Has Sacramento’s restaurant scene earned new cred? Check out the TV series about it

Benjy Egel
·4 min read

Sacramento’s restaurant scene is about to burst onto TV and streaming screens nationwide.

“Breaking Bread,” a three-episode series showcasing all that makes Sacramento’s food culture special, debuted Thursday on Hearst TV stations and Very Local streaming service. In the Sacramento region, that means the pilot will air at 9 p.m. on KCRA, with subsequent episodes following over the next two weeks.

“Breaking Bread” features chefs from around the region such as Brad Cecchi of Canon, N’Gina Guyton of the new Jim-Denny’s and Michael Fagnoni of Hawks sharing their thoughts about topics such as responsible sourcing of ingredients and mental health support within the restaurant industry.

The half-hour episodes put restaurateurs including Chris Barnum-Dann (Localis), Taro Arai (Mikuni), Patrick Mulvaney (Mulvaney’s B&L) and Quentin “Chef Q” Bennett (Q1227) at the table to eat together and talk about their lives. These often turn into ruminations on the local dining scene, as well as behind-the-scenes, personal looks at where favorite individual restaurants get their inspiration.

Some episodes also send chefs on field trips to nearby olive, walnut and rice farms. The series celebrates Sacramento as the U.S. “Farm-to-Fork Capital,” even enlisting Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters and Gwendal Poullennec, the Paris-based international director of Michelin Guides, for outside perspectives.

“I think that this project will generate a lot of local pride, not only from the restaurant industry but from residents, too,” Visit Sacramento President and CEO Mike Testa wrote in an email.

UC Davis Health and Bank of America sponsored “Breaking Bread,” and the final episode centers around UC Davis Medical Center executive chef Santana Diaz’s myriad efforts to deploy food as medicine. East Sacramento video production company Moonracer Films began filming began in July 2020 at downtown Sacramento food hall The Bank.

What I’m Eating

The Morning Fork’s waffles tend to be sweet, especially the orange chocolate ($14).
The Morning Fork’s waffles tend to be sweet, especially the orange chocolate ($14).

Jennifer Swiryn waited tables at Lucky Cafe for eight years until the 55-year-old midtown Sacramento diner closed in 2017. Two years later, Swiryn and her chef husband Keith opened the Morning Fork in its place, retaining some of the Americana nostalgia while infusing it with their punk rock feel.

Larger inside than it looks from 21st Street, the Morning Fork is a bustling blend of old-school counter stools and local art splashed across the walls. Keith’s culinary creations are generally classic with innovative, modern touches, a major reason (along with enormous pancakes) that it’s emerged as a Sacramento brunch favorite over the last four years.

Take the blue lump crab and bay shrimp Benedict ($23 with your choice of fruit, hash browns or country potatoes), served on a pair of English muffins. The sweet seafood added some frills, but perfectly-poached eggs and a subtle housemade hollandaise sauce showed the Morning Fork can nail the basics as well.

The seared corned beef hash ($17 with the above sides plus sourdough, marbled rye or an English muffin) would have been fall-apart tender were it not for a crispy layer across the bottom. Vegetarians might prefer the veggie burrito ($16), a contrasting mix of crunchy broccoli, earthy mushrooms, gooey Swiss Gouda, fluffy scrambled eggs and jalapeños’ dash of heat.

The Morning Fork’s waffles tend to run sweet, perhaps the orange chocolate ($14) most of all. Made with a cake-like chocolate batter, adorned with chocolate curls and topped with chocolate sauce, it’s so rich that you might want to skip the butter. Don’t: That little white ball is infused with candied citrus and salted maple syrup.

The Morning Fork

Address: 1111 21st St., Sacramento.

Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. every day.

Phone number: (916) 476-6765.

Website: https://www.themorningfork.com/

Drinks: Coffee from Coffee Works in East Sacramento and beer and wine, including brunch cocktails made with soju or Champagne.

Vegetarian options: Several.

Noise level: Loud.

Openings & Closings

  • The new Jim-Denny’s held its soft opening Saturday at 816 12th St. in downtown Sacramento. N’Gina Guyton, the former co-owner of South, has revamped the 85-year-old diner (closed in February 2020) with burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and more.

  • Local Mexican chain California Burrito opened its seventh area location on Aug. 30 at 7858 Lichen Drive in Citrus Heights. The drive-thru taqueria makes favorites such as carne asada quesadillas, lengua tacos and camarones rancheros.

  • Streets Pub & Grub is closed indefinitely after a fire, the British-inspired midtown Sacramento pub announced via social media on Monday. No one was hurt and the restaurant/bar plans to reopen, “but it might be a while” until repairs are completed, according to the post.

Get Sacramento's Food & Drink news delivered to your inbox

Sign up here to receive our free weekly Food & Drink newsletter, written by Bee food reporter Benjy Egel. You'll exclusively receive an early look at restaurants, bars, festivals and more.