St. Bart’s French Culinary Festival Returns Nov. 10-14

Photo by Michael Gramm.

St. Bart’s seventh annual Gourmet Festival returns November 10-14 to celebrate the finest French gastronomy with chefs and foodies from around the globe.

Nightly epicurean dinners highlight a series of daily events including the bartenders’ contest, café waiters’ race, amateurs’ pastry contest and more.  Luxury venues include the Hotel ChristopherLe Barthélemy Hotel & SpaHotel Carl GustafLe Sereno HotelHotel Manapany, Nikki Beach, Le Tamarin and L’Esprit.

Chef Pierre-Gagnaire. Courtesy of St. Bart’s Culinary Festival.

Pierre Gagnaire, this year’s patron chef who has earned three Michelin stars for 20 consecutive years, has invited five internationally renowned chefs to create incomparable menus to delight the most discriminating gourmand.  Check here for event schedule and reservations.

Photo courtesy of  Caribbean Rum Awards

Just preceding the Culinary Festival is the 4th Annual Caribbean Rum Awards Nov 2-7.  Judges from Caribbean distilleries, international spirits magazines, and fine spirits merchants assemble to judge a hand-picked selection of the Caribbean’s best rums, including Uber-Premium categories and rhum agricoles from the world’s largest selection and most expensive rums on the market.  Hosted in Gustavia, events range from workshops and tastings to exclusive galas including the popular Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab spectacular, with rare cigars following.

Villa View Star – Elegantly furnished 1 BD/1 BA / Pool apartment in Gustavia

Where to Stay

A favorite escape for celebrities, financiers and foodies, the island of St. Barthelemy, also known as St Barts or Barths, is renowned for its striking natural beauty, world-class restaurants, chic boutiques, and zoning regulations preserving the natural splendor of the island’s unspoiled beaches.

Villa Ocean Dream features 4 BD / 3.5 BA / Pool and every luxury.

WIMCO has more than 300 beautiful first class and luxury properties in all price ranges that generally rent by the week. Options range from charming single bedroom, one-bath cottages to sprawling, fully-furnished luxury villas with up to eight bedrooms and baths, private pools, and sweeping panoramas.

Most are built on hillsides, affording excellent ocean views.  Many 3+ bedrooms are very family-friendly and have private pools, landscaped gardens and expansive decks. All are a short drive from the beach. Beachfront                rentals are limited as development along most of St. Bart’s prized beaches is restricted, so advance bookings are normally required.

For a complete overview of villa rentals and services, go to www.wimco.com/travel-services/concierge.aspx.

 

Property photos courtesy of WIMCO

Only 14 Tix Left for Live Napa TruffleTV Festival Broadcast June 19

Napa Truffle Festival makes headlines again with another “first” – its premiere online TruffleTV exclusive Saturday, June 19 from 3:30-5:30pm PDT. Deadline for purchasing the remaining 14 ticket packages required to participate is Tuesday, June 15, providing they don’t sell out sooner.

Napa Truffle Festival has been a major annual international culinary event for decades. Due to Covid, this year’s festivities are being replaced by the first live two-hour online festival broadcast via Zoom from Shadybrook Estate in the Napa’s Coobsville District.

During this invitation-only event, Michelin Star Chef Ken Frank will be in your kitchen live to demonstrate how to prepare his famous Truffle Sandwich with Brillat-Savarin Cheese from France and his hand-made Potato Gnocchi with fresh Black Truffles paired with two Shadybrook wines. He’ll also take you through the step-by-step process of creating a Truffled Brillat-Savarin cheese you can age. To view his personal invitation to you, click here.

All ingredients (except the potatoes) are included the Truffle Kit which will be overnighted to each participant. All are of Michelin Star quality from the hard-to-source Brillat-Svarin cheese and French butter, personally imported by Ken directly from their artisanal makers in France, to the freshest Périgord black truffles, Fiscalini Cheddar and Oprah-approved Model Bakery bread. You’ll not find these quality ingredients elsewhere.

In total, this exclusive Truffle Kit contains 90 grams (3+ oz.) of the ultra black truffles – enough for 14 generous servings in a Michelin Star restaurant – which are required to make Ken’s famous Truffle Sandwich, the single best-selling menu item at La Toque. This provides more than enough to make each of the three dishes for four connoisseurs. Other recipes in this gourmet meal include a truffled cheese appetizer to be enjoyed before Ken’s Truffle Sandwich, and handmade gnocchi with black truffles. An additional option is the choice of two wine pairings.

CBS Foodie Chap Liam Mayclem will emcee the event. After learning and preparing Ken’s gourmet specialties, you’ll enjoy a true Michelin Star dinner complete with wine right at home! You’ll be able to order the wines at the end of the Truffle Kit checkout process.

The complete Napa Valley Festival Truffle Kit serves four and is available now for $275 plus shipping and handling until Tuesday, June 15 or until the remaining 14 tickets are sold prior. Additional options include a choice of two wine parings selected exclusively for this extraordinary experience.

Images courtesy of Napa Truffle Festival

Alisal Guest Ranch’s Acclaimed BBQ Bootcamp Returns Oct 9-11

Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort’s signature BBQ Bootcamp returns October 9-11 offering guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the area’s iconic Santa Maria grilling techniques and savory results complemented with fine local wine and beer tastings.

Based upon the most current and best available science on sanitation methods and protocols, highest priority is the well-being of guests, employees and the community.  The ranch has restructured all activities and created dining options to meet and exceed the latest Covid-19 requirements and recommendations.

Chef Anthony Endy

Long considered the premier full-service guest ranch for couples, families, and conferences since opening in 1946, this luxurious hideaway has hosted the internationally-acclaimed event for over 60 years.  Highlights include hands-on seminars and workshops with the resort’s executive chef and recent “Beat Bobby Flay” winner Anthony Endy, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque and Food Network BBQ personality Hugh Mangum , Paula Disbrowe chef/author of a newly-released cookbook  “Thank You for Smoking”, chocolatier and grilled dessert expert Valerie Gordon of Valerie’s Confections, bread baking with Bob Oswaks  of Bob’s Well Bread, a spice blending workshop and more. Throughout the weekend, the chefs will serve up grilled feasts and reveal their tricks and tips for creating legendary BBQ and all the sides.

Guests will also participate in Alisal’s traditional breakfast ride. The two-hour horseback itinerary takes you through giant sycamores and along Alisal’s 100-acre spring-fed lake to the historic Old Adobe Camp where a crackling campfire and a hearty country breakfast prepared by Valerie Gordon and Chef Endy await.

This premier 10,000-acre luxury resort in California’s Santa Ynez Valley offers 73 telephone-and-television-free guest cottages and suites, 50+ miles of horseback trails, two 18-hole championship golf courses, a 6,500-square-foot spa and fitness center, six tennis courts, and a 100-acre spring-fed lake with water sports including fly fishing, canoeing and kayaking.

For more details, visit BBQ Bootcamp or call 1.800.425.4725.

 

Photos courtesy of Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort

Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week Opens May 31

Miramonte Indian Wells

One of the Southern California’s most popular annual culinary events returns May 31 – June 9 when the Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week (aka dineGPS) returns to the desert oasis.  Visitors and locals have a wide choice of luncheon and dinner prix fixe menus in a wide variety of settings ranging from bistros and gastropubs to casual, indoor/outdoor, trendy, ethnic, and fine dining.

Koutouki

Greater Palm Springs is comprised of nine distinct cities—Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella.  DineGPS offers the perfect opportunity for food lovers of every persuasion to sample what’s new, what’s trending in many of the finest restaurants, and discover many of popular eateries across the Coachella Valley.  The 10-day event showcases special lunch menus of two courses for $15, $20 or $25, and dinner menus of three courses priced at $29, $39 and $49.  Some may offer wine pairings and/or supplemental dishes for an additional charge.  For the list of participating restaurants, visit www.dinegps.com.

Spencer’s

Launched in 2007, the annual event has grown from fewer than 30 to more than 100 restaurants.  A new feature this year is giving back to the community. For every reservation booked via the dineGPS website, $1 will be donated to FIND Food Bank which distributes 10+ million pounds of food assistance annually to an average 85,000 individuals across the Coachella Valley every month.  Each donated dollar provides seven meals.

Le Vallauris

Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the producing partner of Restaurant Week in collaboration with presenting sponsors Sysco™ and Agua Caliente Casinos. DineGPS is open to everyone and does not require tickets or passes to attend.  All supporters are encouraged to tag social media posts with #dineGPS and @dineGPS.

For more information, visit dineGPS website

 

Photos courtesy of Visit Greater Palm Springs

African Travel Introduces Culinary Adventure in South Africa

For epicures seeking to venture off the usual culinary itinerary, African Travel, Inc. is offering A Taste of South Africa‘, a new 10-day luxury epicurean journey showcasing the best of South Africa.

Dedicated foodies who want to immerse themselves in local culture as well as savory flavors, fine wines, and scenic splendors will discover culinary attractions and farm-to-table flavors in Cape Town; savor the award-winning, world-class wines of Constantia and Franschhoek; and enjoy a luxury safari near Kruger National Park.

Highlights include:

  • Visit to Cape Town’s farmers’ markets with a specialist food guide introducing you to local bakers, fine-food purveyors, bakers, organic gardeners, grocers, trader and more
  • Exploration of the Constantia Valley, the oldest wine-producing region in the southern hemisphere and home to award-winning wine farms and some of the Cape’s finest restaurants
  • Guided tasting walk through the historic wine town of Stellenbosch
  • Babylonstoren, one of South Africa’s oldest Cape Dutch farms, for wine tasting
  • Sample olive oil at Tokara Wine Estate on the slopes of Simonsberg mountain
  • Discover some of the 52 wine farms and 48 restaurants in Franschhoek, one of the world’s top food and wine destinations
  • Winetastings at the elevated wine estates of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

A Taste of South Africa concludes with three days at the internationally-renowned Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve which has one of the highest densities of wildlife per acre. Take morning and afternoon game drives, sip sundowners in the bush, and enjoy dining at the luxurious Sabi Sabi Bush Camp Lodge.

Departures are scheduled throughout 2019. www.africantravelinc.com

Photos courtesy of African Travel, Inc.

9th Annual Napa Truffle Festival Set January 18-21

The American Truffle Company returns for the ninth year to Napa January 18-21, 2019 for its annual Napa Truffle Festival where truffle cuisine’s top chefs, truffle experts and scientists, truffle dogs, gourmands and wine aficionados gather to celebrate one of the world’s most prized food items  ̶  the European Truffle.

David Campbell

Discerning foodies, wine aficionados, and aspiring truffle growers will all have a full menu of activities throughout the weekend to satisfy both taste and curiosity for the flavor and knowledge of one of the world’s most valued delectable foods. Leading the scientific presentation will be American Truffle Company cultivation expert Robert Chang and mycorrhizal expert/scientist Dr. Paul Thomas. Other guests include certified professional dog trainer Alana McGee, wild mushroom forager/mycologist David Campbell, the team at Robert Sinskey Vineyards Truffle Orchard and, everyone’s favorite truffle dogs, Rico and Lolo.

Ken Frank

This popular event is packed with activities and presentations by the world’s best chefs of truffle cuisine and preeminent truffle experts/scientists recognized for their expertise on truffle cultivation.  This year’s  Master Chefs team, headed by Michelin star chef Ken Frank of La Toque, will present culinary demonstrations and showcase their talents in the traditional, highly-anticipated Truffles & Wine Dinner on Saturday evening.

The festival concludes Monday with the lively Napa Truffle Festival Marketplace showcasing local artisan vendors and their specialty food products, cooking demos, fresh truffles for sale, and a chance to win a real black truffle. The public is invited to browse and purchase truffle menu items à la carte at no charge.

Westin Hotel, Napa

As host venue for the weekend, The Westin Verasa Napa will serve as “truffle central” for check in, the programs and is extending special room rates for festival guests. One of Napa’s most luxurious hotels, it is ideally located downtown within walking distance to restaurants, shops, the Wine Train, Oxbow Public Market and the newly- developed Riverfront.  Group rates are also available until December 15, 2018.  All special rates are subject to availability.

Check out napatrufflefestival.com for details.

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Napa Truffle Festival