November 11, 2022 – Oxford Dictionary’s definition of logistics goes like this: “The detailed coordination of a complex operation involving many people, facilities or supplies.”
When they unfold in a place like Big Sur, the definitions differ.
One Big Sur Food & Wine logistics point person, wine pro Erin Mason, supplied another after the festival: “[the] raucous crew tearing up and down Highway 1 in a fleet filled with all the things no one thinks about until they don’t have them. The unseen and unshowered. The first to arrive and the last to leave.”
Her fellow point person on logistics, Roman Reed, offers one while cracking a seltzer in the back of a loading truck, the afternoon sun beams bouncing off the Pacific and filtering through the redwoods below. We’re fresh off some counting, stacking, shuttling and unloading of roughly 2.2 million plates, napkins, name cards, banners, spoons, forks, knives, linens, high-tops, chef tubs, spit buckets, umbrellas and bags of ice. (Fear not: These two have checklists.)
“Most of the time logistics sucks!” he says triumphantly. “Then there are moments like this.”
I’ve covered BSFW since its infancy, long before it transformed into a nonprofit that upped transparency and fiscal/feel-good returns.
Pre-COVID I decided to volunteer instead of report. Then Mason recruited me to logistics. Now I can’t go back. I dig the mycelium side of the mushroom for all the definitions detailed, and for something that crystallized during wine harvest work: It’s in the doing.
Besides, the hustle and flow don’t prevent the gathering of foodie intel. In many ways they allow for more.
Here appears a sampling. Each was enjoyed at BSFW 2022, and is also available now if you missed the festival.
These morsels, including a mini-winery grand opening, a cocktail car and a new Ukrainian fusion outpost, come followed by the final—and the most meaningful—definition of logistics of them all.
Soft serve ice cream at Coast Big Sur
Tartine alumni Nicolaus Balla and Andrea and Tyler Rue fell so hard for Big Sur amid COVID they made a temporary move permanent. (Edible reported on the new wave of Big Sur chefs, Balla included, last year.)
Balla soon accepted an invitation to serve on BSFW board, and Coast has hosted events every year since COVID rules allowed.
On Saturday, the logistics lug nuts descended to strike the tables and chairs from Coast’s Dinner with Friends family-style affair with Scar of the Sea, Lady of Sunshine, Stepladder Creamery and Fogline Farms.
As we prepared to drive off, Andrea ran after us with a tray containers containing pear-vanilla bay laurel soft serve ice cream.
Eyes rolled back in heads, and a hard-charging crew was renewed by flavor and view.
Coast can boast incredible “super” veggie cheese tarts, focaccia pizzas and bespoke pecan biscookies (great views, art and beverages too, BTW).
Which is why I never thought my priority upon return would be the soft serve. But it’s that good.
More at coastbigsur.com
Dumplings at Chicken Foot
The beloved pop-up from Ukrainian-American chef Jessica Yarr of Santa Cruz, as Edible reported Jan. 26, does all sorts of creative takes on Eastern-European recipes from her grandma.
At BSFW, she unleashed her trademark pelmeni dumplings with sweet potato, smoked cinnamon, farmers cheese, dried cranberry, chicken confit and curry butter.
She also made an indulgent honey cake and crowd-fave deviled eggs—“little works of art,” she says—with salmon roe, crispy bacon, dill and purple onion flower on Pajaro Pastures eggs she collects herself.
Both will be available at a new residency she starts with an opening party Dec. 1 in the old Pearl Alley Bistro in Santa Cruz.
Up north she might channel some of the spirit that runs through her down south. It was there she was reportedly conceived and spent her youth with her dad, a photographer, fisherman and Nepenthe groundskeeper.
“I get a deep sense of nostalgia and connection in Big Sur,” she says. “That—and the caliber of chefs—brings out the best in me.”
More at chickenfootsc.com
Pinot at AR Winery & Kitchen
Winemaker Garrett Bowlus and company brought some of the more compelling Pinots of Wine & Swine.
They’ll debut another today (Friday, Nov. 11)—a 100-percent Pommard clone 2021 Pinot cuvée named after one of his kids—at Albatross’ new Alvarado Street spot, with a 4-9pm grand opening party.
As Edible relayed in September, the place enjoys indoor and heated-outdoor tasting/dining, onsite barrel blending and tasting, craft brews, and—the kicker—a full kitchen.
“We’re really excited about being able to expand the food pairings with the wines and doing some cool pop-up collaborations,” says Bowlus, who’s also eager to let guests make their own Pinot blends from Albatross’ clones. “It’s been a whirlwind so far!”
More at albatrossridge.com
Qouign Pastries at Salinas Farmers Market
I tracked down chocolate whiz Santana Rodriguez after a trusted colleague told me the truffles from Qouign (pronounced “Queen”) were the best she has had in 20 years.
At Wine & Swine, Rodriguez’s four truffle-filling flavors included a caramelized white chocolate infused with honey, which she sells at the Salinas Farmers Market.
She also did a local candy cap mushroom-and-rum made specifically for BSFW that proved so popular she decided she’s going to keep it around.
One partygoer/party-fouler was apparently so worried Qouign wouldn’t have them available she started stuffing them in her handbag.
For BSFW, Santana did what she does with her Moss Landing-based startup. “People tend to play it safe with chocolates,” she says. “I like to take eccentric flavors and introduce people to flavors they wouldn’t normally taste.”
More at qouign.com
Holy Rossa at Mentone
Chef/ambassador of oomph Chris Watts (formerly of Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette) did a clever zag at Wine & Swine, grilling plump seafood steaks. “Pig of the sea,” he said, smiling.
Mentone did something similar, bringing clever cocktails to pour from its slick mobile bar. It can be tough to complete with so many superlative wineries, after all.
Mentone GM Chris Sullivan and his team tapped Hi-Fis (with Lo-Fi Amaro, Birichino Pet Nat wine, and grapefruit for a floral spritz-like low alcohol sipper) and the Holy Rossa (blanco tequila, Amara Rossa, bay laurel, Fresno pepper and lime, a la a spicy margarita).
Both are currently on the menu at the Aptos restaurant. Meanwhile the cute little cocktail truck will soon be available for catering events.
“This was our first—and hopefully not last—time attending,” Sullivan says, echoing a common sentiment. “So we wanted to make a memorable first impression.”
More at mentonerestaurant.com
Baker’s Bacon at Baker’s Country Store
The other mobile operation dazzler at the biggest party of the weekend was Tony Baker’s #BaconBago.
From it they produced what he describes as an “exaggerated take” on L.A. cult hit Egg Slut’s trademark sandwich: a mason jar with creamy egg, baked tomato bacon sauce, cheesy garlic whipped potatoes, huge lardons of Baker’s Bacon, Raclette cheese mornay, pickled onion parsley salad and baguette chip.
“Naturally, with swine in the title, it’s a good fit for a guy with a bacon company who specializes in all things swine,” he says. “Following the event, we close the doors and go to bed!”
The Marina-based Country Store currently features items like fully-cooked braised beef short ribs, bacon braids, curated cured bacons and, yes, Baker’s Bacon itself, with a ton of holiday order options.
“Wine and Swine has to be one of our favorite events of the year,” he said afterwards.
He’s not alone in that thought.
More at bakersbacon.com
Artichoke chicken salad wrap at Wild Plum Food Truck
There aren’t many work sites as welcoming as Henry Miller Library, what with the books hanging from the persimmon tree growing through the decks and the meadow flanked by redwoods.
It got more welcoming with 2022’s addition of the Plumtruck, parked to feed the legion volunteers.
Along with the wraps, out flew hearty veggie sandwiches, quinoa salads, sun-dried tomato orzo and seasonal curry medleys—all available at the truck when it parks at its normal spot in Ryan Ranch.
The sweet news there: chef Pamela Burns, recruited to feed the team by volunteer chief Jennifer Haydu, is adding a brick-and-mortar spot in Ryan Ranch this spring.
But she is careful to add she’s not taking on too much.
“My goal is to put out really good food, not to take over the planet,” Burns says. “We have plans for expansion but don’t want to get too far afield. I’ve been saying for a long time that there are only so many punches on my insanity card. The Universe said, ‘Your card is full.’”
More at thewildplumcafe.com.
Triple Shot at Big Sur Taphouse
It’s not the destination…it’s a sunset sprint north in the UHaul learning how fellow logistics loco Luc Gallant crafts music “as an argument”—then the layered instrumentals hit the imagination like an Esalen massage for the eardrums.
Or a ride in the back of a logistics pickup to BSFW VP Matt Peterson’s sommelier party with Tony Perez, the youngest and most local of the nuclear squad, and a Big Sur Fire Brigade volunteer.
“I love giving back to the community,” he said as we bumped along. “I was born here. I grew up here. I love it here.”
Perez taught older dogs this triple shot trick, an uncanny combination with refreshing effects invented by Big Sur Taphouse chief Steve Mayer: 1.5 ounces of craft draft, followed by a Underberg digestif and then 1.5 of cold brew coffee from the tap.
The triple shot does not appear on the menu. Boom boom boom.
More at bigsurtaphouse.com
Crispy beef tongue at Home
It’s Friday morning in the parking lot of Big Sur River Inn General Store. Chef Brad Briske, last seen dishing ricotta gnocchi with demi-buttered chanterelles at opening night, dashes my direction.
“Do you have a leaf blower I can borrow?!” he shouts. I point to the groundskeeper blasting foliage around the adjacent River Inn. He runs off.
Next I see him we’re dropping tables, chairs and grills at Hiking With Stemware on the huge pasture next to Rocky Point. He’s now jogging from his grill to grab supplies from a nearby vehicle.
The next sighting comes at the afterparty. The blower, the pioneering snout-to-tail chef tells me, was to turbo-stoke his coals in time for a nice sear on cow tongue. Only River Inn couldn’t spare the blower.
Instead, he adds, “the Big Sur coastal winds whipped up just in time.”
In these parts, sometimes the best logistics are furnished by Pacha Mama.
Back at Home, their “most iconic California dish” on the menu, is enjoyable in the expansive garden—and now on Monday nights for the first time.
But it’s more at home in the field, he adds.
“Guests are standing in a pasture trying the tongue that tasted the grass at their feet—with anchovy aioli from the ocean an ‘arm’s reach’ away,” he says. “It doesn’t get more down-to-earth and full circle than that.”
More at homesoquel.com
Gambas a la plancha at Esteban
At populous events like Opening Night and Pinot Walkabout, clusters can crowd around all sorts of attractions—whether it’s the violinist on a trapeze, a big name chef or a frisky flavor profile that’s created a buzz.
Chef Mario Garcia’s dishes created clumps at both events for the flavor profiles, a reminder his profile will only grow locally.
After time at Sardine Factory and Roy’s at Pebble, he’s doing all sorts of mob-worthy items like El Monterey paella with prawns, calamari, mussels, clams, caviar and squid ink, one of five paellas on the dinner menu. (Meanwhile the 4:40-6pm “tapas hour” remains one of the best in town.)
The grilled gambas (aka prawns) with crispy bacon, mojo verde and chimichurri (at the opener) and the grilled lamb lollipops with citrus yogurt (at the Walkabout) were both dishes visitors felt compelled to tell others about.
As Garcia gains visibility, Esteban is gaining patio space to add fireplaces, awning areas and a stage for live music.
With events like BSFW, he likes to tinker with his go-to plates: In this case, they combined a crispy pork belly and garlic-laden gambas to introduce something new.
“We play around with things and get more experimental with flavor profiles,” he says. “We thought, ‘We do pork and prawns well [separately], let’s try mixing.’ People really responded.”
More at hotelcasamunras.com/dining
Smoked pork at Marv’s Barbecue
Marvin Green IV’s default setting is a huge grin to match the size of his brisket. Still, the smile was on triple wide at Wine & Swine.
That was partly because he had his expecting wife with him, and as an inventive recent startup had arrived in a particular way.
“To be included in an event for those causes—and featured with such amazing chefs—was just sick,” he says.
Another part of his glee was the chance to do something different than his homespun meats and sides—in this case, pork belly on handmade bao buns with hoisin-smoked pork burnt ends, pickled onions and sweet-and-sour cucumber pickles.
Then the grin gets contagious.
“I come in to bring smiles to people’s faces, to make a positive impact through food,” he says. “I believe it’s safe to say that happened on Saturday night. What a dope culinary community we have here!”
Those interested in Green’s increasingly expansive menu during the winter can set up private catering events, as he hopes to deploy a mobile cart in downtown Monterey soon, city code approval willing.
More at marvsbarbecue.com
Another definition for logistics occurred to me while readying to strike an event at Post Ranch.
Sun was prisming through a tight grove of nearby redwoods when I realized it was a fairy ring—the circle of soaring trees that sprout from the roots of the fallen redwood.
The new one-word definition for logistics: renewal.
Yes, renewal as in haul in, assemble, break down, ship out, leave little trace. Begin anew with the next event.
But also renewal through the education, conservation and healing work of the event’s beneficiaries—16 all told, including Big Sur Fire, Captain Cooper School, Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and Ventana Wildlife Society.
And renewal as in a reaffirmation of what makes the event great, and has every participant I talked with hoping to return.
BSFW president Aengus Wagner puts it in context.
“We want to put on a great event, while hoping to help, and the dream is growing as we grow,” he says. “And it grows from a desire to use connections with friends who happen to be winemakers and chefs, to share the land, in a way that respects neighbors.”
Speaking of renewal: It was Sunday when our surprisingly spry corps (corpse? core?) of lead volunteers gathered at the historic Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn to refuel.
GM/chef/longtime BSFW collaborator and event captain Matt Glazer presided over both dining room and kitchen. Conversation bounced off the vintage record collection. Coffee flowed. Mimosas materialized.
But before the parade of Benedicts—stacked with various combinations of bacon, mushrooms, sliced turkey, spinach, avocado, vegetarian sausage and spinach—could begin, we got word a group of Naval students from Defense Language Institute were arriving at the logistics gathering grounds to keep festival cleanup churning.
Welp, someone would have to receive them. Cancel the recharge.
Not so fast.
Laurie Smith, long the godmama of logistics, volunteered to head back so we could focus on food.
Only this wasn’t supposed to happen, because she wasn’t supposed to be here.
She was meant to be back home, navigating survival through a second onslaught of cancer.
Smith had hinted she might drop in if she was feeling strong enough. (Even when she wasn’t feeling up for meetings, she was still revamping logistics systems remotely, along with Reed and Mason, in the months-long runup, while managing all BSFW purchasing to boot.)
The swirl of all the activity swept attention from her hint away. When she snuck up behind Wagner and tapped him on the shoulder at Wine & Swine, tears drained, and one of those love lightning strikes that seem more common on the South Coast, and with this team in particular, hit.
“The sheer number of magic moments…” Wagner says. “It’s so hard to script all of this. You just can’t.”
More at bsfw.org
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, EMB's managing editor and "Found Treasures" columnist, welcomes responsible and irresponsible feedback. Correspond via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
