Serving healthy, organic, seasonal food that she knows all the way down to its source has always been her creed. She owns and operates Flea Street Cafe in Menlo Park and originally grew all the produce for it. Next came a deli that evolved into a catering company, jZcool Eatery and Catering Company, also in Menlo Park.

Her fourth outlet is the Cool Cafe at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford. Being Jewish and Italian, she's redolent with guilt and passion, she says. Cool admits to a love affair with farmers and is now working on wine growers to grow grapes organically. Her food fixations she considers both a philosophy and a responsibility.

Cool catered Chelsea Clinton's graduation party as well as the Sustainability Conference at Stanford for 400 people. The plates were made of wheat and the forks of corn. Now that is real comfort food, she attests. Her consuming cause is the integrity of the product.

And she cautions her audience to do likewise: "Find out how your fish is caught; ask questions." The whole cycle of food growing and waste management is of crucial importance--to the individual, the country, the future. The love and care that goes into each ingredient ups the quality of what's on the plate.

Though Cool is finally earning big money, this foodie considers herself blue collar. She's been nearly bankrupt, had to mortgage her house with each new project. From age 12, she worked in her dad's grocery store in a poor section of Philadelphia. At one time she was on welfare for three years.

That experience branded her with a commitment to giving back. In classic hippie form, Cool hitchhiked across Canada after graduating from college. In 1974 she caravaned cross country in a '62 VW van, eating and learning about regional food along the way. In her entourage was her 4-year old son (now 35) and a man she had recently met.

She has written six books, countless articles and a newspaper column. "I used to operate like a lemonade stand. Now I'm a business owner," she maintains, after considerable training from her accountant. "I have to keep evolving."

IN COMBAT: Dean Joy speaks about his book, Sixty Days in Combat, in the Los Gatos Town Council chambers March 18. The program starts at 7 p.m. for book signing, refreshments and schmoozing; the talk is at 7:30 p.m. Martha Alderson, author and Friends of the LG Library board member, will conduct the interview.

Joy's book is based on his World War II experiences and contains his own sketches of events, as well. He based the book on letters home, a journal he kept and his memories of those indelibly stamped years. The young soldier was eventually part of Patton's Army and served in France, Germany and Austria.

He was part of a mortar squad. Joy lives in Saratoga and is a retired aeronautical engineer. His wife, Ann, is an artist.

WINNING DESIGN: Sangeetta Lodha, a student at West Valley College, won second place in the National Kitchen and Bath Association Student Design Competition. She'll receive a cash prize and a free trip to NKBA's Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas in May, where the awards will be presented.

Lodha was chosen from 127 entries from 26 different schools across the country. The award was based on functional use of space, innovative design, safety and aesthetics. Other winners were from four-year schools, so sounds like it's unusual for a community college student to be plucked out.

THE GREATEST: Junior League of SJ presents what it modestly calls "The Greatest Garage Sale on Earth" March 19, 9 a.m.­3 p.m., at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds with 33,000-square feet of bargains.

Running concurrently is a health fair sponsored by Good Sam Hospital at the same location, 8 a.m.­noon. For a map, check out www.thefair.org/map.php.

YOUTH CONCERT: Saratoga musicians make up 21 players of the California Youth Symphony, which will present a concert at Flint Center, Cupertino, March 20 at 2:30 p.m. Co-concertmaster is Jessica Ling, 17, a Saratogan.

Auditions for CYS are under way, and the registration deadline is April 1. Forms can be found at www.cys.org or call 650.325.6666.

MORE AUDITIONS: Auditions for the El Camino Youth Symphony are also being scheduled now. Ages are 6­20 and one year of experience on an instrument is asked. The website is www.ecys.org, and the phone is 650.327.2611.

Gold medal pianist Rueibin Chen will perform with the El Camino Youth Symphony to benefit its music education program. Funds provide financial aid to underprivileged youth. The concert is March 13, 7:30 p.m., Civic Auditorium, 135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.