A scene from Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2010
There are many food and wine events occurring this weekend in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, beginning Thurs. April 10, 2014. Here are a few highlights.
7th Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest April 10-13
The four-day culinary extravaganza is renowned for drawing top talent. This year’s chefs include Tracy Des Jardins, Hubert Keller, Cindy Pawlcyn, Masahuru Morimoto, Charles Phan, Jonathan Waxman, and Peter Armellino. Past participants have included Jacques Pepin, Eric Ripert, and Charlie Trotter. There are gourmet lunches and dinners, grand tastings featuring wine and food, regular and reserve wine tastings, and celebrity chef cooking demos by Carla Hall, Tyler Florence, and others. Events are held at multiple venues including The Inn at Spanish Bay and The Lodge at Pebble Beach.
The Inn at Spanish Bay is at 2700 17 Mile Drive. For details go to www.pbfw.com or call 866-907-3663.
9th annual Pinot Paradise April 11-13
Pinot lovers are invited to the event of the season featuring Santa Cruz Mountains wineries, with a Grand Tasting on Sunday, April 13th. There will be 30 winemakers from the Santa Cruz Mountains including Felton’s Hallcrest which will feature the 2012 Santa Cruz Mountains, Barrel Select ($52) and the 2012 Santa Cruz Mountains, Reserve ($64), both of which are made from Pinot Noir grown in Santa Cruz Mountains vineyards. Tickets: VIP Grand Tasting $100, from 12pm-5pm. General Admission Grand Tasting $85, from 2pm- 5pm. Many wineries host events and tastings from April 11-13, including a multi-winery event held at Alfaro from 12-5pm Sat April 12 with Trout Gulch, Lester, Schultze, and more. Visit http://scmwa.com/events.
Santa Cruz Dim Sum dinner with tea pairings April 12
Chef Andrea of Lifestyle Culinary Arts and Chef Noah of Hidden Peak Teahouse collaborate for a unique dinner with handmade dim sum, tea pairings, and family-style dining. I’ve had food from both chefs and highly recommend this event! It’s at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, at Front Street Kitchen, 504-A Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz. It’s $48 per person and advance reservations are mandatory; as of press time there were a few spots left. Contact Andrea 831-588-4515 or andrea@lifestyleculinary.com.
Monterey Chocolate Salon in Carmel April 12
The 1st annual Monterey Chocolate Salon is 11am-5pm. Saturday at the Sunset Cultural Center. Approximately 20 vendors include chocolatiers and confectioners such as Amano Artisan Chocolate, The Tea Room Chocolate Company, and Marich Confectionery, and wineries including Rosa d’Oro Vineyards. Visitors can enjoy chocolate tastings, chef and author talks, more. Advance tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids, and give attendees a specific time to enter the salon. Ticket prices include chocolate tastings.
Sunset Cultural Center is on San Carlos Street at 9th Avenue. For details, go to www.montereychocolatesalon.com
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