Category Archives: Enticing Events

Carneros Inn Offers Produce Baskets to Guests, Dessert Time in San Francisco & More

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Fresh fruit, veggies and flowers to take home from the Carneros Inn. (Photo courtesy of the resort)

Guests of Carneros Inn Get Gift of Organic Produce

Guests who depart the Carneros Inn in Napa on Sundays can now receive a free brimming bag of fresh-picked fruit and veggies from the resort’s 1/2-acre biodynamic, organic garden to take home.

Those goodies might include heirloom tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard, watermelon, cucumber, carrots, peas, strawberries and raspberries, as well as a bevy of herbs and flowers. The good-for-you goody bag is available for the asking at check-out and even comes with a recipe, too.

Peter Stonebraker, the property’s culinary gardener, grows an abundance of produce for the resort’s private dining restaurant, Hilltop Dining Room, as well as for its FARM restaurant and  Boon Fly Cafe. And he’s more than happy to share the wealth.

Culinary Gardener Peter Stonebraker tends to the fruits of his labor. (Photo courtesy of Carneros Inn)

Dessert First? You Bet!

Life is short, so why not go for the sweet stuff first?

Project Open Hand invites you to do just that at its 11th annual Dessert First extravaganza at the InterContinental San Francisco, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 14.

This year, 16 pastry chefs will dazzle with their decadent creations. Among those participating are: Patti Dellamonica-Bauler of One Market Restaurant, Sara Spearin of Dynamo Donut, Francis Ang of the Fifth Floor, Elizabeth Faulkner of Citizen Cake and Orson, and Jake Godby of Humphry Slocombe.

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More Scenes From SF Chefs Food Wine 2011

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Flower + Water's twist on classic tortellini en brodo.

When it comes to contemporary cooking in the Bay Area, what’s old is definitely new again.

That was decidedly evident in the “Culinary Innovation Demos” at the Westin St. Francis last week, held for culinary industry folks, as part of the third annual SF Chefs Food Wine event.

The demos, hosted by Jim Poris and Beverly Stephen (both long-time editors of Food Arts magazine), featured Chef Brandon Jew of Bar Agricole in San Francisco and Chef Thomas McNaughton of Flour + Water in San Francisco doing riffs on classic, old-school dishes.

Thad Vogler, mixologist of Bar Agricole, got the party started by passing out Cooperstown cocktails to the audience — a refreshing, herbal-forward libation made with gin, two kinds of vermouth and pineapple mint grown at the restaurant.

Thad Vogler of Bar Agricole explains his philosophy about cocktails.

Bar Agricole's Cooperstown cocktail.

The classic aperitif originated at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria to prime the palate for the meal to follow. At Bar Agricole, the drink is refined with large cubes of ice, specially made to lessen dilution and keep the drink extra cold. It’s also served in a super thin glass made in Japan to enhance the sipping pleasure.

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Scenes from SF Chefs Food Wine 2011

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A bevy of chefs cut a chocolate cake depicting San Francisco's skyline to signal the start of SF Chefs Food Wine. How many chefs can you name?

To kick off the start of the third annual SF Chefs Food Wine extravaganza last Friday night on Union Square in San Francisco, no simple little ribbon-cutting ceremony would do.

Instead, Pastry Chef Lori Baker — who owns Baker & Banker in San Francisco with her husband, Chef Jeff Banker — created an astounding devil’s food cake cityscape complete with chocolate buildings to depict the Transamerica pyramid and an assortment of other iconic landmarks, including her own restaurant.

On their marks, a who’s who of celeb San Francisco chefs — including Chris Cosentino of Incanto, Emily Luchetti of Farallon and Waterbar, Mourad Lahlou of Aziza, and Russell Jackson of Lafite, as well as famed New York restaurateur Drew Nieporent, who flew in just for the occasion — grabbed knives to cut into the cake to signal the start of the three-day food and wine celebration.

That was preceded by the traditional sabering of a champagne bottle, as Cosentino looked on with knife envy, having sabered a champagne bottle with a Russian sword at his own wedding.

The entrance to the tent on Union Square.

Close-up of the cake made by Baker & Banker restaurant.

Lori Baker and Jeff Banker of Baker & Banker pose with Russell Jackson

Chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto addresses the crowd.

The ceremonial sabering of the champagne bottle.

When the doors opened to the enormous tent pitched on Union Square, 1,200 folks piled inside to sample wines, cocktails and gourmet noshes prepared by 35 Bay Area chefs and to groove to the sounds of Chef Joey Altman’s band.

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21st Annual Family Winemakers of California Event & A Food Gal Giveaway

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Enjoy the opportunity to taste more than 1,000 California wines. (Photo courtesy of Family Winemakers of California)

Fans of California vino will want to head to Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 21, for the 21st annual Family Winemakers of California tasting soiree.

Enjoy the opportunity to sip wines from more than 300 California wineries that will be pouring about 1,000 different wines — all in one place.

This year’s event will be dedicated to the late-great Jess Jackson, founder of Family Winemakers and the Kendall-Jackson Winery, who passed away this spring at the age of 81.

It also will feature a new perk: Wineries will be selling select wines on site. So, if you fall in love with a particular vintage or varietal, you can buy a bottle to take home to enjoy.

Participating wineries include: Ceja Vineyards, Eden Canyon Vineyards, and Paltz & Hall.

Tickets are $65 each in advance or $75 at the door. Big spenders who fork over $100 per ticket can gain early access to the tastings for the trade before the doors to the public open up.

Contest: I’m thrilled to be able to give away one pair of free tickets to the Aug. 21 event. Entries are limited to those who can actually be in San Francisco that day to attend the wine tastings. Entries will be accepted through midnight PST Aug. 7. Winner will be announced Aug. 9.

How to win?

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Food Gal’s Second Video: Extras From My Debut Cooking Demo at Macy’s Union Square

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For those who enjoyed my first video — which recapped my cooking demo debut at Macy’s Union Square San Francisco on June 11, 2011 — here’s an “extras” reel to kick back with.

In this second video, you’ll get to know me a little better, as I tell you about my family, how I got my start in food writing, and how I became known as the Food Gal.

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