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Countdown to Flavor! Napa Valley March 22-26, 2017

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Countdown to Flavor! Napa Valley March 22-26, 2017 Five Days, plenty of  amazing events and one legendary festival – The countdown to Flavor! Napa Valley, March 22-26, 2017, has begun! The five-day food and wine festival support programs and scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus in St. Helena, CA. Flavor! During Flavor! Napa Valley, you’ll soak up inspiration from iconic chefs and winemakers while experiencing the best that Napa Valley has to offer. As you discover new flavors, you’ll also be supporting programs and scholarships of emerging talent from The Culinary Institute of America.

Flavor! Napa showcases the finest in farm-to-table cuisine and world class wines with a series of local and celebrity chef demonstrations, intimate winemaker workshops, as well as grand tastings and exclusive experiences to bring out the best flavors of Napa Valley.  Tickets for Flavor! Napa Valley are available at FlavorNapaValley.com.

A highlight of Flavor! Napa Valley 2017 events include:

Thursday, March 23, 2017

“From Vineyard to Bottle – Exploring Napa Valley with Iconic Winemaker Heidi Barrett” at the CIA at Copia 2:30 – 4 p.m.; $95 per person

Moderated by wine, food and television star Leslie Hartley­Sbrocco of KQED’s “Check, Please!” this exclusive seminar and tasting is focused on Heidi’s secrets behind how she captures the deep and complex flavors of the fruit in the wines she makes for her La Sirena and Barrett & Barrett labels, as well as other special selections from the highly­touted Napa Valley brands Paradigm, Fantesca, Kenzo Estate and Lamborn Family Vineyards.

“Napa Valley Icons Dinner” presented by the Silverado Resort and Spa at Silverado Resort and Spa 6 – 10 p.m.; $295 per person

Guests will celebrate the food and wine icons of the Napa Valley at the Silverado Resort and Spa while honoring legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett, who is responsible for some of California’s most notable cult wines. From multiple 100­point rated wines to setting a world record when a 6­liter bottle of her Screaming Eagle 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $500,000 at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000. Participating chefs include Host Chef Jeffrey Jake from Silverado Resort and Spa; Matthew Accarrino from SPQR; Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski from State Bird Provisions and The Progress; Ken Frank from La Toque; Michael Schulson from Schulson Collective; and esteemed CIA graduate Waldy Malouf.

Chef Demo “Tyler Malek and Lisa Vega at the CIA at Copia 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $75 per person

Indulge your sweet tooth with Chefs Tyler Malek, co­owner and chef of Salt & Straw Ice Cream, and Lisa Vega, executive pastry chef at Dandelion Chocolate.  Guests will experience what happens when great minds collide with their unique use of ingredients, techniques, and secret tricks of the trade, and reap the delicious benefits of this culinary match with Salt & Straw’s innovative, seasonally­driven ice cream, and Dandelion’s small batch bean to bar chocolate.

Friday, March 24, 2017

 Terroir to Table – “The Blend Experience at Paraduxx” at Paraduxx Winery 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $95 per person

During this lively, hands­on experience, guests will be guided through a component tasting of the three core varietals that make up Paraduxx and learn the techniques of winemaking. Wines will be seasonally paired with bites from local chefs, Natalie and Jonathan Niksa, of La Saison, Napa Valley.

Terroir to Table – “The Spirited Side of Napa Valley” at 2:30 – 4 p.m.; $95 per person

The class is designed to showcase the spirited side of Napa Valley. Guests will start with a welcome beverage and short distillery tour, followed by a whiskey barrel tasting with the Napa Distillery owner and distiller. After the tour, guests will enjoy a multi­course small plate and cocktail/spirits pairing experience in the grand tasting salon. Each course will be prepared exclusively for each cocktail/spirit, made with spirits crafted at the distillery.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Terroir to Table – “Exercise Your Senses with St. Supery Estate Vineyards and Winery at St. Supery Estate Vineyards 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $95 per person

This class explores wine aromas suggestive of fruit character, barrel aging and terroir while tasting four estate grown St. Supéry wines. Guests will exercise their sense of smell through a series of aroma identifications designed to discover how personal sensory memory impacts how aromas are recognized. This interactive sommelier­led experience includes a mystery wine game to ultimately guide guests to identify more aromas in their glass to heighten the enjoyment of wine.

“Legendary Napa Valley, The Grand Tasting” at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone VIP admission is 6 – 7 p.m. and tickets are $225 per person; general admission is at 7 p.m. and tickets are $175 per person.

The sixth annual Grand Tasting at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena allows guests to taste their way through the Napa Valley with a selection of sweet and savory bites from more than 25 Napa Valley restaurants, paired with wine from more than 80 Napa Valley wineries. Participating restaurants include Angele Restaurant; Brasswood; Harvest Table; Lucy Restaurant & Bar; Nuri; PRESS Restaurant; Sam’s Social Club; Silverado Resort & Spa; Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill; The Farm at Carneros; and The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil. 2 Flavor! Napa Valley includes additional Napa Valley Wine Tours; Terroir to Table events, Chef Demonstrations, and Wine Classes.

Wine Events at Flavor! Napa Valley with Christopher Sawyer of SawyerSomm.com – WINE MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAMMING – Christopher Sawyer is an internationally-renowned sommelier,  wine educator, journalist, consultant, critic and public speaker: He travels the world following trends in wine and participating as a VIP judge in the world’s top wine competitions, and has been featured in a wide range of national media, including USAToday, MSN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Redbook, The Hollywood Reporter, Maxim, National Geographic Traveler, CNN and Esquire.

Visit Napa Valley is proud to announce the event sponsors for Flavor! Napa Valley 2017:

● Founding Sponsor: Silverado Resort and Spa
● Presenting Sponsor: Downtown Napa Association
●Jeroboam Sponsor: Bright Event Rentals
● Double Magnum Sponsors: Celebrity Cruises, Mr. Espresso, TriMark, Napa Valley Marriott.

by Manda Bear:  Instagram and Twitter.

 

Chef, Chicago, Restaurant Review, Southern California, Travel, Wineries

Celebrated Chef Fabio Viviani, with a Passion for Wine, Life After Top Chef

Who can forget Chef Fabio Viviani with his vibrant personality on chef Fabio VivianiBravo’s hit reality series “Top Chef” season 5 & 8 – earning the “Fan Favorite” title.  He also starred in the spinoff, “Life After Top Chef,” Chef Viviani has appeared on many television shows such as Good Morning America, Good Day LA, Access Hollywood, CBS The Talk, abc The Chew, and Ellen. He is a guest host on the Hallmark Channel series Home and Family. He was also the host of the Telly and Webby award-winning web series Chow Ciao! On Yahoo!

Fabio American CokbookHe has published three successful cookbooks: Café Firenze Cookbook, New York Times Best-Seller Fabio’s Italian Kitchen, and his most recent cookbook, Fabio’s American Home Kitchen. Chef Viviani also shares recipes with his fans through his magazine, Fabio’s Magazine. He currently oversees six restaurants, and a few more restaurants are slated to open later this year.

With an intense passion for food, Chef Fabio Viviani brings that Fabio Viviani Cabernet Sauvignonsame spirit to winemaking. He aims to simplify the magic in pairing wine and food, making it easy to elevate a simple meal to an extraordinary event. His first release was 2012 Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. There’re two new wines are soon to be released later this year. The Fabio Viviani Signature Red Blend, a balanced fruit and sunbaked earth tones and the Fabio Viviani Signature White Blend with medium body fruity aromas and crisp acidity.
Fabio Viviani ChardonnayThe Fabio Viviani Wine Collection emphasizes quality while maintaining approachability. Time and energy are focused on finding the best grapes and using the best winemaking practices while staying conscious of our environment. His wine collection is available online: http://www.fabiovivianiwines.com.

We got to share a glass of wine with Chef Fabio Vivian recently. We would like to share with our readers our interview here. Thank you Chef Fabio Viviani for sharing your love for food and wine with us.

MB: You have been in America for such a short time, and you have become one of the most successful chefs around with show, restaurants, wines, cookbooks, and more. Can you share with us few pointers?

Chef Fabio Viviani: You have to have a good game plan and clear chef Fabio Vivianigoals that you tackle one at a time. I first moved to America with the goal of learning the language in a year and a half. After I had done that I moved on to the goal of opening a few restaurants, writing a cookbook and beginning a wine collection. My overall success is built upon a series of smaller successes. Take the time to lay out a plan of action and then stick to it!

MB: When were you most satisfy with your job? What make you get up every morning and thrive for it? How do you manage your time?

Chef Fabio Viviani: I’m most satisfied with my job when I see things come to fruition. You can talk forever about “I’m going to do this” or “I’m going to do that” but until things are actually accomplished, that is all talk. It makes me happy when I see my goals realized. It’s my drive to overcome obstacles that stand between myself and what I chef Fabio Viviani foodwant to accomplish that drives me to get out of bed every morning. I’m a do-er I don’t like when people are lazy or procrastinate. I’ve learned to manage my time by realizing that I have to be able to say “no” I have to be realistic when I don’t have time for things that aren’t absolutely necessary to the completion of the goals I have for myself. Also, you have to learn how to manage your leftover time. I don’t let myself get distracted.

MB: With all the restaurants that you have now, and we heard that you were launching the new wines?

Chef Fabio Viviani: I like always to be busy. I like working long hours chef Fabio Viviani food 2and taking on new projects! I started building a brand with my restaurants after I moved to the states in 2005 and opened the first one. I want my name to be synonymous with quality, and that extends to my wine collection. I’ve been in the wine business my entire life – and beginning my own line seemed like a natural next step.

MB: Would you please tell us more about the wines that you about to launch? What make it different than other wines on the market?

Chef Fabio Viviani: I launched the collection with my good friends Fabio Viviani Chardonnay 1Carlos Quimbo and Sean Thomas late last year. We began with a 2012 Chardonnay and 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. We wanted to make two quintessential California wines, and we wanted to make them very well. I think we accomplished that! We’ve continued this legacy with the release of 2013 vintages of the Cabernet and Chardonnay as well as a Signature Red Blend and Signature White Blend (www.fabiovivianiwines.com). They are all delicious wines that are best enjoyed with good food and good friends. I want my wines to be like my cooking – approachable, but high quality.  What makes them different from other wines is that, because I’m from Italy, I know that a good wine doesn’t have to cost a crazy amount of money. We’ve scouted for the best grapes and refined the best winemaking techniques to produce a bottle of wine that can compete with bottles 3 or 4 times its price.

MB: Will you be at any food and wine festival this year? What is your plan in the near future?

Chef Fabio Viviani: I’m working on a leadership academy that will most likely debut early next year that will teach business chef Fabio Viviani food 3approaches and best practices to be a successful entrepreneur through live conferences and events. I’ll be partnering with some very important people in the business world – stay tuned for more details! I’ll also be attending the LA Food & Wine Festival as well as the August 15th California Fig Festival at Cal State Fresno. Here is to great wine, delicious food, loving family, and friendships that last forever. Raise your glass and drink with me. Cheers.

Fabiano Viviani Wines
Address: Fabio Viviani Estates, Buellton, CA
Phone: 1- 312-508-6198
Fabio Viviani Wines Website
Fabio Viviani Wines Twitter
Fabio Viviani Wines Facebook
Fabio Viviani Wines Instagram
__________________________________

by Manda Bear 

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BITE Silicon Valley Grand Tasting Recap

levisThis inauguration Bite Silicon Valley 2015 wasn’t only for foodies + techies get together, but also for a great cause, supporting two outstanding organizations in the Bay Area.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (SHFB) is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger in Silicon Valley. And the 49ers Foundation mission is to ‘Keep Kids Safe, on Track and in School.’

The two days Grand Tasting fill with food, wines, cocktails at the state of the art Levi’s Stadium, the home of the 49ers. There was food_bite_silicon_valleymore than 60 chefs, 30 wineries, liquor, beer, sake, and more; all come together to showcase a dynamic weekend of exceptional bites, cooking demos, and chef collaborations. Bite SV featured the industry’s leading technology experts and celebrity chefs such as including José Andrés, Michael Chiarello, Roy Choi, Dominique Crenn, Michael Mina, and Michael Voltaggio. And it’s in the heart of Silicon Valley at the newest and beautiful stadium, the host of Super Bowl 50, and the first professional football stadium to have achieved LEED Gold certification. Levi’s® Stadium is predicted Bite Silicon Valley 2015 052to be the first Californian pro sports venue to achieve net zero energy performance. There’s no place better to host Bite SV than here.

The two days Grand Tasting with over 700 guests for the first year. The two afternoons that you can get up close and personal with celebrity chefs for the first hour or so, it’s best if you get the VIP ticket so that you can attend the wine seminars. You got to meet your favorites, TV celebrities, Master Top Chefs, you name it, they were there to greet and hand you food. There was no line on both days. There were plenty of food and drinks, floating all day, except a few stations the dishes were gone after 2.5 hours. There is no place else can do a grander epicurean event for foodies + tech together like Bite Silicon Valley.

The best part of the Grand Tasting was that no food gone to waste. Bite Silicon Valley 2015 087The excellent company Feeding Forward made sure all food leftover was to deliver to feed the less fortunate. A social venture using technology to connect those with excess food to feed those in need through their mobile app. According to @FeedingForward, by saving just 5% of food from being wasted, we can feed 4 million people. Did you know that 365 million pounds of edible food are thrown away every day? Feed Forward goal is to eradicate hunger & food waste in America. Their platform enables businesses with excess edible food to fed communities in need, instantly. Please join the movement. Follow them @FeedingForward www.FeedingForward.com.

Thank you www.BiteSV.com and Octagon Culinary for an unforgettable weekend.

Some of the high-tech dishes that fans loved:

  1. Chef José Andrés used Clean Cook Stoves solar to make that tasty tacos  @CookStoves. Many attendees were wow by it, only in Silicon Valley.
  2. Revolutionary Plant-Based Dairy @KiteHillCheese, healthy, nutritious, and sustainable. The truffle Dill & Chive cheese and 2-3dcream cheese options make out of almond milk is perfect for lactose intolerance.
  3. 3DS Culinary, 3D Printing candies booth was a popular attraction for techies here.
  4. Cracker bite by @Nomiku was a big heat with a lot of home cooks and chefs.

3-motoA few of our favorite vegetarian dishes:

  1. Chef Richie Farina, Executive chef at Moto Restaurant in Chicago, Top Chef Texas contestant, with his stunningly beautiful edible garden.
  2. 2-beyondmeat-burger100% plant base meat, burger, and taco @BeyondMeat was a popular choice for vegetarian and vegan alike.
  3. Vegetarian bite by chef Charlie Parker at happening spot in Oakland @HavenOakland, Furikake Cracker, Smoke Goat Cheese, Sweet and Sour Eggplant, Mint.

Some of the tastiest dishes of all:

  1. Bite Silicon Valley 2015 055The Glazed Pork Belly bite by Michelin Starred Chef Peter Armellino @PlumedHorse, it was our favorite dish on Day 2 Grand Tasting.
  2. Txampis “Bar Soriano” by Chef Jeffrey Weiss @JeninniKWB Seared Mushroom and garlic, it was our favorite 3-mushroomdish on Day 3 Grand Tasting. It was so good that brought many foodies back to the line for second or third bite at Sunday’s Grand Tasting.
  3. Since Foie Gras is legalized again in California, it was 3-ateliercrennpopular at BITE SV. Foie Gras Mousse bite elegantly displayed on a nice wood log by Michelin Starred Chef Dominique Crenn @AtelierCrenn, it was gone an hour before the Grand Tasting over.
  4. Delicious & the most aromatic Minced Lamb Sandwich dish @DosaSF.
  5. 3-spoonbarSimply Tasty Chilled Carrot Broth, Fermented Curry, Shallot, Peanut Granola, and Basils by Top Chef finalist Louis Maldonado @SpoonBar in downtown Healdsburg.
  1. Fresh oyster prepared by Chef Yu Min Lin’s signature dressing and Chef Dan Huynh of @TheSEAbyASH of Alexander’s Steakhouse Group was a perfect dish for 95-degree hot afternoon.
  1. 3-bourbonsteakpubLocal Salmon Crudo, Pressed Caviar, Yuzu Kosho, Crème Fraiche was the most photogenic dish by chef Chris Curtis @Chefcurtiss of @BourbonSteakPub a @ChefMichaelMina restaurant.
  1. Duck and Crab Fritter bites packed with flavor by Chef Dinari Brown @CenterPlate @LevisStadium
  2. Smoked Sea Scallop with Drop Biscuit, Bacon Aioli and tomato jam by Chef Parke Ulrich @Waterbar
    Bite Silicon Valley 2015 065
  3. Have you ever tried Foie Gras Macaron? Michelin Starred Chef Dmitry Elperin @TheVillagePubCA undoubtedly delivered this savory bite.

For sweet tooth foodies, there’re plenty desserts and pastries:

  1. 3-slanteddoorFor sweet tooth Chef Charles Phan @charlesphansf  @TheSlantedDoor served Vietnamese Coconut Rice Pudding dish. We have seen chef Charles Phan countless time at many food festivals, recently at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, but he hadn’t prepared any 3-michaelminasfdesserts before. This dessert spoon bite was a real treat.
  2. Perfect chocolate Jasmine, Hibiscus, Strawberry by Chef Matt Siciliano @MattSiciliano of the Michelin Starred @MichaelMinaSF
  3. Delicious chocolate mousse dessert from chef Veronica Aroyo @BourbonSteakPub
  4. 2-iccChocolates and plenty desserts by International Culinary Institute @ICCeduWebsite: BiteSV.com
    Twitter: Twitter.com/bitesv