Giving thanks, expanding downtown

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but that’s how this time of year tends to go—quickly. In the spirit of the holiday, Matthew Martin over at Pyramid Farms is once again—for the 12th year in a row—donating 100 percent of his sales at the Saturday Chico Certified Farmers’ Market to a good cause. This time around, that cause is Slow Food North Valley, a local nonprofit focused on increasing food education in the community and at schools.

So, if you need another reason to stock up on organic veggies this weekend (Nov. 24), this is a good one: you’ll be supporting the creation and maintenance of school gardens. Insider tip: Pyramid Farms’ carrots are famously delicious.

Moving in The downtown space formerly occupied by Zucchini & Vine, at the corner of Second and Main streets, is getting a rapid facelift. I’ve spied a crew there hard at work revamping the place over the past month or so and it’s already filled to the brim—Little Red Hen Home held its grand-opening Wednesday (Nov. 20). I’m fairly obsessed with the Vintage shop across the street—and I appreciate the organization’s motto of “retail with a purpose,” as it employs and empowers kids and adults with developmental disabilities.

New eats The hottest new eatery in town, Burban Kitchen, opened this month and I made my way over there for lunch one afternoon with my friend Joan. The ambiance is what I might call modern industrial chic, with tall, sheet-metal ceilings, lots of natural light, and what appeared to be a combination of individual and communal seating choices. The bar wraps around a large, open kitchen, so you can watch chef Ann Leon and her crew do their thing.

The menu is eclectic, with an emphasis on local ingredients but inspiration from around the world. I had the meat patty—an open-face burger, basically—and the seasoning was killer, as was the sauce. Joan chose the lamb sausage and couldn’t stop raving about the hummus, which mellowed out the heat of the merguez mixed in.

We didn’t see the cheese plate till after lunch—it’s on the dessert menu—otherwise we’d have ordered that as a pre-meal snack. Leon did sneak us a taste of the blue cheese, Kapiti Kikorangi from New Zealand, which she paired with pecans from Table Mountain. Pure bliss.

But wait, there’s more Oroville is adding to its fast-food menu this month. First, on Wednesday (Nov. 20), Chipotle opened up at 325 Oro Dam Blvd. E., in the Feather River Crossings center, with what it calls a Chipotlane. The pickup lane allows customers to order on their phones and then pick up their food at the window—it’s only the second location in California with such a feature. And just up the road, at 680 Oro Dam Blvd. E., the long-awaited KFC is scheduled to open Sunday (Nov. 24). Who’s hungry?