12/11 - The Rutherford Appellation Story

This week, Slow Living Radio brings to life the lesser known wine region of Rutherford, right in the heart of the Napa Valley.  Hear the story of some of the winemakers and a chef who has made the locale his home to cook among the vineyards.

 

 

 

 

Dedicated to encouraging and promoting the highest quality standards in grape growing and winemaking in the Rutherford Viticultural Area, the Rutherford Dust Society's mission is to help wine lovers and the wine trade discover Rutherford's unique expression.

The Rutherford Dust Society was founded in 1994 by growers and vintners in tribute to the legacy of our grape growing and winemaking forebears.

Since the late 19th century, the growers and vintners of Rutherford have played a significant role in the development of Napa Valley as a world-class winegrowing region.

The late, revered winemaker André Tchelistcheff said: "It takes Rutherford dust to grow great Cabernet." What we now fondly refer to as "Rutherford dust" has come to reflect an enduring commitment to quality, a spirit of achievement and a deep connection to Rutherford's soil – as opposed to any sensory component in the appellation's wines.

Andy Beckstoffer and André Tchelistcheff, 1989

The Society's mission is to encourage and promote the highest quality standards in grape growing and winemaking in the Rutherford Viticultural Area, and to help wine lovers and the wine trade discover Rutherford's unique expression. Please join us in enjoying the fruits of our labor and in preserving the heritage and vineyards of Rutherford, in the Napa Valley.

Rutherford Dust Restoration Team (RDRT or "our dirt")

In 2002, the Rutherford Dust Society Board of Directors voted unanimously to empower a subcommittee, the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team (RDRT or "our dirt"), to initiate a plan to manage and restore the river. The sub-committee is co-chaired by John Williams, of Frog's Leap Winery, and Davie Pina, owner Pina Vineyard Management, LLC, also a Rutherford Dust Society Board member.

About Rutherford Appellation Wines

Rutherford's Uniqueness

Since its earliest days, Rutherford's growers and vintners have been committed to quality. Today, they maintain the spirit of Rutherford's proud history through their commitment to build upon this standard. This attitude toward quality is the driving force behind the vineyards and wines of this distinguished district.

 

Geography

 

The Rutherford Viticultural Area is approximately 6 square miles, beginning just south of Cakebread Cellars and BV Vineyard #2 along Highway 29. It ends at Zinfandel Lane, 3.3 miles to the north, and stretches across the valley 2 miles at its widest point from Mt. St. John on the West to the Vaca Mountain Range on the East.

Soils from three alluvial fans are primarily gravelly, sandy and loamy. The fans are formed from shattered, well-bedded sandstone, and their deposits are high in gravels. Deep and well-drained, the fans have pockets that allow runoff to easily flow to the streams and Napa River. Rutherford soils are dominated by the Franciscan marine sedimentary materials with some volcanic deposits (primarily Bale, Pleasanton and Yolo loams).

Sun Exposure

One of the more unusual aspects about Rutherford is that it has a higher radiant value than other parts of Napa Valley. Because the area is located at Napa Valley's widest point, it spends more time in the sun. University of California, Davis categorizes Rutherford as a Region II, with over 3,000-degree days during the growing season.

Climate

Warm summer days ripen Rutherford grapes, giving way to cool evenings. An average summer day may drop 12 degrees (F) immediately after sunset. This fluctuation allows the fruit to ripen at a steady pace; temperatures north and south of Rutherford can vary as much as 10 degrees. Rutherford has an average rainfall of 26-36 inches per year. Although typically mild, spring can bring freezing temperatures at night during March and April.

Topography

Although bordered on the West and East by two mountain ranges, the Rutherford Viticultural Area does not extend above 500 feet in elevation. Regardless, the elevation is quite pronounced. Vineyards creep up the nearby hillsides from the Napa River in the center of the appellation, which lies just 172 feet above sea level.

Terroir

Rutherford offers a multitude of microclimates and soil types for vintners and growers. Nevertheless, wines produced from the grapes grown here reflect a distinct Rutherford character.

”André Tchelistcheff, a Russian-born immigrant with a thick accent, and John Daniel, a strong-willed heir to the Inglenook estate, are two of the most important 20th century personalities that helped shape the course of Napa Valley Cabernet winemaking.”

James Laube, Wine Spectator, February 29, 2000

 

 

Jean Hoefliger

Winemaker
Alpha Omega Winery

 Alpha Omega is located in legendary Rutherford in the heart of Napa Valley and is one of Napa’s newest boutique wineries. Surrounded by vineyards and mountains, the beauty of this rustic, farm-style winery is as captivating as its wine.

Alpha Omega’s extraordinary winemakers, along with historic vineyards, combine to create wines that express the essence of this famous wine region. Talented winemaker, Jean Hoefliger, has teamed up with one of the world’s finest palates, Michel Rolland, to create wines that express their passion for excellence as well as the unique terroir that is Napa Valley. By procuring prized grapes from the many appellations of Napa Valley, our winemakers blend the essence of exceptional terroir ranging from valley floor, hillside, mountain and coast. Using natural techniques, they handcraft finesse-driven, complex and balanced wines, which express the aromatic profile of the best Napa Valley has to offer.

Hoefliger and Rolland’s combined award-winning winemaking techniques create elegant, approachable and perfectly balanced wines of the highest quality through blending the best of Old World and New World wine styles. A gifted young winemaker and a master winemaker are discovering together the excitement of creating world-class wine from world-class grapes in world-class terroir for Alpha Omega.

 

 

 

Round Pond Estate

 

 

 

 

For more than a century, Napa Valley’s Rutherford region has been recognized for producing wines of rare depth and complexity, most notably rich and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. At Round Pond they pay tribute to the personality of the estate vineyards by crafting wines that reflect the charm and sophistication of this extraordinary appellation. Made from select blocks of our best estate fruit, their wines embody the essence of a terroir-inspired, Californian winemaking philosophy.

 

From the commitment to vine balance to gentle winemaking approach, the wines of Round Pond Estate benefit from loving attention that includes small lot fermentation and patient aging. In the vineyard they harvest at peak ripeness, hand sorting and destemming the fruit before applying a gentle press and cold soak. In order to extract rich colors, aromas and flavors, they emphasize extended maceration of the grapes. Alongside these artisan techniques Round Pond also employ cutting-edge technology, like custom-built fermentors, which continuously regulate temperature to within a fraction of a degree ensuring control and quality. Adding additional layers of depth and nuance, the barrel-aging program utilizes the very finest French oak coopers.

 

Olive Oils

 

 

 

Ripened in the rich soils of Rutherford, California, the imported Mediterranean olive trees of Round Pond Estate bestow upon fruit of extraordinary purity, flavor and character. Each of the four estate olive oils is crafted from a meticulous selection of hand-harvested olives using signature pressing methods, which combine traditional stone mill techniques with state-of-the-art technology. Master blending in small lots, and bottling only on demand ensures that each gourmet olive oil is delivered to customers at the height of vibrant freshness. Round Pond also have released three new, complementary herb infused oils, made from the very finest California extra virgin olive oil and hand blended at the Estate.

Nick Ritchie

Chef, Alex Italian Restaurant, Rutherford

A native of the Napa Valley, Chef Nick Ritchie began his culinary career in the Tra Vigne kitchen in 1994 under Chef Michael Chiarello and Chef de Cuisine Carmen Quagliata. Nick completed his Associates Degree in Culinary Arts at the CIA Hyde Park, NY as well as an internship at Sazerac in Seattle, WA with Chef Jan Birnbaum.

 

In 2001 after completing his degree, Nick traveled to Lombardia, Italy working for one year at La Campagnola di Salo on Lago di Garda. Upon his return to the United States, Nick worked under Chef Quagliata once again at The Vault, in Boston, MA. In 2003, Nick began working as a sous chef for Chef Kevin Davis at The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Seattle, WA.

 

To round out his time in the Seattle area he worked for Chef Daisley Gordon at Campagne and Café Campagne. Nick returned to the Napa Valley in 2006 to take the Chef de Cuisine position for Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle and in 2008 moved on to open Bottega where he received many accolades as Chef de Cuisine, including a Rising Star Chef in 2009.

In May of 2011 Chef Ritchie departed from Bottega and is very excited to be the Executive Chef of Alex Italian Restaurant here in beautiful Rutherford, CA

 

 

 

12/04 - The Chef and His Unsung Heroes - Greg Cole's Story

This week, Slow Living Radio welcomes iconic chef, Greg Cole, whose restaurants have helped shaped the Napa dining scene.  From the beautiful Celadon, snuggled behind the Napa River Inn, to the rustic and popular Cole's Chop House on Main Street, to his local radio show, Greg has become a Napa household name. Greg brings with him two guests who have helped him forge his path and provide him with the materials to make his menu and wine list of amazing quality - Mike Weinberg-Lynn of Osprey Seafoods (also coincidentally Sally's favorite Seafood supplier), and Byron Kosuge of B. Kosuge Wines.

However, we begin our show with "Sally's Roaming Tales" as she brings a taste of her trip to Australia - read her travelogue blog following!  To begin, the wonderful and welcoming Qantas flight and her first night at the Sir Stamford Court Hotel in Circular Quay, Sydney!

Greg Cole,

Executive Chef and Owner,
Celadon and Cole's Chop House
Historic Downtown Napa 

Greg’s love of food and wine has created two of the most highly respected restaurants in the Napa Valley. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, he came to the Napa Valley in 1985 to work with Chef Philippe Jeanty in the kitchen of Domaine Chandon. In 1990 Greg’s passion for wine led him to join the winemaking team of Robert Sinskey Vineyards. In addition to cellar work, he promoted wine sales throughout the country, and cooked and hosted dinners pairing food and wine in top restaurants and cooking schools nationwide.

In September of 1996 Greg and his wife and business partner, Beth Fairbairn, opened the award-winning Celadon restaurant in downtown Napa. Celadon pioneered the fine dining scene in the city of Napa with Chef Cole’s style of 'Global Comfort Food'. Local and national acclaim followed and in 1998 Greg was selected as one of the 24 "hottest young chefs" in America by the Wine Spectator. Celadon received a three star rating in the San Francisco Examiner and four stars in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. USA TODAY selected Celadon as one of the 'ten great places to dine at the bar'. Celadon has received the Zagat Survey "Award of Distinction" and has been a Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence" recipient for its innovative and food-friendly wine list since 1997. In the summer of 2002 Celadon moved to a larger location in the Historic Napa Mill, one of downtown’s restored riverfront jewels.

Cole's Chop House opened in March of 2000. Serving 'Classic American Steak House' cuisine, Cole's Chop House was an immediate favorite of locals and visitors. A Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence" and Wine Enthusiast Magazine “Award of Unique Distinction” wine program features Cabernet Sauvignon from the area’s finest small producers. Cole's Chop House has been selected as San Francisco's top rated Steakhouse in the Zagat Survey for the last three years and named 'one of the top five steak houses' in the Best of Bay Area Dining by San Francisco Chronicle Magazine. Cole’s Chop House has been featured in Gourmet, Food Arts, Bon Appetit and Sunset magazines.
 
Greg is the host of "Today in the Wine Country," a local radio show covering food trends in the wine country and beyond. The show airs Tuesday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. on Napa’s KVON 1440AM. Chef Cole won KVON’s 2006 Best of Napa and Sonoma Valley award for ‘Best Local Chef’. He is a guest chef on Karen MacNeil's new PBS series Wine, Food and Friends. The nationally syndicated program features Chef Cole preparing dishes paired with wines chosen by MacNeil, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone wine educator and author of The Wine Bible. Greg and Beth were honored with the Napa Chamber of Commerce 2005 Business of the Year Award for Celadon and Cole’s Chop House.

Greg’s commitment to the community is evidenced by his support of many local charity events. Cole’s Chop House was one of ten local restaurants chosen to prepare dinner for Wine Auction Napa Valley 2005. The event was one of the most successful in its history. Other causes supported by Chef Cole’s establishments are: American Red Cross, Jewish Home of San Francisco, American Cancer Society, Queen of the Valley Hospital, Community Health Clinic Olé, Children’s Hospital Oakland, Boys & Girls Club, and numerous local public and private schools.

Greg resides with Beth and their two children in downtown Napa.

Mike Weinberg-Lynn

Owner

Osprey Seafoods

A value added sampling at Osprey

As a physiological psychology graduate from UCSB, Mike looked forward to a professional future in the laboratories of the Bay Area.  Newly married and with high hopes, he moved his family to the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco only to find a hiring freeze up and down the peninsula.  After several months of selling wedding presents to make rent, his life took one of those turns. 

Upon a chance meeting with a neighbor who owned the fish store across the street, Mike begged for any job at all.  The neighbor, Peter Bird, hired Mike as a driver for $5 per hour.  It was September of 1983 and Mike fell in love with the business from the very start.  As he learned the day-to-day operations, his passion for fish and the people who worked with it grew. 

In December of 1986, Mike excitingly took the plunge and purchased a major share in Osprey Seafood.  By 1989, Mike invested all he had in Osprey Seafood and became the sole owner.  Since then, Mike’s goal to serve the entire Napa Valley area has resulted in the retail store at Wine Country Avenue.  29 years later and he still loves fish.

Byron Kosuge, Winemaker

B. Kosuge Wines

Byron was born and raised in the Central Valley town of Davis, California. His late father grew up on a farm in Colorado before moving to California and becoming a university Biochemist, so there was farming in his blood. Byron first studied English and American Literature for several years before settling on wine as a vocation.

The first fifteen years of his winemaking career were spent making wine at Saintsbury in Carneros, where the Pinot “bug“ first bit him and he started the lifelong process of learning the intricacies of the grape. After leaving Saintsbury in 2001, he have continued to make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for Miura in California and, most recently, for a new Pinot Noir/Syrah project in Casablanca, Chile named Kingston Family Vineyards.

In 2005 and 2006 Byron started a couple of small new Pinot-centric projects in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. He is most comfortable knocking around in the vineyard or the cellar, trying to improve the craft, and turning out modest amounts of interesting, expressive, and, hopefully, memorable wine. The kind of wine he wants to drink himself.

11/27/2012 - The Waterford Crystal Story

Slow Living Radio was delighted to find the charming Jim O'Leary, Director of Design for Waterford Crystal, appearing and signing his marvellous crystal creations in downtown San Francisco.  Hear his inspirational story of starting with the company as a boy of 15, and how he progressed through the ranks over a span of 53 years, living the entire time in the quaint namesake town of Waterford, Ireland.  A truly "slow living story" indeed!

Waterford then....

....and now



 

 

Jim O'Leary, Director of Design

Waterford Crystal

http://na.wwrd.com/ae/us/icat/waterford

 

As Director of Design for Waterford Crystal®, Jim O'Leary is the curator of a design tradition that stretches back to 1783.

 

Under his direction, Waterford has become known to the world as an enduring symbol of quality, tradition and modernity with timeless designs that add significance and beauty to the home. Jim has played a pivotal role throughout the decades with his artistic eye and inspired view of the world. He continually brings fresh perspective to the Waterford Design Studio in Ireland, always providing the brand with new interpretations of what it means to be modern today. Mr. O'Leary describes Waterford's enduring legacy and design leadership well. "It is only by being of its time that Waterford Crystal can aspire to be timeless. What endures is not a single look or style, but a way of putting ancient skills to new uses in order to create designs that move beyond mere fashion to achieve lasting style.

 

The Araglin Design

 

After beginning his career as a Waterford apprentice in 1960, Jim O'Leary quickly achieved Master Craftsman status by age 24. In 1980 he joined the ranks of the legendary design team and thus began his travels to the United States where he has charmed generations of collectors ever since. Among his most important designs are the Araglin, Carina and Castlemaine patterns; The Romance of Ireland collection; and the Star of Peace, which were the first Waterford Crystal panels to be placed on the famous Millenium Ball in Times Square in 1999.



The Carina Design

Serving as Waterford Crystal's international brand ambassador, Jim spends an average of five months each year visiting consumers and collectors around the world. At the scores of events he attends, he puts his creativity to work on a more practical level by inscribing his signature on Waterford Crystal pieces with an electronic signing pen. Through his travels he gains valuable insights and inspiration from consumers which he then brings back to the designers and craftsmen on the Waterford Design team to develop and refine existing and new product lines. His understanding of the ever-changing market and consumer ensures Waterford Crystal remains the global leader in crystal design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Waterford Crystal

 

Waterford Crystal designs, manufactures and markets an extensive range of crystal stemware, barware and giftware for distribution throughout the world. In recent years, Waterford has built upon its reputation as a leading source of prestigious tabletop and gift products by expanding into several new businesses. Significant expansions into tabletop and gifts have occurred with the launch of the Marquis by Waterford, the addition of Waterford Fine China, Waterford Fine Flatware, and Waterford Holiday Heirlooms. Each of those initiatives reflects the company's commitment to creating prestigious products -- for gift giving, entertaining, and home decorating -- whose classic designs transcend time.

 

History

 

The company of Waterford was first established in 1783 on land adjacent to Merchants' Quay in the heart of the Irish harbor town of Waterford. Its founders were two brothers, William and George Penrose, who were important developers and principal exporters in the city. Their vision was to "create the finest quality crystal for drinking vessels and objects of beauty for the home." More than two hundred years later, the reputation they established for creating glass of unsurpassed beauty and quality has transcended the intervening centuries.
 

The beginnings of glass making in Ireland are lost in the mists of time but there is sufficient archaeological evidence to show that, from the early Iron Age, glass was regarded with respect. Indeed, medieval documents can prove glass making existed in Ireland back in the middle 13th century.

 

However, the Waterford Crystal story started to blossom in 1783 when two brothers, George and William Penrose, founded their crystal manufacturing business in the busy port of Waterford. They were important developers and the city's principal exporters. The development, they told the Irish Parliament, cost £10,000 - a great deal of money in the 18th century.
 

They employed 50 to 70 people, led by a fellow Quaker, John Hill, from Stourbridge in England, and succeeded in producing crystal with a purity of colour unmatched in Ireland or England. Merchant ships sailed regularly from the port of Waterford with cargoes of crystal bound for Spain, the West Indies, New York, New England and Newfoundland.
 

Another century passed before the enterprise was revived. In 1947, while Europe was still in ruins after the second World War, a small glass factory was set up in Waterford just 11/2 miles from the site of the original glass factory.

 

Waterford Crystal today has very strong links with its illustrious predecessor. There is today the same dedication to the purity of color, to the same design inspiration and to the same pursuit of highest quality levels possible. The traditional cutting patterns made famous by the artisans of Waterford became the design basis for the growing product range of the new company.
 

Products which have extended the power of the Waterford brand beyond its core crystal products include Waterford China, Waterford Table & Bed Linens, Waterford Stainless Flatware and Silver Gifts, Waterford Writing Instruments, Waterford Holiday Heirlooms and Waterford Crystal Jewellery.


 


The Lismore Design

Waterford Crystal, today, is the leading brand of premium crystal. Its products - superb handcrafted crystal stemware, giftware and lightingware - are designed and manufactured to the highest standards.
 

The brand's reputation among its target market - upscale men and women - in its major markets is such that it has taken the brand to the heights that it now occupies. The target consumers simply regard Waterford Crystal as the best for self and gift purchase.

Recent research has confirmed the standing of Waterford Crystal in both the US and the UK.
 

In November 2000, Waterford Crystal was named as the top world class brand in the United States by a survey conducted among 30,000 people by the Princeton, New Jersey, based independent market research company, Total Research Corporation. Total Research said that Waterford Crystal was judged by American consumers as the brand with the highest quality out of 19 world class brands in the US market. Other brands in the league table below Waterford include Rolls-Royce Bentley, Bose stereo and speaker systems, Philadelphia cream cheese, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Kodak, Heinz ketchup and National Geographic magazine.
 

In 2002, Waterford celebrated the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Lismore pattern of crystal. Almost every year since its inception, Lismore has topped the popularity list and has been the biggest selling pattern of crystal in the US and the world. But there are others among the repertoire of Ireland's most famous export that have gained their own following - Alana, Carina, Araglin.
 

Waterford Crystal has become almost a synonym for the finest quality crystal sought after by collectors and connoisseurs around the world. Each piece of Waterford is watermarked with the word "Waterford", a signature indicating the name of the finest crystal in the world.

 

 

11/20 - Slow, Happy and Healthy "Holidays"

As we draw dangerously close to that time of year when holidays, parties and festivities seem to bring more stress, anxiety. fatigue and bad tempers each year on, Slow Living Radio tries to restore a sense of what it should be - a time of joy, playfulness, relaxation and celebration of life, friends and family.

 

Our guests this week all hail from the wonderfully therapeutic California Health and Longevity Institute, nestled appropriately amid the peaceful waterfalls and landscaped grounds of the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village.  They each will bring a new dimension to self care, relaxation, balance and preventive health care.  Sit back, enjoy, and hopefully be inspired to make this years celebrations full of beaming energy and laughter.

 

California Health & Longevity Institute, Inc

Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village
http://www.chli.com/

 

Barbara E. Savin

Clinical Hypnotherapist and Healing Energy Specialist

Barbara E. Savin, author of “Reclaiming Your Health with Self-Healing” and “Reclaiming Your Power,” is the Clinical Hypnotherapist and Healing Energy Specialist for California Health & Longevity Institute, Inc. Her goal at California Health & Longevity Institute, Inc. is to help people through the use of preventive and natural health care methods. Barbara has many years of clinical experience as a natural healthcare practitioner. She is educated as a Gentle Energy Touch master/teacher, a certified Reiki master/teacher, a Magnified Healing master/teacher, a pranic psychotherapy practitioner, a healing touch practitioner, and a visualization and meditation instructor and is a certified clinical hypnotherapist. Previously, Barbara owned her own successful vitamin and supplement distribution company, and she also worked for Blue Cross and Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. As a regional sales director with General Nutrition Center, she won “Regional Director of the Year” for three consecutive years.

Barbara is a member of the National Guild for Hypnotherapists, the American Board of Hypnotherapy and the International Association of Counselors and Therapists. She is currently working toward certification in emotional freedom technique.

 

Ilana Kukoff, Ph.D.

Lifestyle Consultant and Workshop Facilitator

Dr. Ilana Kukoff is an educational entrepreneur and founder of several companies. Ilana is the founder and CEO of Cognition Builders, an education company that teaches students how to learn. Cognition Builders is the parent company of Mind Over Marriage, a marriage education company that is currently developing a reality show. Dr. Kukoff is also the co-founder, and former Chief Scientific Officer, of Rethink Autism, an internet-based autism service provider.

Dr. Kukoff is a graduate of Columbia University and has a Ph.D in Behavioral Psychology. She has been a featured speaker on NPR, at UCLA and a TED: Ideas Worth Sharing event.

 

Roger Thai, D.D.S.

Director of Dentistry

Dr. Roger Thai has transferred his personal core belief for doing what is best for his clients without compromise into the practice of dentistry. His style of dentistry has a rare combination of both artistry and technicality. His love for cosmetic dentistry and “anti-aging” preventive dentistry is what he is best known for throughout California. Dr. Thai loves educating his clients as well as advising them appropriately to make the best decision about their oral health. In his personal time, Dr. Thai gives back to the community by providing pro-bono dental work quarterly at the Watts Clinic in Los Angeles and coaching Little League baseball and basketball.

 

Dr. Thai graduated from the Dugoni School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco and was awarded a scholarship from the United States Air Force Health Professional Program. Upon graduation, he completed studies in Advanced Education in General Dentistry. For the next three years, he worked one-on-one with specialists in the field of dentistry to gain further mastery of his profession. Dr. Thai continues to pursue excellence through staying current with technology, participating in continuing education and surrounding himself with renowned experts in the field of dentistry.

 

11/13 - The Chef and His Local "Family" - Brad Farmerie

Slow Living Radio continues its toast to chefs who search their local fields, farms, wineries and aritisans to build a family, and adorn their tables with their locality, bringing the diners a closer connection with community and embracing the Slow Food ethic of supporting small, local and sustainable.  Hear their stories and be inspired to go in search of your local family!

After Sally had tasted the cheeses and wine on offer, she just had to create something in their honor - scroll down to see!

 

Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef

The Thomas and Fagiani’s at The Thomas
Napa, California

Brad Farmerie grew up in Pittsburgh in a food-loving family. His mother, an avid home cook, exposed him to a variety of cuisines and insisted on home baked bread and vegetables straight from the family garden. Farmerie enrolled at Penn State, intent on completing a degree in mechanical engineering. Two years into his studies it became apparent that the cooking he did to pay his tuition was the real source of his collegiate contentment. Thus he took a year-long hiatus from studying the principles of physics to exploring first-hand the cuisines and wines of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Antipodes.
 

This travel inspired Farmerie to follow his love for food to the U.K. and then earn his “Grand Diplome” at Le Cordon Bleu in 1996. He further rounded out his education and technique at acclaimed restaurants Coast, Chez Nico and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Most influential to his own style was his experience working with Peter Gordon at the Sugar Club, and he went on to assist Gordon and Anna Hansen in opening the critically-acclaimed The Providores and Tapa Room in 1996.

In 2003, Farmerie moved back to the States to head up the kitchen of the first AvroKO-designed, owned and operated restaurant, PUBLIC, where his culinary magpie method takes cues from broad source material, looking to Asia, the Antipodes, and Europe for inspiration. The New York Times described this global approach as one that “swings for the fences with each and every dish,” and Michelin has awarded the restaurant a coveted star every year since 2009. 2006 saw the opening of The Monday Room, a 20-seat wine bar inside of PUBLIC; and in 2008, AvroKO Hospitality Group opened a gin den, Madam Geneva, which quickly became one of New York City’s most compelling drinking destinations.

 In Fall of 2011, Farmerie focused his lens on traditional American grill fare to open Saxon + Parole with AvroKO Hospitality Group. The restaurant showcases domestic meat and seafood, as well as seasonal and sustainable produce, marked with Farmerie’s signature global twist in flavors and cooking methods. In March of 2012, Farmerie and AvroKO Hospitality Group opened The Daily in the space adjacent to PUBLIC. The small plate- and cocktail-focused concept offers a rotating menu, which changes daily. In August 2012, Farmerie once again teamed with AvroKO Hospitality Group to open The Thomas and Fagiani’s at The Thomas in a historic building located in Napa, California. There, Chef Farmerie showcases a menu that is enlivened by a wood-fire grill and enriched by Farmerie’s unique style using international flavors and culinary twists.
 

Brad Farmerie has been featured across a wide range of international media platforms, including The Martha Stewart Show, the CBS Early Show, and NBC’s TODAY Show. He is also an acclaimed author, who has written for many publications such as Food Arts. Among his numerous awards and accolades, Farmerie was named a StarChefs “Rising Star Chef” in 2005; one of Food Arts’ “Emerging Tastemakers” in 2006; and has been touted as one of Global Magazine’s Top 50 “Chefs to Watch.”

 

 

Ehrin Jordan

Winemaker and Owner

Failla Wines

 

Failla is dedicated to sourcing cool climate fruit from the extreme coastal areas of Sonoma County.  Winemaker Ehren Jordan began his career with a two-year apprenticeship in the Rhône, followed by years of making wines for Neyers Vineyards and Turley Wine Cellars. Ehren and his wife Anne-Marie Failla founded Failla in 1998 and since then have built a winery and caves in St. Helena, as well as a reputation around a growing portfolio of wines that include Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays influenced by Ehren’s viticultural training in France.  In 2008, The San Francisco Chronicle named Ehren “Winemaker of the Year”.

 

His wife, Anne-Marie currently manages the business side of Failla and the business end of our daughters Audrey, born in 2001 and Vivien, born in 2005.

 

"FAILLA is a top-notch source of high
quality, European-inspired wines
that combine flavor, intensity
and elegance."

 

-Robert M. Parker
The Wine Advocate
December 26, 2006

 

 

Debra Dickerson
Cowgirl Creamery
 

This is the story of two friends, a baby blue Chevy van and a lifelong love affair with food. Sue Conley and Peggy Smith took a hippy trip to San Francisco in 1976 after finishing degrees at the University of Tennessee. Both established careers in some of San Francisco’s most famous kitchens: Peggy spending 17 years at Chez Panisse, and Sue co-owning Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkeley.

By the early 1990s, Peggy and Sue were ready for a new challenge. They found it in Pt. Reyes Station, a picturesque postage-stamp-of-a-town on the coast about an hour north of San Francisco. With their first-hand knowledge of the restaurant business, they launched Tomales Bay Foods, a marketing vehicle to help West Marin’s farms and dairies get their delicious products into the hands of the Bay Area’s finest chefs. Their first location, a renovated hay barn in downtown Point Reyes, featured a small cheesemaking room at the entrance to the building. It gave them ideas. Using milk from neighboring Straus Family Creamery, they began making delicious fresh cheeses.
 

 

Two decades, dozens of awards, two creameries, four retail stores and two thousand tons of cheese later, it’s safe to say they’ve earned their 10-gallon hats.

Cowgirl Creamery cheeses are sold to over 500 stores, independent cheese shops, farmers markets and restaurants, and nationally through Whole Foods Markets. And true to their community ethos, Tomales Bay Foods continues to support and promote artisan cheesemaking, offering over 200 cheeses from all over California, America and Europe through their website and retail locations.
 

About Debra....

Sales and Sustainable Development

Tomales Bay Foods, Cowgirl Creamery

 

Founding Member Cheese Choice Coalition, for the continued production and sale of raw milk cheese in the USA.

 

Member Slow Foods + California Artisan Cheese Guild

 

Beloved companion of grumpy old dog Ruby.

 

Walnut and Honey Mille Fueille with Red Hawk Triple Creme

 

....paired with Failla Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

 

 

My two favorite tastings from tonight's show, the Red Hawk Triple Creme, with a wonderful rich pungency and a gorgeous rind!  Smooth like the Failla Chardonnay, which has a beguiling flintiness balanced by fresh citrus and soft jasmine.  A wonderful combination to compliment the cheese, so I added a Mille Feuille with walnuts, the nuts helping to bridge the wine and cheese with their toasty complexity.  I like to use spring roll wraps as their resulting transparency and fragile crispness are quite stunning.  You could also use won ton wrappers of filo.

 
Spring Roll Wrappers
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
finely diced raw walnuts
brown or palm sugar
Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk Triple Creme
organic honey (I love the Tasmanian Leatherwood for it's fresh, foresty lift)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment. 

Brush a spring roll wrapper with olive oil and cover with a thin layer of walnuts.  Sprinkle with sugar to taste (not too much or it may burn).  Repeat with as many as you like as they will keep, sealed in a cool cupboard for several weeks.

Transfer to baking tray and bake for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.  Don't forget as they burn easily.  Carefully lift onto a wire rack and cool.  Break into desired sized pieces.

Just before serving, slice cheese thinly and warm honey  in a dish set over hot water until runny.

Place one piece of walnut cracker on a plate, top with a slice of cheese and a light drizzle of honey to melt the cheese.  Repeat to as high a mound as you like, topping with cheese and final drizzle of honey.

Enjoy the interplay of textures - crisp, soft, gooey, crunchy and silky wine!

Bon appetit from Sally