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Celebrate the Craft of Cuisine

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by Wendy Lemlin

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I am fortunate to be able to partake of many gastronomic events over the course of the year, but there is one that always is at the top of my “must do” list. The 16th annual Celebrate the Craft t, held October 28 on the expansive lawns of The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, ranks not only for the beautiful ambiance and exquisite quality of the food presented, but also because of the spotlight it has always shown on the symbiosis between the participating chefs and the farms, ranchers, fishmongers, vintners, and brewers whose products help to make the chefs’ creations so outstanding. Since it’s inception, Celebrate the Craft has been one of Southern California’s premier showcases for locally grown ingredients, innovative cooking and winemaking.

On what is forecasted to be an absolutely gorgeous day, guests will meander among food stations where each chef is matched with a local farm, ranch, or fishmonger whose products are highlighted in the chef’s dish. Also at each station, a wine, beer or other artisanal beverage pairing from a local producer will be offered to complement the gourmet bites. Continue reading →

Celebrating Gastronomy in Baja Throughout October

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By Wendy Lemlin

Head South of the Border to Tantalize Your Palate

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I’m beginning to think that the 10th month of the year should be renamed Eatober. With several major food-focused events straddling both sides of the border throughout October, those who celebrate the culinary arts will have no problem indulging their passion for the finest food and drink in a vibrant social atmosphere. Head to Baja in October for some major food and wine events featuring rock star chefs and the best of local flavor, and see why the gastronomic scene there has positively exploded in recent years.

Valle Food & Wine Fest

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On October 5-7, Baja’s celebrated wine and cuisine destination, the Valle de Guadalupe, will play host to the celebrity chef studded second annual Valle Food & Wine Fest, detailed in a previous article. Guests will enjoy the offerings from 25 local wineries and 8 craft breweries to pair with the creations of 38

chefs from the USA and Mexico, including Netflix Chef’s Table stars Nancy Silverton and Dominique Crenn, Rick Bayless, Top Chef Jonathan Waxman, Michelin-starred Drew Deckman, Baja superstars Benito Molina, MiguelAngel Guerrero, and Javier Plascencia.

Tickets and info here.

Berry Good Noche

Berry Good Noche

For the past eight years Berry Good Night was a highly sought after by-invitation-only dinner and evening event, held on a beautiful La Jolla Farms estate perched atop the cliffs abutting Torrey Pines Beach. By bringing together local growers, ranchers, and producers, along with championing the ideology of sustainable food, the event has been a catalyst in uniting kindred spirits—the artisans, food activists, farmers, ranchers, winemakers, brewers, writers, chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary locavores—who feed the palate of the local conscientious foodie world.

This year, the Berry Good Night Dinner is taking its 8th anniversary south of the border to be reborn as Berry Good Noche, and any guest who purchases a ticket is welcome. The event will be held on October 18 in Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley), about 90 minutes from the border, at Troika, adjacent to Vena Cava Winery. The celebration will serve the dual purpose of highlighting sustainable gastronomy in our border region, and serving as an opening event for Baja Culinary Fest (more about that below).

The 6 course feast will feature an array of local wine pairings provided by the members of Provino, Baja California’s premier winery association. Celebrated chefs from both sides of the border creating culinary delight will include:

Cocktail hour will begin at 5pm with hors d’oeuvres prepared by Troika and the seated dinner will begin at 6pm.

100% of $150 ticket proceeds (**excluding transportation fee) will benefit Baja school garden projects. For those not wishing to drive from San Diego, round trip transportation fro Old Town Transit Center is available for $50 pp. Tickets and detailed info available here.

Baja Culinary Fest

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Dubbed “From North to South” and focusing on the theme of Sustainability, the 8th annual Baja Culinary Fest will celebrate the gastronomy, along with the wine and craft beer culture, of Baja California from October 18-20. With the exception of Berry Good Noche (see above) all events and dinners will be held in Tijuana, making it easy for guests from San Diego and Southern California to attend. Conferences, cooking workshops, demos, and an expo will take place at Club Campestre golf club, culminating with the Culinary Summit on October 20. There, attendees can sample the creations of an impressive roster of local and guest chefs from throughout Mexico, who will cook the best dishes of their kitchen at 30 food stations, showcasing products from Baja California. Pa

  • Festival Founder Javier Plascencia, Misión 19 – Finca Altozano – Jazamango

  • Aquiles Chávez, La Fisheria Playa del Carmen, Q.R.

  • Diego Hernandez, Corazón de Tierra Ensenada, B.C.

  • Gabriela Ruiz, Carmela y Sal CDMX

  • Guillermo Gonzalez Beristaín, Grupo Pangea Monterrey, N.L

  • Mao Montiel, Dolcenero CDMX

  • Oswaldo Vazquez, Comal – Chileno Bay Resort & Residences Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S

  • Tomas Bermúdez, La Docena Oyster Bar Guadalajara, Jal.

  • Yvan Mucharraz, Comal – Chileno Bay Resort & Residences Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S

  • Alex Branch, Hakkasan Group Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S

  • Julián Martinez, Sepia Cocina del Mar CDMX

  • Matthew Beaudin, Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey, Ca.

  • Ruffo Ibarra Oryx Capital Gastro Pub Tijuana, B.C.

Multi-course dinners prepared by teams of some of the top chefs in Baja California and beyond will be held each evening. The most difficult decisions will be choosing which one to attend on each night!

See the full chef lineup for each dinner here! Contact the individual restaurants for prices and tickets for these very special dining experiences.

Tickets for all the festival events are found here.

All-Star Chef Lineup Coming to Valle Food & Wine Fest

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by Wendy Lemlin

(photos courtesy of Valle Food & Wine Fest)

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Foodies take heed! Get out those elastic waist pants, because October is going to be a prime month in which to indulge your culinary and oenophilic obsessions in San Diego, Tijuana, and Baja’s celebrated Valle de Guadalupe. Several major food and wine-centered events will bring world renowned AND locally esteemed chefs and culinarians to the area, and if you are a gastronomy enthusiast, you won’t want to miss any of them.

Valle Food & Wine Fest

First up is the 2nd annual Valle Food & Wine Fest on October 5-7, a 3 day extravaganza of— yup, you guessed it— food and wine, held in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe, about a 2 hour ride south of San Diego. Expanding on last year’s success, the 2018 festival will attract about 2000 guests, and what is probably the most esteemed and badass lineup of chefs this area has seen. Although the visiting chefs are known for diverse styles and cuisines, they will all be cooking “Valle style”, working their magic with local ingredients and implements. The distinct culinary style of the Valle de Guadalupe reflects the land’s rugged terrain, where chefs spend long days smoking and grilling locally grown ingredients over Caja Chinas, barrel smokers, Santa Maria-style grills, and authentic copper vessels. These theatrical cooking techniques will be on display throughout the festival. To round out the experience, wines— from crisp bubbles and floral rosés to the acclaimed Nebbiolos and unique blends— will give guests a taste of the local terroir that’s becoming increasingly recognized on a competitive global scale. In the words of Wine Spectator’s wine guru James Suckling, “(Baja California) might be one of the last untapped great wine regions left in the world.” Continue reading

Art Alive: A Rite of Spring in San Diego

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By Wendy Lemlin

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A 2017 floral arrangement interpreting the painting seen in the background

In my long list of “things I love about spring”, Art Alive is always among the top entries. During this annual four day event at the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA), artworks in the museum’s collection are interpreted in wonderfully creative floral arrangements by over 100 designers. That, in itself, is fascinating to anyone who loves art, flowers and design. For me, however, this “rite of spring” is more than a just fragrant, colorful exhibit; it evokes in my psyche a healthy dose of nostalgia triggered by the floral scents wafting through the museum’s galleries.

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Another arrangement in the 2017 exhibit interpreting the painting in the top right.

My birthday is in the first week of April, and as a child growing up in Massachusetts where winter and spring often played hide and seek in early April, my dad would always present me with a bouquet of spring flowers for my birthday. Tulips, crocuses, irises, sweet peas—I loved their fresh, not-too-sweet scents and the splashes of color they brought to a world just starting to green from winter’s dull, monotonous gray. In my mind, the flowers engendered hope for the longer, sunny days to come and the promise of new beginnings.

And so, I find Art Alive to be an ideal amalgamation of things that I love—art, creativity, flowers, and springtime. The floral arrangements in the show that I personally find most successful are those that, rather than striving for a literal interpretation of the painting or sculpture with which they are paired, are more abstract in suggesting a dominant shape, or color scheme, and use mostly un-dyed plant and floral materials without a lot of other props.

a portion of the rotunda display in 2017

a portion of the rotunda display in 2017

The entry rotunda is where all the magic begins, with a (usually) magnificent, grand-scale installation that wows attendees with thousands of blossoms as soon as they enter the museum. This year, Natasha Lisitsa and Daniel Schultz, the wife-and-husband team behind Waterlily Pond Studio in San Francisco, have been selected as the Rotunda Designers. The duo will transform the Museum’s famed Rotunda into a blaze of color, bright blossoms, and lush foliage in honor of Nancy Lorenz: Moon Gold, the Museum’s spring exhibition opening on Friday, April 27. Lisitsa and Schultz are known for their larger-than-life floral installations, architectural design style and innovative use of materials.

 

 

A 2017 floral interpretation of a sculpture of an acient Indian deity

A 2017 floral interpretation of a sculpture of an acient Indian deity

In its 37th year, and taking place April 26-29, Art Alive is SDMA’s primary fundraiser to support the Museum’s education and outreach programs as well as special exhibitions. In addition to the exhibit itself, the celebration will also include a number of separately-ticketed auxiliary events, such as the black tie Premier Dinner exclusively for Honorary Committee Premiere Patrons on April 26, the very popular (despite its $200-$250 pp ticket price) Bloom Bash kick-off event, and a floral crown making workshop.

Tickets for Art Alive are free for SDMA members, $25 for nonmembers, $5 for youth (ages 7 to 17), and free for children age 6 and under.

For more information or to make a donation in support of this San Diego tradition, call the Art Alive Hotline at (619) 696-1999, or contact the Museum at artalive@sdmart.org. Tickets are also available online at sdmart.org/artalive

Feasting on San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival

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by Wendy Lemlin

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In recent years, San Diego has done a lot of growing up, gastronomically speaking.  What was once a culinary backwater, defined mostly by gringo-ized pseudo-Mexican  surfer grub, has blossomed with growing sophistication and appreciation for inventive cuisine, fine wines, craft beers —and direct collaboration between chefs and the farmers, ranchers, fishermen, winemakers and brewers whose labors provide the raw ingredients for the new excitement in local cuisine. And, in the last 14 years, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival has been showcasing and giving impetus to this delicious maturation process in a multi-day event unlike anything else in the San Diego gastronomisphere. Because of its multi-faceted scope of events, San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is my favorite local gourmet experience.

This year, San Diego Wine & Food Festival Festival, which runs November 12-19, is more eclectic than ever and has something for everyone who loves to eat or drink. From fermentation to fish tacos, from wine to wagyu, guests and participants can partake of events celebrating both the latest trends and the time honored favorites.

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The Grand Tasting

Continue reading →

Birthday Staycation

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Words & photos by Wendy Lemlin

Under the therapeutic cascade at Rancho Bernardo Inn

Under the therapeutic cascade at Rancho Bernardo Inn

Sometimes you just need a break.  Not a long vacation, but certainly more of a change of scenery than just hanging out in your own home.  Get away from the kitchen, get away from the computer, and get away from all the little chores around the house that nag to be done when you just want to relax.  I’m talking abdication of all responsibility, here, with a side order of pampering thrown in for good measure.  You don’t even need to go away to get away, distance-wise, to be amazed at how a change of environment makes for a change in temperament. You just need a great staycation. Continue reading →

Baja Exchange: A Crossborder Celebration of Baja Med Cuisine and Wines in San Diego

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By Wendy Lemlin

Chef/owner Miguel Angel Guerrero

Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero

Fifteen years ago, Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero opened La Querencia in Tijuana, and BAJA MED cuisine was born. These days, the term “Baja Med” is bandied about constantly in foodie circles, but, what many people don’t know is that the term originated with Guerrero and is now copyrighted in the names of his restaurants. “Baja Med is what this region is all about”, he defines. “It melds together the street food from Tijuana, the seafood that fills the market stalls in Ensenada, Asian influences from Mexicali, and the Mediterranean-type ingredients, such as olive oils, wines, cheeses, meats and produce grown and produced locally, from the coast to the Valle de Guadalupe.” Continue reading →

Fishing for Compliments at San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival

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Ocean-to-Table Wine Pairing Luncheon features an impressive roster of chefs

By Wendy Lemlin

Something’s fishy at the 12th annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival this year—- and that’s a good thing!

The abundance of delectable seafood found in our local waters will be the inspiration for a 5 course wine pairing luncheon held at The Marine Room, La Jolla’s iconic oceanfront restaurant, on Wednesday, November 18, from 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM.  Hosted by Executive Chef Bernard Guillas, the exclusive luncheon will feature the formidable talents of a cadre of local celebrity chefs known for their creativity and passionate respect for the sea’s bounty.

Chef Bernard Guillas

Chef Bernard Guillas

Continue reading →

Flying to San Felipe

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by Wendy Lemlin

These arches, the symbol of San Felipe, greet visitors at the north entrance of town.

These arches, the symbol of San Felipe, greet visitors at the north entrance of town.

San Felipe, on Baja’s Sea of Cortez, has always been a playground and vacation home destination for those in the San Diego and SoCal areas, but until recently, getting there was definitely NOT half the fun, necessitating a 4+ hour drive into Mexico, over mountainous roads and sometimes long border waits on the return trip home. All this changed this past December, when Portland, OR-based SeaPort Airlines began offering non-stop air service from San Diego International Airport to San Felipe in their nine passenger prop planes, currently on Monday, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

SeaPort Airlines' 9 passenger planes fly between San Diego and San Felipe.

SeaPort Airlines’ 9 passenger planes fly between San Diego and San Felipe.

The easy, hour and 20 minute flight takes passengers over breathtaking views of mountains and canyons that few travelers ever see, far from any roads or vestiges of “civilization”, and deposits them at the small San Felipe airport, on the placid shores of the Sea of Cortez, just a 5 minute drive from the lovely beachfront San Felipe Marina Resort and Spa.  Continue reading →

Welcome to Borderlines

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by Wendy Lemlin

A border can be anywhere. It can be a fence between countries or an intersection that defines a neighborhood. A border can flavor a cuisine and enliven a culture. It can have a recognizable soundtrack or certain design aesthetic. A border can be a physical demarcation or merely a state of mind.

The best borders are porous, engendering understanding and cross pollination of ideas and customs, but even when they are not, when walls separate and visas restrict, the crossing over or through becomes all the more exciting,

I live in San Diego, CA, about a 15 minute drive from the US/Mexico border in Baja California, a border which I cross often. I love that I can be in another country— with customs, cuisine, language, and lifestyle often so different from my own—in less time than it takes for me to drive to the northern or eastern reaches of San Diego county, which also are borders in and of themselves.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been afflicted with an active case of wanderlust.  Whether traveling to the far-flung corners of the globe, or the near-flung corners of my county, I constantly seek out unique experiences—geographical, cultural and culinary.  I’m fortunate to have the great pleasure of writing about these places and times in hopes of inspiring others to cross their borders and enjoy the world as well.

When I was a child, I was the pickiest of eaters.  Not any more! I love food that is creative, healthy, and often decadent. I devour with my senses. I’m enamored with aromas, titillated by tastes, and excited by the sight of a beautifully prepared dish or a perfect piece of produce.  International cuisines and regional specialties  inspire my wanderlust.

Machneyuda spices

I’m an almost-vegetarian–I don’t eat mammals—so, you won’t be reading any reviews of meat dishes on this blog. But, having grown up in the seaport of New Bedford, MA, I will probably never stop eating seafood, and on my yearly visits “back home” I have a list of the “must eats” that are always a part of every trip there and that I enthusiastically splurge on: North Atlantic lobster roll, mixed with just a hint of mayonnaise served in a toasted, buttered hot dog bun; Maine steamer clams, dunked in their own broth and melted butter; New England clam chowder whose broth is thickened only with the cream and slivers of potato; seared scallops fresh from a New Bedford ship, golden fried whole belly clams; and broiled scrod, minimally seasoned and moistly flaky. I have never tasted fresh corn on the cob anywhere else in the world that can compare to the ears of Silver Queen or Butter and Sugar eaten barely steamed within a few hours of having been picked on a Massachusetts South Coast farm in August.  Yes, my cholesterol is about 1000 when I come back to San Diego, but do I care? No!  And am I salivating now as I write this, happily anticipating the meals I will have there in about a month? You betcha!

As a food writer, of course I’m opinionated about my dining experience, what’s on my plate, and ultimately, in my mouth. I’m not impressed by pretention.  Except for my sugar addiction—don’t even get me started on chocolate or pastries—-and my occasional “vacation lapses”, I’m a strong proponent of healthful, whole food eating, and I see no reason to eat processed food at bad restaurants–or even, “just okay” ones, when there is so much incredible creativity out there. If an eatery considers iceberg lettuce to be the main attraction in a “garden salad”, I pretty much know I’m not going to like anything else they serve me..  That is, except for the little Greek pizza place in my hometown that coincidentally makes the best fried clams around.