Wine and Food Festival, 2009, behind Seaport Village
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By Lynne Thrope
SAN DIEGO– Amongst the 170 wineries, breweries, and spirit purveyors, 70 chefs showing off their gourmet prowess, and thousands of enthusiasts in attendance at last weekend’s Grand Tasting at the largest wine and food festival in Southern California was Ellen, my long lost friend from NEFTY (New England Federation of Temple Youth).
What could possibly be the likelihood of me bumping into someone from my high school days on the East Coast here in San Diego? But there she was, all the way from Boston, smiling from ear to ear with Sonoma labeled wine in one hand and a plate of ahi sashimi marinated in a fresh beet juice in the other.
Kvelling over our good fortune of finding each other (yes, like a needle in a haystack), we set our GPS with Huge Hugs and Never Ending Kisses to take us to the many acres of kiosks along the Embarcadero behind Seaport Village. Like two giggling schoolgirls, we reminisced about our jaunty pasts and even more jubilant presences. Together, we sampled the seemingly endless array of meat, poultry, fish, and deserts and judged for ourselves the winners in each category. Coincidentally, our list closely matched the festival’s official one listed here:
1st Place and “Chef of the Fest” : Anthony Sinsay with Harney Sushi
2nd Place: Paul McCabe with Kitchen 1540
3rd Place: Jeff Rossman with Terra Restaurant
4th Place: Eric Sarkisian with Tom Ham’s Lighthouse
5th Place: Eric Bauer with Anthology
Finalist: Andrew Knudtson with the House of Blues
Finalist: Adam Bussel with Vela Restaurant
Finalist: Ralph Rubio with Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill
Finalist: Anthony Calamari with Sé San
Finalist: Sean Langlais with The Oceanaire
Category Winners:
Raw Category: Anthony Sinsay with Harney Sushi
Meat Category: Paul McCabe with Kitchen 1540
Poultry Category: Eric Bauer with Anthology
Fish Category: Anthony Calamari with Sé San Diego
Dessert Category: Jonathan Hale with Blue PointCoastal Cuisine
Like me, Ellen pursues her passion for haut and international cuisine weeknights and weekends “to bring balance to our Jewish souls.” After happily gorging from 11a – 4p, we were convinced that this spectacular culinary event is the ultimate for anyone interested in innovation, creativity, and great taste.
If you fancy yourself some kind of foodie and/or wine zealot and want some “Lip Smacking, Glass Clinking, Celebrity Watching, Mouth Watering Kind of Fun,” The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is for you! For information about next year’s event dates, venues, list of visiting celebrities and ticket prices, visit www.worldofwineevents.com or call 619.342.7337. Hopefully, Ellen will return. I know I will… B’Tayavon
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Lynne Thrope can be contacted at lynnesworld@mac.com