Helena Darling

Now that the long wait for a Rogue Valley summer appears to be over, fans of local food and wine shouldn’t hesitate to check out monthly pairing events at Medford’s Pallet Wine Co.

Winemaker Linda Donovan teamed up with restaurateur and caterer Helena Darling in March to spotlight her labels with Darling’s particular brand of cuisine. The result is “Perfect Pairings” on the first Wednesday of each month and “Barrel Room Bistro” on the third Friday of each month.

While the latter follows the popular winemaker-dinner format that pairs vintages with each course, the former is a more casual approach that allows guests to choose as many or as few “small plates” as desired and pair them with recommended wines. Cost per plate is $4 to $12. Wines by the glass are an additional $8 or $22 for the entire bottle. Smaller tasting portions of wine are available.

A fan of the small-plates trend and Darling’s deft hand with seasonal ingredients, I had been planning to patronize “Perfect Pairings” since it debuted March 2 with gougeres, lamb meatballs and “salade Nicoise” bruschetta, to name a few tempting tidbits. But it wasn’t until this month that the dining stars aligned, if not the weather.

Several days of showers had saturated Medford streets, making for a puddle-jumping jaunt across two blocks from the newspaper office to Pallet’s warehouse at 340 N. Fir St. Housed in the circa-1942 Cooley-Neff Building, Pallet is a custom-crush facility that creates wines for local vineyard owners who lack their own winemaking equipment and facilities.

Promoting Pallet’s persona as a working winery, co-owner Linda Donovan wants guests to observe the winemaking process, even its “mess,” but she and Darling agree that the setting adds a sense of accessibility, easing some guests’ introduction to pairing food and wine. Patrons can arrive anytime between 5 and 8 p.m.

Barrel Room Bistro suppers are at 7 p.m., and a few spots remain for today’s dinner; reservations are required. Cost is $54 per person, which includes wine.

I can see Pallet’s vast cinder-block expanse becoming a welcome refuge once summer really heats up. The low-ceilinged barrel room downstairs already has won such favor that suppers are filling up throughout summer, said Darling.

Working from a certified mobile kitchen, Darling can serve many more for first Wednesdays. But because of the rain’s chilling effect, my friend and I were among just a half-dozen at the most recent event. Calling Darling’s catering company (541-734-9280) in advance secured our spots.

Darling good-naturedly christened her paprika-potato soup ($4) for the “rainy day” but said she couldn’t stop herself from presenting a counterpoint of chilled tomato and mozzarella soup ($11). Other selections were hickory-roasted prime rib skewers with smoky salami sauce ($12), corn butter-sauteed zucchini bruschetta ($9) and potato gratin with halibut, Pacific shrimp and Columbia River salmon ($11).

Craving summer’s lighter flavors, I selected the mozzarella and tomato “cappuccino,” which describes Darling’s way of layering the pureed soup with cream in a highball glass. Because tomatoes still hadn’t come into season, Darling incorporated some she had canned last summer with another batch that were oven-roasted to encourage sweetness.

Although I was curious about the beef’s salami sauce, the seafood seemed a better choice for its heartier gratin compared with the former’s carrot ragout. We weren’t disappointed in either portions or flavors for the price.

“It’s definitely the kind of cooking where you taste the ingredients rather than a sauce,” said my approving friend.

And although the warehouse was chilly, Darling managed to achieve a commendable temperature with the gratin and moist tenderness with the fish. We also enjoyed glasses of the just-bottled L. Donovan chardonnay, sweeter and not as oaky as other versions of this varietal I’ve tried.

As we finished our wine, Darling walked over and offered to make us a “chef’s plate” of remaining items. Too full to tackle all of them, we decided the bruschetta deserved a try. It proved the evening’s most delicious.

So much more than just toppings on bread, Darling’s bruschetta seamlessly binds ingredients into a cohesive dish. Fresh corn not only mingled with the ribbons of zucchini but also had infused the butter Darling used for sauteeing. The piece de resistance was Darling’s impeccably textured home-baked baguette flecked with chopped onion.

See information for upcoming events at www.helenadarling.com/1w3f/

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Alyssa Warner serves lunch from her Fresco food truck Mondays and Fridays at the Medford Armory. photo Bob Pennell

In recent months, cupcake bakeries have popped up around the Rogue Valley like spring flowers.

The Cupcake Company opened in the Larson Creek Shopping Center on North Phoenix Road in February. Cupcake Creations set up shop at 1739 E. McAndrews Road the next month. The Candy Shoppe, 235 E. California St., Jacksonville, added cupcakes to its repertoire of sweets in March, too.

The Cupcake Daily plans to open in mid-June at 102 Talent Ave., Talent, and is already building buzz with a social-media campaign. And other eateries have proudly pushed cupcakes front and center to capitalize on the craze that finally made its way to Medford.

Google reminds me that it’s been a decade since the gals from “Sex in the City” bit into big cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, thrusting the all-American treat into the spotlight and sparking a wave of gourmet “cupcakeries.” Since then, trendwatchers have debated whether the cupcake bubble has burst or whether this sweet snack is an icon, not just a fad.

Whatever those experts decide about cupcakes’ place in the pantheon of desserts, the jolt of sugar these cute cakes provide cannot be denied.

The local cupcake shops deliver a taste, not of the aspirational sophistication of Carrie and company, but of birthday parties and your favorite room mother from grade school.

Parry Morris, who owns Cupcake Creations with husband Jeremy, said it was her experience as a mother of four that gave her the baking skills to launch her own cupcake shop after she saw them proliferating in Portland.

“Buying cakes for every birthday was getting spendy, so I started doing a lot of baking,” she explained.

Cupcake Creations offers roughly two-dozen flavor concoctions ranging from classics, such as strawberry shortcake and German chocolate, to candy-topped sweeties covered in bits of Butterfinger or Heath bars or a crumbled peanut-butter cup. All cupcakes cost $1.50 each, $8 for a half-dozen and $15 for a dozen.

Frosted to order, the compact cupcakes are piled with a delicate whipped frosting that is light and creamy, not greasy. Morris said the frosting is nondairy and suitable for lactose-intolerant people. A serious chocoholic, I wished the frosting on my triple-chocolate cupcake packed more cocoa flavor, as it was barely distinguishable from that on my husband’s Gimme S’more version, which promised marshmallow cream and white icing under a sprinkle of graham-cracker crumbs and chocolate chips.

Cupcakes are only part of the sweet fun at The Candy Shoppe, 235 E. California St., Jacksonville. Melanie Scofield bought the business last year and moved it down the street into a larger location, where she has expanded offerings from nostalgic candy and chocolates

Simple cupcakes, costing $1.75 each, were her first addition, but I’m even more excited about the soda fountain she has since added for sundaes, sodas and even phosphates.

Both The Candy Shoppe and Cupcake Creations offer cupcake parties that enable party-goers to frost their own cupcakes. At Cupcake Creations, such events cost $4 per person. The Candy Shoppe charges $25 to rent its party room for one and a half hours and $8 per “cupcake kit” — a pair of cakes and the associated frosting and accessories for each decorator. Parties-to-go cost just $8 per decorator.

With a pleasant coffee-shop atmosphere, The Cupcake Company charges $2.95 each for its large cupcakes or $1.25 for minis. Owner Susan Krebs describes her cupcakes as an “affordable luxury.”

“It’s amazing how willing people are to drive across town for an individual cupcake or a box of them for their families,” said her daughter Taylor Krebs, who works the register at the shop.

Every day the shop has more than a dozen flavors. Eight basics including chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, lemon drop, peanut-butter cup and a decadent chocolate with cheesecake filling are available daily, but you have to be there on the right day to catch other specialties. I’d recommend Tuesday and Friday so you can get the peanut butter and jelly and the carrot cake, two classics. But the midweek menu with sweet strawberry, raspberry surprise, rocky road and Black Forest makes me think I should stop by on a Wednesday.

As cupcakes have stormed onto the scene, some of the best I’ve had locally came not from bakeries specializing in the treats, but from other kitchens jumping onto the trend.

Fresco, Alyssa Warner’s mobile kitchen that can be found at the Medford Armory Mondays and Fridays, had chocolate and mocha cupcakes for $2 each on one early visit. My chocolate one was exceptionally fresh. The tender and moist cake was topped with a swirl — not a mound — of rich chocolate buttercream accented with a single chocolate chip.

Downtown Market Co. regularly offers a row of supersized cupcakes such as carrot cake crowned with cream-cheese frosting and chopped pecans or a dreamy-looking snowball of a cupcake coated with coconut. For a special treat showcasing favorite flavors of childhood, I had to try a peanut butter-and-jelly concoction actually made from a sheet cake cut into cupcake-sized rounds. The finely textured cake was layered with strawberry jam, then topped with an unctuous peanut-butter frosting. At $4, this one is big enough to share, but it’s so delicious you might not want to.

Wherever you get your cupcake fix, remember — life is better with sprinkles.

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Fresco, a new mobile kitchen that has emerged onto Medford’s street-food scene, offers wraps, sandwiches and rice and noodle bowls that are a cut above fast food.

Owner Alyssa Warner says she saw plenty of potential for her recipes after assessing the many taco trucks and the few hot dog stands operating around town.

According to a story in the Mail Tribune last month, Warner began cooking at an early age at her parents’ restaurant, Green Springs Inn. Rob and Barbara McHugh founded the inn near Ashland in 1981. There, Warner learned to prepare Italian food from her grandmother, Louise Tappero. She later learned to bake from her older sister, Angela Harris, who owned Angelina’s Pizza & Pasta in Talent.

Warner opened for business in March, and her trailer is parked from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Fridays in the lot in front of the Medford Armory, along the South Pacific Highway.

Always on the lookout for healthful, inexpensive meals for lunch, several of us at the Mail Tribune have sampled Warner’s quality cuisine.

Early this week, I tried one of her daily specials — a wasabi noodle bowl. The dish was served with ample amounts of Warner’s handmade noodles and bites of dark chicken meat, along with crispy, stir-fried carrots, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower. These ingredients were tossed in a slightly sweet, Asian-style sauce.

Food Editor Sarah Lemon dined on Warner’s risotto during a recent visit to Fresco, and Web Editor Anita Burke was lucky enough to catch a daily special of hearty chicken stew.

The risotto didn’t have the dish’s characteristic creamy texture, but it was full of rich Parmesan flavor. The dish was ample, with large amounts of vegetables and tender rice. Burke’s chicken stew was a thick mixture of meat and vegetables served over rice.

We’ve also been unable to resist Warner’s homemade cupcakes and fruit turnovers. The cupcakes are quite good, but our votes are all in for the cherry turnovers.

Fresco’s menu can be viewed at http://alsfresco. The desserts are seasonal and announced at the trailer’s site, along with the daily specials.

Warner makes pasta from scratch every day, and she bakes all her own desserts and roasts her own coffee beans. Diners can order her handmade pasta with a choice of meatballs and sauce, marinara, butter, garlic and Parmesan or pesto, along with a side salad and garlic bread, for $7. The hefty portions of risotto and wasabi noodles also cost $7. Wraps include chicken cashew salad and pulled barbecued pork served with a choice of sides — slaw, salad or fries — for $7.50. Sandwiches cost $6 to $7.50. There’s a beef hot dog for $2.50, or served as a meal with slaw and chips for $4.50. Turnovers and cupcakes cost $2.

When Fresco isn’t parked for lunch Mondays and Fridays at the Medford Armory, it’s available for on-site catering jobs, as well as deliveries.

Summer will bring lighter fare to Fresco, including more salads, homemade ice cream and popsicles. A new garden at Green Springs Inn will grow much of the produce. Until then, Warner says she’s using as many locally grown vegetables as possible.

Borrowing a tactic from food-truck fleets in Portland, Warner notifies customers by Twitter of Fresco’s whereabouts.

I once heard a food editor at The Oregonian compare street-cart cuisine as “the food of the future.” I know Fresco will be in my future.

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Alyssa Warner serves lunch from her Fresco food truck Mondays and Fridays at the Medford Armory.

Appraising Medford’s food-cart landscape, Alyssa Warner saw plenty of potential among numerous taco trucks, a few hotdog stands and the odd bento barbecue.

“I just wanted to provide a healthy alternative to Burger King, McDonald’s,” says the 41-year-old Medford resident.

So the former real-estate appraiser christened her new mobile kitchen “Fresco,” a term she doesn’t use loosely. Warner makes pasta from scratch every day, bakes all her own desserts and even roasts her own coffee beans. For all that time and effort, she charges $7 for pasta with a choice of homemade sauce, a green salad and garlic bread; $1 for a cherry turnover and $1.25 for 12 ounces of java.

“I’m not a restaurant; I can’t charge restaurant prices,” says Warner.

Restaurants are something Warner knows plenty about. Her parents, Ron and Barbara McHugh, founded Green Springs Inn near Ashland 1981.

Alyssa Warner prepares a sandwich inside her mobile kitchen at the Medford Armory. Bob Pennell

Warner started cooking at age 14 in the inn’s kitchen, where she learned the northern Italian recipes of her immigrant grandmother, Louise Tappero. She later honed her baking skills with older sister Angela Harris, who owned Angelina’s Pizza & Pasta in Talent.

“She’s just developed into a great cook,” says Barbara McHugh of her younger daughter.

Despite no formal culinary training, Warner developed a reputation over the past decade for cakes baked for family, friends and her husband’s co-workers at Providence Medford Medical Center. With chocolate her specialty, Warner also is well-versed in decorative fondant, transforming cakes into ballgown-clad Barbie dolls, a giant Oreo cookie, even the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

“At least once a week, someone orders a cake,” she says.

And after helping her mom with catering gigs over the years, Warner recently started testing those waters on her own.

When Fresco isn’t parked for lunch Mondays and Fridays at the Medford Armory, it’s available for on-site catering jobs, as well as deliveries. Warner’s trailer — certified as a commercial kitchen — was built in Portland, purchased for about $11,000 and hit the road the first week in March.

“The trailer is just sort of a way to recession-proof myself,” says Warner.

Her dinner menus are addressing similar concerns for customers. For about $15 per person, Warner produced a Valentine’s Day meal of handmade, heart-shaped, chicken-filled ravioli, butternut-squash soup, rolls, green salad and mini, heart-shaped, raspberry cheesecakes for Medford resident Bubba Richmond.

“That’s delivered — you can’t beat that,” says Richmond, 69, who dropped by Fresco for lunch last week.

Other entrees, available with 24 hours notice, are vegetarian and meat lasagnas and ricotta gnocchi with pesto. The lunch menu of pasta, sandwiches and risotto bowls is available daily, even when Warner’s not at the Armory. She says she’s up for special orders with enough lead time and refers customers to her blogs — with photos — of past specials.

“People can order anything anytime,” says Warner.

So far Warner’s business hasn’t extended beyond Medford, and she’s relied on word-of-mouth from friends and family. But borrowing a tactic from food-truck fleets in Portland and Los Angeles, she’s started notifying customers by Twitter of Fresco’s whereabouts.

She’ll be stationed near the Rogue Valley Family YMCA for Medford’s Pear Blossom Festival, April 9, and plans to rally other mobile kitchens at the Armory for a few hours the evening of May 13.

Summer will bring lighter fare, including more salads, homemade ice cream and popsicles, says Warner. A new garden at Green Springs Inn will grow much of her produce. Until the harvest, Warners says she’s using as many locally grown vegetables as possible.

View Fresco menus at http://alsfresco.com. Call Warner at 541-601-5137 or e-mail fresco@alsfresco.com.

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