January 5, 2016 – Organizers say don’t let a little rain scare you, they’re ready for anything at the annual Big Sur Foragers Festival taking place on January 15-17th. Tickets are now on sale for foraging hikes, incredible gourmet dinners and the delicious Fungus Face-Off that pits local chefs against each other for year-long bragging rights. All profits benefit the Big Sur Health Center.
This year, the Post Ranch Inn has joined Ventana Inn as an event sponsor, offering an intimate kick-off dinner on Friday evening, as well as a hike around the Post Ranch lands with chef John Cox on Saturday that includes a three-course lunch featuring items foraged from the property.
For the Grand Chef Dinner on Saturday night, Suzette Gresham—executive chef of Acquerello in San Francisco—will join Ventana’s own Paul Corsentino for an elegant multi-course feast, each dish paired with a memorable wine.
Other events include two foraging walks at Pfeiffer State Park on Saturday morning, one for beginners and another at the intermediate level.
Tents are going up and heaters will be in place for the Fungus Face-Off which takes place on the deck at Ventana Inn from 1-4pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets are almost sold out for the fun event focussed on chanterelles and other fabulous fungi, paired with wines from partner vineyards, including: Morgan Winery; Comanche Cellars; Holman Ranch; Bernardus Winery; Mesa Del Sol; Filipponi Ranch/Kelly McCleary/Peter Cron; Ventana Vineyards; Scheid Vineyards; McIntyre Wines; Chappellet and Mad Otter Ales.
Edible Monterey Bay publisher and editor Sarah Wood will be one of the judges and the public is invited to vote for the “People’s Choice” award, as well as participate in a silent auction and raffle.
For more info: www.bigsurforagersfestival.org
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
