Cameron Park micro-roastery R.C. Henning Coffee Co. is about to celebrate its 50th year in business. You’ve probably never heard of it.

Sacramento-area wineries that have lasted 50 years — Bogle and Boeger, namely — are household names at this point.

But R.C. Henning Coffee Co. is still something of a secret around the region, partially because it originated in Santa Cruz and only reopened in Cameron Park about four years ago, after R.C. Henning himself moved to El Dorado County.

The other reason is that Henning has little interest in operating a real cafe. Customers can grab an espresso drink from R.C. Henning Coffee Co. between 10 a.m-2 p.m. on weekdays while staff are roasting st the 2558 Greenwood Lane location, but with no WiFi, people don’t bring their laptops to work there.

No, R.C. Henning Coffee Co. drives most of its coffee directly to consumers’ doorstops — for free, if you live in Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Shingle Springs or Rescue (two-pound minimum). Customers anywhere else in the U.S. can get it for a $10 flat shipping rate.

Henning selects Arabica beans from a warehouse in Oakland, then roasts and packages them at his shop on weekday mornings before delivering them in the afternoon. Each of the five varieties (dark, blended, light, espresso, and decaf) run a reasonable $12/pound.

Santa Cruz had only one other roastery when Henning, 71, opened his eponymous shop in 1973, and he soon began selling wholesale to restaurants and cafes. A Capitola location was successful as well, and Henning retired to El Dorado Hills to spend his golden years closer to Sierra Nevada ski resorts.

But retirement proved somewhat boring, and Henning reopened his business in Cameron Park. He has four employees, and knows almost everyone who comes into the shop by name.

“I just like roasting coffee. I do. I put my earbuds in, and I’m just dancing.” Henning said. “I’m in this mostly as a hobby. I just love putting a smile on people’s faces.”

What I’m Eating

When I grew up in Davis during the 2000s, the Chinese restaurant scene was … disappointing. UC Davis attracted Chinese students and faculty, but few quality options existed for townies’ Wednesday night dinner.

That’s changed a bit in recent months, as four Chinese restaurants opened around the Yolo County college town between September and December 2022. One of the new stalwarts is Hunan Style, which debuted in September next to the Davis Food Co-op at 630 G St.

Hunan province’s food, like that of nearby Sichuan, is hot. Not the surface-level blast of spice that immediately overwhelms the senses, but a lingering slow burn that numbs the mouth. There are no flame emblems on Hunan Style’s menu or dimming-down of traditional dishes: basically, expect at least some spice in everything region-specific.

Hunan Style’s griddle-cooked pig intestine with peppers ($23) is a quality standard-bearer, buzzing from a few different chilis sliced and mixed with chewy offal, celery and white onions in a hot pan. Our server identified one dried red chili as a bird’s eye pepper (50,000 and 100,000 Scoville units, about 10 times as many as a jalapeño).

Chairman Mao braised pork ($21) was another regional item, named for the Communist leader who spent his early years in Hunan. I’d recommend a side of rice ($2.50) to soak up the thick, sweet-spicy red sauce slathered across fatty pieces of pork belly.

Hunan Style offers a sizable menu of niche dishes and (to a lesser extent) familiar classics. Coarse scrambled eggs with tomatoes ($15) were one of the latter, a Chinese American home staple that rarely makes its way onto restaurant menus. Comforting, yes, but probably not worth its price point.