Bite Size: 11-2-11 

Show it off on Saturday at the Oklahoma Food Co-op Harvest Hootenanny. The event will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Operations Center at 1300 S.W. 15th. There will be live music, a new website preview, food, fun and lots more. Performances will include Mike Hosty, a co-op talent show, dancing, singing, juggling and more. Guests are encouraged to bring their favorite local dish to share. The celebration commemorates the organization’s eighth year in business.

NORMAN HAS A NATURAL GROCERS
People are already placing their orders for Thanksgiving turkeys at the rather new Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, which opened this past summer at 1918 W. Main St. in Norman. Manager Matt Charley said they are now offering organic chicken, beef and pork, along with its certified organic produce. “People are coming in droves to get at the produce,” he said. You can reach them at 321-3375.

CHOW CHAT
La Oaxaquena Bakery, 741 S.W. 29th, is owned and operated by Ramiro Vasquez, who not only bakes wonderful breads, but hosts a place where diners satisfy their desires for Mexican pastries and good coffee. Vasquez offers specialties such as tlayuda, a tortilla topped with a black bean puree, and Mexican sweet buns with a streusel topping.

Family: “Wife, Guadalupe, and children, Nelson, Emmanuel, Isabel, Ramiro and Angel.”

Nickname: “For many Americans, it is hard to say ‘Ramiro,’ so they call me ‘Romeo.’” Your splurge: “On sushi. I love fish. I worked in a Japanese sushi restaurant in California.”

Never would eat: “Snake.” Balance your checkbook? “My wife does that; I don’t know how much I’ve got.”

Started working: “At age 8, getting sheet pans ready for the bakers. I took over as the boss at 13 when my dad left our bakery in Oaxaca to come to America.”

Your feelings on the bakery? “I tried to run away because I did not like it, and when I came to America, my first job was in a bakery. Now I have my own. Stuck with it.”

Listen to: “105.3 The Martini” Today: “I have bread ready for the ‘Day of the Dead’: a Mexican holiday.”

Back then: “I once cooked for Diana Kennedy (who is often called the Julia Child of Mexico), and when (the late) Julia Child did a demonstration at Macy’s in New York, I assisted her.”

And then: “She showed up the next day at a restaurant where I worked and I made her a hamburger. She was very tall lady.”

BYTES
Mitt Romney was in town recently, and more candidates are sure to follow. We asked our Facebook friends, “Where would you recommend presidential candidates dine for lunch or dinner in OKC?” Here are the verbatim answers:

“Cattlemans of course!” —Shelly Landis-Scovill

“In the troughs with the rest of the swine!” —Garrett Blevins

“at the local shelters and food banks....” —Kimberley Sue Carver

“my house and we’ll have a real round table discussion. I’m neighborhood leader for Youngs-Englewood Neighborhood!” —Carolyn Mills Herr

“The Ranch or Cafe 501.” —Stephanie Jones

“I’d suggest Chelino’s for Romney but he‘s running for office, for Pete’s sake. He can’t have Mexican food.” —Brian Winkeler

“Some Place Else and the Boulevard.” —Andreas Kierig

“Somewhere that has failed a long list of restaurant inspections.” —Bobby Chitwood

“Give him $5 and make him eat on that for his entire stay here.” —Jaime Lynn Ladd

“Reduced price meal at a school.” —Robert Turley

—Carol Smaglinski