A SUMMER DAY IN WINE COUNTRY

Al Fresco dining at SFPFS BBQ

Each summer the San Francisco Professional Food Society, of which I’ve been a member for over 20 years, puts on a fabulous BBQ at an interesting venue in the Bay Area. This year it was at the beautiful St. Supéry winery in Napa Valley.

Atkinson House at St. Supéry Winery

One hundred and sixty members and guests enjoyed a sun-filled day complete with a bounty of delicious food and wine from artisan California producers. There were bocce ball games under the trees; a grilling competition; a book signing by Society members: a silent auction to benefit local and international charities; and soothing sounds from a steel drummer.

Best of all was catching up with old friends and making new ones. It’s always nice to connect with people who you haven’t seen in awhile. Having been a very active member for a long time has brought me many friendships that I cherish.

But, I had to move 3,000 miles to find this outstanding culinary group with over 300 members. While working in wine and food marketing in New York, I longed for a professional association like the SFPFS. Unfortunately, the only group that fit the bill was the Women’s Culinary Alliance.  Problem was, I couldn’t pass the physical! 🙂

California Endive hot off the grill

And how does endive fit into all this?  Well, we have been an avid supporter of the food society for many years. This year we supplied boxes of California endive for the grilling competition and a year’s supply of endive as a silent auction item, won by Deborah Olson of Olson’s Cherries.

When the silent auction winners were announced, the presenter pronounced endive as “en-dive,” and the crowd shouted back “on-deev.” Thanks everyone for setting the record straight!

~Endive Guy