Can’t get enough ‘Ted Lasso’? These Sacramento women turned their blog to a cookbook
Did you catch “Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein’s stand-up comedy shows at downtown Sacramento’s SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center last weekend? If not, there’s still a local way to get your fix of the fictitious AFC Richmond soccer team.
Sacramento-area residents Aki Berry and Meg Chano co-wrote “The Unofficial Ted Lasso Cookbook,” published on Nov. 14. It’s inspired by the Emmy Award-winning Apple TV show, the third and (for now) final season of which concluded on May 31.
Some dishes appeared on the hit three-season show about a British soccer team and their exceptionally American coach, such as jollof rice that Nigerian winger Sam Obisanya brought to a potluck or the hot dogs kit man Nathan Shelley spoke of during the pilot.
There are “Biscuits with the Boss,” the cookies Ted gifted to AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton each morning, along with a how-to guide on constructing your own pink pastry box. And the team’s blue-and-yellow “Believe” banner gets re-imagined as a sheet cake that’s actually 24 cupcakes frosted together.
In the Harper Collins-published cookbook each recipe comes with a tag to the relevant episode, while a few dishes are merely inspired by the characters’ backgrounds and exploits on screen. Lasso hails from Kansas, for example, so Midwestern cheesy corn is represented along with Southern-inspired slaw.
Berry and Chano met at the age of 15, when Chano came from Japan to Arizona on a study abroad program partially organized by Berry’s mother. The two lived next door to each other, then reconnected when Chano moved to the U.S. for good more than 20 years later, landing in Roseville. As fate would have it, Berry was about to move to Fair Oaks.
The two sparked up a cooking blog, Salt Harvest Creatives, where they posted a few Ted Lasso-inspired recipes while watching Seasons 1 and 2 of the show. Harper Collins reached out in August 2022 to ask if they would write a cookbook by March 2023 — before Season 3 premiered – so no recipes from the final run, alas, are included in the book.
“The Unofficial Ted Lasso Cookbook” retails for $24.99 and will be available at local bookstores (Wild Sisters Book Co., East Village Bookshop, Face in a Book) and major retailers (Amazon, Target) Tuesday.
Our cookbook countdown
It’s not the only locally-produced cookbook debuting next week.
“Sacramento Eats: Recipes from the Capital Region’s Favorite Restaurants” officially comes out on Nov. 17, though pre-ordered copies have been arriving in homes throughout this week. A collection of 60 recipes from local institutions such as Frank Fat’s, Localis and Freeport Bakery, it’s authored by yours truly and features eye-catching photos from The Sacramento Bee’s visuals team.
Order at https://bit.ly/45r9Rng for a selection of restaurant recipes from around the Sacramento region.
What I’m Eating
The seasons are changing in Davis, where new chef Katerina Balagian has transformed Seasons Kitchen & Bar into a relaxed-upscale marriage of Middle Eastern flavors and California innovation.
Born in Armenia, Balagian kneaded dough as a pastry chef at fine dining restaurants Allora in East Sacramento, Dyafa in Oakland and three-Michelin-starred Coi in San Francisco (the latter two have since closed). She now offers a $65/person tasting menu every Thursday at Seasons, a 20-year-old, formerly New American restaurant at the ground floor of downtown Davis’ Hilton Garden Inn.
Balagian draws on family roots for dishes such as khachapuri ($28), a Georgian flatbread her grandmother used to make. Cooked in the same wood-burning oven as Seasons’ delectable pizzas, it’s filled with melted mozzarella, feta and goat cheese and topped with a bright orange Jidori egg. Tear from the sides, and dip the crust into the gooey middle.
Crispy halloumi fries ($16) make for a shareable starter akin to Mediterranean mozzarella sticks, with a piquant arrabbiata sauce offered a tad more heat than classic marinara. A fall fattoush salad ($18) mixed Japanese sweet potatoes, Hidden Rose apples and za’atar croutons amid greens from Fiddler’s Green Farm in rural Yolo County, its bitterness and acid contrasting nicely.
Balagian seems to have strengthened Seasons’ ties with local suppliers. Braising the short rib mujaddara ($48) in coffee and Sudwerk Brewing beer gave the Levantine lentil dish a delicious exterior, while the highlight of the tart, sweet herbivore pizza ($24) wasn’t the bok choy or beets or cherries but the crunchy, invasive radish seed pods Balagian herself foraged from UC Davis’ student farm.
Seasons Kitchen & Bar
Address: 102 F St., Davis.
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.
Phone number: (530) 746-5500.
Website: https://www.seasonskitchenandbar.com/
Drinks: Full bar with a deep wine list.
Vegetarian options: Many, from sunchoke vichyssoise to tofu steak to pear and bleu cheese pizza.
Noise level: Relatively quiet.
Openings & Closings
▪ The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar is officially out, and The Lock & Key Tapas + Bar will have its grand opening Friday after a soft opening Tuesday at 2718 J St. in midtown Sacramento. Bites and drinks such as Peruvian scallops, housemade churros and hibiscus palomas give The Lock a Latin American bend.
▪ Folsom’s newest restaurant, AT Thai Kitchen, opened Oct. 27 at 711 E. Bidwell St., Suite 5. Look for house specialty curries made with mango, avocado or rambutans in addition to chicken satay, cashew stir-fries and other comforting staples.
▪ North Highlands burger joint Lou’s Drive-In, a community fixture since 1958, looked sure to close last week. Then the business owners struck an 11th-hour deal to buy their building, The Bee’s Jacqueline Pinedo reported, allowing them to keep flipping patties and greeting customers at 6229 Watt Ave.