Napa Valley Chefs to participate in Flavor Napa Valley culinary festival

Flavor Napa Valley

Lights! Camera! Action! Cut – take two: Wine! Food! Fun! That’s more like it. It’s true. Food Network stars, along with Napa Valley’s leading chefs and winemakers, will align themselves with the stars and shoot for the moon in Napa Valley this fall.

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and Silverado Resort and Spa are the places to be mid-November for rubbing shoulders with Napa Valley’s food and wine leaders. Napa Valley’s own culinary creation, Flavor Napa Valley, will feature four days of wine, food and fun in Calistoga and Napa, California.

Napa Valley Chef Thomas Keller will be at Flavor Napa Valley in November

Napa Valley High Profile Chefs

High profile chefs including Tyler Florence, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto,  Michael Chiarello,  Thomas Keller,  Jeff Jake,  Ken Frank and Cindy Pawlcyn will participate in the November 17-20, 2011 food and wine celebration.

Michael Chiarello CIA Graduate

Chiarello, a graduate of the CIA, was one of the catalysts involved in the creation of Flavor Napa Valley.

“A signature event in Napa Valley was long overdue,” said CIA graduate and Bottega Chef and Owner Michael Chiarello.

Proceeds from Flavor Napa Valley will go to support scholarships at the CIA Greystone campus.

The four day event will launch with a welcome dinner at the Silverado Resort featuring Chef Jeff Jake, Go Fish, Mustard’s Grill and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen Chef Cindy Pawlcyn and Scarpetta Chef Scott Conant.

Friday features The Appellation Trail a Napa Valley wine tasting event at CIA Greystone.

Food and Wine Magazine hosts a lunch with Bottega Chef Michael Chiarello on Saturday, along with cooking demonstrations and winemaker dinners at Silverado Resort.

Sunday closes with a brunch by Mill Valley’s Tyler Florence, more cooking demonstrations and wine tasting with Napa Valley’s best.

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto will be cooking at Flavor Napa Valley

Napa Valley Food and Wine on Twitter

Social media types may follow Flavor Napa Valley and participating chefs on Twitter and follow Nancy D. Brown on Twitter, too.

Chef Michael Chiarello

Chef Tyler Florence

Chef Ken Frank La Toque

Chef Jeff Jake, Silverado Resort & Spa

Chef Thomas Keller

Iron Chef Masahura Morimoto

Chef Cindy Pawlcyn

What are your “Must Do” events in Napa Valley, California?

If You Go:

Purchase Tickets for Flavor Napa Valley

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Best Things to See and Do in Napa, California

Chef photo courtesy of James Carriere. Photos of Thomas Keller and Masaharu Morimoto by Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown.

Napa

Are you environmentally-aware? Do you recycle, carpool, use a clothes line, grow your own garden and shop locally? If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ll want to attend BART Blue Sky Festival. It takes place the day before Earth Day, on Thursday, April 21, 2011 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco and it is FREE.

Get great environmental information and giveaways from dozens of eco-exhibitors, healthy and organic food samples and listen to live music by the Venusians!

Get a BART Blue Sky Passport at the festival, fill it with stamps from six festival exhibitors and redeem it for a free $6 BART ticket. The first 5,000 people who turn in a completed passport will get a free $6 BART ticket right at the festival!

All stamped passports will be entered in a drawing to win one of two Giant Expressway 2 folding bikes. Official rules available at the festival. Folding bikes are allowed on all trains – BART bike rules.

BART Blue Sky Story – Enter & Win

Tell BART your Blue Sky Story and you could win BART tickets up to $500. Submission deadline for the contest is Monday, May 9, 2011.

BART Blue Sky Festival Environmental partners

Rentalic http://www.rentalic.com/

This San Mateo-based company is leading the way in the new sharing economy.  Do you have a snowboard or snow chains sitting in your garage taking up space? List them on http://www.rentalic.com/ and generate some income from renting your stuff. What if you need a tent or backpack for that camping vacation this summer? Find it on rentalic. Now how earth-friendly is that?

City of San Francisco Department of Environment  www.sfenvironment.org/drivingalternatives

BikeLink/eLock  http://www.bikelink.org/

Breathe California  http://www.breathecalifornia.org/

City Car Share http://www.citycarshare.org/

Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture  http://www.cuesa.org/

EarthShare California http://www.earthshareca.org/

Greenbelt Alliance http://www.greenbelt.org/index.shtml

TMASF Connects www.tmasfconnects.org/

Walk Oakland/Bike Oakland  http://www.walkoaklandbikeoakland.org/

GreenCitizen   http://www.greencitizen.com/

Rock n’ Socks http://www.rocknsocks.com/

ZipCar   http://www.zipcar.com/

BAAQMD  http://www.baaqmd.gov/

Alameda Bikes http://www.bartbikestation.com/

Metropolitan Transportation Commission http://www.mtc.ca.gov/

City of Oakland – Environmental Services  http://www.bshuttle.com/

Eucalyptus Magazine www.eucalyptusmagazine.com/

Rickshaw Bagworks http://www.rickshawbags.com/

Bay Nature Institute  http://www.baynature.org/

Sun Power Corporation  http://usa.sunpowercorp.com

Clipper Card  http://www.clippercard.com/

SF Municipal Transportation Agency http://www.sfmuni.com/

Living Green Design Solutions  http://www.livinggreendesignsolutions.com/

Green Jobs Network  http://www.greenjobs.net/

Premier Organics www.premierorganics.org/

Alter Eco Organic and Fair Trade Dark Chocolate  http://www.altereco-usa.com/

Vasquez Coffee www.vasquezcoffee.com

Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance www.commute.org

Jamba Juice www.Jambajuice.com

PG&E www.pge.com

Capitol Corridor www.capitolcorridor.org

UC Berkeley Extension www.unex.berkeley.edu

Habitat for Humanity www.habitatgsf.org

Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation www.bauersit.com

Lyngso Garden Materials http://www.lyngsogarden.com/

Bio Pac Cleaning Products www.bio-pac.com

What are your favorite things to do in San Francisco, California?

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Stop and smell the flowers in this Mill Valley, California neighborhood

Welcome to the Neighborhood, A Series About San Francisco Neighborhoods
About the author. Dianne Admire is the co-owner of San Francisco company Carried Away. Carried Away offers private, custom, experiential tours of San Francisco and the Bay Area for up to 4 people. Dianne and her business partner Vikki Garrod (a.k.a. The Ladies of Carried Away) are known for their insider’s knowledge of the Bay Area, especially San Francisco and Marin. To book one of their sights, food, wine, or shopping outings you can contact them at www.CarriedAwaySF.com. If you want to explore Marin, ask for the ”Northern Exposure” outing.

Mill Valley
In our fourth installment of the “Welcome to the Neighborhood” series, we’re heading North over the Golden Gate Bridge to one of Marin County’s iconic towns – Mill Valley. While technically not a San Francisco neighborhood, we believe the bridge is just a mental barrier that once overcome, opens up another neighborhood – and world –  for visitors and locals alike.
And that other world is just right there.  According to google maps, the drive time between the Marina in San Francisco and the center of downtown Mill Valley is less than 20 minutes. To put that in perspective, that’s the same amount of time it takes to get to the Mission from the same spot.
The close proximity of Marin County to San Francisco adds a perfect counterpoint to the “city” experience. We like to think of them as a package deal – each strengthening the appeal of the other.  It’s wonderful that these two places exist side-by-side, offering a bounty of city and natural pleasures; next time you’re visiting San Francisco, extend your footprint by just a smidge and you’ll be richly rewarded.
With that, here are our insider tips for things to do in Mill Valley, a straight-out-of-central-casting town that is watched over by the 2,751 foot Mt. Tamalpais.

Old Mill Park is a true hidden gem in this Mill Valley neighborhood

EXPLORE
To start your Mill Valley exploration, we recommend checking out a couple of the natural attractions, followed by putting yourself in the center of the action:
Old Mill Park. Don’t want to go all the way to Muir Woods to see Redwoods, or just want a more intimate experience? Old Mill Park is for you! Just a few blocks from the center of downtown, Old Mill Park is a true hidden gem. Located on an historic mill site, there are towering trees, picnic facilities, play structures, and a creek. Plus, the added bonus of some spectacular homes to be seen from a level walk beyond the park area.
Outdoor Art Club. Visit this historic Bernard Maybeck building in the heart of Mill Valley to get a sense of how the town has always treasured its natural setting. The Outdoor Art Club was founded in 1902 by wives of Bohemian club members who wanted to preserve the beauty of Mill Valley, and Maybeck designed the building shortly thereafter. The club is a private women’s organization of diverse membership, but there are tours and events available to the public. Check the calendar before you go.
The Depot Bookstore and Cafe. Drink in the local scene at this bookstore/cafe. Get a seat outdoors so that you can watch the town going about its business in Depot Plaza. Sitting in that spot, you’ll have no problem imagining the former train depot, whose tracks connected Mill Valley to the ferries.

Maison Reve is the perfect Mill Valley neighborhood shop to fill your dream home

SHOP
Once you’ve had your hit of nature, there’s plenty of shopping to be had. Whether you’re a home chef, an oenophile, or a francophile, you can fill a few hours with browsing. Here are a few of our favorites:
Maison Reve.  If you “dream in French”, then this is the perfect place to source items for your dream home. The furniture, objet d’art, architectural pieces are either from France or look like they are. And we’re not talking Louis IV France, more like farmhouse France. Yasmin, the shop owner, holds events in the store and also puts on a “French Flea Market” from time to time, so you might want to plan your visit around that.

Since Tyler Florence moved to Marin, he has been making his mark in the Bay Area. Visit his store in Mill Valley.

Tyler Florence is in the neighborhood

Since Tyler Florence moved to Marin, he has been making his mark on the Bay Area. His shop in Mill Valley was a great addition to the town. You’ll find new and vintage culinary and decorating items for the heart of your home, as well as fantastic cook books. The reading room in the back of the store – with comfy chairs and a fireplace – may grab you and never let you go.
Vintage Wine & Spirits. We just love a wine shop that carries everything from an $18 Prosecco to a $900 Cab (just browsing, naturellement). Wine lovers will happily get lost in this shop, but if you need guidance, the staff is knowledgable and super helpful regardless of your budget.

EAT
It’s best to go casual in Mill Valley, and to eat in restos that take advantage of the local, organic, healthy(ish) ethos that Marin is known for:
Small Shed Flatbreads. What wouldn’t we order on the menu here? All of the flatbreads are delicious. We like the Shhhh! but if you don’t like clams, there are over 10 flatbreads to choose from. Order up a few, plus a salad (we like The Wedge and the Bolinas Beat) and you are set for a Mill Valley-style meal you’ll want to come back for.
Charlie Hong Kong. “Organic Asian Street Cuisine”. When we heard this, we were one of the first to line up, and we weren’t disappointed. There’s a tiny dine-in space; if it is a nice day order your meal to go and enjoy your Gado Gado in Depot Plaza or Old Mill Park.
Joe’s Taco Lounge. It might be fair to call this a Mill Valley institution. We’ve been going here for 20 years, usually after a little jaunt around the trails of Mt. Tam. Joe’s is situated on Miller, outside of the downtown area, making a good stop on your way into or out of Mill Valley. Grab a seat at the counter, and order the fish or crab tacos. There may be a wait, but the staff handles the crowd perfectly.

Beer is brewed on site at Mill Valley Beerworks

Drink
If you want to cap off your day of exploring in Mill Valley with a little happy hour, here are two of our favorite places to unwind:
Piazza D’Angelo. Everyone shows up here – old people from the Redwoods retirement village down the street, young couples with babies, singles looking to mingle, you name it. Sit in the bar area at the front of the restaurant with a glass of Prosecco and watch the foot traffic go by and ponder your next trip to Mill Valley.
Mill Valley Beerworks. We don’t know what took so long for a place like this to open in Mill Valley. It is just perfectly “Marin” – from the interior to the crowd (lots of bicyclers) to the menu. Beer is brewed onsite, plus there’s a huge selection of imported beers. For something different, we love their brewed-on-site Botanical Series (made with juniper berries and bay leaf) and their barley wine. Both are great with the fresh and interesting small plates and boards.

What is your favorite neighborhood in Marin? What are your favorite things to do in Mill Valley, California?

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Mill Valley