Julie² or Just Call Us Dining Details

Two of the San Diego food community's favorite Julies have just announced a unique collaboration that begins August 1.

Julie Franz (l) and Julie Darling (r)

Julie Darling of Just Call Us -- Catering, Volunteers, and Kitchen Rental -- and Julie Frans of Dining Details personal chef and catering business have just signed an agreement that turns over Dining Details's El Cajon commissary kitchen to Just Call Us Kitchen Rental so that Julie Frans and her husband Robbie can move to Miami and Julie can spend more time with her two young kids as well as follow her dream to write a book, develop recipes, and participant in the local food movement as it impacts children.

Frans explained that five months ago she and her husband started re-evaluating what they wanted and realized that they needed to make some big changes. They love catering, but with two small children and a growing business, their family life was being short changed.

"I was back at work four days after Cassidy was born," she said. "The path was to get busier, busier, busier at the expense of raising the kids."

So Robbie decided he'd be the primary breadwinner and Julie would get some flexibility. He got a lot of offers but decided to return to work as a private chef for a family in Miami he'd worked for before. He's already started with them and the family will join him in Miami in October. Julie plans to dig into the local Slow Food group, develop her blog, and get involved with lunch programs at local schools as she did with her Chickpeas program here. And, yes, Julie, who has a lot of family here, will regularly return to San Diego to work with her Dining Details clients and their events.

Julie Darling, who runs a rental kitchen in Clairemont and has been looking to expand the business, will take over the Dining Details space and inventory and keep working with their chefs to work events. She's already got a couple of businesses interested in becoming tenants and is hoping to attract East County food artisans who need a licensed kitchen where they can make their products.

"I'm as excited for Julie as I am for us," Frans said. "The universe brought us together for a whole new chapter for each of us."

For Darling, it means she has an additional 1,750 square feet of kitchen space for what's been an under-served culinary community in East County. "The joke is that's out in the wilderness, but close to the kitchen there's North Park Produce, Sprouts, Harvest Ranch, Costco, and Smart & Final," she noted.

And, the space will continue to be a CSA pickup location for Be Wise Ranch. Julie Frans will continue to create recipes for the CSA, which are included in each week's bags of produce.

"This has been a very cooperative transition," Darling said. "Julie will still be here periodically for events and the Dining Details food will be consistent because her staff will remain. And, I can offer a great space for people who need to rent a professional kitchen in East County."

If you're interested in renting space from Just Call Us Kitchen Rental, you can reach Julie Darling at chefjulie@me.com. If you have an event you want Dining Details to cater, you can reach Julie Frans at julie@diningdetails.com

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Zucchini Pancakes: Making Veggies Fun

My friend and fellow Les Dames D'Escoffier chapter member Julie Darling of Just Call Us Catering seems to be everywhere these days when it comes to volunteering to feed people in San Diego. Her latest project is to teach kids how to cook straight from the garden. And, she didn't have to twist my arm to help. So, on Tuesday I'll be with her at the Olivewood Gardens at the International Community Foundation Center's property in National City.

I can't wait to see their garden, where right now they're harvesting lemon grass, nasturtiums, oregano, rutabagas, leeks, celery, zucchinis, cauliflower and many other fruits, vegetables, and herbs. We'll have about 60 elementary school kids from the neighborhood there to learn about planting in the garden, maintaining it, and nutrition. I'll be doing a cooking class for them. What am I making? Well, with all that zucchini, why not zucchini pancakes?

This is a great way to turn a vegetable many kids and even adults may not like into something they'll enjoy. In fact, it's why I make them. Zucchini's fine, but I don't love the texture when I find it sauteed or in ratatouille. So, early on I started making these pancakes. And, come the end of summer when you can't seem to find enough ways to use them up from your garden, this recipe comes in handy. In fact, you can use this recipe for many other vegetables and the kids can help make it.

Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients

1 pound of zucchinis

1 large yellow onion

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup of Panko or seasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying

Directions

1.     Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and grate each one coarsely, using the big holes of a grater or your food processor's grating blade. Put the grated zucchini in a colander and the colander into a bowl and let the liquid drain from the zucchini.

2.     
       Cut the onions in half lengthwise and remove the skin from the onion. Then grate each onion coarsely, using the big holes of a grater. Add the grated onion to the zucchini in the colander to drain. Feel free to gently but firmly squeeze the grated vegetables to get out as much liquid as possible.

3.     Put the vegetables in a large bowl and add the Panko, baking powder, the oregano, the garlic (if you’re using it), and the salt and pepper. Stir it all together to fully mix ingredients.

4.     Add the eggs and mix well. The mixture should be moist but not runny.

5.     Heat ¼ inch of oil in a hot pan. Place a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan. If it begins to sizzle, the oil is ready for the mixture. Drop a large spoonful of the zucchini mix into the pan and flatten into a pancake. Don’t crowd the pancakes by putting too many in at one time. 

      Cook them for several minutes on each side until the pancakes are golden brown. Put the pancakes on a plate with paper towels placed on top to drain. Then serve with applesauce, creme fraiche, or sour cream.

 

Makes about two dozen, three-inch pancakes.

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