Mulvaney's B&L

Author: Mulvaney’s B&L

  • My, how we have grown

    My, how we have grown

    There was a time when Sacramento didn’t want to be an ag town. It has been nearly 20 years since the idea for Soil Born Farms was planted. Agriculture, as it has since the 1840’s, was booming in the Sacramento Valley. There were some early voices singing the virtues of our agricultural heritage to the growing population of city slickers back then.

    Leadership at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and Harald Hoven, the master gardener at Fair Oaks’ Rudolf Steiner College were raising consciousness on the value of urban gardens. And community garden advocates such as Sacramento’s Bill Maynard, the leadership at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center and Mary Kimball at the nonprofit Center for Land Based Learning were spreading the gospel.

    But not much of the “culture” of our agriculture was seeping into the rapidly expanding urban environment of Sacramento. In fact, it seemed there was a push regionally to shake off our “cow town” identity…

    Written by Shawn Harrison and Patrick Mulvaney — Special to The Bee

    There was a time when Sacramento didn’t want to be an ag town. My, how we have grown.
    Originally published by The Sacramento Bee
    Read the full story here: sacbee.com

  • Slow Food Nations Festival

    Slow Food Nations Festival

     

    This July, Patrick and Bobbin visited Denver, Colorado for Slow Food Nations, a festival to taste and explore a world of good, clean and fair food for all. The festival combined the energy of a street food festival, the rigor of an academic conference, and the inspiration of a cultural exchange. With dozens of interactive workshops, delicious tastings, local tours, educational talks, and plenty of meals and parties. Slow Food Nations connected farmers and families, leaders and eaters to share their stories and shape the future of food.

    Patrick participated in a “Hot Topics” panel discussion about “Getting Political In The Kitchen” where he and other chefs joined the Beard Foundation’s Mitchell Davis and Katherine Miller to speak on the best practices for getting involved in even the most contentious issues.

    About Slow Food Nations

    Slow Food is a non-profit association with 100,000 members in 150 countries around the world. Founded by Carlo Patrini in 1986, Slow Food works to promote good, clean, fair food for all.

    Slow Food Sacramento is committed to providing educational opportunities, promoting local restaurants, building community, and developing career networks.

    To learn more about Slow Food Sacramento visit: slowfoodsacramento.com

    Find that Snail! #SacSnailTrail

    Slow Food Sacramento hid 20 snails in the Snail of Approval restaurants and producers around Sacramento, including Mulvaney’s B&L.  Participants were encouraged to find a snail, click a pic, and tag #sacsnailtrail on Instagram to be entered to win a gift from one of the Snail of Approval partners.

  • Sacramento’s #goodfood100 Representative

    Sacramento’s #goodfood100 Representative

    Good food is good for every link in the food chain:  the environment, plants & animals, producers, purveyors, restaurants (including workers), and eaters. As a national proponent of local fare and a restaurant that chooses to work with farmers, ranchers, and winemakers who tread lightly upon the earth,  Mulvaney’s B&L has been selected as Sacramento’s #goodfood100 representative.

    What is theThe Good Food 100 Restaurants?

    The Good Food 100 Restaurants™ is a NEW, annual survey and list of U.S. restaurants designed to educate eaters and celebrate restaurants – fast casual to fine dining to food service – for being transparent with their purchasing practices. Good Food 100 Restaurants™ list and ratings are based on percentage of total food purchases ($) spent to support local/state, regional and national Good Food producers and purveyors vs. same category restaurants in the same region.

    Learn more aboutGood Food 100 Restaurants™here: goodfood100restaurants.org

  • Under-the-Radar

    Under-the-Radar

    You may not think of these places as food destinations, but you should. Certain cities are known for their cuisine. When you visit New York, San Francisco, or New Orleans, you know that whatever hits your plate will likely be some of the best on the planet. But other cities are stepping up their food games, too. Here’s a look at some places where foodies will be pleasantly surprised.

    Sacramento was into farm-to-table long before it was fashionable — it was just a way of life.  Sit down anywhere in town and expect to see buzz words like local, seasonal, sustainable, and artisan on the menus. At Mulvaney’s B&L, the menu changes daily based on what the farmers are offering. You know you’re in for a treat because the restaurant founder and lead chef is Patrick Mulvaney, a leader in the farm-to-table movement. Hand-crafted New American is the order of the day at his restaurant.

    Under-the-Radar Food Cities
    Originally published by The Daily Meal
    Read the full story here: thedailymeal.com

  • TAKE 5

    TAKE 5

    While Sacramento has the distinction of being California’s capital, this city holds another title that’s quite flavorful. Sacramento’s referred to as America’s “Farm-to-Fork Capital,” and the city has played a major part in making California the nation’s largest agricultural producer.

    In Sacramento’s Midtown neighborhood, this New American restaurant was founded by lead chef Patrick Mulvaney, who is credited as one of the driving forces behind Sacramento’s farm-to-fork movement. He is said to continuously practice what he preaches—what comes into his restaurant makes its way to the plate. He cuts down on food waste by having all parts of an animal used in dishes, and puts eco-friendly disposable dishware and cutlery with to-go orders.

    Take 5: Farm-to-Fork Finds in Sacramento, California
    Originally published by Paste Magazine
    Read the full story here: PasteMagazine.com

  • Farm to Cup

    Farm to Cup

    Sacramento chef Patrick Mulvaney routinely travels to meet and strategize with the farmers and ranchers who supply fresh ingredients for his popular midtown restaurant.

    But the pioneer in this area’s farm-to-fork movement late last month took that idea to a geographic extreme.

    He journeyed to a remote region in Honduras to get acquainted with the farmer who supplies the beans for the coffee served at Mulvaney’s B&L.

    Farm to cup: Sacramento chef goes 3,000 miles to buy specialty coffee beans
    Originally published by The Sacramento Bee
    Read the full story here: SacBee.com

  • more than just your fave foodie capital

    more than just your fave foodie capital

    Sacramento, long thought of as a sleepy capital lacking the luster of Los Angeles or San Francisco, is emerging from the shadows in the Golden State.

    You shouldn’t be surprised then, at how great Sacramento’s restaurants are. If you close your eyes and chow down you could be fooled into thinking you’re in San Francisco. Menus contain words like fresh, local, seasonal, sustainable and artisan. Take, for example, Mulvaney’s B&L. The menu here rotates daily based on the offerings at local farms. Hand-crafted New American is the house specialty. Expect to be wowed when you see some of biggest, freshest looking chunks of salmon or pig roasting on a giant grill, where you can eat surrounded by a lovely garden.

    Why Sacramento’s more than just your fave foodie capital
    Originally published by Orbitz
    Read the full story here: Orbitz.com

  • Meat, Water and Global Warming

    Meat, Water and Global Warming

    Restaurateur Patrick Mulvaney says he thinks of himself and the farmers that he buys from as “careful stewards of the land.” Mulvaney primarily buys certified organic or sustainably grown farm products, and seafood approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Servers at his Midtown restaurant, Mulvaney’s B&L, even limit pours of drinking water to patrons who specifically ask for it — a nod toward California’s ongoing drought.

    Meat, Water and Global Warming
    Originally published by Comstock’s Magazine
    Read the full story here: comstocksmag.com

  • Diner en Blanc

    Diner en Blanc

    On Saturday, October 8th 2016, the first-ever Diner en Blanc Sacramento was held at the just-opened Golden 1 Center where 1,000 people celebrated our city and community. The people, location, fashion, food, music and weather could not have been more perfect! But it was Sacramento’s spirit, energy, enthusiasm and total commitment to participating in something so unconventional that made for one of the most unique and memorable community experiences in recent history.

  • Combatting Food Waste

    Combatting Food Waste

    Chef Patrick Mulvaney and his team at Mulvaney’s B&L restaurant in midtown Sacramento regularly butcher whole hogs themselves, carefully ensuring that they use every element of the animal, because food waste translates into lost revenue in the restaurant business.

    So the cost-conscious restaurateur was stunned when he received research showing that 10 million tons of food goes unharvested or gets discarded on U.S. farms annually, even as one in seven Americans are insecure about where they will find their next meal. Here was a situation that Mulvaney – and indeed other chefs across the nation – wanted to help change.

    Patrick Mulvaney, other chefs join effort to combat food waste
    Originally published by The Sacramento Bee
    Read the full story here: SacBee.com