The 4th Annual Wine Waves & Beyond Central Coast Longboard Surf Classic will be held in Pismo Beach from May 30 through June 2. Once again, this classic California event will evoke the vivid and timeless culture of surfing and the enchanting world of wine and handcrafted locally brewed beers. Proceeds from Wine Waves & Beyond are donated to the Association of Amputee Surfers (Amp Surf) an organization that strives to promote, inspire, educate, and rehabilitate those with disabilities, especially veterans, through adaptive surfing and other fun and safe outdoor activities. Over the past three years, Wine Waves & Beyond has raised over $45,000 for Amp Surf . Read more »
THE 4th ANNUAL WINE, WAVES & BEYOND CENTRAL COAST LONGBOARD SURF CLASSIC
The 4th Annual Wine Waves & Beyond Central Coast Longboard Surf Classic will be held in Pismo Beach from May 30 through June 2. Once again, this classic California event will evoke the vivid and timeless culture of surfing and the enchanting world of wine and handcrafted locally brewed beers. Proceeds from Wine Waves & [...]
Essays: My Mother’s Gardening Zen
I have been gardening like an obsessed woman – planting basil and tomatoes, and adding more plants every chance I get. The garden is therapeutic — all of the sights and scents constantly triggering memories. I recalled my first garden that the mean, scary guy next door flooded by leaving his hose on overnight. When he [...]
Humbled by the Noblest of Wines: 2009 Pinot Noir Edna Valley
After a Saturday of enjoying the much-coveted Sea Smoke Pinot Noir “allocation” left in the cabin of my friend, he offered me a consolation — a glass of 2009 Kynsi Pinot Noir Edna Valley. To say I was humbled is not enough. No, I was as smitten at my first taste by this Kynsi and [...]
April Brings With It A Sweet Strawberry Season
First cultivated in ancient Rome, strawberries are now the most popular “berry” in the world, and in Provence, they are believed to be an aphrodisiac. Strawberries are a member of the rose family and aren’t a fruit or berry, but an enlarged flower receptacle.
Twenty-Ninth Annual Central Coast Wine Classic “California Wine & Cuisine at its Finest”, Celebrates the Wineries of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo & Monterey Counties and the Napa Valley
The 2013 Central Coast Wine Classic recently announced the Schedule of Activities for the Twenty-Ninth Annual Central Coast Wine Classic, to be held from July 11th through 14th, in Avila Beach, Shell Beach and San Simeon on the Central Coast of California. From net proceeds from the Wine Classic, specific projects are funded for 501(c)3 [...]
Essays: My Mother’s Gardening Zen
April 21st, 2013 
Georgina I have been gardening like an obsessed woman – planting basil and tomatoes, and adding more plants every chance I get. The garden is therapeutic — all of the sights and scents constantly triggering memories. I recalled my first garden that the mean, scary guy next door flooded by leaving his hose on overnight. When he found me crying over my floating corn seedlings, he said, “Corn attracts rats” as he walked by – his hate and disgust seared my skin – I was just a little greaseball to him. My mom helped me to replant the garden with zucchini. Read more »
Humbled by the Noblest of Wines: 2009 Pinot Noir Edna Valley
April 18th, 2013 Georgina After a Saturday of enjoying the much-coveted Sea Smoke Pinot Noir “allocation” left in the cabin of my friend, he offered me a consolation — a glass of 2009 Kynsi Pinot Noir Edna Valley. To say I was humbled is not enough. No, I was as smitten at my first taste by this Kynsi and remained smitten four days later enjoying the last of this beloved bottle as I wrote this review. Read more »
April Brings With It A Sweet Strawberry Season
April 12th, 2013 Georgina First cultivated in ancient Rome, strawberries are now the most popular “berry” in the world, and in Provence, they are believed to be an aphrodisiac. Strawberries are a member of the rose family and aren’t a fruit or berry, but an enlarged flower receptacle. Read more »
Twenty-Ninth Annual Central Coast Wine Classic “California Wine & Cuisine at its Finest”, Celebrates the Wineries of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo & Monterey Counties and the Napa Valley
April 10th, 2013 Georgina The 2013 Central Coast Wine Classic recently announced the Schedule of Activities for the Twenty-Ninth Annual Central Coast Wine Classic, to be held from July 11th through 14th, in Avila Beach, Shell Beach and San Simeon on the Central Coast of California. From net proceeds from the Wine Classic, specific projects are funded for 501(c)3 non-profit corporations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties whose missions are in the Healing, Performing or Studio Arts. Read more »
9th Annual Taste of Pismo & FarmFest-on-the-Coast Pismo Beach’s Premier Wine & Culinary Event
April 3rd, 2013 Georgina The Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce presents the 9th Annual Taste of Pismo from Friday April 26 through Saturday April 27, 2013 on the cliffs of Dinosaur Caves Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For two festive days in Pismo Beach, guests can experience regional wine tastings and delicious cuisine samplings from the area’s finest chefs, vintners, and farmers. SLO Wine Country will present a unique, in-depth farm-to-fork food experience pairing local farmers and esteemed local chefs with the members of the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association’s outstanding Central Coast wines. Read more »
Marisol’s Heavenly Muffin Goddess
March 31st, 2013 Georgina Perched atop the bluffs of Shell Beach, The Cliffs Resort offers gorgeous ocean views, making it the perfect place for vacationing families and their dogs, romantic wine country getaways, and those in search of exquisite culinary exploration. Case-in-point: Marisol at the Cliffs, their critically acclaimed restaurant. Read more »
Photographer Rico Mandel & Verge Photographers Exhibit This Saturday
March 28th, 2013 Georgina This weekend you will find me at the Duncan Miller Gallery (DMG) for the exhibition of Verge Photographers – 5 photographers on the Verge to be held on Saturday March 30th, 2013 at the Duncan Miller Projects Gallery, 10959 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. The exhibition is a featured event that begins Month of Photography Los Angeles. Read more »
1st Annual Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival Promises the Perfect Combination of Wine, Food, Music, Art & Philanthropy
March 28th, 2013 Georgina California’s most recently established AVA’s Sierra Pelona Valley Vintners Association will hold its 1st Annual Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival on Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Reyes Winery in Agua Dulce. In the Sierra Pelona Mountains of the Southern California, just 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, lies California’s most recently established American Viticultural Area, the Sierra Pelona Valley AVA. Recently, I hiked the area around Reyes Vineyard and up into the foothills to take a look at this new grape growing region. Read more »
Irish Soda Bread: The Luck of the Irish but the Dread of the Bread
March 15th, 2013 Georgina My daughter has become obsessed with all things Irish – including the vanishing language Gaelic, jigs and reels, and of course, the dreaded dense and dry soda bread. Being raised in an Italian family, the culinary traditions of the Irish are completely foreign to me, however, being a typical mother that wants to encourage her child’s interest in culture and art, I have been baking and adjusting Irish Soda Bread recipes for the past few month. I’ve paged through all of my cookbooks, searched the internet late into the night, steeped currants in whisky, driven miles for the best flour, only to find that the most simple approach produces the most satisfying loaf. Read more »
