Whoa, the slew of events going on during SUNSET SAVOR THE CENTRAL COAST 2011 is making for quite the destination-worthy, four-day extravaganza from September 29th-October 2nd. While the main event will be at the Santa Margarita Ranch October 1st-2nd, a host of other activities are also taking place at Central Coast locales like Hearst Castle, Pismo Beach Pier, and San Luis Obispo. And we wanna bring your attention to one very special event, the “LA vs. SF: Food Town Smackdown,” where yours truly, the tablehopper, will be one of the judges in a cocktail showdown between L.A. and SF.
On Sunday October 2nd from 4pm-4:45pm at the SAVOR main event at Santa Margarita Ranch, top bartenders from L.A. and SF are meeting in the middle of the state for a Food Town Smackdown, cocktail edition. It’s NorCal vs. SoCal, and the panel of judges will include Sunset food editor, Margo True; LA Weekly’s Jonathan Gold, and your own tablehopper. Get tickets if you want to find out who’s gonna take home the championship title, and all the bragging rights.
So, about those other events. Kicking off SAVOR will be the VIP reception and opening night soirée on Thursday September 29th at the historic Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Journey up the “enchanted hill” for the ocean views, award-winning local wines, and tapas beside the Roman-style Neptune Pool while celebrating the ongoing restoration of the Morning Room’s 16th-century Spanish Mudéjar coffered ceiling—one of castle’s most beautiful artifacts. On Friday September 30th, travel down the coast to the Pismo Beach Pier for the Sunset Western Wine Awards Gala, where you’ll join wine writers, sommeliers, and award-winning winemakers for a festive, locally sourced dinner that will be served alongside the award-winning wines. Also on Friday are Adventure Tours, which are already selling out—might wanna check those out on the schedule of events.
It’ll be hard to choose between two special events the evening of Saturday October 1st. In San Luis Obispo, SAVOR is presenting the Mission Plaza Winemaker Dinner, an alfresco farm-to-table dinner from SLO’s finest chefs, accompanied by live music and by wines carefully selected by SLO vintners. SAVOR is also presenting the Paso Glow culinary experience in Paso Robles’ City Park Saturday night with special guest celebrity chef Cat Cora, and local chef Jeffrey Scott (formerly Playboy Mansion chef de cuisine—yup, he’s probably got stories for days of serving breakfasts in bed … or the hot tub). The five-course dinner will showcase the bounty of local farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, and winemakers. There’s a chance to win a very generous prize package to this dinner, click here for more details on how to enter.
And now, on to the main event from October 1st-2nd at the the Santa Margarita Ranch, which will be packed with activities for two days straight. The Winemaker Central Seminar Stage will be dedicated to, what else, wine seminars about Paso Robles blends, cool-climate Syrahs, Central Coast pinot noirs, and more. The Chef Central Seminar Stage will have food-centric seminars like Sustainable Seafood with Cindy Pawlcyn, Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist, beer and food pairing with Margo True, and the above-mentioned LA vs. SF: Food Town Smackdown with Marcia-rhymes-with-Garcia. Events on those two stages will cost a bit extra to attend, but included with a main event ticket are all the fab demos on the From Farmers Market to Meal Demonstration Stage and the Sunset Kitchen Garden Demonstration Stage. See the full schedule here.
There aren’t enough pixels here to do justice to all the SAVOR events, so click over to their website for more info and to get tickets. Tickets are also available at Farm Supply locations, or call 800-768-6653. Let’s eat, drink, and be merry on the Central Coast!
Event Info
Thursday Sep 29, 2011 – Sunday Oct 2, 2011 Info
