Lunch at Jim Clendenan's Winery

We have some great friends, the Chatfields, that have been supporters from the very beginning. I have mentioned them several times before in blogs because they are always at our events and are so proud when there are lots of people in the Bistro and they share our pain when it is just them sitting at the bar enjoying one of our Monday Wine Education sessions.

I recently imposed on the Chatfields to get me introduced to Jim Clendenan. I am sure everyone knows who he is but just in case you live in Santa Maria and still don't realize that you are in the middle of the greatest vitaculture area on the planet and that there are winemakers here in our valley that are world reknowned, then let me explain just who he is.

He has been named the "WORLD'S Best Winemaker" more times than any other local winemaker. His wines are consistantly on the top of every wine rating. He makes amazing Chardonnay and Pinot but also some varietals that are very rare around here such as Nebbiolo. His winery is on the famed Bien Nacido property owned by the Miller family but farmed and leased by Jim and Bob.

Anyway, that's who he is. I was reading a book a few months ago about a guy that wanted to learn to be an Italian chef so he studied under Mario Batali, the famous Big Red-Headed Italian celebrity chef. Anyway, as I was reading about an event where there were winemakers and chefs all hanging out and having a great time, guess who was there, yep, Jim Clendenan. It turns out that him and Mario are great old friends who spent lots of nights in Italy partying. So now I must meet this man. A celebrity in our own backyard. So I emailed him and told him my little story and I actually got a response back, a thank you, you are so sweet. Now since the Chatfields are very old friends of Jim (you wondered how I was going to get back to the Chatfields!) I asked them to get me an introduction. Well they did one better and got me invited to his winery for lunch.

Now at this point I could go on and on about my afternoon at Au Bon Climant (ABC), Jim's winery, but let me just say, the food was amazing. Jim is a gourmet Chef. The wine was incredible, Jim shared some of his wine, his partner of 20 years, Bob Linquinst, shared his wine and they broke out a 1980 Cab from Napa. But what was most magical about the afternoon was the people that I shared that meal with. I sat next to Enrique. He is a man who has been working for Jim since he was 16 years old, he now being 42 if I had to guess. He takes over the cooking responsibilities when Jim is traveling. Incidently, Jim cooks for 10-50+ everyday. He takes really good care of his employees. If I didn't already have a job I would definately apply. Then across the burled wood table sat John Hulihan. He is the director of Beverage Service for the Lark Creek Restaurant Group. You may not know who this is, I certainly didn't know him personally but what blew me away was that he works for the same company that Chef Troy, our fabulous new chef came from. The restaurants are owned by the famous, Bradley Ogden. The chef that popularized Seasonal, Farm-fresh American Cuisine. One of his flagship restaurants, Yankee Pier is one of the restaurants that Troy opened for them. So in a huge way the world just got very, very small.
After Jim found out who our chef was he was very excited to come to dinner. He has also agreed to do a winemaker dinner with Troy. So the end of the day ended like it started, Surreally. I don't know if that is a word but that is only way I can describe it. I left with a huge smile on my face and 6 bottles of Clendenan Family wine and Qupe Marsainne. Wow, it doesn't get much better than that.

Santa Barbara County Vintner's Association

We just finished participating in the Vinter's Festival at River Park in Lompoc. The event draws upwards of 2500 people. This year they were expecting a record crowd, 3000. I haven't heard the numbers yet but I imagine it could be pretty close.

Festivals are hard work. The chef spends hours and sometimes days preparing the tastes. The food is all donated to the event which amounts to thousands of tastes and then the assembling and distributing of the tastes at the actual event is intense. The only thing that really keeps it fun is the reaction of the guests that try your tastes and of course, if they come over to the Bistro then all is well.

The later you don't know about for a while. Most of the attendees are from Orange County so they may come to the Central Coast once or twice a year. Hopefully we made an impression with Troy's Juniper Berry Braised Duck Tarlets with Arugala, Mint Salad. Judging by the oohs and aahs, and the multiple servings some people took, I can say they loved the tastes.

Needless to say, I had a blast. I was so proud of our food. It was a small respresentation of the kind of cuisine that Chef Troy is putting out at the Wine Cottage Bistro now. The guests loved it. I was able to talk to most of the people that took bites, telling them where we are located. When we mention Old Town Orcutt, most people don't know where it is. I predict though, that in the coming months and years Old Orcutt will become a destination spot. It took Michael Jackson's trial to put Santa Maria on the map. I think it will take the wine country, wineries, cool art studios, restaurants and a really great Inn to put Old Orcutt on the map.

Remember, be Bistro Buzz worthy--talk about the Bistro and get people to come and visit. Once they are here, we'll take care of the rest. Thanks
Rebecca & Aimee

Evolution and Growth

Parents are proud when they see their children grow and mature to become the type of adults we always wanted them to be. We all have a vision for our kids and during their teen years we sometimes wonder if that vision will ever be realized. Many times, though, it works out where they exceed our expectations. For instance, my son Jordan, has been working with us in the kitchen of the Wine Cottage Bistro for almost a year now. He has always loved cooking and is very good at it but now he has the opportunity to work with one of the greatest Chefs in the area. Chef Troy is mentoring Jordan just like Bradley Ogden of the Bay Area mentored him. Teaching him the fine art of honoring the food and having a passion for what is served. It is exciting to see your kids doing something that they truly love.

The Wine Cottage Bistro is just like a child. We have a vision for what we want the WCB to grow up to be but for a time during the last year we were going through our teen years. There were times when our growing pains were visible and we didn't execute like we wanted to. For some of our guests that only gave us one chance, and we didn't get it exactly right, we want to apologize and invite you to give us another chance. For our loyal customers, our friends, we want to say thank you for seeing us through our first year, supporting us, and spreading via word of mouth how much you love the Wine Cottage Bistro. Your reward is a place that you can be truly proud of.

But now, the Wine Cottage Bistro is entering a new age, we are maturing. Our vision is being exceeded and we are becoming something really great. The food and presentation is amazing, thanks to the talented Chef Troy and the service is unmatched, local hospitality. So come in and see for yourself, the Wine Cottage Bistro is becoming the best dining destination in the Santa Maria Valley.
Rebecca