Oh my fellow tomatoes, I had the most incredible experience learning to can tomatoes (the red ones) at the fabulous 18 Reasons in the Mission. And speaking of tomatoes, (the female kind), if you didn’t get tickets for Barbra’s latest tour, you can always see second best, a Barbra Streisand Tribute. It’s coat weather, at least according to the calendar, and you must see these gorgeous vintage inspired coats designed by young(ish) daughter tomatoes of local uber creatives. Favorite funny gal Amy Schumer’s head writer and exec producer Jessi Klein heads to the JCC to chat about the journey of the twenty-first century woman. Hilarity ensues!

18 Reasons

Part cooking school, part community kitchen, part event space, 18 Reasons empowers the discovery of good food. Associated with the Bi Rite family (the amazing market and ice cream emporium) this organization is dedicated to promoting a love of food. Whether it is through teaching the community how to prepare, can, sharpen their skills, or offering low cost community dinners, their mission is to let us know that food matters.

The teachers are remarkable. I am not a great cook, but I was treated with the same respect as the others in my class that included a personal chef and experienced canners. In addition to offering classes that are as varied as homemade herbal medicine, unsung vegetables and Malaysian cuisine, what 18 Reasons does for the low-income communities is teach them how cooking matters.

They offer a free series where the chefs share their knowledge of cooking and nutrition throughout the bay area. Don’t you love an organization that serves all the people?  Learn more.

Barbra Streisand Tribute

Who doesn’t love our iconic tomato Barbra – still going strong with a voice as pure as it was when she was 20. However, if you missed her on tour (or the several hundred-dollar ticket prices put you off) you can still get your Barbra fix at the Montgomery Theatre in San Jose.  Actress-singer Rebecca Clark (with a strong resemblance to Babs) becomes Barbra Streisand in her one-woman musical. She delivers all the greatest hits (no voice track, it’s all her!) from “People” to “Funny Girl” to “On a Clear Day”.

Her mannerisms and vocal quality are fabulous and you might even think you are listening to the real gal. She takes the audience on a journey through Barbra’s life, with comedy and sass. You may even learn a few things about Barbra that will enforce why she is one of the greatest superstars of our time. Get discount tickets via Goldstar. 

New Vintage Coats

30 something year old’s Fanny Singer (daughter of Alice Waters) and Mariah Nielson (daughter of Inverness sculptor J.B. Blunk), met in 2012 in London (so glam) as they were studying art history (Singer) and design history (Nielson). As they both pursued careers in the art world, they decided to take on what they and their friend’s deemed one of fashion’s biggest problems: recreating the perfect vintage coat. Through the use of all natural fabrics they have been able to simulate the way vintage coats drape and feel.

They use double crepe wool and organic linen dyed in yummy shades of navy, slate, loden and camel. Their debut collection titled PERMANENT COLLECTION, consists of only 4 coats, but I guarantee you will have a difficult time settling on which one you like the best. For now, you can cozy up in one by purchasing online, but they will be coming soon to select SF boutiques. Learn more about the perfect coat.

Jessi Klein

You may not know who Jessi Klein is by her name, but she is the head writer and executive producer of Inside Amy Schumer, and if you listen to Wait, Wait on NPR you have heard her witticisms as a somewhat regular panelist. Those credentials alone speak volumes, and on October 26^th you can hear her in conversation at the JCC in SF.

Klein is also the author of the essay collection “You’ll Grow out of it” and her sketches for Amy Schumer go beyond the “let’s get a laugh out of this joke” and into the more thorough look at what it means to be a woman in the world today.  Her conversation with humor author Chris Colin will include Klein’s funny and poignant take on the rites of modern femininity as she hilariously and candidly explores the journey of the twenty-first century woman. Tomatoes will be laughing out loud! Get tickets and more information.