You’ll be hard-pressed to find a weekend in the calendar year that doesn’t contain a California food or wine festival. High season brings celebrations of the harvest, while wine country and ski towns use the local bounty to attract visitors during quieter times. Big cities attract big name chefs and celebrities, and resort destinations lure the culinary set out of the kitchen and into the gorgeous scenery. Attending every one is an ambitious goal, but our 2009 festival guide will get you started.
TheTaste Mendocino Festival (Jan 25–30) kicks off the year with an old-fashioned crab feed at Little River Inn and a cioppino dinner at Fort Bragg. The Napa Valley Mustard Festival (Jan 31–March 28) fêtes the off-season in wine country. Try the year’s most creative mustard recipes, sample wares from world-champion mustard makers or simply sip some of Napa Valley’s finest wines by vineyards carpeted with wild mustard.
In February, save the date for the National Date Festival, part of the Riverside County Fair. The namesake produce is presented in every form imaginable—date shakes, coconut-stuffed, and more—with an Arabian play and camel races adding cultural flavor. Duck Behind the Cellar Door during a Valentine’s Day weekend of wine, food and fun in Amador County. Learn the tricks of the trade in entertaining seminars made to enhance your knowledge and appreciation of wine.
Santa Rosa ushers in spring with the sixth annual Crab & Fennel Fest on March 7. Crack some fresh Dungeness crab and enjoy delicious fennel creations served up by Russian River Valley chefs. Elsewhere in wine country, take field trips to creameries and wineries to learn about cheesemaking and wine pairing during Sonoma’s Artisan Cheese Festival (March 20–23).
One of the top events for epicures in the country occurs April 16–19 near one of the world’s most storied golf courses and coastlines. Pebble Beach Food & Wine attracts 24 celebrity chefs and 200 wineries for a much-anticipated Saturday afternoon grand tasting. Get back to your (asparagus) roots at one of California’s largest charitable festivals, the Asparagus Festival in Stockton (April 24-26). Visitors can view cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs while nibbling on deep-fried asparagus and asparagus burritos. May brings even more single-crop celebrations, with the Castroville Artichoke Festival (taste artichokes fried, pickled, creamed for soup, grilled and more) and Oxnard’s California Strawberry Festival, both held the weekend of May 16-17. The refined Mondavi Winery’s annual food and wine conference, Taste3 (May 31–June 2) in Napa, offers insider tours, winery dinners and access to the greatest minds in wine and food.
A large majority of the oysters consumed in California come from Humboldt County. Enjoy them at their source and at their peak, during the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival; June 20 marks the 19th annual celebration of this local favorite. Bid bienvenue to summertime during the Santa Barbara French Festival (July 11–12) while enjoying classic French foods like crêpes and pâté alongside Buddhist mission Vietnamese and Cajun cuisine.
One of California’s best known food events is the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Witness garlic chef showdowns and a “Miss Gilroy Garlic” competition while contributing to the consumption of two tons of garlic, including garlic ice cream, garlic-fried green tomatoes, garlic roasted corn and more over the three day festival (July 24–26). One of the California culinary set’s most beloved events takes place every August at Wally’s Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles. The Central Coast Wine and Food Celebration brings together top chefs like Mario Batali and Frank Ostini (of The Hitching Post) with top Central Coast wineries for an afternoon of cooking and tasting, all benefiting the Michael Bonaccorsi Scholarship Fund at the UC Davis School of Viticulture and Enology.
Enjoy turning aspens, luxury resorts and tranquil mountain towns during the Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival (September 11–13). The 24th annual event will feature cooking classes for kids and adults alike, mountain chef cook-offs, celebrity chef demos and more. The California Avocado Festival (October 2–4) in Southern California’s Carpinteria is one of the area’s largest free festivals, featuring contests for the largest and best-dressed avocados, plus the world’s largest vat of guacamole. The Sonoma County Harvest Fair happens the same weekend, with the country’s largest regional wine competition taking place alongside grape stomps, jam and herb contests and homemade wine taste-offs.
October 2–4, Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff’s star-studded American Wine & Food Festival cooks up a feast prepared by top chefs from all over to benefit Los Angeles Meals on Wheels. The 27th annual event is open to the public but sells out quickly every year, so buy your tickets early. Later in the month, San Francisco magazine’s FallFest benefits that city’s Meals on Wheels chapter by transforming a city plaza into a European marketplace teeming with local restaurateurs, winemakers, eco experts and food artisans.
The pumpkins are plenty during the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival (October 17–18). A pumpkin pancake breakfast opens the day with biggest pumpkin weigh-offs and pumpkin carving competitions happening throughout the weekend. Wander around with a warm pretzel slathered in pumpkin sauce or taste macaroni and cheese seasoned with pumpkin spices and seeds.
Get the holiday season’s festivities rolling early at the four-day affair that is The Art of Food & Wine Palm Desert (November 5–8). The 4th annual event will combine the trademark luxuries of the region—golf tournaments and fine wines—with celebrity chef demonstrations and live jazz. The party continues in November during the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival with celebrity chef classes, tasting booths from top San Diego restaurants, cruise brunches and more. Also in November, Great Chefs of Los Angeles brings the city’s finest cooks together with celebs and foodies alike to benefit the National Kidney Foundation. Finish the year off with some spice at the Indio International Tamale Festival (December 5–6), where you can work off calories from the tamale eating contest with traditional Mexican music and dancing in the streets.
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