Man cannot live by chocolate alone… A lot has been written about IFBC, my last post included. There have been varying opinions on the success of the conference – I think all attendees will agree that it was wonderful to connect with old and new friends and, of course, being amongst a bunch of like … Read more
Even though it was a little off the beaten path for a dinner (since we were staying in the Napa Valley), I couldn’t resist Zazu Restaurant and Farm in Santa Rosa, especially when I realised that we would be there for the Monday Night Farm Supper (3 courses for $39, before beverage, gratuity, tax). For … Read more
Possibly not quite recovered from our sugar coma brought on by the night before’s “Sweet Finale” dessert tasting plate, mum, Rosemary and I headed back to CIA Greystone the following morning for a cooking demonstration. When I was booking online, I was excited to see this dish lined up for the day we were able … Read more
When I was scouting out places to eat in the Napa and Sonoma valleys, I knew that one place I really wanted to get to was Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone, at least for a cooking demonstration, if not for a meal. I lucked out on both counts and our first night in Napa, … Read more
On leaving Yosemite National Park, we headed for Gold Country. We made our base in Placerville (pronounced PLASS-er-ville; formerly Old Dry Diggings, Dry Diggings, and Hangtown), California. Its current name comes from the placer gold deposits, found in its river beds in the late 1840s. We picked up a self-guided walking tour of the Main … Read more
Moving on from Joshua Tree and Death Valley, we headed to Yosemite National Park. I have to say that, whilst the Joshua trees fascinated me with their oddness and Death Valley took my breath away with its weird and other-worldly nature, Yosemite stunned me with its beauty. The weather was (literally) a breath of fresh … Read more