Going Into Labor (Day)

the tablehopper | 2:47 pm | May 21, 2008 | Foodie 411

Before planning a Labor Day weekend BBQ or picnic, keep in mind a couple big events that are coming up. (And of course food and wine are involved.) First, San Francisco is hosting Slow Food Nation (Aug. 29–Sept. 1, 2008), transforming San Francisco’s Civic Center and Fort Mason, as tens of thousands of local citizens and visitors, farmers and food artisans, political leaders, environmental advocates and health-care experts, educators and artists, and parents and children gather to experience the largest celebration of food San Francisco has ever witnessed.

From the press release, “The first-ever event of its kind in America, Slow Food Nation will present a range of events and activities for all ages, including a farmers market showcasing hundreds of California growers and artisan producers, tastings and feasts, chef’s demonstrations, an urban farm, a music festival, a major conference on food values, social justice and the environment, and workshops, forums, films and interactive exhibits, all highlighting food that supports an agricultural system that is good, clean and fair.

“The world’s most pressing questions regarding health, culture, the environment, education, social justice and the global economy are all deeply connected to the food we eat and how it is produced. By creating a framework for a deeper environmental connection to our food, participants will learn how everyday choices affect our well-being, our culture and the health of the planet.”

The four-day event will feature:

• Food for Thought: Wendell Berry, Marion Nestle, Carlo Petrini, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Vandana Shiva, Alice Waters and many more will share their vision for a good, clean and fair food system. Forums, workshops, film screenings and participatory panels for all will further the discussion.
• Marketplace: A vibrant showcase of hundreds of local and sustainable growers and artisanal producers featuring fresh, seasonal produce and foods.
• Taste Pavilion: Savor hundreds of American artisanal foods, including meats and cheeses, olive oils, breads, pickles and chutneys, jams and honeys, microbrews, wines, and more. Taste workshops will provide an in-depth gastronomical experience.
• Green Kitchen: Using local, fresh ingredients, master chefs share their secrets for creating simple and green gastronomical delights.
• Victory Garden: A vital and diverse urban farm to be planted by the community in the heart of the city.
• Slow On the Go: Famed street food from the kitchens of new immigrant cultures, displaying the rich diversity of culinary traditions in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Seat at the Table: Dinner for 500 around the Victory Garden to celebrate urban-rural partnerships.
• Changemakers Day: In collaboration with Roots of Change, hundreds of nonprofit leaders and activists will convene to share best practices, learn new approaches and inspire a new generation of ideas.

In addition, Slow Food Nation will host a music concert and offer slow dinners at renowned restaurants, slow journeys throughout the Bay Area and slow hikes to explore the agricultural landscapes that support this region. Visit www.slowfoodnation.org.

Not going away for Labor Day? Perhaps a trip to wine country is what’s needed. Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is also over Labor Day weekend (August 29–31), when all of Sonoma County’s 13 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) such as the Russian River Valley, Carneros and Alexander Valley, plus prominent local chefs and artisan companies, will come together in one central location for a weekend-long celebration of wine and food.

A winemaker lunch will be hosted that Friday, August 29, and a winemaker dinner Saturday night, August 30, at several prominent wineries, including Dutton-Goldfield, Ferrari-Carano, Gallo Family Vineyards and Francis Ford Coppola, where guests can meet the actual winemakers in an intimate setting. Saturday afternoon is the main tasting event with over 110 wineries, 60 chefs and several other local artisan companies at MacMurray Ranch (normally closed to the public) from 11am–4pm. (You can purchase and order wines you tasted, available to take on the spot or shipped direct.) Sunday is the Harvest Wine Auction at Cline Cellars. Proceeds directly benefit local charities for students, children, farmworkers and people in need.

• Pricing: Main Event, Taste of Sonoma: $150 general admission, $125 winery club members, $95 VISA signature cardholders, $75 Sonoma county residents. Winery lunches: $75. Winery dinners: $160. Harvest wine auction: $750. For more information about Sonoma Wine Country Weekend or to purchase tickets, please visit www.sonomawinecountryweekend.com or call 800-939-7666.

Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.