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Once you turn into
Saddlerock Ranch in
Malibu, bison, zebras and llamas stare out at you from behind pristine white open fences. For them it’s just another afternoon at
Saddlerock Ranch. But for recent visitors the scene was a tantalizing indication of the exotic to come at
THE FOOD EVENT ’09: Off the Vine.
Under a stunning blue
Indian summer day sky with hillside vineyards facing it, the grounds of the master house were converted into a huge outdoor living room.
DJ Richard Blade and
The Foundry’s Three Jazz Trio were already playing as guests entered.
Up the hill comfy, big white couches made up into a conversation lounge area, perfect for joining in on conversations with the experts about chocolate and wine pairings, and how to recognize the perfect beers and wines and cuisine trends.
Eternal Artesian Water and
Karma Tequila, which poured their special margaritas from a stand in the lounge area.
Guests enjoyed vintages from
Artesa Winery,
Byron Vineyards and
Winery,
Cambria Winery
& Vineyards,
Foley Family Wines,
Hammersky Vineyards & Inn,
Merryvale Vineyards and
Starmont Winery,
Pedroncelli Winery & Vineyards,
Raymond Napa Valley Reserve,
Saddlerock,
Semler,
Terravant
Wine
Company,
The Brander Vineyard,
Vina Robles Winery,
Wally’s Wine & Spirits Selections and
Wente Family Estates.
Rows restaurant stations dotted the lawn around a tent with cooking demonrations.
Merrill Shindler,
ZAGAT editor and star of “
Feed Your Face” on
ABC radio hosted along with
Cindy Dole of
KFWB-AM’S
HOME WIZARDS SHOW and
Jeffrey Saad, start of
The Next food Network Star.
The “room” was complete with an airy tent for cooking demonstrations with stool seating around for guests and a counter for sampling. There
Los Angeles chefs showed their favorite recipes throughout the afternoon on equipment provided by sponsors,
Synder Diamond,
Sub-Zero fridges and
Wolf stoves.
Teaching chefs included celebrity chefs,
Ludo Lefebvre (
Ludobites),
David Myers (
Sona,
Comme ça); tamale king,
John Sedlar (
John Sedlar (
Rivera) and
Suzanne Tracht (
Jar).
TV chef stars included
Fabio Viviani of
Osteria Firenze(
top chef season 5);
Betty Fraser (
top chef season 2);
’Gillan Hall (
top chef season 2 winner) and
Marcel Vigneron (
top chef season 2 runner up).
At the food stations on the lawn, guests sampled cuisines from 27 of L.A.’s best, including
BESO,
Café Firenze,
Charlies,
Ivan Kane’s Café Was,
Chocolatebox Café,
Dakota,
Dominick’s/ Little Dom’s,
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village,
Gelato Bar,
Gordon Ramsay at
The London,
Lemonade,
Loteria Grill,
Resort,
Napa Valley Grille,
Noir Food and Wine,
On Sunset@ Luxe Hotel,
Petrossian,
Riva,
Swirls Cupcakes,
Takami Sushi &
Robata,
Terra,
The Foundry on
Melrose,
The Hitching Post,
Westside Tavern,
Wilshire Restaurant and a
Gelato Bar by
Gail Silverton &
Joel Gutman.
Across from the tent, the special
Semler VIP lounge on the family deck featured a replica of the
Tra di Noi ristorante patio in
Malibu, down to the flower arrangements on the tables.
Executive Chef Francesco and proprietor
Tarcisio Valesco from
Tra da noi in
Malibu performance prepared favorite items from a special non-traditional wine pairing menu, rich with truffles and foie gras.
The menu was created to honor the
FOOD EVENT ’09 event during October and November with
Malibu Family Wines. Dishes included
Danielle Prosciuto and foie gras on toast with a
2005 Semler Rose; Gnocchi with Maine lobster tail pecan, maple brown butter paired with
Saddlerock Old Vine
Tawny port; and a sauted Chilean turbot brought by
Universal Seafood paired with a
2005 Semler Merlot.
A portion of the proceeds from
FOOD EVENT ’09 benefited the
Los Angeles Regional Food bank and a cancer research foundation.
The 1,000-acre
Saddlerock Ranch, home to
Semler and
Malibu Family Wines boasts 60,000 vines on 65 acres. With the high altitude and separation from the coast, along with an ideal blend of weather conditions and rich, rocky soil, it's the perfect environment for growing premium wine grapes. The eight varietals include
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot,
Sauvignon Blanc,
Syrah,
Malbec,
Grenache,
Mouvedre and
Viognier. The last four varietals are used for blending purposes.
The rich, fascinating history of
Saddlerock Ranch began more than three centuries ago when the Mountains were part of the original
Spanish Land Grant. More currently, gracious hosts,
Ronnie and
Lisa Semler, along with their nine children, have lived on the ranch for over twenty-seven years.
The Food Event 09,
From the Vine may be gone from the premises now, but the
Semler family remains all year long and invites the public to come and visit and join them in tastings. Or come and enjoy the non-traditional wine tasting menu at
Tra di Noi down the road.
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