s favorite cocktail combos: coffee cocktails.Portland, Oregon-based coffee journalists Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen recently released their second book, “But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” (Union Square & Co., $20) that highlights the best ways to use a bag of coffee beans — including some Bay Area-inspired cocktails. We spoke with Michelman to learn more.Q: How did this cookbook come about?A: My co-author Zachary and I publish a daily coffee news and culture website about everything from cool coffee shops in the Czech Republic to new coffee brewing gear and equipment. In 2018, we did our first book, “Rules of Coffee” with Ten Speed Press, about the history of coffee. At some point, it dawned on us that we may have written the first coffee book ever that never actually told y...

Niles: How do you build a theme park to beat climate change?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

All the major theme park companies have released their quarterly financial earnings reports, and many of those statements shared a common theme — “It’s all the weather’s fault.”Several companies blamed the weather at least in part for disappointing financial results in 2023. Following a rainy spring, smoke from Canadian wildfires and the brutal heat of summer, enough people stayed home that the parks noticed their absence on their bottom lines.Not every park suffered, however. The new Super Nintendo World pushed Universal Studios Hollywood to record attendance numbers this year, while the Disney100 celebrations and new attractions helped Disneyland put even more distance between itself and other local rivals. The success that Disney and Universal enjoyed this year showed that it is possible to build attractions whose popularity is resistant to outside challenges, including the weather.Companies such SeaWorld and the soon-to-be combined Six Flags and Cedar Fair might hope that invest...

Bay Area cocktail recipes: Mostly Classic Irish Coffee

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

Irish Coffee is “the real coffee cocktail GOAT,” write the co-authors of “But First, Coffee,” a new cookbook about all things coffee.Authors Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen praise San Francisco’s iconic Buena Vista Cafe for popularizing the drink, but note they’ve got a few ideas on how to make an excellent one at home with some small changes.“Our two big departures here are the whiskey and the sugar,” they write.“But First, Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen (Union Square & Co., $20) offers hands-on how-tos for a range of coffee-based recipes, including cocktails with Bay Area connections, like the Chartreuse cappuccino and Irish Coffee. (Courtesy Union Square & Co.). Mostly Classic Irish CoffeeMakes 1 drinkINGREDIENTSHot water heated to 180 degrees for preheating the glassSplash of Demerara Simple Syrup (recipe below)4 ounces (1/2 cup) hot filt...

Olivia Jade who? Jacob Elordi won’t discuss dating Lori Loughlin’s daughter

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

2023 is a big year for Jacob Elordi. The 6-foot-5-inch “Euphoria” actor has been branded this year’s Austin Butler, with his own tortured turn as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biopic “Priscilla.”According to an extensive new GQ profile, the charismatic Australian actor, 26, also is considered the latest heir to the Hot Young Actor crown, which Elordi acknowledges has been historically bestowed upon some of his own favorite old Hollywood icons, including Marlon Brando, James Dean and Steve McQueen.But as much as Elordi has become “Gen Z’s favorite heartthrob,” he was curiously evasive about his romantic life in his interview with GQ. This is interesting, considering that his romantic life, up until recently, has consisted of a two-year, on-off relationship with Olivia Jade Giannulli, according to People. She’s the influencer who is still best known as the daughter of Lori Loughlin, the disgraced TV star and the face of the 2019...

Bay Area coffee cocktail recipe: Chartreuse Cappuccino

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

Rather than reaching for an espresso martini next time you’re hankering for a caffeinated cocktail, consider mixing up a cozier, more complex alternative: the Chartreuse Cappuccino.This recipe comes from the pages of a new cookbook by the Portland-based all-things-coffee publication Sprudge, called “But First Coffee: A Guide to Brewing from the Kitchen to the Bar” by Sprudge cofounders Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen.They credit this recipe to their friend, Paul Einbund, the San Francisco restaurateur behind the Morris and Maison Nico. Einbund combined his knowledge about coffee with a passion for Chartreuse — an herbal French liqueur made by monks at a single distillery in the French Alps — in this drink, which pairs well with Bay Area fog and cozy sweaters for sophisticated and atmospheric sipping.“Espresso is rude and milk is forgiving,” Einbund says in the cookbook. “When you add a little bit of sugar and Chartreuse into the mix, that’s when th...

Scooter-riding suspect robs four men at gunpoint outside Oakland restaurant

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

OAKLAND — Four men eating outside a fast food restaurant Monday night near the Coliseum were robbed at gunpoint of their wallets and cash by a scooter-riding suspect, authorities said.None of the men were injured.The robbery happened about 9:40 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of a Taco Bell  in the 600 block of Hegenberger Road, authorities said.Authorities said the victims ranged in age from 42 to 62. Three are from Oakland and the other is from Hayward.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Marin police arrest East Bay teen in armed robbery probe Crime and Public Safety | Union City police searching for suspect who stabbed someone multiple times Crime and Public Safety | Person arrested in Fremont shooting that left one dead, one wounded Crime and Public Safety | Man arrested in fatal shooting outside East Bay restaurant Crime and Public Safety | Marin detectives arrest East Bay man in drug sales in...

Bay Area forecasts trending drier than previously predicted, but wet Wednesday is still anticipated

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:15:42 GMT

Significant amounts of rainfall are still possible in the Bay Area in the remaining part of the week, but forecasts continued to trend drier than anticipated as Tuesday morning broke, according to the National Weather Service.Monday’s forecast predicted that a stormy week would kick off around midnight on Tuesday morning, but NWS models showed only trace amounts of rain between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. in Oakland and Concord and just .03 inches at San Francisco International Airport. All other major parts of the Bay Area south of the Golden Gate Bridge stayed virtually dry.The storms did bring rain down in the North Bay, however, with Santa Rosa receiving .29 inches and Petaluma seeing four one hundredths of an inch.“I know this was kind of a dynamic forecast with a lot of uncertainty associated with it a few days out,” said NWS meteorologist Sarah McCorkle. “Now we have a better idea of how much rain we’re going to get and it does look like we’re trendi...