Dining Around: Satisfy your cravings at the Farmers Market
If you believe variety is the spice of life, don’t miss the High Desert Farmers Market food vendors featured this week.
It is a sure bet their creative menus will spice up your time at the market and add flavorful fun to your breakfast, lunch or dinner menu at home.
4 Starters Bowl & Juice Bar
Cittlaly “Laly” Hernandez and her sister Wendy have revolutionized breakfasts at the HDFM for just over a year. They have redesigned the most important meal of the day so you can create your own bowl to make it both delicious and beautiful. There are also some decadent items to add, if you wish.
Build-Your-Own-Bowl in five easy steps.
First, choose the size, which is determined by your choice of up to three bases from Acai, Dragon fruit, Mango, Chia Pudding, Vanilla, Cookies & Cream and Strawberry.
Then select up to three fruits ─ Strawberry, Banana, Kiwi, Blueberries, Apple, Pineapple and Cherries.
From there, select three toppings that range from Hemp or Honey Granola, a variety of different seeds, nuts and sprinkles as well as M&Ms and chocolate chips.
Finally, decide on the drizzle. Choices include Agave, honey, two nut butters, Nutella, fudge or caramel.
4 Starters also includes bagels, shakes, frappés and “Juicees, Smoothees, Slushees and Shakees” as well as the popular “Chamango Bowl,” with chamoy, a popular Mexican sauce or condiment.
If you have food allergies, just let 4 Starters know. Juices are extracted as ordered, and there are bottled options. Prices for bowls range from $8 to $13.
4 Starters is available for special events and catering as well. A storefront is planned near Costco. For information, call 760-223-5356.
Butter up Pasta
Roseann Rodriguez of Butter up Pasta is following her dream and love of pasta by sharing generational family recipes, particularly the pasta sauce from her husband Chad’s grandmother.
Everything is made and cooked from scratch with hand-grated cheese, freshly chopped parsley and herbs, torn mushrooms with coarse edges that soak up sauces and various flavors more efficiently.
There is “goodness” packed in every plate.
Select traditional or fettuccine noodles and pick your sauce ─ hearty meat, marinara or Alfredo ─ for $13. Add a side of garlic bread for $4.
Customers favor Alfredo sauce, which sells out quickly, Roseanne says.
She believes every pasta dish is a “piece of grandma’s heart,” and her colorful menu board has many tempting selections including the special menu, a meatball sub or cheese ravioli with your choice of sauce for $12. An item coming soon is “Not A Pizza,” garlic bread topped with sauce, cheese and pepperoni, $14.
Extras include like chopped chicken, large meatballs, chopped “mushies,” extra cheese or Hot Cheeto Powder available for a nominal charge.
Watch for new items like the pasta “bread bowl,” stuffed mushrooms and the meatball sub.
Roseann aims to open a “pasta family eatery” that will also sell jars of family recipe sauce to enjoy at home.
Catering is on her menu, too, so call 760-261-0805. Follow Butter up Pasta on Facebook and Instagram.
Tea Life
Maya and her father Nhan are the idea people behind Tea Life, a canopy that creates delicious drinks so you can “live your best life.”
That slogan on the colorful banner lets you know you’ve come to the right place.
And if Thai tea, milk tea or boba are new to your vocabulary, you are in for a treat.
Maya and her assistants Arabella and Hailey make fresh black and green teas daily as the base for the different trendy and colorful flavors they offer.
Tea Life specializes in iced teas with their most popular flavors the signature boba milk tea, classic Thai tea and green Thai tea. Another popular flavor is mango.
If you are lactose intolerant, ask for almond, coconut, oat and soy milk.
Many people are intrigued by imaginative names of other teas at Tea Life, like Summer Rain, black tea with fresh strawberry topping, chia seeds, and strawberry jelly with mint. Others include Tropical Superfruit, Two to Mango and Game, Set, Matcha.
The big news is that Maya and crew are looking forward to opening a store very soon next to Vons on Hesperia Road. Plans include offering more types of drinks and desserts as well as egg rolls and other Asian finger foods.
Follow Tea Life on Instagram @greentealife or call 760-888-8TEA (8832).
When you go
High Desert Farmers Market, 18244 Bear Valley Road, VVC lower campus. 760-247-3769, contact@highdesertfarmersmarket.com. Every Thursday rain or shine from 8 a.m. to Noon.
Highdesertfarmersmarket.com.
Dining Around
If you would like your restaurant profiled in Dining Around or want to tell readers about your favorite eatery, please contact Kathy Young by text/voicemail at 760-953-8682 or email kaynhuey@aol.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Satisfy your cravings at the High Desert Farmers Market
