Category Archives: Enticing Events

Savoring the Fifth Taste

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You know sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. But do you know umami, the fifth taste?

Attend the “Umami Symposium: New Frontiers of Taste,” 11:30 a.m. July 21 at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, and you’ll know it even better. The event, hosted by the Umami Information Center, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the discovery of umami in Tokyo, Japan.

Umami is the savory flavor we can’t get enough of in so many foods. Think Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, cured ham, soy sauce, chicken soup, meat, and fish.

The event leads off with a panel discussion featuring smell and taste scientists; food writer and food scientist Harold McGee; Kunio Tokuoka, executive chef of Kyoto Kitcho in Japan; and Master of Wine Tim Hanni. Following that, a multi-course lunch will be served, with each dish demonstrating the irresistible nature of umami. Tokuoka will prepare the dishes, along with chefs Hiro Sone of Ame in San Francisco and Terra in St. Helena; and Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville.

Tickets are $100. But hurry — registration ends July 7.

If you miss that event, you can still enjoy a feast of umami at Ame, which will be offering a special tasting menu focusing on the fifth flavor,  July 14 to Aug. 3. The five-course dinner is $85, plus an additional $65 for wine pairings. Dishes include broiled sake-marinated black cod in shiso broth, grilled Berkshire pork on Carolina gold rice with tomato “risotto,” and caramel ice cream with shoyu powder.

Culinary Luminaries Descend Upon Los Altos Hills July 19

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Chef Christopher KostowÂ

We’re talking a stellar line-up of some of the Bay Area’s best chefs: Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, Cal Stamenov of Marinus at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley, Alessandro Cartumini of Quattro in the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto, Daniel Patino of Michael Mina’s Arcadia in San Jose, Xavier Salomon of the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, and Robert Holt of Cetrella in Chef Daniel Patino. Photo by Chris Schmauch.Half Moon Bay.

That whet your whistle?

Then, you’ll want to attend the 26th annual Vintage Affaire gala in Los Altos Hills on July 19. The event is held at a different private estate each year that can accommodate 500 guests.

Enjoy a silent auction, then a sit-down dinner, followed by a live auction. McCall Catering will handle the duties for the dinner, and the six top chefs will be doling out specialty appetizers during the silent auction. Look for Stamenov to serve up duck foie blond salad with pickled Bing cherries; and PaChef Cal Stamenovtino to offer Mina’s signature osetra caviar parfait.

Tickets are $250. Upon purchase, guests will receive the address of the host estate in Los Altos Hills. The event is a benefit for Vista Center for the blind and visually impaired. Over the past 25 years, Vintage Affaire has raised more than $5.5 million for the center.

Tickets are available by calling (650) 858-0202 or by clicking here.

A Visit to the Farm

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A field of lettuces at Earthbound Farm

When you’re in the Carmel area, make a pit stop at Earthbound Farm on Carmel Valley Road. You know the name because it was the pioneer in pre-washed salad greens (think “spring mix”).

Spears of purple asparagus

You’ll find a charming farmstand store on the company’s 30-acre research and development farm. It’s the perfect spot to take a breather and grab a bite to eat. Enjoy all organic-fare, including carrot cake, smoothies, tahini chicken with soba noodles, a salad bar, and grilled veggie lasagna with pesto, as well as fresh produce to take home.

Earthbound Farm started 24 years ago. It is now the largest organic farm in the world. It comprises 40,000 acres with primary operations in California, Arizona and Mexico.

Register in advance to enjoy farm walks and workshops by calling (831) 625-6219 or emailing farmstand@ebfarm.com

Artichoke, anyone?

Team In Training _ Big Time

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As if Yountville didn’t already boast an unseemly number of top chefs (it has more Michelin stars per capita than any other city in the world), now it’ll get even more.

Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville has teamed up with New York superstar Chef Daniel Boulud to establish a non-profit organization aimed at giving young American chefs a leg up on competing in the Bocuse d’Or, the legendary culinary Olympics in which the United States historically hasn’t fared very well.

Keller and Boulud will help choose eight young chefs who will compete in a September cook-off in Orlando at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The top winners will go on to comprise the American team that will compete in the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France in January 2009 against 19 other teams.

The American team will get some serious training, October through January, at a special facility set up in a house in Yountville next-door to the French Laundry.  Not only that, but the team’s techniques will be perfected by none other than Certified Master Chef Roland Henin, whom Keller worked for early on in his career and who remains one of the chefs he most admires.

Delectable Dates To Mark on Your Calendar

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If you love cheese, then head to Cheese Plus in San Francisco, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 21, as the specialty store celebrates its third anniversary with a Summer Solstice Food Festival.

More than two dozen food artisans will be on hand to show off samples of their products. From noon to 2 p.m., cookbook author and San Francisco Chronicle food writer, Janet Fletcher, will sign copies of her latest book, “Cheese & Wine” (Chronicle Books).

A knife sharpening expert also will be on site to sharpen your knives and give advice on how to care for them.

Up in Wine Country, there are a bevy of events to come. First up, the Martini House in St. Helena hosts its fourth annual Riesling Week. June 16-21, the restaurant will showcase Rieslings from Germany, Alsace, and Austria.

A special four-course prix fixe menu will be offered, with each dish paired with a different Riesling such as pan-roasted monkfish wrapped in Hobbs smoked bacon accompanied by a pour of Domaine Weinbach ”Schlossberg” Grand Cru, Riesling, Alsace, France, 2005. The dinner is $115 with the wine pairing; $70 without.

Next up, also in St. Helena, enjoy the third annual Napa Valley Jewish Vintners Celebration. Nearly 40 Jewish vintners from California, as well as Israel, will celebrate “Connecting Our Roots,” June 20-22. Proceeds will benefit Jewish non-profit organizations in the valley.

The three-day event begins on a Friday with a reception at a private St. Helena estate, followed by exclusive winery open houses on Saturday, then a glam gala at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus, and ends with Sunday brunch at the Napa Valley Museum featuring guest speaker, the best-selling author, Scott Turow.

Tickets are $650 per person. For more information, call (707) 968-9944 or click here.

And lastly, designer heels and big-name wines? Who can resist that combo? If you can’t, then the fourth annual “Wine, Women and Shoes,” 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 29 should be on your must-do list.

The event, at the St. Supery Vineyards and Winery in Rutherford, raises money for women’s causes. Since its inception, more than $2 million has been raised for women’s charities.

Enjoy a fashion show of chic foot candy, wonderful wines, and a live and a silent auction. And don’t forget the “Shoe Guys,” who will be carrying shoes on silver trays so you get a peep of those must-have peep-toe pumps.

Tickets are $150 for regular admission; and $250 for premiere admission, which includes front-row seating at the fashion show. For more information, call Belle Orpilla or Katie Wolford at Planned Parenthood at (925) 676-0505 ext. 5220 at 925-676-0505, ext. 5222; or email info@ppshastadiablo. Also, visit: www.ppshastadiablo.org.

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