Justin's Pantry

I am out of a job and looking to my people for support - conversation, side hustles, pop-ups, holiday parties, and compliments!

Change was on the horizon anyway and with the full moon change came sooner than expected. During this transition my culinary, wine, and kitchen skills are on the market.

The immediate future will likely not to hold a kitchen management position. I’ve been thinking hard about my goals.

I want more time with my people to create our own romantic memories around the table. More meals with my wife. Less high-stress moments. More value.

It’s time to swim with bigger, smarter fish than I. I’m not interested in starting my own business again quite yet. It’s time to be vulnerable and learn.

I don’t mind sharing the details behind my “termination” at B//E with my closest kin. I already have. It’s an unfortunate, shocking, emotional over-reaction. An opportunity for myself to level-up and grow.

Rumors gunna fly in this small town and I will continue to be honest, forward, and kind.

Let me know if you need help with a project for the day or the week. I’m available, after I play a little bit.

Save the Date, October 28th 🚴

Our 3rd Annual, Autumn Roll-About is a Bicycle Costume Ride & Rally 🎃 Beer, bikes, costumes, food, & music - not in that order.

is hosting the annual Mariposa Festival the same day. Amador City will be alive will fall colors & spirit.

We guide 2 bike rides - one causal, and one Difficult with gravel and steep hills. After we gather at the Brewery + Kitchen for music with , hot pizza, and cold beers.

More info and pre-registration coming early October. Save the date!

I made paella on Monday for my sister and this is me making paella on a Tuesday for

Roo, I proud of you 🤟

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Britt & I might be planning another midweek dinner party.

Chairs or High Tops?
Coursed or Buffet?
Music or Theatre?
Partnered or Solo?

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I am a bird

I’ve been binging tf out of cuz my buddy shared his Hulu login. I’m 16 of 18 since Monday 🤷‍♂️

Ima do a special at next weekend as tribute to the show. A classic Italian sliced beef sandwich with giardiniera - add onions, make it sweet, make it spicy, no peppers.

If your a fan of the show, come get ur beef next weekend July 7 & 8 till sold out 🐻

Sweater Weather is Pie Time. I asked Yorba Wines if we could do a Pot Pie pairing because I haven’t made puff pastry or pie dough in seasons and they said YES.

Order the Pie here -------> https://tinyurl.com/yckucrs7

The Pie is a Meatball Margherita with PT Ranch ground pork, a smoked pepper infused red sauce, with fresh mozzarella cheese, and my hand rolled puff pastry. Britt & I enjoyed our pie with a salad and a bottle (that led to another bottle) of Yorba Barbera. This Pie easily serves two hungry folk paired with homemade fall greens.

The Pie is frozen to bake at your convenience. After 45 minutes in the oven, its delicious, warm, flaky, and very cozy.

Pre-orders are available at the link in below. Pickup is the weekend of October 29 & 30. Each pie is $35 and I suggest adding at least 1 bottle of Yorba Barb to that order. With the season cooling down, I’m also craving the voluptuous, dark depth of the Syrah. Yorba Wines are a slam dunk.

Order using this link here -------> https://tinyurl.com/yckucrs7

If your curious about what is happening with Breakeven Beermakers, we are WEEKS away from opening our kitchen - very exciting!

is opening a kitchen & I am on that team. I am the Kitchen Manager & the kitchen needs a Lead. We will open the kitchen together - with the help of the rest of the B//E team.

B//E is located in a small, quirky community brewing focused, regional beer and offering cookery of sustenance. The kitchen has deli vibes. The patio feels like home; babies and dogs are welcome.

Produce drives our menu. We bake focaccia. We preserve and build a pantry. We will open the kitchen and we will close it. There is espresso. We try to spend more time at the farm. We contribute to the beverage program.

There is a brewery across the breezeway. We work with the Beermaker closely. We can contribute to label artwork, B//E stickers, and swag. We are also bartenders, order takers, food runners, dishwashers, and cellar rats.

We serve the town. We serve Amador City. We cook for the community, our co-workers, and our friends.

Now friends, I recruit you in spreading the good word. This is an opportunity. B//E is an opportunity for me and Amador City. Forward this in your circles. Relocation assistance is available.

Contact J Lew to schedule a visit and to learn more.

[email protected]

A job posting is coming soon.

It’s not now, it’s forever - this mornings mantra during yoga.

I said this to myself at the beginning of my practice today. At first, this mantra disconnected me from the moment. I’ve been caught up in the day to day of to-do’s and ex*****on while really trying to bring the big picture more into focus. As I continued my practice and my mantra, memories of walking the streets of Santiago - or was that Mexico City, or Madrid, or Bangkok- came to mind. I allowed these memories to flow through my conscious as I returned again to the mantra and movement.

By the climax of my practice, I came to an understanding that “it’s not now, it’s forever” actually allows me to be more present in the moment and the moments relationship with the big picture. Instead of my head buried blindly in a list, I always have my breath, my now, my blessed experiences and memories, and the possibilities of forever.

I’ve been binging on the Netflix series, The Sandman - I’m a big fan of . A character proposes the idea that traveling is to return home as a foreigner instead of experiencing the foreign. I connect with this because out of all the places we’ve been - here I am now. In a little town with a big dream.

I struggle. I fight for calm and presence continuously. Today, even just for this moment, I’m grateful to connect with all that I have been and will be.

A final quote from the all-knowing and wise, - Earth is rural. On the ground, in the reaches of cosmos, and in ourselves.

Be kind. Be nimble. Be extraordinary.

These are the three immutable laws of . The company that I have recently and officially joined as Chef. We are a Team, a Tavern, a Ranch, and soon to be a Brewery and Kitchen. There is beer and food. There is an orchard and hops. There are lots of dogs, several milk goats, and a donkey.

I am really connected with our company's declaration of values. In my journey of entrepreneurship and cooking I have embodied the worth of these words in practice. A business, a goal, a dream built on this foundation is not guaranteed success. The pursuit of growth grounded by the immutable laws is full of collaboration, trials, and passion. There are and will be long, hard days.

In my own pursuit there is no perfection and no glory. No end. The finish line will always be moved as soon as it is crossed. If the grass is not green, I now know it will not be greener on the other side. Apply compost and water, practice some fkn patience and keep working.

My first week working out of the Tavern with the team was an example of such pursuit. I have so much to learn as a Manager. I haven't been on a full-time team in a few years and I wasn't good at it then. There are always, always dishes to wash and put away. Again, I am humbled. I am humbled and I am grateful to be on a team of folk who care, are passionate, and down to get it done.

Be kind. Be nimble. Be extraordinary.

These laws are the pursuit -- the journey. I am amped to be growing in this direction.

Also, if you know someone that would be interested in operating a goat milk business or a tireless-being interested in regenerative farming and agriculture work, just LMK.

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I’m making lists because is now offering food Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

I’ve got lists with menus, lists with prep lists, and lists of lists because it’s hard to stay on top of all the things. Food that slaps - tasty, muy rico food - is the easy part. The back end stuff is why it’s a job.

Menu for this weekend includes corn ribs, a porchetta sandwich, fritters inspired by tlaltequeadas, chips & salsa d’jour, smoked peanuts, y mas!

Also lookout for a Dancing in the Streets after party at the Tavern on Saturday with

📸 via JLew’s Dine in Drive

is hiring a Bartender and Service Lead!

We demand our staff B//E kind, B//E nimble, and B//E extraordinary. The bartender position is for someone who wants to serve the Amador City community and deliver excellent hospitality in a rad, little taproom called The Tavern. The Service Lead is an opportunity to be a leader in hospitality and beyond in the Tavern and our new brewery/cafe space coming later this year. Both positions are apart of a growing team seeking to do good for the land and our community.

I have joined this team and AM SUPER STOKED. We are building an experience beyond beer and food. To be on this team is to be apart of something new and extraordinary in

Use the link in my bio for full job descriptions and more information. Share this post with someone you think would excel with 🍻

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i love when slides into my DMs

Justin’s Pantry is back at Tavern in this Saturday!

Saturday, June 9th
1pm to SOLD OUT
with the vibes 💃

• Smoked Sausage Foldovers
• Cornbread Panzanella Salad
• Fried Corn 🌽 is back!

I am very excited to get my hands on .farms tomatoes for the first time this year! That salad is ME SUMMER.

This weekend is a chance to check out the Brew Shed at the Tavern. It’s a little space I and others have been using for pop ups. The B//E Team gave it love and new equipment for new opportunities!!

Next week I’ll be posting more information on new jobs/positions available at for a part time bartender and service lead — and eventually Sous Chef 😎 for the cafe. If you are interested, message me and I will pass on information.

I’m glad my friends and their homes and their pets and their lives are safe 🤞from the THANK YOU FIRST RESPONDERS 👏 Lay that m**o to rest!

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J Lew’s Dine in Drive is happening this Wednesday & Thursday in my driveway in

I’m running my errands; borrowing tables, chairs, and flatware, renting linens & mason jars, picking up .ranch pork butt & chicken livers, ordering from .farms & and stringing lights in the driveway.

There are 3 tickets available for Wednesday and a heavy handful available for Thursday. Tickets are $79 and can be purchased at JustinsPantry.com or use the link in Insta bio. Also use that link for more information about the evening.

Menu Drop: plancha burnt apricots with rosemary honey as a final course followed by DIY s’mores post-meal. Click through my previous post for more menu drops. The rest will be kept a lazily guarded secret 🤫

10% of total sales from J Lew’s Dine & Drive will be donated to an organization defending abortion rights & access!

Tickets are on sale at JustinsPantry.com or use the link in bio.

I’m slowly leaking out the menu details. So far…

• Mezcal Lime Shrub
• Foraged Mushroom & Smoked .ranch Chicken Ravioli

Another drop!

• Wood Fired Oyster Mushrooms & .farms Cabbage over Cream with Chile Oil

AND Chris from is dining with us on Wednesday with his wines being served both evenings! Other beverages will be available and your should bring something to share!

Tickets are $79 and gets you a seat of 20 — Wednesday selling fast — to Wednesday or Thursday eve in at our home in our driveway!!

More info at the links mentioned. Pics always by 📸

The kind of happy vibes we are creating with J Lew’s Dine in Drive.

Next Wednesday & Thursday (June 29 & 30), dinner in our driveway. A wood fired themed menu with a bunch of cold bevvies and good people.

Go to JustinsPantry.com to claim your tickets — link in bio. Tickets are limited to 20 diners each evening.

How about a Mezcal Lime Shrub to say HELLO?! Gotcha 👌

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Drive in Dine is happening June 29 & 30 — Wednesday & Thursday. It’s a dinner in our driveway featuring produce and goods found in !

Each night is limited to 20 seats at $79 a pop. Diners are greeted with a refreshing cocktail upon arrival and treated to a multi course family style meal.

One of those courses is goin to feature smoked .ranch chicken ravioli with porcinis from ! I’ll drop the rest of the menu as the week goes along and figures itself out.

There will be a communal beverage table and guests should BYOB to contribute. My Amador favorites will be cold and ready to serve.

Find more information and grab your spot at JustinsPantry.com or use the link in my bio to RSVP.

Thanks to .octc for the art ✌️

Hitting up all my growers and finders for next week’s Dine in Drive!

We are hosting a dinner in my** driveway on June 29 & 30. I am so fortunate to work with a bunch of friendly, rich suppliers of foothill produce.
farms
ranch






There is a link in my bio or JustinsPantry.com for more info on J Lew’s Dine in Drive.

**it’s not our driveway but we have permission

J Lew’s Dine in Drive tickets are now for sale at JustinsPantry.com!

Next Wednesday & Thursday (June 29 & 30), we are hosting an evening in our driveway in Amador City. Dinner starts at 7:30 pm with a cocktail greeting, wood fired menu, and BYOB communal beverage table.

Tickets are $79. More info can be found using link in bio or at JustinsPantry.com!

Only 20 tickets are available for each night 🔪 If you are looking for the menu, you won’t find it. The menu will be announced each night at dinner time and will accommodate gluten free and vegetarian diets. Just lemme cook for ya.

Skip & are BBQn and slinging food on Sunday, that’s FATHER’S DAY, at Tavern in Amador City!

• Smoked .ranch Chicken
• Smoked Sausages
• .farms thai-ish salad
• Dad Fries — loaded French fries

The Tavern is hosting their 3rd Sunday, IYKYK, casual bike ride at 10ish AM. Beers will be poured after and food starts at noon-ish.

Small Town Pride is this weekend — mostly Saturday. I am picking up my T-shirt at and will be bouncing about town having a damn good time with my peoples.

Be extraordinary. Be yourself. Be loud about it— especially during . I love the safe space that is Amador City.

Fly high and far and wide little dove. Taste the riches of time, walk the cobbled streets of centuries, bathe in the sun of eternity.

You, my dove, bring cranky, old men to giggles. You are the wag in the tail of a puppy. You intoxicate the the sober with euphoria. You open locks without need of key.

I await your return with news and adventures from across time and sea. I ache to swoon over the glide in your gate as you abandon time and nestle into my hands. My head will bow, my heart too still, my nose to beak, my ears eager to consume all that there is to know of places I haven’t been or seen.

Through you, I discover the secrets to life— the joys of discovery and the taxes of knowing.

Fly high and far and wide. May this moon above grant another night of patience to whom have fallen for a pretty, darling dove.

I am hosting a dinner in my driveway. Actually, it’s not my driveway but Mrs. Grady said it’s cool. You are invited.

June 29 & 30
Wednesday & Thursday

More details to come next Monday but I’ll give you a preview.

A cold cocktail calms the breath after climbing the hill to 14486. A long table is adorned with flowers and forks, and a fire is readying for the meal. The smoke lingers. The vibe meter set — sunset chillin’ — with pretty smiles, pretty people, and pretty food.

J Lew’s Dine in Drive

Message me to RSVP.

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I’m cooking at Tavern in on Sunday — starting at 12 noon.

There will be live music and fresh, cold burrr flowing. Here’s the food menu…

B//E Dogs w/ choice of toppings
- grilled cabbage & mustard
- crunchy Amador County, CA] herbs
- siracha smear & onion

Fried Amador County, CA] Squash Wedges w/ fermented pepper aioli & herb

Black Bean Dip & Crudités

Also, mark your calendar for next Sunday the 19th. Father’s Day, Pride, & Juneteenth make for a damn good time at the Tavern.

3rd Sunday Casual Bike Ride kicks off the day. I’m slinging bbq plates with my dad. .town.pride lives on!

Here🍻 is to our town!

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Baby squash in late spring. It’s not summer

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like food

I’m lucky to come home to you — my war & my queen.

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I’m wrapping up my first week staging in SF. On Monday, I was at for pizza night and Tuesday to Saturday I’ve been working/vacationing in the kitchen and commissary of , and

I’ve never stayed this long in the City. Seven nights away from our rural piece of heaven. I’ve rode the bus once, walked a lot, and struggled cycling the hill between Filmore & Cole Valley. I also enjoyed splurging at the afore mentioned restaurants, and

Spending time in such a grand operation this week was humbling and reassuring. I was exposed to a whole hell of a lot of ingredients and lardering techniques. I’m excited to bring some of these practices back home to our dreamy beer & cafe project.

Cooking is a language to its own. The ingredients may change and there might be stars on the front door but that doesn’t change the communication. Stay composed, lead with intention, and sell the goddam food.

So stoked to come back very very soon to spend time with 🔪

29 💐

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