Town and Gown fundraiser brings food trucks back to Redlands

Rah Rah Redlands!

Food trucks are returning to the city of the Zanja during the University of Redlands’ Town and Gown fundraiser.

The event, which will combine football fun (run football drills and learn cheers) with food trucks, will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday (September 15) at the University of Redlands’ football practice field, 1200 E. Colton Ave.

They’ll also have a kids’ zone for the young ones, Hangar 24 beer for the older ones, and everyone will have an opportunity to meet Bulldog mascot Thurber.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for seniors and kids under 12, and free for UofR students. Tickets are cash only, and sales will start at 4:15 p.m.

UofR takes on Pacific Lutheran at 7 p.m.

For more information, click here.

Head over the jump to see the list of scheduled trucks.
Continue reading “Town and Gown fundraiser brings food trucks back to Redlands” »

Togo’s raising funds for No Kid Hungry

We’ve already mentioned that Corner Bakery Cafe has begun fundraising for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Togo’s
is another chain which is currently raising funds for the campaign.

Guests who visit any of the eleven Inland Empire locations (and others) and donate $1 to the campaign will receive a coupon good for a 20-ounce fountain drink on a return visit.

Togo’s raised $18,000 in its initial partnership with Share Our Strength during last year’s campaign and hopes to double that this year, with your help.

Togo’s is raising funds through September 30.

Togo’s Inland Empire locations include San Bernardino, Chino Hills, Redlands, Fontana, Corona, Temecula and Palm Desert.

Donkey Punch Brewery one step closer to opening

Soon, Redlands will be home to not one, not two, but three breweries.

Donkey Punch Brewery will be joining the well-established Hangar 24 Craft Brewery and the soon-to-open Ritual Brewing, as the owners announced this week via Facebook that the brewery has received its ABC license.

Donkey Punch Brewery is at 2351 W. Lugonia Ave., Suite G, which is within stumbling distance of Ritual and less than two miles from Hangar 24’s planned second tasting room at Park Avenue and Nevada Street.

For updates, “Like” ’em on Facebook.

‘Taco USA’ author to speak in Upland, Ontario

Gustavo Arellano,
author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America,” will speak at 2 p.m. tomorrow (September 8) at the Upland Public Library’s Carnegie Cultural Center, 123 D St.

The free program is in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

And if you can’t make tomorrow’s date, our friends over at the Ontario Now blog have informed us that he will also be speaking at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 18 at the Ontario Senior Center, 225 E. B St.

Arellano is also editor of OC Weekly, author of the “Ask a Mexican!” column and book, and was the subject of this New York Times interview conducted at Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino.

The visits appear geared toward his “Ask a Mexican!” column and book, but I’m sure you can certainly ask a Mexican about Mexican food.

Arellano will also be signing books at the events.

Click here for information on tomorrow’s talk in Upland. For more information on the Ontario visit, click here.

Corner Bakery Cafe gears up early for Dine Out For No Kid Hungry

While the official Share Our Strength’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry campaign takes place from September 16 through 22 this year, Corner Bakery Cafe has already begun to raise funds.

Through September 23, guests can choose to donate to help end childhood hunger and get a reward in return.

Guests who donate $1 to the No Kid Hungry campaign will receive a coupon good for a free Whoopie pie during a return visit, and those who donate $5 will receive a booklet of offers worth $45.

Plus, each guest who donates will be recognized with a card bearing their name that’ll be displayed on the walls of the cafe.

Corner Bakery Cafe has participated in the campaign each year since its inception, and has contributed $610,000.
Continue reading “Corner Bakery Cafe gears up early for Dine Out For No Kid Hungry” »

Learn how to make Neapolitan pizza with Ra Pour’s Executive Chef Greg Stillman

Ever wanted to learn from a real chef?

One who has worked at Napa Valley’s famed French Laundry and is a 10-year veteran of the Patina Group?

Now’s your chance.

Greg Stillman, Executive Chef at Ra Pour Restaurant and Lounge in Rancho Cucamonga, will teach a class on the art of making Neapolitan pizza.

No, it’s not pizza with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, it’s pizza from the birthplace of pizza, Naples, Italy.

The folks from Naples are serious about their pizza. There’s even a governing body, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (the “True Neapolitan Pizza Association”), which determines guidelines for what constitutes a Neapolitan pizza.

The class will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 22, at the restaurant, 7900 Kew Ave., Suite 5410.

The cost is a mere $25 per person, which includes the class, one 10-inch Neapolitan pizza, a side salad, and a glass of either Chardonnay or Merlot wine.

A portion of the proceeds of this event will go towards fighting breast cancer and AIDS.

The class is limited to 20 students.

To reserve your spot, call Alisha at 909-899-7999.

Indulge in fall flavors and help fight hunger here in the I.E.

OK, so fall has not yet officially, um, fallen, but the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is celebrating nevertheless.

The coffeehouse is rolling out its fall flavors in an open house from 2 to 6 p.m. today (September 6).

At participating locations, guests can choose from a 12-ounce pumpkin or amaretto latte or Iced Blended drink for only $1 during the open house.

That’s the good part.

The best part is that that $1 will go directly to local food banks through Feeding America, which regular readers of this blog know locally is Second Harvest Food Bank serving San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

For more information, click here.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Inland Empire locations include Redlands,
Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont, Chino Hills, Riverside, Lake Elsinore, Temecula, Palm Springs, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Indio.

Get a 60¢ Texas Taco at Baker’s Drive-Thru today

You know the drill: It’s Wednesday, and Baker’s Drive-Thru, which is in the midst of celebrating its 60th anniversary, has been issuing coupons for discounted menu items on Wednesdays.

Today’s coupon is for a 60¢ Texas Taco — your choice of chicken, ground or shredded beef, or vegetarian, if your favorite Baker’s location has the vegetarian menu. (Note to Baker’s: What would it take for all locations to have the vegetarian menu?)

You can purchase up to two at that price.

The coupon, which can be found here, can either be printed out or displayed on your mobile device.

And if you entered Baker’s Disneyland sweepstakes, they’ve posted the list of winners here. (Sadly, I didn’t win…I hope you did!)

Be sure to “Like” Baker’s on Facebook to catch all the 60th anniversary (and other) deals.

Baker’s Drive-Thru locations can be found throughout the Inland Empire, and only (so far) in the Inland Empire.

Battle of the Food Trucks tomorrow at the Inland Empire Art Institute

The Art Institutes’ food truck is doing battle with some of the Southland’s best food trucks, and one of the events is taking place right here in the Inland Empire.

Students from the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California – Inland Empire are going head-to-head against the Hawaiian Filipino cuisine of Truck Norris.

The showdown takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. tomorrow (September 5) at the Art Institute of California campus, 674 East Brier Drive.

Judging the competition will be chefs and James Beard Award-nominees Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, who you might recognize from the Food Network show, “2 Dudes Catering.”

The public is invited to the free event, which will also include other food trucks from which you can purchase tasting-size portions.

Similar events will take place at Art Institutes’ campuses in Santa Monica, Santa Ana and San Diego.

At the later stops, students will be competing against God Save The Cuisine, India Jones Chow Truck and Piaggio Gourmet on Wheels.

For more information, click here.