SLO County represented at Big Sur Food & Wine Festival
Story by Aja Goare
One of California’s most breathtaking natural venues will soon play host to the most mouthwatering cuisine. The annual Big Sur Food and Wine Festival begins Thursday and a dish from Edible San Luis Obispo’s own Chef Rachel Ponce will be among the featured items at the Sommelier Dinner.
Chef Rachel has long produced special, stylized dishes for the magazine and will now share her skills with food and wine connoisseurs at the Sommelier Dinner event.
“My inspiration was to use the produce that Big Sur offers,” says Rachel. “I was inspired by the produce list from Russo’s Wholesale Produce. My dish is a warm purple potato soup flavored with ginger, caramelized onions and leeks. I add coconut milk and blend until creamy and smooth, then top it with a house made curry creme fraiche, beet pickled red onions, fried plantains, dill and cilantro microgreens.”
The dinner will be held at The Village Big Sur and, according to the website, it’s “a special coursed out dinner experience led by our incredible award-winning team of sommeliers.” The event will feature hard to find wines that are “perfectly paired with a course from one of our chefs.” This event is described as a “journey for the palate and a deep dive into the world of wine with some of the most celebrated sommeliers in the industry.”
Rachel is unable to attend the festival because she will be at a cooking competition in New York City, however, she has enlisted help from Niner Wine Estates Executive Chef Jacob Burrell to prepare the dish she crafted. Jacob has worked for many well-known restaurants around the world. He’s held positions at Manresa Restaurant (2 Michelin Stars), Post Ranch Inn and Big Sur Bakery. He spent the last few years working at Parachute Bali, which is a bakery, farm and restaurant in Indonesia. While there he also managed to compete and win Iron Chef Indonesia: Crab!
The event takes place Nov. 3-5 in Big Sur, where guests will be treated to some of the state’s top food and wine. Also on tap are a series of special events: Hiking with Stemware, an alfresco adventure, the Pinot Walkabout at the Sierra Mar Chef’s Garden at Post Ranch Inn, Bubbles & Brushes in the Redwoods, and dancing at the Wine & Swine event.
Few tickets remain available on the website. The event is open to visitors age 21 and older. Proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative test completed within 24 hours of attending your first event.
