Winter / Spring 2008

Plymouth

The Gourmet Ghetto

Visiting the Sierra Foothills wine region will wind you in and out of small towns, wide spots on the road known as towns and fully gentrified gold rush towns that flourish today. One of those small towns is Plymouth, the gateway to the Amador Wine Country. Plymouth’s history lies deeply bedded in logging and agriculture. The town once was home to a very large mining company where a majority of residents were employees. The main street was home to a grocery store, ice cream parlor, drug store, hotels and numerous saloons. The hey day of Plymouth faded and the once vibrant storefronts were shuttered and fell into disrepair.

In 2004 Plymouth began to see a new renaissance of the historic main street with the addition of the Amador Vintage Market located in the brick turn of the century building at the center of town. The gourmet deli, wine and food market has been offering visitors made to order sandwiches, seasonal specials, picnic baskets and much more. The variety of vintage sodas, beers from around the world and diversified wine selection will bring you back on a regular basis.

Eight years ago when Beth Sogaard’s daughter, Amy was born, the busy Sacramento chef decided she’d take a break from the hectic restaurant life and just cater a few parties for fun. Today the business that started with phone calls to clients during Amy’s naps is a full time enterprise, with catered events throughout the Sacramento and Gold Country regions. Housed in an historic brick building on Main Street, Plymouth, the two-fold catering and gourmet deli business employs over thirty employees, offering award winning catering, a stunning array of pannini and deli foods, cooking classes, wines and global beers, banquet space and even a customized line of “Chef Beth’s Kitchen” products. “I try to hold a level of excellence for everything we make here,” Chef Beth mulls, “from box lunches for wine tasters to the grand vineyard wedding for hundreds, everything has to be beautifully presented and delicious, just perfect!” The hungry visitors to the wine country have taken notice and a bustling scene on the weekends is the norm. “I’m lucky to have a staff that’s as passionate as I am. It’s very hard work, but it never feels like a job, just something fun I get to do!”

Beth Sogaard Catering & Beth Sogaard’s Amador Vintage Market is located at 9393 Main Street in Plymouth, CA. 95669.
Please call 209.245.FOOD, or toll free 866.441.BETH or visit
www.chefbethcatering.com or www.amadorvintagemarket.com for more information.

Overlooking the town park is Taste restaurant, the highly acclaimed dining establishment that opened in spring 2006. Their seasonal menu and extensive beer and wine list will delight anyone looking for a fresh, seasonal and innovative dining experience. While reservations for the dining room are recommended the wine bar area is open seating for those without reservations. The menu features small taste and large taste, which are also known as appetizers and entrees, respectively. All desserts are made in-house. Chef/Owner, Mark Berkner and his staff work with local farmers and high quality vendors to procure the best products available. The highly trained service staff will guide you through your dining experience with great attention to detail. The New York Times said of Taste, “In one-horse Plymouth, a humble time-warp at the foot of the Shenandoah Valley, Taste is an utter surprise... the execution is first-rate.” Locally, the Sacramento Bee selected Taste as one of the top restaurants in the Sacramento region for 2006. A visit to the Amador wine region wouldn’t be complete without an evening at Taste!

Mark and Tracey Berkner
Taste Restaurant is located at 9402 Main Street, Plymouth, CA 95669.
Please call 209.245.DINE or visit www.restauranttaste.com for more information. Taste is open Thursday–Monday serving dinner at 5pm.