by Wendy Lemlin
(photos courtesy of Valle Food & Wine Fest)
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