Local artisan pickler and grocer Preservation & Co. was burglarized earlier this week and lost more than $8,000 in damage and stolen property, it announced in a Facebook Post.

The struggle of a small business is enough without this kind of loss. The pain and anger that I feel now is more than I have had to deal with in the last few years of running my business...

I have no idea if I will be able to get our business open this weekend, which would normally be a big weekend for us before a 3 day weekend.

Read the entire post on Facebook.

But you can help. Preservation & Co is competing to win a small producer grant from Whole Foods in Davis, where 5 percent of the store's sales on June 10 will benefit the winner.

"They took everything that we run our business on, and cash that we made over the weekend. I have no idea what to say, but please help us here. Thank you," wrote Preservation & Co.

The least you could do is to click here to vote for them and help them recover without spending your own money. Or if you're so inclined, next time you see them at a Farmer's Market or pass by their store, buy something and support a local business. But either way, help out a small business in need.

Preservation & Co. is located at 1717 19th St #B (near Safeway), and can be found online at http://www.preservationandco.com/.

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Sac Brew Bike to Open Taproom in Early July - Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the craft beer and food tour host will be opening a taproom in midtown in early July. The 2,400 square foot mixed-use space (formerly an art gallery) will house all three of its 15-passenger pedal-powered bikes, and share about half of the building with the new taproom. In Sactown Mag.

Meals with Wheels - As the region continues its active transportation push, Sacramento restaurants are coming along for the ride, featuring OneSpeed Pizza and Hot Italian. John Blomster in Comstocks Mag.

Did you notice Carrows went away? - Carrows has removed two local restaurants -- Placerville and Roseville -- from its corporate website. Phone calls to both locations yielded no response. In early April, Nation's Restaurant News confirmed Food Management Partners, the new owner of Carrows and Coco's, shuttered under-performing locations for both brands. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

TGI Fridays closes Elk Grove restaurant - TGI Fridays has closed its restaurant at 7101 Laguna Blvd. in Elk Grove, where an eviction notice dated April 29 is posted on the front door. The restaurant "closed due to the franchisee failing to pay rent to its landlord," the corporate chain said in an email statement to the Business Journal on Monday. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

When Michael Tuohy left Block Butcher Bar and LowBrau for the new Kings Arena, he left a void in who would be the public culinary face for the restaurants at 20th & K streets.

With his win at Sunday's Sac Bacon Fest Chefs Competition, Chef Brock Macdonald has stepped in to fill those shoes.

Here's Chef Brock's appearance on KCRA on Sunday morning, previewing the chef's competition.

In case you don't know much about Brock, Chef Tuohy described him as "a young chef from Sacramento who is extremely passionate about all things Pig, Salted & Cured" in a Feb. 2014 blog post announcing his team at Block Butcher Bar.

Here's what Sactown Mag reported about Brock in Feb. 2014:

The team also brought aboard head butcher Brock MacDonald, formerly of Restaurant Thir13en, to manage the butcher-block work. “He has a pig tattooed on the side of his head, for God’s sake,” Hargis says. “We couldn’t ask for a better guy. Before we opened, he got ‘salt’ and ‘time’ tattooed on his hands because he will be doing our in-house charcuterie. He’s in it for the long haul, so that’s cool.”

If you want to check out his tattoo, here's a video from his Instagram.

 

A video posted by Brock Macdonald (@eatbrocksmeat) on Jan 25, 2015 at 11:21am PST

Congrats to Brock and all those who participated in the Sac Bacon Fest Chef's competition. For more pictures of the event, check out Sac Bacon Fest's Facebook Page.

** Update: Brock reacted on Twitter early Monday morning.

So motherfucking happy I won because nothing beats it ever. Thank you @mattmasera and @mwthiemann for… http://t.co/6tbjSdt9jv

— Brock Macdonald (@eatbrocksmeat) January 26, 2015

More News:

VIDEO: Bacon Competition -  Bacon Fest has hit Sacramento and Morgan Ragan is getting a preview of what to expect from today's competition. On Good Day Sac Part 1 | Part 2.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit opening Rocklin restaurant - Dickey's Barbecue Pit opened a location in the Rocklin Crossings shopping center at 11 a.m. Thursday...Other highlights included $2 pulled pork barbecue sandwiches, available from noon until 2 p.m. Saturday. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Sacramento train depot again pushed as top location for public market - The group that has been trying to find a high-profile location for a public market in downtown Sacramento is urging for the use of the historic train depot. In a letter to the mayor and city manager, the group Sacramento Public Market says the iconic building has the location, size, and amenities to be a world class public market. The depot would also build in the city's "America's farm-to-fork capital" marketing efforts, and is within blocks of the new downtown arena. Mark Anderson in Sac Biz Journal.

Sactown Union Brewery nears its debut in East Sacramento - A new craft brewery and tasting room is about to debut in East Sacramento, adding another beer maker to the capital’s growing menu of specialty brews. Located in an industrial/commercial complex near California State University, Sacramento, Sactown Union Brewery’s owners hope to open their taps by Sacramento Beer Week, Feb. 27 to March 9. Debbie Arrington in the Sac Bee.

Three Standout Local Dishes - I am often reminded of how lucky Sacramento residents are to have such a glorious bounty of good food available to them. I recently relished three menu items that represent some of the most delectable fare we can hope to find in our region. Featuring OneSpeed, Taylor's Kitchen & Saffron Grill. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Burgers & Brew will be adding a second location on The Grid, replacing Purgatory at 17th & J in early 2015, reports Sac Biz Journal's Ben van der Meer.

Derar Zawaydeh, who owns with his brother the successful gourmet counter-service burger restaurants as well as Crepeville restaurants, said the project is already in design phase.

“It’s going to be something similar to what’s on R Street,” Zawaydeh said of the 12,800-square-foot building, which he and his brother  bought this week. The principal difference stems from the layout, he said. With a 6,000-square-foot basement, the building at 1616 J St. will have brewing tanks planted there and coming through the floor to the ground level, where the restaurant and bar service will be.

Earlier, van der Meer reported that the owners of Burgers & Brew and Crepeville had purchased the building, they had yet to announce what brand they would be using at the location.

Read the entire story in Sac Biz Journal.

There are currently four Burgers & Brew locations, including Downtown (14th & R), the Airport, Davis and Chico.

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More details on Icing on the Cupcake's return - After  closing its four stores in January due to "economic hardship," Icing on the Cupcake  reopened its Rocklin location Monday under new ownership...The reopened Rocklin store uses the same recipes from the previous version of the business. In addition to full-size cupcakes, it serves baked goods such as cookies and miniature cupcakes. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Distillery licensed in Sac County; First in 100 years - On Friday night, the CEO of Gold River Distillery, with all state and federal permits finally granted, created his first “legal” batch of craft-made gin...After nine months of work, and building a custom-made still, the first batch of Wheel House American Dry Gin will be bottled. Tom DuHain on KCRA.

OneSpeed uses fresh and local ingredients for it's italian dishes - At the cross section of 48th Street and Folsom Boulevard, stands OneSpeed, a bicycle themed pizza restaurant. Appropriately named OneSpeed, its casual atmosphere is ideal for anyone looking to enjoy a few drinks with freshly prepared Italian dishes. Erika Bradley in the Sac State Hornet.

Jerad Nutall, the chef at Gatsby's Diner when they were featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, has joined West Sac's Vierra Farms as their on-site caterer.

I ran into Chef Jerad a few weeks ago when I was visiting Vierra Farms to load up on black watermelons. Chef Jared - who also runs the produce stand at Vierra Farms - told me that about 9 months ago, he left Gatsby's Diner after a nearly 4 year run and sold his interest in the restaurant. Running a restaurant didn't let him spend enough time with his young child, he explained.

Prior to working at Gatsby's, Chef Jerad worked at River City Brewing Co. (alongside Tuli and Restaurant Thirt13en chef Adam Pechal), Esquire Grill and Culinary Specialists, the catering arm of Mulvaney's B&L. In total, he's been cooking for more than two decades.

With his new job at Vierra Farms, Chef Jerad has started doing special Farm to Fork Brunches. (What's more farm to fork than eating at a farm?) The first brunch drew 50 diners, despite only having a week to publicize the event.

The next brunch will be Sunday, Aug. 11 from 10 to 2 p.m. Advance tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children, with 50 percent of the proceeds benefiting the River City Food Bank. Those purchasing the day of will pay an additional $5.  The price of the brunch also offers either sangria of mimosas.

While the menu's not online, Chef Jerad described one dish that I can't wait to try. As his take on ketchup and eggs, he plans on starting with an heirloom tomato, scooping out enough to crack an egg inside and cooking that over a wood fire. (Note: the menu's not online so I don't know if it's changed. But even if it did, it gives you an idea of the creativity behind his dishes.) Actually, due to space constraints, the entire brunch will be cooked over a wood fire.

While we're talking about Vierra Farms, they've also become an event space. You can hold either an indoor event inside an old farmhouse or a larger, outdoor event on their giant lawn, where they can set up picnic tables or long "Italian-style" tables.

If you can't make it to the brunch, they're planning a Pre-Harvest Hoedown on Saturday, Aug. 31.

For more information, visit VierraFarms.com and for Chef Jerad's catering company, visit Facebook.com/FlyingBoarCatering.

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Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse: Pete’s goal is simple; good food and good beer - Life’s too short to eat bad pizza. This is basically the mantra of Original Pete’s Restaurants, who have been serving praiseworthy pizza to the greater Sacramento area since 1987. While I have childhood nostalgia for Original Pete’s, I had not yet patronized their newest incarnation (in 2006, they partnered with Firestone Walker Brewery, created handcrafted brews and opened Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse). To remedy the situation, I recently visited their Granite Bay location. Kelly Soderlund in Style Mag.

Local Summer Produce Showcased at OneSpeed - Interested in savoring ripe, beautiful produce from the region’s small farmers in a restaurant setting? Visit East Sac’s OneSpeed, where chef/owner Rick Mahan builds his menu around locally-sourced products. On a recent visit to this very popular eatery, I devoured the kitchen’s fabulous, summer-in-a-bowl heirloom tomato gazpacho, embellished with chopped serpent cucumbers from Capay Valley’s Full Belly Farm, and enlivened with a dash of sherry vinegar and olive oil crafted in Lodi at Corto Olive Company. Kira O'Donnell on Sac Mag.

Jaime's on Broadway is one of those places that you just hear about. Friends rave about it. You've heard it's been on TV, but when you drive by, you're not sure if you're at the right place.

Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robert assures you that you are.

Jamie's is about the food, the clientele, the friendly but unfussy service and a jovial, hearty spirit that isn't trendy and doesn't go out of style. Jamie's isn't fancy, but neither is it cheap. Pay attention to the specials, scribbled in bright marker on a small board. Some, like the massive smoked prime rib and the barbecue platter on Fridays, cost $29.95 and $25.95, respectively.

So why are we here? And why are we reviewing a place that is already too beloved and too famous to accommodate all its admirers? We simply want to see how this old-school joint stacks up against some of the area's best newcomers. Is Jamie's burger, for instance, as good as the burgers at Bacon and Butter, Juno's or Formoli's? Not quite. Can its much-lauded clam chowder hold its own with the smoky, rather amazing chowder at Blackbird downtown? Again, no.

But pound for pound, year after year, there may not be another restaurant that does more great cooking, is more sincere and less showy about it than Jamie's on Broadway.

Read the entire reivew in the Sac Bee.

Find Jamie's online at JamiesonBroadwayGrille.com.

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Enotria's new GM: Looking to bring stability, maintain excellence - Earlier this month, Enotria hired a new general manager, Jenny Yun, whose assignment will be to bring the right balance of excellence and casual fun to the dining room while providing a sense of stability and cohesiveness to what may be Sacramento's most exciting restaurant. "I think it was meant to be that I was to meet Chef (Bruich) and come to Sacramento," Yun said. "We're both focused, we're passionate and we love what we do." Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

A Week of Great Eats: Three Memorable Dining Moments - Yes, it’s true: food writers have the Best. Job. Ever. I reveled in a number of interesting, tasty dishes last week, but three (well, four) were real standouts. Featuring OneSpeed, Kathmandu Kitchen & Cupcake A La Mode. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Mongo Mongo, the only Mongolian BBQ restaurant on The Grid, opened in January 2012, and based on its Yelp reviews and Facebook posts, it looks like it closed in late February or early March.

Efforts to contact owner John Ng (no relation to yours truly) via his cell phone, e-mail and Facebook were unsuccessful, so I don't have any insight into why it's closed.

But replacing it will be Sawasdee Thai Cuisine. The windows were covered when I paid the place a visit earlier this week, but I could peek through and see that not much work had been done on the location. Mongo Mongo's unique open kitchen design was still there and the tables were stacked in the middle of the room.

It doesn't look like Sawasdee Thai's opening is immenent.

(H/T to Allison Joy on Sac Press who first reported Mongo Mongo was closed.)

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OneSpeed: An Enduring East Sac Fave - If you want full-flavored, rustic Mediterranean-inspired fare and a big dish of genuine warmth and conviviality, step into OneSpeed - East Sac’s most beloved neighborhood bistro.  Chef Rick Mahan (who also owns The Waterboy in midtown) opened OneSpeed in 2009, and the Folsom Boulevard eatery has been jam-packed ever since. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Jin Men: Take comfort - A friend who was born in Korea told me about Jin Men, a restaurant that bills its itself as Chinese but actually specializes in Korean-Chinese (hwagyo) food...I came specifically for the Korean specialties. The most popular of such is the ja jang myun, described as “black bean paste noodle.” Initially, I thought this meant the noodles were made from beans, but the thick chewy noodles are actually wheat based, and the sauce is made of black-soybean paste. Ja jang myun is based on the Chinese dish zhajiangmian (fried noodles with sauce) and is one of the “national foods” of South Korea. Jin Men’s rendition is made with little squares of chewy pork and tiny shrimp mixed with lots of sweet sautéed onions and slightly salty bean paste. We also tried a blander vegetarian version and the spicy noodles, which were fairly fiery. This addictive dish is served in a bowl just the right size to keep all to yourself. It may be one of my new favorite comfort foods. Ann Martin Rolke in Sac News Review.

New Helvetia Brewing Co., which Cowtown Eats first reported on its soft opening, will likely have its official grand opening during Sac Beer Week in late Feb. 2013, reports Karen Wilkinson in Sac Press.

While the brewery doesn't serve food (yet), customers are welcome to bring their own, or have it delivered to the business. Eventually he hopes to partner with some local food trucks, and maybe even somewhere down the road, add a restaurant as a complement to the brewery and tasting room.

Parking is not ideal right by the brewery, so customers can park at the Chase bank lot on 16th Street and Broadway.

There are only two beers to choose from at the moment: an IPA and a lager. More will be coming.

Read the entire story in Sac Press.

I hope to make it down on Friday for a taste of the IPA. If you have the time, I urge you to support the local business and help them get off the ground.

New Helvetia Brewing Co. is located at 18th & Broadway.

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More local coffee flavor coming to East Sac - When it comes to coffee shops in Sacramento, there's no such thing as too many in the eyes of Andy and Edie Baker, co-owners of Chocolate Fish Coffee. Sacramento is certainly lucky in the sense that Midtown and downtown are home to a range of locally-owned coffee roasters, from Old Soul, to Temple, Insight and Naked Coffee. It's easy to avoid a chain in favor of local flavor, and Andy – with his wife and business partner Edie – is hoping to add beans to the mix by opening a second location in East Sacramento. Karen Wilkinson in Sac Press.

Ten22 bartender earns bragging rights, $350 for best hot toddy - But when all the points were tabulated, one competitor didn't just win the competition - she owned it. That would be 1st place winner Karina Martinez of Ten22, who scored the $350 top prize. She went all out with her creation, printing a poem on a small coaster underneath the toddy glass, made her own monogrammed tea bags and torched some cinnamon bark for added aromatics. The drink itself was fantastic, which included almond water and Torani syrup, that was perfectly sweet, spiced up and just punchy enough with the bourbon. In short, she nailed it. A few of us wondered, "Who is this Karina Martinez, anyway?" I've judged cocktail competitions around town and never seen her participate, nor have I heard much buzz about her. Judging by her showing Monday night, she can definitely hang with the best bartenders in town due to her creativity and culinary skills. I'm going to make a point to drop into Ten22 to try some more of her cocktail creations - and you should, too. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.