Tess of All Seasons

🌴 Welcome back to the channel — Tess for All Seasons! 🍴✨

I’m out here in Los Angeles, California, home to one of the most vibrant and diverse food scenes in the world. And you know what that means—we’re going to eat our way through the city, prowling for the next great bite!

My first stop began with live music at a jazz club, followed by some iconic LA street tacos. 🌮🎷 From there, the night led me to a picnic area filled with banquet tables packed with locals from different cultures.

Nothing extraordinary about a picnic… EXCEPT it was midnight! The skies were clear, and I found myself sitting there, looking up at the moon above Los Angeles. 🌙

I happened to sit beside a young Portuguese-Brazilian woman who wanted a recipe for Bangus. In exchange, she shared with me her version of Moqueca—a beautiful Brazilian seafood stew.

And that got me thinking: almost every culture with a coastline seems to have its own comforting seafood creation—from bouillabaisse in France and Portuguese bacalhoada, to New England chowder and San Francisco’s famous cioppino.

Moqueca is its own beautiful expression: chunks of firm white fish gently cooked with garlic, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, coriander, lime and coconut milk. 🐟🥥🌿

One midnight conversation. Two cultures exchanging recipes. And another dish added to my culinary journey.

This is exactly what Tess for All Seasons is about—food, people, places, and the unexpected stories we discover along the way.

The prowl for the next great bite continues… 🌎🍴

🌿 Succulent / Aeonium

This gorgeous bouquet came from one small, leggy trunk that I beheaded (barbaric! 😂) last year—and look at her now! 💚

I’ve been beheading Aeoniums all morning. ✂️🌱 Sometimes a little tough love is exactly what they need to come back fuller and more beautiful.

Gardening is full of surprises… and apparently, a little beheading.

🍷 Beef Bourguignon 🥘

The Beef Bourguignon felt cozy, vinematic, and deeply comforting.

Imagine the sound of a rich, dark, bubbling stew that takes nearly 3 hours to make… and disappears in 3 minutes. 😋

Beef chunks are seared in bacon fat until deeply browned, then slowly simmered with carrots, onions, garlic, a generous pour of Pinot Noir, beef stock, thyme, and bay leaves.

Meanwhile, mushrooms and pearl onions are sautéed separately in butter and stirred in toward the end.

Rich, slow-cooked, deeply savory, and full of that comforting French countryside feeling.

Three hours of love. Three minutes of bliss. ❤️🍷

🌶️ Peruvian Aji Amarillo Prawns 🍤
“Prowl for the next great bite.”

Today, the prowl for the next great bite took me and a friend to Bajia Restaurant in Northpoint, Dumaguete City—a beautiful coastal spot driven by the sea and its flavors.

This dish is a Peruvian coastal classic, packed with a delicious peppery punch from Aji Amarillo paste.

Minced garlic is sautéed generously in olive oil and butter, then the Aji Amarillo paste and a splash of white wine are added and reduced to bring all those flavors together. The prawns are tossed into the sauce and cooked until perfectly pink, then finished with fresh lime or lemon and cilantro.

Served with a mound of steamed rice—simple, bold, savory, and with just the right kick. 🍋🌿🍚

Another great bite discovered.
Where will the prowl take me next? 👀🍴

🍊 Aegean Citrus Salad 🌿

The inspiration for this salad came from my love for sun-ripened citrus, fresh crunchy greens, and the salty, briny goodness of Feta—finished with a drizzle of EVOO and balsamic vinegar that instantly takes me back to the flavors of the Mediterranean. 🇬🇷

The red onions are sliced very thin and soaked in iced water to give them that extra crispness and crunch.

Bright, fresh, tangy, salty, and simply divine! 🍊🥬🧅✨

A little taste of the Mediterranean, made with love. ❤️

🍅🥖 Simple ingredients, made with love. ❤️

Our Crust Me Bruschetta is served on Vietnamese French bread, toasted to perfection and topped with fresh, flavorful ingredients.

Simple, fresh, and delicious—made with love in every bite. 🥰

💛 A HEARTFELT THANK YOU FROM CRUST ME 💛

After many wonderful Sundays, Crust Me will be taking a short break from the Valencia Sunday Market starting August 2. We plan to return around mid-September, and we look forward to seeing you again then.

Before we pause, we simply want to say thank you.

Thank you for supporting our small business from the very beginning. What started as a simple idea became something so much bigger because of you.

Thank you for the friendships we’ve built, the conversations we’ve shared, and the sense of community we’ve experienced every Sunday. Crust Me has never been just about food—it has been about bringing people together, creating meaningful connections, and sharing moments around the table.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Your smiles, encouragement, suggestions, and kind words have inspired us to keep creating, improving, and doing what we love.

We will miss seeing all of you each Sunday, but this is simply “see you later,” not goodbye.

We’ll be back mid-September, refreshed, inspired, and excited to share more delicious creations with our Crust Me family.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making these past months unforgettable.

See you soon. With gratitude,
The Crust Me Family 💛🥖

💛 Thank You for Another Amazing Sunday! 🥖

From all of us at Crust Me, thank you to everyone who stopped by today. Whether you enjoyed one of our sandwiches, tried our new Burger Sliders, treated yourself to dessert, or simply came to say hello, we truly appreciate your support.

Your smiles, kind words, and continued encouragement inspire us to keep doing what we love—serving fresh, homemade food with heart.

Every Sunday is special because of you, and we’re grateful to be part of such a wonderful community.

Have a great week, and we’ll be back next Sunday with more delicious favorites waiting for you!

Thank you for being part of the Crust Me family. See you next Sunday! 💛😊