The American Wine & Food Festival 2006

The Chef's Dinner may have been the premiere event of this past weekend's charitable activities, but the American Wine & Food Festival, held on the Backlot at Universal Studios, was certainly the best attended!

I volunteered Joe and myself to collect tickets from the 2,000 or so guests who had ponied up at least $275.00 to attend the festival, with proceeds going to the Los Angeles chapter of Meels on Wheels.

The Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, which has supported the festival since it's inception in 1982, this year assembled over 40 chefs and 60 wineriers to converge on the Backlot, crowding the cobblestones from Spartacus Square to the Court of Miracles, and present their wares.

Once we'd finished our volunteer duties, with our trusty souvenir glasses in hand, we descended on the first winery we saw. At the Bridalwood Estate Winery we sampled it's Central Coast Syrah "with aromas of smoke and cedar, followed by a bright berry nose." This was quickly followed by a visit to Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe for some quail and berry compote.

Along the way I got tips on selling merlot from Havens; a nice chilled Australian Shiraz by Green Point; the Rattlesnake Club's signature dark chocolate filled, white chocolate ravioli; the smoothest tequila shot ever, poured through an ice sculpture by the Patron girls; Paul Prudhomme's electric combination of gumbo and potato salad (?); a daiquiri to die for from 10 Cane Rum and much, much more!

After a few hours of sampling, it was necessary to stop by the Peet's Coffee stand before embarking on the trip home (i.e. time to sober up a little). You know how people tend to congregate around the milk station at your local coffee shop? Well, it was no different here, so as I try and back out, BANG! Right into this guy standing inches behind me. I whisper some choice "sweet nothings" under my breathe, though still loud enough for the guy behind me to hear, and the guy adding his milk next to me to let out a chortle. As I turn round to sneer, so does my bang-ee, none other than Top Chef himself, Tom Colicchio! Time to go!

Sipping our scalding Peet's, about to depart on the trams back to the parking structure, which NBC/Universal star do we run into? One whose very parking space we'd passed on the tram-trip in. That Crossing Jordan Jill Hennessy.

A beautiful end to a beautiful event!