Just in time for the early heat comes the 9th annual West Coast Brew Fest!
This Sat., May 17, 1 to 5 p.m., Miller Park, Sacramento
There will be 60 microbreweries represented, including local Beermanns Beerwerks, Hoppy Brewing Company, Lodi Beer Company, and River City Brewing Company. You'll also get to try Alaskan Brewing Company and Woodchuck Cider (from Vermont), for more far-flung tastes.

The commercial craft competition was held already, and some of the winners included River City for Light Lager and Sacramento Brewing for Hefeweizen.

There's apparently a new 5-ounce plastic pilsner tasting glass this year and the promise of "No more running out of beer so there's more for everyone!" I heard last year was a bit dry. I hope they're well stocked this year since it's supposed to be SO HOT. Also look for local bands and food vendors, including G-Dubb's BBQ and Dave's Dogs.

Tickets $27 online and $30 day of; limited to 3000 attendees only. $5 for designated drivers and those 16 to 20 years old (poor kids). Get them online here or at local beer halls like Hoppy, Brew it Up!, and Sac Brewing.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to see Dame Diana Kennedy not once, but twice, in Sacramento next month! She is widely regarded as an authority on classical Mexican cooking and was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle by the Congress of the Republic of Mexico for her contributions to the documentation of regional Mexican cuisine. She is touring in support of her newest cookbook, The Art of Mexican Cooking, and will be giving two cooking demonstrations in our area.

The first will be Thursday, June 12, in a private class to be limited to 12 people. A paid reservation of $250 will include a hands-on cooking class, dinner, and a signed copy of the new book. The event will be held at an architecturally significant "green" house overlooking the Catta Verdura golf course to honor Ms. Kennedy's long interest in ecological building practices. She lives primarily in her ecological adobe house in Michoacan, Mexico, which also serves as a research center for Mexican cuisine. For reservations or questions contact Peg Tomlinson at pegtomlinson@gmail.com or (916) 645-4694. Known as one of the Dining Divas, Peg is a Mexican cooking authority as well and has attended Ms. Kennedy's cooking camps in Oaxaca.

The second event will be Saturday, June 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. at East Bay Culinary Center. The demonstration will be followed by a book signing. Contact Carolyn Kumpe at (916) 440-0623 or via email at carolynk@ebrs.net to make a reservation today. The cost of the class is $95 per person. Seats are limited.

You can learn more about Diana Kennedy by reading Elise Bauer's account of her experience when Ms. Kennedy was here last.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Tickets are now available for the four-county “Slow Down on the Delta” dinner and field trips on Saturday, May 31, hosted by the Slow Food Convivia of Placer, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties. This will be a great opportunity to meet chefs and farmers and enjoy the ambience of the Delta with friends under old valley oaks on the edge of the Sacramento River. Food-themed silent and live auctions will raise funds for Slow Food Nation.

The speaker for the event will be Anya Fernald, CEO of Slow Food Nation and longtime
program director for California Alliance of Family Farms (CAFF). Her husband, Renato Sardo, head of Slow Food International, will also be attending.

There will be four-star chefs representing each county:
Patrick Mulvaney (Sacramento), Daniel Bell (Solano), Pru Mendez (Davis), and Molly Hawks and Michael Fagnoni (Placer).
The chefs are sourcing foods grown in the four counties, such as spring lamb, endive extravaganza, cheeses, and nuts for the menu.

There will be nine field trips (arranged in two different suggested “flights”) for those who want to make a Slow Day or Afternoon in the Delta. Each is led by an expert knowledgeable of the special challenges and rewards of farming in the Delta. They include offerings such as "Explore the Delta on the Tule Queen II"; "Nursery, Organic Farm, and Garden Tour"; and a tour with Carvalho Family Wines owner John Carvalho.

Saturday, May 31, 5:00 p.m. at Vino Farms, 51375 S. Netherlands Road, Clarksburg, CA
Visit brown paper tickets to get your tickets now. More event details are at the Slow Food Sacramento site.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The latest issue of Edible Sacramento has just hit the streets. I wrote back in March about Raphael Garden Biodynamic farm at the Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks. I go into more depth about what exactly constitutes Biodynamic farming in this issue of Edible. Did you know that a lot of California and French wines are grown biodynamically? You'd be surprised. Bonny Doon has recently decided to put most of its resources toward Biodynamic practices. Read the article to find out what's got vintners and other local farmers so interested.

You'll also find "Sausage: A Love Supreme" by Hank Shaw. He writes about Morant's Old Fashioned Sausage Kitchen and other nearby link locations. And visit his blog to learn about making Greek loukaniko sausage.

Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic writes in the spring issue about Ginger Elizabeth chocolates, which you may have realized by now are a bit of an addiction for me. (see previous posts)

You'll also learn about what it takes to be a farmer these days from real-life farmer and author Mike Madison; what to cook with your farmer's market bounty; and the "Momnivore's Dilemma"--school lunches. Pick up your copy today (it's FREE) at Taylor's Market, the Coop, Corti Brothers, and a bunch of other yummy locations.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)