LAKEPORT >> Despite the searing heat yet as daylight faded, Lake County residents descended on Library Park in droves to celebrate America’s Independence Day Thursday with rousing support for a favorite holiday.
Rising from the ashes three years ago since the COVID-19 crisis delt a blow to the culinary industry, Big Eats Grill’s Food Truck did a brisk business Thursday. “We do everything from backyard barbecue to fine dining,” said Joei Anderson the female half of Big Eats’ duo ownership of herself and Ken Syphax.
Their fine dining sparkles with Sous Vide, also known as low-temperature, long-time (LTLT) cooking, is a method of cooking invented by the French chef Georges Pralus in 1974, in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar and cooked in a water bath with marinade or seasoning for longer than usual cooking times. The food simmers without over cooking or drying out.
One of the public’s favorites is their signature Pig Mac, pulled pork with macaroni and cheese. “The Pig Mac brings out the happy child in a grown adult,” said Anderson. “They just light up and all their cares melt away, when they can have their warm, cozy comfort food.” Although they formerly served perennial favorite, shaved ice cups, with three other vendors carrying the same, Big Eats decided to focus on Asian Fusion, Cajun/Creole, Soul Food, Southern, Tex-Mex, and vegetarian offerings.
Keeping the customers satisfied too, were Terped Out Kitchen, owner Kyle Karlsson and his older brother Jon, launched their business Super Bowl Sunday 2020 from their great grandmother’s driveway. They now have two food trucks parked at the Robinson Rancheria parking lot and plan to have a third by next spring. The brothers serve up street tacos, quesadillas, burritos and the natural flavors and aromas of their popular Terp Bites. “It’s been a great day,” said Karlsson. “Oh yea, we’ll make a killing. Our tacos have won awards in Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties. It’s nearly 130 degrees over that grill, but we’ll be out here until 10 p.m. and back again next year.”
Cooking up jams since middle school and jewelry since high school, Nanette DeDonato’s Jams and Jewelry returned from Middletown for their second year to Lakeport’s 4th of July. One of DeDonato’s specialties are Lake County Diamonds, formed from the lava flows that erupted from Mount Konocti 350,000 years ago forged in high temperatures of 1,112 degrees and are found only in Lake County. DeDonato recalled they have a rating of 7.8 to 8 on the Moh’s Scale. A type of quartz, they are comprised of silicon dioxide and other trace elements and are a semi-precious stone she noted. DeDonato crafts jewelry from scratch, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Sterling became so costly she now uses Silver plated pieces, “To keep prices affordable in Lake County,” she said. “I do Blackberry Cobbler, Indian Days and Middletown Days. I sell more jam than jewelry. Last year, I sold out eight cases of Blackberry Cobbler.”
Chasing after her grandchildren and pelting them with her water pistol was Heidi Bartolomei. She has been attending the Lakeport 4th of July since her children were born 35 years ago. “I think the 4th of July is a lot of fun because we get to be with family,” she said. “We loved the Mexican Fruit Cup booth with watermelon, pineapple, papaya and hot sauce. We’ll be staying through the fireworks,” she added.
Pat Cormen was there for her third 4th of July and expected to get a fair if not great return on her items for sale. “All my jewelry is laminated gold- my best sellers are necklaces and earrings,” she said. “I recently expanded into water cups (jugs) and we also sell flannel throws, which sold better last summer when it was cooler. I don’t have a store, I do events: the Dicken’s Fair, the Oktoberfest and I hand out cards and sell at my home.”
The fireworks launched from a barge in the middle of Clear Lake was phenomenal, provoking whoops and hollers from many in the enthralled crowd. Enrique Silva arrived from Ukiah with his family. “It was pretty neat and we had a really good time,” he said. “We’ll definitely be back again next year.”
