On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com
Joel Fisher - "Wine Guru" - lists Wine Events Nationwide
The wine columnist for the Culinary Connection of the Chefs de Cuisine Association of California. He was a Contributing Editor of Patterson's Beverage Journal. From 1999 to 2006 he was a wine instructor for the Culinary Arts Department of the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles and is a founding partner of the educational Wine Vine and Dine, which conducts programs throughout CA. WRAP UP OF LA WINE FEST THIS PAST WEEKEND
Terry Hall - Napa Valley Vintners Communications Director WRAP UP
Auction Napa Valley - The American Wine Classic June 4 - 7, 2009 - Sometimes it's all in the numbers, like a well-played Tarot reading. In 2009, Auction Napa Valley celebrates 29 years of incredible community fundraising. And as fate would have it, our own "Route de Grand Cru," Highway 29, is the thread of highway that binds us all together, one jewel box village to the next...and maybe the health benefits of our wine might just be our secret fountain of youth, allowing all who venture here to stay forever 29. So please join our fete celebrating all things bright and wonderful from Napa Valley to you, our guests at Auction Napa Valley 2009! Join the Napa Valley Vintners and the Trefethen Family ~ John, Janet, Loren and Hailey~ the 2009 Auction chairs, during this magical time of year in Napa Valley. Auction Napa Valley, was established in 1981 by the Napa Valley Vintners to raise needed funds for healthcare, youth services and affordable housing non-profits. We have been blessed over the years to host wine lovers from both near and far, bidders who have helped shape the Auction as the premier charity wine auction in the world--this must attend event convenes the first weekend in June each year. Since that first Live Auction, held as it is today on the lawn at the beautiful Meadowood Napa Valley, we have been able to give to our community more than $85 million. Raising money for great causes can also be great fun as we offer the world-renowned hospitality of our vintners valley-wide at Auction Eve soirees, private dinners and lunches with the winemakers in their homes and wineries and the not-to-be-missed Friday Taste Napa Valley Marketplace and Barrel Auction at Robert Mondavi Winery--the consummate food and wine festival of the year.
Gina Doyle - General Manager - Tam O'Shanter Inn
Delighting diners for over eight decades, the Tam O'Shanter Inn is Los Angeles' oldest restaurant operated by the same family in the same location. It has been said that our customers are willing to dance a jig for the fine food and old world atmosphere of this cozy Tudor inn. If you've got some Scottish ancestry, you might even find your family tartan among the extensive collection which decorates the walls of our several dining rooms.HistoryIn 1922, you could crank up the engine of your Hupmobile, lurch through the dust and ruts of a country road, and arrive at a convivial old-world inn. Established by Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp, the restaurant offered hearty food and amiable service. Tom Mix, Fatty Arbuckle, Mary Pickford, John Wayne and Walt Disney and members of his studio were regulars in the early days of the "Tam." In fact, the Disney people had lunch here so often, some referred to it as the studio commissary. Times changed, and so did the Tam O'Shanter. In 1968, following a revamping of the menu and a major remodeling, the restaurant was renamed the Great Scot. As the years passed, improvements continued to be made. But the important things have stayed the same, particularly the sense of pride among everyone involved in our operation. We are especially proud of our co-workers - some of whom have given us over four decades of service. It is that spirit that has distinguished this restaurant since the day its doors first opened. It is what has kept people coming here through the years, knowing that in this place they will find something more than quality dining. And in that spirit, it seemed entirely appropriate in 1982, in honor of our sixtieth anniversary, to change the restaurant's name back once again to the Tam O'Shanter Inn. Nowadays, that dusty road where it all started is a busy city boulevard, and the rolling countryside around our inn is no longer exactly wilderness. Our inn is, however, still a convivial haven and still ours: the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles owned and operated by the same family in the same location. Today, over eighty years later, stewardship of the restaurant is in the hands of the second and third generations of the Frank and Van de Kamp families. They, like their forebears, remain "Scots by affection," offering hearty food and heartwarming drink, served with a cheerful "welcome".
"Manny" - Kelly's Roast Beef (Revere Beach Boston)
Since 1951, Kelly's Roast Beef has been delighting guests daily with its freshly prepared sandwiches, succulent seafood, crisp salads, fries, onion rings and our legendary roast beef. With our flagship walk-up window still operating on the shores of Revere Beach, Kelly's larger, suburban dine-in and drive-thru locations are reminiscent of our 1950s history, featuring carousel horses, colorful fish tanks, Revere Beach murals and boardwalk nostalgia. Kelly's Roast Beef is family-owned and operates five fast-casual eateries in Massachusetts.
Kelly's Roast Beef is the Creator of the Original Roast Beef Sandwich – before 1951, no one had ever heard of eating such a creation! Since our inception, Kelly's Roast Beef has mixed up hundreds of thousands of batches of lobster salad, cooked close to one million beef roasts and has fried millions of crisp French fries, onion rings, clams and seafood!
The top 5 most popular menu items at Kelly's Roast Beef are:
Roast Beef Sandwich - approximately one million sold per year!
Fried Clams
Fish & Chips
Lobster Roll
Hot Dog/Chicken Finger Plate
This Little Place that Started on the Beach is Now on the Map of the World
Since our 1951 Revere Beach origins, Kelly's Roast Beef has expanded to include five Massachusetts locations and we've won numerous awards including Boston's best lobster roll, renowned roast beef and tastiest clam chowder. Among our media recognition, Kelly's has gained national television attention on the Food Network's $40 a Day with Rachael Ray, PBS Special “Sandwiches You Will Like”, Saturday Night Live and on the silver screen, in Boston natives Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's movie, Good Will Hunting. Six Decades of Family Tradition and Customer Satisfaction Celebrating six decades of quality, customer service, and value, Kelly's is still a family owned and operated business that continues the original philosophy of our founders. Many of Kelly's hourly employees and managers have been with the company over thirty years! Kelly's is open 363 days a year, providing our valued customers with the quality and consistent standards they have come to expect over the years.