WORDS BY OLIVIER J. BOURGOIN (AKA. OLIVIER THE WINE GUY)
Groovy Girl Mushrooms
Photo by Groovy Girl
Mycology! Here’s a word you don’t hear every day. It involves the study of fungi including molds, yeasts and, indeed, mushrooms. Delve into this fascinating world of mushrooms with mycologist Angelica “Angie” Torres. A 2012 graduate of East Central High School, Torres became passionate about mushrooms while studying at the Cordon Bleu culinary school in Pasadena. She explains, “I decided to come home to my roots [after studying at the Cordon Bleu culinary school in Pasadena, CA, including a life-changing internship at L.A. FungHi] to continue learning and teaching all about mushrooms.” As a member of the Central Texas Mycological Society, Torres worked with the Texas legislature to successfully name the Texas star mushroom, or Chorioactis Geaster, as the official state mushroom of Texas. Torres grows her mushrooms locally and organically. Depending on the season, she offers anywhere from four to 12 different types of mushrooms, plus mushroom powders and jerky. You can find Torres and her products at the Alamo Heights Farmers Market every Sunday, or online.
Ancient Heirloom Grains’ Rainbow-Colored Tortillas
Photo by Ancient Heirloom Grains
When local chef Paul Morales decided to go west to take a teaching position at UCLA, he hadn’t planned on losing his job once he got there; but when the campus shut down due to COVID-19, he came back home to San Antonio. Since operating a food truck outdoors was still allowed, he bought one. Then he started looking for high-quality tortillas, like the ones he could find in Los Angeles, but he couldn’t. That’s when he decided to sell the food truck and start making his own by hand. According to Morales, few tortilla purveyors today take the time to cook the corn and grind it properly. His company now makes thousands of tortillas each day — the proper way. Importantly, the corn they source is high-quality, non-GMO corn from Oaxaca and Texcala in Mexico, and the corn varieties are beautiful colors such as blue, pink, yellow or even purple. Sometimes, you’ll even find a special batch of multi-colored tortillas. Suffice it to say, what Morales is doing is very rare, and as he says, is rarely seen outside of Mexico.
Photo by Ancient Heirloom Grains
Find Ancient Heirloom Grains on Saturdays at the Pearl Farmers Market or order online for delivery at ancientheirloomgrains.com
Microgreen Gems
Photo by Microgreen Gems
Tracy Tesson had a successful 37-year career as a general manager for big box retail giants. But when corporate downsizing due to the pandemic began to affect his workload, he decided to take an offered early retirement severance package. With his newly found time he began to research microgreens as a potential solution to his wife’s chronic iron deficiency. He found out that broccoli microgreens contained huge amounts of iron — and so he started growing them to help his wife. “Eventually, she encouraged me to make my hobby into a professional venture, and I started the business on July 4 this year,” shares Tesson. “Our mission is to bring the vibrant, nutrient-rich world of microgreens to your plate.”
Currently, Microgreen Gems grows several different types of microgreens, including broccoli, cantaloupe, cilantro, cucumber, speckled pea, China rose radish, ramble radish and sunflower; each one offering different health and nutritional benefits. They offer free subscriptions with home or office delivery to anywhere in and around the San Antonio area.
Find more information online or go to the Mission Marquee Farmers Market, Picapica Farmers Market or Shavano Park Farmers Market.
Duck, Duck, Good at Tim’s Oriental & Seafood Market
Photo by Tim’s Oriental & Seafood Market
In order to do it justice, Tim’s Oriental & Seafood Market’s full name really ought to be: Tim’s Oriental & Seafood & Produce & Meat & Everything Pan-Asian Market & Grocery Store. Located at 7015 Bandera Road, the family-owned-and-operated business has been a must-visit destination for food lovers. Inside, you’ll find 25 aisles stocked with an amazing assortment of prepared hot, cold and frozen items, from unique pickled vegetables and soup stock ingredients to items for a DIY sushi party. From a line of dangling (and incredibly enticing) whole roasted duck to galangal root, seaweed and dried squid, all sorts of tofu and fancy noodles (buckwheat, sweet potato, rice and mung bean thread), you can easily satisfy your Asian food cravings at Tim’s. Grab some Filipino pork lechon, thin-sliced meats for hot pot, roasted eel and live blue crabs, plus bones and knuckles to make that velvety bone broth. “My parents, Tim and Cathy Lim, started this business in 1986 after they immigrated from Hong Kong,” says daughter and CEO, Vanessa (Lim) Egle. Today, she and her two siblings manage it. “Although they’re retired now, they still like to come in and cook when they feel like it. This was my father’s dream, to see all his children and now grandchildren, working together in a legacy business.” My advice: bring several large reusable shopping bags and be ready to do some serious shopping.
facebook.com/TimsOrientalMarketSATX
About the Contributor
Olivier J. Bourgoin has been a wine broker and consultant, as well as a freelance writer, who has been involved in these industries in and around the
greater San Antonio area for more than 25 years. A native of France with family roots deep in the wine producting region of Burgundy, he is known as “Olivier the Wine Guy” and featured as such on a local weekly radio segment for 20 years.
