with Bobby Flay & Columbia Crest

Calling all cooks and wannabe chefs….

Think you can “throw down” with the best of them?  Do you have a recipe that would pair like a charm with a Washington wine?  Want to be flown to New York to compete for prizes, bragging rights and a chance to cook with Bobby Flay?

The “Flayvors of Washington” Video Recipe Contest might be right up your alley.  That’s right, you also have to make a video featuring your culinary creation.

Chef and Food Network star, Bobby Flay is teaming up again this year with Columbia Crest Winery for their annual food and wine competition.  This is how it works.

"It's been a tough year. But we're in it for the long haul. We feel everything we do is a stepping stone." -- Sonia Spector, co-owner of JoLe in Calistoga, co-owner of JoLe in Calistoga

Just in the past year, Wine Country witnessed the birth of several new restaurants thanks to a fresh crop of young, talented chefs.

Some of the new jewels in Wine Country's culinary crown are owned by young couples who work long hours closely together on their venture. The popular Scopa in Healdsburg is one example. So are Restaurant Eloise in the former Chez Peyo and Bistro V space in Sebastopol, and JoLe, in the former Catahoula in Calistoga.
Two young restaurateur couples make a splash in Wine Country

The couples who run Eloise and JoLe uprooted themselves from the East Coast to make their mark in this region. A few months after each restaurant opened, the economy turned sour, making their transitions that much tougher.

Ginevra Iverson and Eric Korsh opened Restaurant Eloise in Sebastopol in July after renovating the 60-seat restaurant and building raised garden beds out back. It is their first restaurant, and they have a 15-year lease.

"You only get this opportunity once in a lifetime," said Korsh, who shares cooking duties with his wife. "We just have to fight our way through."

The new U.S. President Barack Obama has a huge job ahead of him.  He definitely needs to keep up his strength.  So it’s good to know that he will be fed well.  In fact, his first meal as President of the United States included three different California wines.  I’d say that’s a good start!

The Inaugural Luncheon, eaten by the President, the First Lady and many other political hot shots was served shortly after the new President took the oath of office.

I did not want to neglect my patriotic duties as red-blooded and hungry American, so I feel compelled to share the recipes and the wines they were paired with.  

Here’s it goes… can I get a 21 gun salute anyone?

FIRST COURSE

Seafood Stew

Duckhorn Vineyards, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

That’s a blurry picture of a turkey on the run.  Yep, he knows Thanksgiving is right around the corner and he’s getting outta Dodge.



The last place that trottin’ turkey wants to end up is in a trash can and then on your Thanksgiving table.  So how does a turkey go from a trash can to your table ready to eat?  Don’t worry, this isn’t about dumpster diving for your dinner.

There are two kinds of trash can turkeys.  The first is a turkey that is actually cooked or barbequed in a trash can.  You can go to this Eagle Scout website at http://www.scoutingthenet.com/Cooking/Turkey/ to find out how to do that.