Congratulations to the winners of Thursday night’s Annual Quest for Pairing Excellence and thank you to everyone who participated! Let’s not delay… here are the winners who make your cooking look like it needs improvement, or is that just me?
Taste Our Terroir is less than two weeks away and I am excited. Why am I so excited? To put it in one word, Taste Our Terroir is awesome, inspiring, delicious, worth-throwing-your-diet-out-the-window fun! Ok, so maybe I can’t exactly describe why I love Taste Our Terroir in one word, but here are some of the things I’m looking forward to in next week’s event.
With Taste Our Terroir less than a month away we sat down with a few of the participating restaurants to hear about what makes for the perfect pairing and what trials and tribulations they endured as they started their careers.
Today is the first day of my favorite season. Happy summer to all! With any new season I think it’s important to write a list of things to accomplish, so without further ado here’s my bucket list for the summer.
What a year it has been! From drought to flood, it seems that Livermore Valley has seen its fair share of extremes, but one thing has stayed constant: our loyal, fun, wine loving friends coming into the valley week after week to sip, savor and enjoy award winning wines. To you, we want to express our heartfelt thanks and as the year closes out, we raise a glass to you.
I’ve been going to Livermore Valley’s food and wine pairing competition, Taste Our Terroir, since I moved to the Bay Area 10 years ago. As a guest or wine judge, I’d taste my way through that packed Thursday night event, deeply aware of how much thought had gone into every team’s lip-smacking entry.
We are always excited to have new restaurants participate in Taste Our Terroir. We couldn’t be more curious to try 1300 Fillmore’s executive chef and owner David Lawrence’s pairing with Longevity Wines. David grew up in London with Jamaican parents, was French-trained and southern-inspired. So you know the food will be as dynamic as he is. His San Francisco restaurant is a testament to fresh food that brings an experience of warmth, vibrancy and a sense of belonging to its guests. Here we learn more about his inspiration and the man behind the iconic restaurant.
Chef Chris Corey has lived in eight different states and worked every position possible in the restaurant industry. His experience in wine bars, catering companies, family restaurants and bars has brought him to his newest position as the Executive Chef of Underdog Wine Bar and Lounge. Now he is enjoying the view and the bountiful produce of the Livermore Valley Wine Country terroir. His experimentation and passion for the quality of the vegetables, grapes, meats, and seafood that comes from the area is sure to shine at this year’s Taste Our Terroir and we are anxiously awaiting to taste.
The guy behind the hottest new restaurant in town is no newbie to the Livermore Valley dining scene. Posada’s Catering has been serving his delicious food at Livermore Valley wineries since they opened in 2005. With all of Eduardo’s catering popularity, it is no surprise he has opened a new Southwestern-themed restaurant. It is one of the only restaurants of its kind in the Bay Area. Here we discuss his inspiration and experience.
Located in the middle of downtown Livermore, Double Barrel Wine Bar is a key institution of the wonderful culinary scene in Livermore Valley. Chef Tony Murray and Chef Ashley Ullrich are the masterminds behind the ever changing menu. Tony and Ashley work with the fresh, locally grown produce, to craft the creative and flavorful small bites. The menu changes every eight weeks to perfectly reflect the season and terroir. Double Barrel has participated in the last three Taste Our Terroir events and won the Judges Best Pairing in 2012 with McGrail Vineyards and Winery. This year Tony and Ashley have once again joined forces with McGrail and we can’t wait to see what will inspire their pairing.
