There’s usually good food to be had at wine tasting events, but have you checked out who’s going to be at this year’s Earth Day Food & Wine Festival? Just the list of restaurants alone reads like a Who’s Who of the Central Coast’s stellar spots for pleasing your palate!

Here’s a look at just some of the highlights in the lineup …

Artisan has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times and Bon Appétit and Chef Chris Kobayashi was one of 20 semi-finalists in the 2009 “Best Chef: Pacific” category of the prestigious James Beard Awards.

Owner Charles Myers of Big Sky Cafe has been a longtime champion of local foods and the restaurant has gotten good press from the New York Time and Sunset Magazine.

Brown Butter Cookie Company just got a big “Yum-O” from Rachel Ray.

Chow is the latest culinary creation from Robin Covey of Novo Restaurant and Lounge and Shanny Covey of Robin’s Restaurant – both of whom have been shopping at farmers’ markets for their restaurant produce for over 25 years.

Chef Tom Fundaro recently opened Farmstand 46, offering artisanal charcuterie and lots of other tasty things, but he’s also still the chef at Villa Creek, one of Paso’s destination restaurants.

Il Cortile Ristorante has added another great place for Italian food in Paso Robles, and celebrates all things mozzarella!

The McPhee’s Grill locations in both Templeton and Avila Beach feature the wine-friendly cuisine of Chef Ian McPhee, a champion of local wines for almost three decades.

Native Restaurant and Lounge offers a savvy spot for fine dining and sipping in SLO.

Pier 46 Seafood offers fresh, fresh, fresh sushi-quality, sustainable seafood to take home to prepare, or they’ll set you up with a variety of menu items inside or on the patio.

SeaVenture Resort not only has a great seaside view, but also an extensive menu with something for everyone.

Splash Cafe is famous for their clam chowder, and the SLO location also features an artisan bakery.

Thomas Hill Organics sources produce right from the Thomas Hill Farm and the outdoor patio also features a wood-fired pizza oven.

Upper Crust has been serving pizzas, pastas and addictive raspberry salad dressing for over 20 years.

Taste of SLO has done it again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself last Wednesday night as I wandered, well due to the great turn out, shuffled up and down the Mission Plaza tasting all that San Luis Obispo has to offer. This year’s disco themed event came complete with go go dancers, a giant disco ball, great music, and of course fabulous food and wine. The best of the best of San Luis Obispo restaurants made their appearances with delicious samplers; Tuna tacos from Native Lounge to mushroom soup topped with grated espresso bean from Mother’s Tavern to profiteroles from Mama’s Meatballs, can only begin to explain the range choices that were laid out in front of me. While samplers may sound like child’s play compared to the gigantic meals we are served at some restaurants, with a choice of samplers from over 30 restaurants I found that my graceful walk into the event had turned into a bit more of a waddle as I left the evening.
But wait, there’s more!

Once again, the 3rd Annual Pallet to Palate Event in August 2009 featured not only great food and wine (a big SIP poster made appearances at several events, and Baileyana/Tangent wines were poured at the SLOcovore event on Monday), but also a thought provoking panel discussion. This year’s topic was “Let’s Be Frank … About Local Food,” a perfect title since one of the participants was Larry Bain, co-founder of Let’s Be Frank, a company that produces and sells hot dogs made from sustainably raised grass-fed beef, family-farmed pork, and pastured turkey. Judith Redmond of Full Belly Farm and renowned chef Bradley Ogden, most recently of Root 246 in Solvang, ably rounded out the panel, but the remarks of the engaging Bain (whose résumé also includes running a social justice non-profit and opening Acme Chop House in SF, the country’s first sustainable steak house) were the ones that really stuck with me.
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One line said it all: “This is SUCH a good idea!”
Of course, this happy person had to be referring to the CCVT’s 3rd Annual Earth Day Food and Wine Festival held at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch on April 18. This year’s sold out event featured over 100 booths offering award-winning wines, tasty food, and information about sustainable businesses. The weather was perfect, Big Daddy’s Blues Band was cookin’ with a solar powered sound system, and a good – no, make that – great time was had by all.
Of special significance was the “festival debut” of SIP certified wines from Ampelos Cellars, Baileyana Winery, Castoro Cellars, D’Anbino Cellars, Hahn Estates, Halter Ranch, Laetitia Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Pomar Junction Cellars, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, Tangent Winery, and Wolff Vineyards & Winery. It was great to finally see some wines from the SIP program getting into the marketplace, and more will be emerging with each new vintage.

But wait, there’s more!

The Central Coast has once again reeled in some attention about sustainability, this time in regards to fishing.

Molly and Giovanni Comin, owners of Central Coast Seafood

As part of a new program aimed at bolstering sustainable fishing practices, two local businesses – Central Coast Seafood and Morro Bay Fish Company – are netting $275,000 in loans and credit from a new $5 million fund administered by the California Fisheries Fund and developed with support from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The Morro Bay companies were reportedly chosen because of the local industry’s existing efforts to switch to more sustainable fishing practices.

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My trip to Bel Frites peaked curiousity on the entire subject of food and beer and left me wondering where a Beer novice like myself could find advice on pairings for this well-known, yet mystified beverage. And while I find it way too easy to pass up a Coors Light for a night cap, the Belgian beers at Bel Frites made me feel like a regular beer aficionado.

Chimay Blue Trappistes Ale with Cajun Chili Essence seasoning and smokey chipotle aioli sauce

What I didn’t know, is that my interest in wine pairings already pointed me into the right direction. On my very own bookshelf lies the 2006 Wine Book of the Year, What to Drink With What You Eat, the Bible of food pairing suggestions that provides several wine options for all types of meals including everything from sashimi and sole to the McDonald’s Filet of Fish (They suggest a NZ Sauv Blanc.) Is that awesome or what? Previously, my adventures with this book ran so far as to help me plan meals for family dinners, wine parties, and even to answer questions from wine tourists at the tasting room I work at on random weekends. While the book focuses mainly on wine, other beverages such as coffee, tea, spirits, and beer are featured as well.

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After publicly admitting my food sins, I knew that I couldn’t change my course alone (if I could, it would have changed about 20 years ago). To combat my “lonely chore” perception of cooking, I asked for company from my sister and nephew. And to address my “I don’t know what the heck to do in the kitchen” barrier, Michelle Ward of Seasonal Custom Cuisine quickly came to my rescue with some recipes and guidance (thanks for the tips on how to cut corn off a cob – that could have been ugly and dangerous left to my own devices).

Armed with a couple of totes shoved deep within the dark recesses of my cupboard, some cash, and a list, we headed off to the local farmer’s market (knowing that there’s a great, local grocery within a block should I hit a snag).

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No joke. That was a text from my teenage son, who was home alone while I was on a business trip to SF.

This is both hysterical and disturbing on many levels:

• He actually thought I had a tab with the pizza company.
• Either it didn’t occur to him, he didn’t want to, or he didn’t know how to prepare something to eat.

But wait, there’s more!