The Food Event: From the Vine

Los Angeles magazine held its third annual Food Event on Sunday, October 26, 2008, to celebrate its November Food Issue. This year's event—The Food Event: From the Vine—was held at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, home to Malibu Family Wines, and benefited the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank and Concern Foundation. One thousand guests made the trip out to Malibu through the beautiful scenery and dozens of animals on the ranch to find an oasis of delicious food and beverages. Food samples were provided by 19 top restaurants such as Rustic Canyon, The Foundry on Melrose, and Tra di Noi. A popular spot was the food of Puebla, Mexico, where Chef Luis Javier Cue offered three main "moles" of their state. Guests also enjoyed diverse wine tastings from 18 California wineries, ice-cold beer from Stella Artois and Sapporo, DaSilva coffee, and FIJI water. The main stage, hosted by Cher Calvin and Merrill Shindler, featured celebrity chef demonstrations by David Linville, Larry Nicola, Nancy Silverton, Neal Fraser, Kerry Simon, the Two Food Dudes, Chris "CJ" Jacobson, and Brian Malarky, and culminated with a Top Chef/Iron Chef cook-off between Betty Fraser and Makoto Okuwa. The more intimate conversation area hosted by cookbook author Fernando Saralegui included a cheese chat and discussions led by beer and wine sommeliers. The kitchen equipment and wine storage staging for both areas were provided by Snyder Diamond/Sub-Zero/Wolf. Event branding and signage was enhanced by the expertise of Canzoneri Design and blended beautifully within the environment. The Hong Kong Tourism Bureau was also on-site to educate guests about culinary travel to Hong Kong. The sounds from DJ Richard Blade and The Foundry Three jazz trio complemented the afternoon.