The Buzz: Meet new owners of Redding's restaurant launchpad. Who won Winery of the Year?

When Charity Abban-Saah and her husband, Kobina “Koby” Abban-Saah. found out that Karen Christensen wanted to sell her commercial kitchen in downtown Redding, they were interested.

The husband-and-wife team had been using Sizzle's Kitchen for about a year, making food for their West African restaurant Amazing Alheri . They sell their fare at the Saturday morning Redding Farmers Market and as a pop-up at Sizzle's on Saturday afternoons, making for a busy weekend for the business owners.

Charity calls the commercial kitchen on Placer Street a thriving community of foodies.

But Charity said they learned that some of the would-be buyers were interested in changing things up at Sizzle's Kitchen.

"We thought, 'Oh my god, nobody should change this community,'" Charity said.

So Charity and Koby bought the commercial kitchen. Their first day as the new owners was July 1.

Christensen on Facebook posted that the couple "have been delighting us with their bold and delicious African cuisine for the past two years."

In saying goodbye to her customers, Christensen added: "Creating and nurturing the enterprise has been a deeply rewarding experience, and we are confident that under Charity and (Koby's) leadership, the business will benefit from fresh energy and new ideas while continuing to honor our commitments to all the small businesses and valued clients of our kitchen."

She said the vision for Sizzle's Kitchen will remain intact under their ownership.

"It has been journey and learning experience. I was nervous and she (Christensen) provided the space," Charity said of their beginnings in the commercial kitchen.

New Clairvaux Vineyard makes history

It was a historic victory for New Clairvaux Vineyard at this year's California State Fair wine competition .

The Vina winery won three of the six Golden Bear awards at the fair in Sacramento.

The three Golden Bears were for New Clairvaux's 2023 St. James Block Moschofilero, its 2023 Poor Souls Block Barbera Rose, and the Golden State Winery of the Year for producing "so many high scoring wines" New Clairvaux said in a news release.

The Golden Bear Awards ceremony is July 22 at Cal Expo.

In addition, New Clairvaux will celebrate its annual Blessing of the Grapes on July 27 at its St. James Vineyard on the Abbey of the winery's grounds in Vina in Tehama County.

New Clairvaux also has a tasting room in downtown Redding.

Go to newclairvauxvineyard.com for more information.

David Benda covers business , development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: The Buzz: Meet new owners of Redding's restaurant launchpad. Who won Winery of the Year?