Local Flavor   



Humboldt County's first residents hailed from the Yurok, Karuk, Wiyot, Chilula, Whilkut and Hupa tribes, among others. They settled on the coast and along the banks of the Trinity and Klamath rivers. The county was created in May 1853 and derives its name from Humboldt Bay, which was "discovered" by a sea otter hunting party in 1806 and rediscovered in 1849. Douglas Ottinger and Hans Buhne entered the bay in 1850 and named it in honor of naturalist and explorer Baron Alexander von Humboldt.

Del Norte County has been home to the Yurok and Tolowa peoples for thousands of years. Legendary explorer Jedediah Smith is credited with being the first non-native to enter the region, in 1828. Gold strikes on the Klamath and Smith Rivers in the 1850s led to the settlement of the county, which was created in March 1857. Its name, meaning "the north" is derived from its position in the northwest corner of the state.
Hospitality program spreads its wings
  After its first full year in existence, the College of the Redwoods Hospitality Restaurant and Culinary Arts Program boasts a newly completed facility in Arcata and looks toward a bright future and a symbiotic relationship with the county’s many restaurants and hotels.
  The program’s students split their time between classic lecture-style classrooms and labs, where they dress in white uniforms and use full cooking stations complete with stove tops, ovens, convection ovens and even plasma television screens that allow them to watch what’s happening in their instructor’s pan from their own work station.
  Gaye Warren, one of the program’s instructors, said she is pleased with where the program is but is extremely excited about where it might go. She said she is currently in discussions with the Arcata Farmer’s market about setting up a student booth, in which students would sell goods made fresh from ingredients donated by local farmers, with the proceeds going back in to the program.
  That is just the tip of the iceberg as far as Warren’s concerned, as she is busily talking with local hotels and restaurants arranging fall internships for her students. Warren said the community has been supportive to the program in general and particularly warmed to the idea of internships.
  Fellow instructor Michelle Hauser, who pointed to her two-month internship while in culinary school as one of her best learning experiences, said she too has been delighted by the response of the local community.
  “Just from my experience with local restaurants, they’re really opened to just supporting local, whether it’s produce people or whatever,” Hauser said. “It’s just a principle the community lives by.”
  Chris Corbin, general manager of the Ingomar Club in Eureka, said he has been talking extensively with Warren about setting up internships because they are mutually beneficial. “In this business, it’s tough to find people that know what they’re doing, so having the school here in the area is really a huge asset,” Corbin said.
  Hauser said she is very happy with where the program is, but noted that improvements can be made. She pointed to larger culinary programs that have a venue where community members can enjoy lavish student-prepared, multi-course meals for rock bottom prices, providing students with the indispensable experience of serving real, live customers. Similarly, Warren said she would love to have a venue for the community to come sample some of her students’ cuisine. “I don’t know when that will happen,” Warren said, “but of course that’s the ultimate thing the program would want.”