At the 2009 Earth Day Food & Wine Festival my friends (stellar, silent auction bidding event volunteers) won the auction package “Cook’s Nook” which included a cooking class at Central Coast Culinary and Catering. Having wanted to attend a class with chef Debbie Duggan for years we figured that this would be the final incentive to sign up. Eight months later (ok, we were not highly motivated) we finally booked, just in time for the school’s last class!

Of course, a wine from SIP Certified Tolosa

But wait, there’s more!

Aaahhhh, sigh … just now coming off my cloud of bliss following the 2010 Earth Day Food & Wine Festival on April 17. Great weather, great food, great wine, great venue, great attendees … okay, okay you get the point.

One of the big highlights this year was the chance to taste “The Wine” – the wine that recently snagged 100 Parker points, Saxum Vineyard’s 2007 James Berry Vineyard Proprietary Red. Produced by Justin and Heather Smith, this label is near and dear to Central Coast Vineyard Team since Justin’s dad, Pebble Smith, was a CCVT founding member.

But wait, there’s more!

There’s usually good food to be had at wine tasting events, but have you checked out who’s going to be at this year’s Earth Day Food & Wine Festival? Just the list of restaurants alone reads like a Who’s Who of the Central Coast’s stellar spots for pleasing your palate!

But wait, there’s more!

the estate vineyard for Ancient Peaks Winery

Ancient Peaks Winery’s estate Margarita Vineyard is one of the latest to earn SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certification in recognition of the vineyard’s numerous sustainable viticultural practices.

“We are proud to have met the rigorous standards of the SIP certification process,” said co-owner and vineyard manager Doug Filipponi. “This certification recognizes what we are doing to ensure natural quality in our wines, and it reflects our passion for being good stewards of the land.”

But wait, there’s more!

One line said it all: “This is SUCH a good idea!”
Of course, this happy person had to be referring to the CCVT’s 3rd Annual Earth Day Food and Wine Festival held at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch on April 18. This year’s sold out event featured over 100 booths offering award-winning wines, tasty food, and information about sustainable businesses. The weather was perfect, Big Daddy’s Blues Band was cookin’ with a solar powered sound system, and a good – no, make that – great time was had by all.
Of special significance was the “festival debut” of SIP certified wines from Ampelos Cellars, Baileyana Winery, Castoro Cellars, D’Anbino Cellars, Hahn Estates, Halter Ranch, Laetitia Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Pomar Junction Cellars, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, Tangent Winery, and Wolff Vineyards & Winery. It was great to finally see some wines from the SIP program getting into the marketplace, and more will be emerging with each new vintage.

But wait, there’s more!

The Central Coast has once again reeled in some attention about sustainability, this time in regards to fishing.

Molly and Giovanni Comin, owners of Central Coast Seafood

As part of a new program aimed at bolstering sustainable fishing practices, two local businesses – Central Coast Seafood and Morro Bay Fish Company – are netting $275,000 in loans and credit from a new $5 million fund administered by the California Fisheries Fund and developed with support from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The Morro Bay companies were reportedly chosen because of the local industry’s existing efforts to switch to more sustainable fishing practices.

But wait, there’s more!

The business model of Pizza Fusion (a nationwide franchised chain) is green to the core – green right down to the recycled blue jeans used for wall insulation, green right down to the organic red tomato sauce used in the pizzas, green right down to the hybrid delivery vehicles, green right down to the bamboo pizza peels (those paddle shaped things used to slip the pies in and out of the oven).

So, what about the wine list at such a place, in particular, the newly opened location in San Luis Obispo? Owner Brandon Borene admits that “to get the doors open,” he took the path of least resistance, offering organic labels that he could easily source, but “I knew I was going to get questions about carrying local wines.”

But wait, there’s more!

This Valentine’s Day, I’ll be indulging in guilt-free chocolate. Alas, all the calories will still be there, but I can rest assured that Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates represent little harm to the sweet earth or its inhabitants.

But wait, there’s more!