Ron Childress

Livermore's new El Sacromonte offers gourmet Mexican fare in an artsy, romantic setting.

David Kinch of Los Gatos' Manresa, Thomas McNaughton from San Francisco's flour+water and Jörg Rupf from Alameda's St. George Spirits were all named semifinalists for the 2012 James Beard Foundation awards.

When kids go vegetarian, dinner suddenly changes.

Set aside any thoughts of Renaissance Faire libations. Mead is making a comeback.

In praise of the noble kitchen shears, tool extraordinaire.

There's no sign outside Hay Market, just a window full of twinkling white lights and rusty artifacts from the long-gone San Jose farm of owner/chef Joe Cirone's grandparents. His commitment to freshness is why the menu changes constantly and some dishes sell out on busy nights.

Berkeley's Kitchen on Fire is a particularly good example of the surging interest in Bay Area cooking schools. Owners Olivier Said and Chef MikeC. just opened a second, even larger school across town, and their new cookbook just hit bookstore shelves.

You love chardonnay, don't you? It's the most popular varietal in America. But California wouldn't have any homegrown chardonnay if it wasn't for the Wente family. As we celebrate 100 years of growing the white grape, make sure you toast a Wente in thanks.

Who knew the White House had such a history of beer appreciation? Craft beer columnist Jay Brooks uncovers the long and venerable history of presidential beer.

Readers share recipes for gooey mudslide cookies and offer tips on gluten-free baking.

'Top Chef' gets a season 10 order, and starts casting chef-testants.

Restaurant openings abound in the East Bay as Emeryville prepares to welcome Hot Italian, Berkeley opens Babette's and Oakland gets the nation's first zero-carbon cafe.

Mardi Gras is coming up fast. Here's a selection of New Orleans-inspired menus for Feb. 21 to whet your appetite.

Susie Cover's new cookbook, 'The Supper Club,' aims to feed kids and grown-ups alike.

Sauteing with the stars? Celebrities seem to churn out new cookbooks -- good, bad and ugly ones -- every few weeks.