One of our favorite guests of 2016 is Meathead Goldwyn, the founder of AmazingRibs.com, the hugely popular grilling and barbecue website. He’s also known as the barbecue whisperer.

His new book is Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. Meathead joins us with some unexpected but practical tips for preparing the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Let’s not stuff the bird in the traditional way. Instead, make mufflings (stuffing prepared and baked in muffin pans.) Also, so all parts of the turkey cook evenly on the grill butterfly or spatchcock the bird.

Our Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish Restaurant Group, is in the know. He now shares a new list of personally researched and hand-selected “Finds” with us. Previously suggested were primo breakfast spots that are a bit hidden, fast food breakfast items that are real standouts, child friendly restaurants in the OC that are chef-driven, better burger spots and more…

Seafood consumption in the United States continues to grow. This is an encouraging trend because seafood is healthy and highly beneficial to be a part of your regular diet.

Chef Andrew’s list for today is foods which pair well with seafood.

* Blood Oranges

* Lemon Zest

* Potato Chips

* Cucumber (fresh)

* Fish Sauce

It’s been almost 10-years in the planning but dirt is finally now being moved at Europa Village in Temecula to prepare for the construction of three wine themed European resorts on prime vineyard land that was previously home to Callaway.

What is planned is a European village consisting of three distinct and separate wineries – including a 60-room Italian villa style hotel with a European Spa.  The three wineries will be a French (C’est le Vie Wine Chateau), Spanish (Bolero Cellars), and Italian (Vienza) winery. When completed this complex will be one of the most spectacular winery/resort operations in the United States and, perhaps, beyond.

Europa Village’s designs are on display on site for those of you that would like to see what they have planned.

Europa Village’s Agent Du Vin Gregg English provides the preview of what’s to come.

 

The Dean of French Chefs in San Diego is Maitre Cuisiner de France Bernard Guillas the executive chef of the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, the Shores Restaurant at the La Jolla Shores Hotel, and the landmark AAA, 4-Diamond Award Marine Room Restaurant.

Guillas has been invited as guest chef to the prestigious James Beard House in New York on many occasions. Selected as San Diego’s “Best Chef” numerous times, including the Gold Medallion Awards (California Restaurant Association, San Diego Chapter), Chef Magazine, San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine Readers Poll and San Diego Magazine People’s and Critic’s Choice, Guillas continues to infuse the local culinary scene with his unique talent and engaging personality.

His 2nd well-received cookbook is Two Chefs, One Catch – A Culinary Exploration of Seafood. It’s a great holiday gift with delectable seafood recipes inspired by indigenous cuisine from around the globe ! Incredibly, Chef Bernard has traveled to 50 plus countries thus far!

Chef Guillas is also participating in 3 events (including the Ocean-To-Table Luncheon at The Marine Room & Dinner with Culinary Icons) as part of the upcoming San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival running November 14th to 20th.

Chef Bernard is our guest.

For James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist Javier Plascencia, the U.S. – Mexico Border is not a barrier between two countries, but rather the inspiration for his signature Baja Peninsula cuisine.

On September 30th Chef Javier presented his Bracero Cocina de Raiz dinner at the James Beard Foundation in Manhattan. On Tuesday night, Nov. 1st. Chef Javier recreated that special 5-course menu at Bracero in San Diego as a benefit for the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food. Chef Javier was actually there in the kitchen working the line. Each course was paired with a Palloni wine from Baja.

Bracero’s GM J.M. Woody Van Horn (a previous AIWF scholarship recipient) shares that incredible evening with us.

The Loews Coronado Bay Resort is situated on a private 15-acre peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Coronado Bay. Executive Chef Chris Aguirre joined the property earlier this year in March. Most recently he was at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco.

He oversees all of the resort’s restaurants including Mistral Restaurant, the Market Café, Market to Go, the Cays Lounge, the Cantina Restaurant, banquets and room service. We’ll meet him.

Aguirre has deep roots in the restaurant industry. His grandmother ran a steakhouse in Texas during the Great Depression along with a speakeasy – so it could be said he was born for the culinary world. Growing up in Los Angeles with three brothers, he developed a passion for food at a young age. “We were all big eaters and loved to hold cooking competitions to see who could make the best dish in the house,” recalls Aguirre. His dad, a foodie himself, always held the position of official “taste tester.”

Aguirre found himself in professional kitchens at the young age of 15. After high school he soon realized his true passion was in the kitchen. He graduated from the Art Institute of California, Los Angeles, and worked at a variety of Southern California restaurants including the St. Regis Hotel before moving to Texas.

There, he worked closely with Jean Georges Vongerichten at Bank – a formative experience in his culinary career. “Working with Jean Georges greatly influenced my style of cooking. I believe in sourcing the best ingredients you can, and from there, just keeping it simple – allowing the true natural flavors shine through,” said Aguirre.

Simran Sethi is a journalist, author and educator focused on food, sustainability and social change.

Her new book, Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love – part memoir of a journey to six continents in pursuit of delicious and endangered tastes, part investigation of the loss of biodiversity from soil to plate – tells the story of what we are losing, how we are losing it, and the inspiring people and places that are bringing back the foods we love.

Join award-winning journalist Simran Sethi as she travels from wild coffee forests in Ethiopia to cocoa plantations of Ecuador, from the brewery to the bakery and the temple, to meet scientists, farmers, chefs, wine makers, beer brewers, coffee roasters and chocolate connoisseurs to discuss the reasons for this loss and learn what it means to experience food in a whole new way, tasting foods more deeply through each one of our senses in order to savor – and save – the foods we love.

Puerto Vallarta is a welcoming visitor destination in the State of Jalisco in Mexico. This November 11th to 20th, 2016 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Festival Gourmet International in Puerto Vallarta. There is also a Café des Artistes in Los Cabos at the JW Marriott celebrating its 1st Anniversary. Chef Thierry’s other restaurant near Puerto Vallarta is Tuna Blanca in Punta de Mita. Festival Co-founder, Chef Thierry Blouet of Café des Artistes joins from Mexico us with the needed 411.

“Exclusivity, elegance and comfort of its many gourmet-chic environments distinguish the Café des Artistes, which for 25 years has earned the crown as the icon restaurant in Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay, Jalisco. It’s synonymous with tradition, art and distinction for local, national and foreign guests.”

The Gourmet Festival turns 22! In 1995 Thierry Blouet and Heinz Reize originated the idea of promoting and upgrading the culinary standards to competitive international levels by interacting with new methods and the creativity of highly qualified chefs.

The first Gourmet Festival took place in 1995 with the participation of six hotels and six independent restaurants. The original format remains unchanged; each one of the participant restaurants invites a celebrity in the culinary scene.

In 2000, Chef Roland Menetrey joined the team and since then the festival has been organized by the three musketeers.

In twenty-two years changes are seen in the growth and expansion of the Festival to the Riviera Nayarit and Tepic. Twenty-five, first – class hotels and restaurants will be participating this year.

To date, The Festival Gourmet International has hosted and pampered almost half a million gourmet fans, and five hundred chef-celebrities have visited. The Festival strives to improve every year.

 

Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Brea, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, Irvine at UCI and, most recently, The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for Rams and USC Football, is back as today’s Guest Host. San Clemente is launching next. In May in Chicago during the National Restaurant Association’s annual conclave he received Nation’s Restaurant News’ Trendsetter MenuMaster Award for Slapfish.

Now an appetizing preview of Saturday’s fully-loaded show and not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s actually a pretty good thing…

Puerto Vallarta is a welcoming visitor destination in the State of Jalisco in Mexico. This November 11th to 20th, 2016 marks the 22nd anniversary of the Festival Gourmet International in Puerto Vallarta. Festival Co-founder, Chef Thierry Blouet of Café des Artistes, joins us from Mexico with the needed 411.

Simran Sethi is a journalist, author and educator focused on food, sustainability and social change. Her new book, Bread, Wine Chocolate tells the story of what we are losing, how we are losing it, and the inspiring people and places that are bringing back the foods we love. Simran Sethi is our guest.

The Loews Coronado Bay Resort is situated on a private 15-acre peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Coronado Bay. Executive Chef Chris Aguirre joined the property earlier this year. He oversees all of the resort’s restaurants and day-to-day culinary operations. We’ll meet him.

For James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist Javier Plascencia, the U.S. – Mexico Border is not a barrier between two countries, but rather the inspiration for his signature Baja Peninsula cuisine. On September 30th Chef Javier presented his Bracero Cocina de Raiz dinner at the James Beard Foundation in Manhattan. Tuesday night, Nov. 1st Chef Javier recreated that special menu at Bracero in San Diego as a benefit for the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food. Bracero’s GM

Earlier this year we met the passionate Clarissa Nagy who is the distinguished Winemaker at Riverbench in Santa Maria. Separate from Riverbench Clarissa has her own label, c nagy, with a rustic tasting room in historic Orcutt. Clarissa Nagy is our encore guest.

New for the 2016 release is a dry Gewurtztraminer and a Grenache.

“People often ask how I started in the wine industry. It was never my plan to make wine. Actually, my original intention was to work with food. Thankfully, food and wine are often paired together. Through that means, wine found me.”

“I met my husband while we were working together in the wine industry. We made a barrel of 2002 Viognier as a wedding favor. It seemed a fitting gift for our family and friends. My quest for another source of Viognier was encouraged by those who had tasted the “wedding wine.” It would be a longer quest than I expected.”

“I purchased one ton of Pinot Noir in 2004. I wanted to continue making Pinot Noir and work with an amazing vineyard. One thing led to another. In 2005, I began working with 3 different vineyards and my brand was born.”

“Pinot Noir and Syrah were my main focus for the next 6 years. I made a Viognier in 2010, but frost would prevent me from doing so in 2011. The loss of Viognier opened the door to work with Pinot Blanc as well, and my journey continued to unfold. The newest chapter of my story is the addition of the tasting room.”

“Winemaking has become my passion. Sharing that joy with others is a priority. I’d love to be able to bring everyone into the vineyard and cellar to experience winemaking firsthand. Since that isn’t realistic, I offer you a taste of my labor. Here is that experience captured in bottle. I hope to share this passion with you in person. Until then, enjoy!”