LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Greg Cole, Traci Dutton, Ken Frank, and Peggy King will judge the second annual Cattails & Tules Wine & Food Pairing Festival, a major fundraiser for the Konocti Regional Trails and Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association.
The event, which pairs food from local restaurants with award-winning wines from Lake County, will be held Saturday, June 16, at Gregory Graham Winery and Vigilance Winery & Vineyards in Lower Lake.
Greg Cole is the executive chef and owner of Celadon and Cole's Chop House, both located in historic downtown Napa.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, Greg and his wife and business partner, Beth Fairbairn, opened the award-winning Celadon in 1996, and Cole’s Chop House in 2000. In 1998 Greg was selected as one of the 24 "hottest young chefs" in America by the Wine Spectator magazine.
Traci Dutton is the sommelier and beverage manager for The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, located in St. Helena.
Dutton is responsible for selecting and purchasing wine, creating wine lists, menus, and food and wine pairings, and staff training for all components of the CIA Greystone campus, including the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, the Professional Wine Studies Program, and Special Events. Her imaginative wine lists at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant have won numerous awards.
Ken Frank, the executive chef and owner of La Toque in Napa, is entirely self-taught. He began his career at age 16 with a dishwashing job in France, and quickly worked his way through the kitchen ranks to become a successful chef at a very young age.
In 1979 he opened the original La Toque on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood at age 23. In 1998 Ken decided to pursue his dream of moving to Napa Valley, where he opened a new La Toque in Rutherford. In 2008, La Toque moved to the new Westin Verasa in downtown Napa.
Cookbook author Peggie King joined the healthy food revolution with her first cookbook, entitled “Fit Food for Foodies.” Her simple recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. Peggie has prepared her unique recipes for local community winery events featuring healthy lifestyle foods paired with local wines. Peggie’s “day job” is in environmental consulting.
Cattails & Tules will be held on June 16th from noon to 3 p.m. and will showcase local restaurants and chefs as they pair Vigilance and Gregory Graham wines with their creative cuisines.
The panel of judges will evaluate the pairings in four different categories: best presentation, most creative, best of show and best use of local products. Guests will vote on a special fifth category, "Consumers’ Favorite Wine & Food Pairing."
Tickets may be purchased at Shannon Ridge, Vigilance, and Gregory Graham Tasting Rooms, online at www.cattailsandtules.com or by calling 707-998-9656.
The price for the event is $40 per person, and proceeds will go towards the Konocti Regional Trails and Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association.