by Scott Steward
My brother came over from the Bay Area, where they have a lot of great dessert shops, and we sat down on my mom's west Davis back patio for a picnic lunch.
I had stopped at previously at the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe and picked up a beautiful (gluten-free) crust strawberry and raspberry pie, which we had with a small amount of ice cream, following our humus and vegetable platter with potato and green salads.
But the pie! "Best pie I've had," my brother exclaimed, and his wife agreed and the seven of us present were able to eat half of the large 12" diameter desert.
This is the kind of consistently tasty and inspired eating you get from the Farmer's Family Cafe. Roseanne and her family have served sit-down no hurry service, and have provided a subscription menu, for years from the D Street location, but no more as of this July.
In the last eight months, Roseanne has had to pay PG&E $36,000 in energy bills. Energy bills have always been high for the businesses renting in the conspicuously inefficient 11,400 sq ft D Street building (est. built in the 60s), but the last 8 months are different. $36,000, and Roseanne—who is not one to want to move—is moving to a new location to be announced once all is settled.
Two systemic problems forced Roseanne's hand, and she is just one of the majority of businesses that have seen profits reduced by high utility bills. Not since Enron in 2000 have utilities increased so much in such a short period of time. The owners of these old buildings keep on collecting rent checks and do nothing about what it costs tenant businesses to keep buildings cool and food hot.
If you like Tasty Kitchen, Ara Spa, Kim's Food Asian Market, Mathnasium, and Why Not Boba—your local businesses—you had better hope that the D Street building gets some insulation and heat pumps; otherwise, the remaining businesses will likely fall victim to utility rates that have gone up by as much as 50% from 2022 to 2024. Here is the thing: the CPUC gave no cap to what PG&E and the other state utilities can charge.
PG&E and long-postponed building improvements are jeopardizing our town's excellent fruit pie production. City planners should be aware that the squeeze is on and look for ways to keep our businesses by offering incentives and ordinances to green the old stock of buildings before they lose more business tax revenue.
All of us should consider why nine out of ten bills to remedy the transfer of wealth to the Utilities did not pass, thanks in large part to Newsom's office and his speaker, Rivas (Speaker of the Assembly), who can pull bills into the rules committee, for a death march, at will.
What has happened to local/municipal renewable energy independence is that CPUC rule changes have reduced the flexibility and affordability of local energy solutions for the sake of Newsom's political slush fund. The Farmer's Kitchen Cafe is just one recent example of who is paying for it.
About the Farmer's Kitchen Cafe
Everything is seasonal & local and that means FRESH. The menu changes often, so check the website or call before you go – although you'll always find something good. Very vegetarian and vegan friendly, but also offer meat choices. There's free wireless internet, a huge selection of teas, outside dining when the weather is nice and a friendly staff. Check out the website for information on delivery, catering and fresh, gluten-free breads, bagels and pies made daily. There is also glutenous bread, but they cater to people with food sensitivities/allergies.
Davisite 
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