Signs of Springing Forward with Local Food & Food-inspired Businesses

Little Blue House | @littlebluehousesj

It’s Friday night and masked neighbors greet each other as they pick up tonight’s dinner, which may be truffle risotto, short ribs or Mary’s Organic chicken. These diners are among the regulars whose Covid-weekend dinner routine means a locally sourced, organic meal from San Jose’s Little Blue House. 

The popular take-out weekend dinner enterprise is the brainchild of chef Kevin Mertens-Rowan, whose culinary pedigree includes the Ritz Carlton San Francisco, Flour + Water, chef de cuisine at Plumed Horse and most recently one of the head chefs at LinkedIn’s Sunnyvale campus. When Covid closed the campus, it inspired Mertens-Rowan to move toward his dream of someday opening his own restaurant.

“It’s great to come back to the place where I grew up, using the experiences I’ve had to create food that is nourishing, seasonal and appreciated.”                      - Chef Kevin Mertens-Rowan

He tapped into his contacts with local organic growers and suppliers for ingredients and teamed up with former LinkedIn executive pastry chef Vincent Attali of Belmont’s The French Spot for dessert offerings. “Going out on your own can be daunting, but I found support from so many colleagues and friends,” he says. “It’s great to come back to the place where I grew up, using the experiences I’ve had to create food that is nourishing, seasonal and appreciated during this pandemic."

Nabeela's Bakery | @nabeelasbakery

Santa Clara resident Nabeela Aijaz was beginning a new job search in the food industry when the pandemic hit. Despite ample experience – at Manresa Bread, Full Circle Farm and the Epicurean Group – she knew it was not the right time to find employment in the hard-hit food business.

With time on her hands, she began making sourdough bread, perfecting techniques she had used 15 years ago. Friends who were the lucky recipients of gifts of her bread encouraged her to start a pick-up-and-delivery home bakery. She soon expanded her offerings to include scones, cookies and other delights. A long-time advocate of environmental protection, Nabeela strives to use only sustainably grown locally sourced, fairly traded and organic ingredients.

“The pandemic gave me the push I needed to start the bakery,” she says. “It’s a joy for me to know that my customers and I are supporting environmentally-sound options in our food choices.”  

Oak Origins Woodcraft | @oakorigins

Garret Lewis, an operations manager for a San Jose electrical supplies business, was furloughed soon after the pandemic started. With time on his hands, he turned to his life-long hobby - woodworking.  

“I’m doing what I love and betting on myself. It doesn’t get better than that.”     - Garret Lewis

Garret loves everything about wood - the smooth feel of the grain, the aroma of oak when first cut, the swirl of knots and twists. Coaxing wood into beautiful charcuterie boards and furniture is his passion and having the time to do what he loved got him to thinking:  could he turn this into a business?

For the next seven weeks, he crafted products - beautiful charcuterie and cutting boards of Brazilian Cherry, Purple Heart and rich walnut -  and sold them to friends along with commissioned furniture pieces. He converted his garage into a wood shop to meet growing demand. 

And then his employer called him back to work. He lasted eight weeks - and then he quit. Oak Origins Woodcraft was born. “I feel liberated,” says Lewis. “I’m doing what I love and betting on myself. It doesn’t get better than that.”