Here are some random thoughts about wine, food, and things in general.  I recently started a Meetup for the exploration of wine and food pairing.  You can check it out at http://wine.meetup.com/670/  I’m looking for ways to connect as many people as possible who are interested in wine and food pairing.
 
I’ll be teaching classes at Macy’s Cooking School again starting later this summer.  In the development stage are classes on “How to Decipher Your Favorite Restaurant’s Wine List” in which I’ll show the bargains, hidden gems, and can’t-miss selections on popular local restaurant wine lists and what foods to best pair them with on those restaurant’s menus.  In this class, we’ll also talk about the etiquette of bringing wine to a restaurant and which local establishments are wine-friendly.  Also in the planning stage is a class that I’ll co-host with one of our VinVillage partners, CrushPad, a custom wine making facility in Northern California.  In this class you’ll learn how to blend your own world renowned Meritage and I’ll pair foods that will go with your creation.
 
As you can tell by the bounty at the local farmer’s markets, it really is spring.  The stone fruits are finally smelling and tasting like they should.  Why anyone would buy them in the winter is beyond me…repeat that for tomatoes, etc, etc.  Every crop has its season and when in season they not only tasted better, but they cost less because they are plentiful when in season.  Duh!  I hate to get up on my soapbox about this, but if we’d all just start eating a little more locally and in season, we’d not only eat food better for us, but we’d substantially reduce our carbon footprint.  I could go on and on about this stuff, really, it’s not anything that we all don’t know.  I think we’re all just looking for good alternatives.  I really like the book title tag line I read the other day “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”.  I agree whole-heartedly and this is coming from a down-to-the-bone carnivore (pun intended).
 
I hope that this Memorial Day weekend you can spend time eating and drinking with your family and/or the ones you love.  Lift a glass to my older brother, Frank, and all those who like him have served this country well.  It has nothing to do with politics and everything to being the kind of person a little kid brother always looked up to.
 
Chuck
Leader, VinVillage San Diego
“VinVillage IS where wine and food lovers connect”
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering
PS.  Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 10 for our next event at SD's coolest music venue, Anthology in Little Italy.  Go to the events page for more info and tickets.