Canadians, especially Western Canadians drink more California wine than almost any other country in the World.
We lived four years in SF and are always looking for an excuse to go
back..So, for this holiday weekend…a trip through the food and wine stars of SF, Napa and Sonoma.
My co-host is Liam Mayclem from CBS televisions Eye on the Bay.
Check out the guest list below. We’ll also give you an update on the Canadian Chefs Congress taking place next weekend on Vancouver island..100’s of chefs gathering like their own
Woodstock!
And a first talk about the Fall Wine Festival in the Okanagan with Christina Ferreira.
THE SHOW
Liam MayClem has an enviable job. He hosts the food stories for CBS TV’s Eye on the Bay. He’s double blessed because he’s surrounded by an unbelievable bounty..Napa, Sonoma, Farms, Seafood and so many restaurants.
He’s a good friend and I couldn’t wait to reconnect with him in Noe Valley, just another small area in SF..That’s what San Francisco is..a ton of small communities, each one with its own distinct personality.
Where else would you find a Bike repair shop that doubles as
a wine bar? Guests on this tour include..
Raj Parr, Wine Director of all Michael Mina Restaurants, including the one we find him in, the wildly successful RN74 www.rn74.com.
Chris Cosentino, a culinary star who 8 years ago opened Incanto. He proudly announced the start of Head to Tail dining..and became the “Offal King” of SF. He was a competitor on the next Iron Chef and has appeared on Iron Chef America. Forbes Traveller calls Incanto perhaps America’s most adventurous nose-to-tail restaurant. Lamb necks, pig trotters, venison kidneys and chocolate-blood panna cotta.
He also has a very popular meat shop in The Ferry Building at SF market called Boccalone (Tasty Salted Pig Parts)www.incanto.biz www.boccalone.com
It’s the second annual Blues, Brews and BBQ street party in Napa City.
10 years ago Napa was boarded up and not a destination..today its vibrant and growing like crazy.
One of the businesses that helped to bring about that change was Mark Pope’s BBQ and wine store called The Bounty Hunter..
Now, there’s a reason to visit Napa, the town.
Amid the smoke I caught up with two of Bounty Hunters leaders Will Wright, the Exec Chef and GM and Craig House, the CFO. We talk the re-birth of Napa and about the street party going on around us.
www.bountyhunterwine.com www.napadowntown.com
Daenna Van Mulligen, The Wine Diva phones in from Niagara where she’s judging the Intervin International Wine Awards, wines available to Canadian Consumers.
Presented by Wines Magazine and the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo. She doesn’t yet know who won the awards but has a great feeling for what was tasted!! www.winediva.ca www.winescores.ca
Don Shindle is the GM at the Westin Napa, he’s also a Canadian working in wine country and Yes, The big ring on his finger is a Grey Cup ring. He was an asst-coach for the BC Lions.
The Westin needed a star chef to compete with the other kitchens springing up all over the place..so they convinced Ken Frank to move his La Togue “down valley” from Rutherford.
Ken Frank has worked his way through Hollywood and now Napa..For one year he was the Exec Chef at the House of Blues on Sunset..we linger there a bit but also take time to connect his dots..
His third La Togue is right next door to the Oxbow Market, making this part of Napa town a ‘don’t miss” destination.
Loved doing these interviews. www.latoque.com www.westinnapa.com
I’m a ZinHead..I love great Zins and one of the meccas is Ravenswood Zin. I’ve met and interviewed Joel Peterson, the founder and winemaker before.
He’s full of descriptive stories but I hit the bullseye by showing up on the Saturday he released his 08 Zins..surrounded by his winegrowing partners. Joel fills us in on how Zin lost its first in line status in California and hows its slowly regaining fans.
We also let you know which of his releases can be found in Canada.
www.ravenswoodwinery.com
Then its back across the border to hook up with Chefs Rob Clark (C, Nu, RainCity Grille) and Vikram Vij (Vij’s, Rangoli). They are two of the Co-Chairs of the annual Canadian Chefs Congress, sort of like a Woodstock for Chefs.
100’s of the Chef’s will gather next weekend at Providence Farm in Duncan. Why they gather and what a gaggle of chefs do and how it affects all of us..those are the answers we’re after.
And we finish off with a final visit with Liam MayClem and a first look at the 30th annual Okanagan Fall Wine Festival with coordinator
Christina Ferreira. She’ll be back as things start to ramp up.
www.thewinefestivals.com
Liam can be found at
www.cbs5.com/liamslist
www.cbs5.com/eyeonthebay
www.twitter.com/liammayclem
www.facebook.com/liammayclem
NEXT WEEK
It’s Salt Tasting Room with winemaker Rob Van Westin.
September 4, 2010 Full Show [85:44m]:
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