The Annual Food & Wine Fest ... and More

The festival takes place May 23-25 at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach.

he most comprehensive food and wine event in Orange County takes place the weekend of May 23-25 when the prestigious Balboa Bay Club & Resort (949-645-5000) hosts the 5th annual Food & Wine Festival. Founder of the event, Henry Schielein, also president and chief operating officer of the BBC, has scheduled three exciting days and two nights with educational seminars, exceptional wine tastings and extraordinary dining experiences. The event opens Friday, the 23rd at 5:30 p.m. with an educational Tasting with the Masters, followed by Italy on the Bay with Italian wines, food and music. Saturday’s events begin at 11:30 a.m. with an Italian Luncheon, an Afternoon of Sake and Sushi at 2:30 p.m., Shiraz & Rhone Varietals Wine Tasting commencing at 5:00 p.m., and the highlight of the weekend, The Grand Tasting at 6:30 p.m. The weekend winds down with a Caribbean Sunday Brunch beginning at 10:30 a.m., an Afternoon of Sparkling and Rose Wines at 2:30 p.m., a Chocolate & Wine Pairing, 4:30 p.m. and Mr. Schielein’s personal favorite, Cigars and Cognacs at 5:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary according to events attended.

The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel begins its fun and informative Cooking With The Masters series on May 17, 10 a.m. with a three-course springtime menu named Spring Fling. Once a month, through October, the resort’s chefs--executive sous chef Christian Clair, chef de cuisine John Garcia, and pastry chef Jeff Lehuede--share their area of expertise through the art of recipe preparation, cooking techniques and presentation. A Summer Bar-B-Que class is slated for June 28; July 26, Citrus; August 30, Chocolate; September 27, Fall Harvest; October 18, Give Thanks. Best of all, each class is followed by a three-course lunch, using the recipes from the class, paired with beer or wine. The cost per session is $115 per person, all-inclusive. The cooking class also makes a great gift for anyone who loves to cook. For reservations, call the Ritz-Carlton Resort Services at (949) 240-2000.

Chef Katie Averill, former co-owner of Mirabeau (now Stella‘s, 949-234-1679), is currently a chef instructor at the culinary school at The Art Institute of California, Orange County (714-830-0200.) For those wanting to learn to cook, or to improve their cooking skills, Katie also teaches at Tspoons, a small cooking school in Ladera Ranch. The classes are hands-on, interactive, and limited to eight students. For more information call (949) 545-6978, or visit www.Tspoons.com for class schedules and menus.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Coast Magazine »