Food for the Body and the Soul
First Street is a cornucopia of comestibles that provide nourishment for the body and soul. Sunday, I walked to the fishing pier to catch the sunset. Both sides were lined with fisher people standing on boulders, relaxing in folding chairs, and fiddling with lures and bait. The north side seemed to be the salmon people and the Strait side was every other kind of fish — striper, smelt, white sturgeon.
“Just the other day a fella caught a 30 pounder,” one man told me. At roughly $30 to $45 per pound for premiumking salmon, that adds up to $900 to $1350 for one fish. A salmon dinner at Sailor Jack’s cost $20, but you get sides. Make of it what you will.
A group of six young folks drove over from Fairfield. I spied a small oven and some crusty tin foil on a rock. “Did you just eat your fish?” I asked. “Yes, we baked a smelt. We usually use them as bait, but they’re really good with a bit of butter and salt and pepper.” Another fellow was reeling one in. It didn’t make the grade at under 18 inches so it was thrown back, with a bad toothache, no doubt.
I walked home along the promenade as the sky over the Carquinez Bridge turned a pale peach, then a bright coral, and finally the most exquisite orangey-pink — a deep salmon
I ran into Wayne Vizuet walking briskly between One House Bakery and St. Paul’s transporting bread for the twice-weekly St. Paul’s Community Meal Program. Wayne has volunteered at St. Paul’s for the past three years in various capacities, is a hard worker, and conscientious in all that he does. I have even seen him picking up fallen leaves on the patio.
“We offer free meals on Mondays and Wednesdays between 4:30 – 6 pm to anyone who is in need. We also provide free groceries — milk, potatoes and onions are always available,” he told me.
Donna Marshall, former special ed teacher with Benicia Unified, leads the all-volunteer program which serves some 570 meals a week. “We rely entirely on donations to keep it going,” she said. “We have eight different cooks from local organizations including Heritage Presbyterian Church, Kiwanis, CultivateRealty, and Solano Organization of Realtors. Fifty additional cooks, and 100 front-of house people serve the meals and distribute the food. I couldn’t do without the support Catherine and Leo Harris. We three are a team.”
In 2019, Donna took over from Debi Hall who started the program, ran it for 25 years, and still cooks. In a climate of rising food costs, Donna spends much of her time looking for the sales. Contra Costa Food Bank is a huge partner, but they, too, are strapped.
“This sounds like a full-time volunteer job,” I said.
“How many hours do you spend a week on the meal program?” “A lot,” she said modestly.
“How is the best way to donate?” Financially, rather than food, as we have to abide by regulations for commercial kitchens and buy in such quantity. To donate or volunteer go to: stpaulsbenicia.org and click “Get Involved.”
Art: Food for the Soul
Art nourishes us emotionally and spiritually, lowers stress, and even reduces inflammation according to some studies. Blackbird Gallery owners Jean Purnell and Angela White offered their gallery on First St. in August for the “5 x 5 for Arts Benicia – Exhibition and Fundraiser.” Artist Susan Sachs who worked the show said that the four-day event was a tremendous success.
“At one point people were three deep paying for theirsmall paintings priced at $50 each,” she said.
Gallery co-owner Jean told me, ”It’s been a hard year for non-profits that rely heavily on donations. People feel passionate about causes, but concerns about social issues and financial security affect giving. Since opening Blackbird Gallery, I’ve been looking for ways to enhance support for Arts Benicia on First Street, where there is so much visibility for the artists who enrich and give back to our community. We had over 50 artists donate work, and we raised $4000 for Arts Benicia. I want to give a special shout out to the artists at Blackbird Gallery, Benicia Plein Air Gallery, and my Rossmoor Art Center art tribe who supported the event and donated their artwork. As usual, our community comes through in a big way,” she said.
Benicia Artist Lisa Reinertson, is a nationally known sculptor and painter best known for her life-size figures in clay and bronze of women interacting with nature and also sculptures of public figures, MLK, Dianne Feinstein, and author Joan Didion among them. Her creations are informed by feminism, political and social justice, and deep ecology. “” a monumental bronze installed on the waterside trail behind Bella Siena restaurant, was the artist’s gift to the City in 2019.
An exhibition of her large sculptures as well paintings, drawings, and pastels completed over the past several decades is now showing at NY2CA Gallery until October 4.
Lisa studied with Benicians Robert Arneson and Manuel Neri while working on her MFA at UC Davis, a hotbed of art experimentation during the formative years of the Funk Art Movement.
A life-size clay figure, “The Call,” features Lisa’s granddaughter Paloma, a pre-teen, holding a conch shell to her ear, listening to the sound of the sea. She could just as well be holding a cell phone, except for the dreamy expression on her face. A cherubic baby curled up on a lily pad is a representation of Lisa’s daughter as a toddler. Crabs and other sea creatures crawl out of the water as the child gazes at them with wonder. “The Asylum Seeker” is a solemn representation of an immigrant woman awaiting herfate. Will she be sent back? Will she be taken to a camp? The figure is made from a groggy brown clay,without paint or glazes except for the iridescent blue butterfly she holds.
The artist will offer a slide presentation and Q & A at the Gallery September 27, from 3-4:30 pm.
The exhibition text reads: “Together these works remind us that we are not separate from the world we are trying to protect. We belong to it. And perhaps what we learn to love, we may also be willing to protect.”
Food for thought.
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