Are you hungry for sourdough bread? Only in California is it understood that sourdough should always be available for your sandwich. Why? Because we invented it! From the Popsicle to Cobb Salad, Martini cocktail to Santa Maria Tri Tip, Californians like to fool around with their food in an effort to make it taste REALLY, REALLY good. We're always stirring up new dishes and drinks, and many become quite famous. Here are a few foods and beverages "made in California."

• SOURDOUGH: Visit Boudin Sourdough Bread Bakery in San Francisco and take a tour of their museum to learn the history of the sourdough bread.
• POPSICLE: This Oakland invention was created by a youngster who wasn't even a teen. But he loved his cool summer desserts and though about putting one on a stick. It's amazing how many ways we've come up with decorating that stick!
• COBB SALAD: My mother loves her Cobb Salad but she can't find the perfect one of the Central Coast. She grins like a Cheshire Cat when she comes to Southern California, home to the famous Cobb. Many, many restaurants serve them, and each has a slight variation on the perfect salad created at the Brown Derby in L.A.
• MARTINI: Arguably the most famous drink in the world got heralds from the Bay Area and was most likely named after the city of Martinez. Today the Martini has been twisted, shaken, stirred and blended in more ways than you can shake a Popsicle stick!
• SANTA MARIA TRI TIP: There's one city that knows how to do this dish the best and that would be Santa Maria on the Central Coast. The beef dish that dates back to the mid-1800s ranch era, is a hearty meal served with pinquito beans and a side of salsa.
• CAFFE LATTE at Berkeley's Caffe Mediterraneum is a classic coffee "cocktail" for the literary crowd from Cal Berkeley. Cat's out of the bag, however, and EVERYBODY drinks this drink which was invented in the 1950s.

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