How refugees become independent farmers at this West Sacramento farm. What do they grow?

It’s tomato season across the Sacramento region. At News Roots Farm in West Sacramento, though, juicy beefsteaks share territory with curvy Armenian cucumbers, Afghan chives known as gandana and other tastes of home that are grown by refugees.

The 5.5-acre farm in The Rivers development has more than 20 plots rented and run by refugees through the International Rescue Committee. Farmers from Nepal, Laos, Latin America and other corners of the Earth use the space to jump-start their lives in the United States — and feed their communities.

After an initial application process, refugees pay $120 per year (water use included) to grow fruits and vegetables on plots as small as 2,500 square feet. They take classes on soil health, marketing, water management and more from International Rescue Committee organizers, who help package and distribute their produce around the capital region.

“They learn about good agricultural practices so that in the future, if they turn into an ... individual farmer with a bigger chunk of land, they are really prepared to do that,” said New Roots Farm coordinator Ram Khatiwoda, himself a refugee from Bhutan. “The New Roots program is a small pond where people come and learn to swim, but when they get all these skills of production and planning, they can jump into bigger bodies of water.”

The week’s harvest typically includes familiar crops such as green beans, strawberries, sweet potatoes and okra, but also dalle khursani, Nepalese peppers with Scoville heat levels similar to habaneros. Bitter melons are popular among East Asian farmers, both at the main farm and five New Roots community gardens around Sacramento.

Some of the produce goes to Spork Food Hub , a Davis-based distributor to local schools and nutrition programs. Some go to Woodland’s Center for Land Based Learning . About 1,000 bunches of New Roots gandana are sold each week between local Middle Eastern grocery stores (Salam Market in West Sacramento, Babylon City Market in Arden Arcade) and IRC’s Thursday afternoon farmers market in Arden Arcade’s Bohemian Park.

You also can buy produce at New Roots’ Saturday farm stand from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 495 Regatta Lane in West Sacramento, or purchase a limited-time CSA box for weekly pickup. To subscribe to the latter, message New Roots on Facebook or Instagram or email coordinators at newrootssacramento@rescue.org .

What I’m Eating

Ignacio and Lys Ortega have crafted the grid’s cutest new coffee shop/ceviche bar, La Costa Cafe , at the corner of 19th and G streets. Opened in January, it’s become a popular study and work spot for scores of young Sacramentans eager to claim the in-demand tables.

Ignacio grew up on a rural Mexican farm and immigrated alone to the U.S. at age 16, working his way through San Francisco restaurants before going into catering and private cooking classes. Lys, a UC Davis Medical Center resident, oversees La Costa’s housemade sourdough, conchas and other baked goods as well as the copious plants decorating the space.

Lime-cured seafood is a La Costa calling card, including Mexican-style shrimp ceviche ($16) and Peruvian-style fish ceviche ($18). The former is thin-sliced in a piquant tomato broth with avocado chunks, cucumbers and onions; the latter is rockfish as well as shrimp surrounded by large-kerneled corn, sweet potato hunks and sliced habaneros that aggressively make their presence known.

You won’t find a guajolota ($14) at many Sacramento-area restaurants, and this is one worth tasting. The Mexico City-born creation is a torta smeared with black beans and stuffed with salsa verde, queso blanco, crema, cilantro, onion and your choice of tamale (chicken, pork or cheese), a cornucopia of contrasts that spills out of the bun.

Yet it is the humble pan de elote ($8) that emerges as La Costa’s sneaky superstar. Honey-sweet on its golden shell and wonderfully chewy past that, this cornbread is great any time of day.

La Costa Cafe

Address: 701 19th St., Sacramento

Hours: 7 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days a week

Phone: None listed

Website: lacostacafesac.com

Drinks: Housemade aguas frescas and coffee drinks from Lamill , a roastery in the San Gabriel Valley.

Vegetarian options: Chilaquiles, heirloom tomato-burrata salad, a trio of sourdough toasts and a pair of veggie tostadas

Noise level: Loud

Outdoor seating: A couple of sidewalk-adjacent tables

Openings & Closings

▪ Chicha Peruvian Kitchen’s midtown Sacramento location is in its soft opening phase at 1501 16th St., Suite 101, in the Fremont Building. Giancarlo Zapata and Marleny Chávez’s original Roseville location has been a fan favorite since opening in 2021 thanks to its ceviche and lomo saltado.

▪ Tuk Tuk Thai Street Food’s soft opening begins Saturday at 4400 Freeport Blvd., Suite 140, in South Land Park. Named for the three-wheeled taxis that take people around Southeast Asian cities, it’s offering free Thai iced teas with every order 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

▪ Barrio’s South Land Park cafe closed Tuesday after eight years at 1188 35th Ave. It’ll be replaced by Venus Taproom Roastery & Pizza , another business from the Barrios-Allen family with scones and empanadas during the day and pizza and beer in the evening. Barrio’s downtown Sacramento location will remain open.