Eating Like Royalty at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Event [ADVENTURE]
Pebble Beach Food & Wine is the premier epicurean lifestyle event on the West Coast. The event positions 5,000 people both nationally and internationally under one roof (or lackthereof) of the most picturesque strips of coastline in the world. Here’s a quick look at my visit, a mingling of 250 acclaimed wineries with 75 celebrity chefs strewn about. Enjoy the scenery, and the fresh berries, yeah?
Driscoll’s Berry Farm:
Saturday morning started bright and early with a bus ride from Monterey to Driscoll’s Berry Farm in Watsonville, California. We were greeted by a gorgeous breakfast spread: Organic Breakfast Potatoes, All-natural Pork Sausage, Blueberry French Toast Casserole, Asparagus Quiche, Bacon Quiche, Berry Parfait, and Assorted Organic Scones. Needless to say we went hungry…
After breakfast we learned a bit about the art of growing these delicious fruits. Equipped with our fancy new gardening/mud boots, we headed out to the organic fields.
These berries are not produced in a factory; they are grown outside in a dynamic biological environment. The farmers’ challenge is to work with nature, using years of experience and know-how to get the very best out of each berry plant. Driscoll’s farmers have to understand how weather, soil, nourishment, pests and diseases affect each variety and each plant. The goal of every Driscoll’s farmer is to shape, rather than control, the biological diversity of their fields, with a minimum amount of agricultural inputs.
Planting is a delicate process and the correct timing is critical. Each row must be laid out so that it has exactly the right slope, to ensure that irrigation water will flow smoothly throughout the field.
It is a wonder that these berries make it shelves! The intricate balance it takes to maintain the crops and produce an ideal product is astounding. We left Driscoll’s with an immense respect and appreciation for the farmers and growers in our community. Thank you Driscoll’s for the hospitality!
The Grand Tasting:
After a death-defying bus ride to from Watsonville to Pebble Beach, seriously you’re lucky I am here to write this post, we made it the main event: The Grand Tasting!
The event is promoted as the weekend’s most spectacular opportunity for maximum culinary indulgence. With over 300 wines from top-notch producers from around the world to a “who’s who” list of 25 top celebrity chefs, it is your chance to mingle, mix and sip with the very best in the field. (Source)
We entered the giant white tent and were greeted by out of this world smells. Let’s just say the tastes were awesome and let the pictures speak for themselves:
About the Event:
Pebble Beach Food & Wine is the premier epicurean lifestyle event on the West Coast, bringing 5000 national and international attendees to Del Monte Forest, one of the most picturesque strips of coastline in the world. Hosted primarily at Spanish Bay, the scope of the event encompasses every property in Pebble Beach and uses local and regional staff to create a hedonistic four-day event that matches 250 acclaimed wineries with 75 celebrity chefs, and includes wine and beverage tasting, cooking demonstrations, and some of the most exclusive, unusual dining opportunities available in the world.
Thank you to Laura of the Baddish Group, Driscoll’s and Pebble Beach Food & Wine for an amazing culinary adventure!
Photos courtesy of Nina Tabone.
