The Simi Valley Dream Cuisine, Polynesian Paradise, a festive evening of great food, wine and beer from the area’s finest restaurants, wineries and breweries, will take place 4-9 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13 on the spacious grounds of St. Rose of Lima Church, 1305 Royal Ave. in Simi Valley. Rev. Joseph Shea will host the evening, which will honor Norberto Lara, SFC, U.S. Army (ret.) representing the “THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT”. Featured performers will include feature a Master Choral singing a medley of patriotic songs, The Unforgettables Big Band and the Na Ho Aloha O Polynesian Dancers. Also planned are a silent auction and opportunity drawing.
“The Simi Valley Dream Cuisine is quickly becoming the premiere wine & food festival in Ventura County. Where else can you eat and drink to your heart’s content, plus enjoy entertainment, a silent auction and raffle drawing, all for one low price?” Father Shea said. “Please join us as we honor and hear the story of Norberto Lara of the Wounded Warrior Project.”
A reception for sponsors and other VIPs will be hosted from 4 to 4:45pm. Other guests with reserved tables will be admitted at 4:45pm, and general admission will be at 5:15pm.
Dinner tickets are $60 per person or $100 per couple, while a reserved table for 10 is $600. Opportunities are available for sponsorship and advertising in the full-color program.
Raffle tickets are $5 each. A book of five tickets is available for $25. Purchase two books and a third is provided free of charge. First prize in the raffle is a choice of $20,000 or a 2013 Mini Cooper hardtop, Fiat convertible, Toyota Camry, Nissan King cab truck or FLTRU Road Glide Ultra Harley Davidson. The second prize is a seven-day trip for two to Hawaii and the third prize is a 50” flat-screen television.
A free shuttle service will connect satellite parking at Royal High School and Sinaloa Middle School to the festival all day. A special hotel package featuring tickets to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is available at the Posada Royale Hotel (805-584-6300).
All proceeds from the annual Simi Valley Dream Cuisine event benefits Serving Those In Need, Inc., St. Rose of Lima Christian Service, St. Rose of Lima Parish and its grade school. Please visit our website: www.SimiValleyDreamCuisine.com.
Author John Holl - "The American Craft Beer Cookbook"
It’s no longer only about chips or burgers or wings (though they do taste great with beer!) — chefs are now taking meals to a whole new level using the complex and intricate flavors imparted by different varieties of malts, hops, and yeasts to realize the full taste potential of dishes ranging from salads to choice cuts of meat and fresh seafood.
In his new book, The American Craft Beer Cookbook, beer journalist John Holl — who firmly believes that beer pairs better than wine with a fine meal — has traveled the country and collected more than 150 recipes from breweries, brewpubs, chefs, and beer-centric restaurants that illustrate the delicious intersection on the culinary road where food and beer meet. In some cases beer is used as an ingredient, and every recipe discusses how to find that perfect pint to bring the meal to a crescendo where the complexity, depth, and breadth of a craft beer beautifully complements, contrasts with, or enhances the flavors on the plate.
From Southern Tier Brewery’s Free Range Super Pancakes to Uncommon Brewer’s Lemongrass Chicken, Trinity Brewing’s Watermelon Salad, and Harpoon Brewery’s Winter Warmer Pumpkin Pie, the recipes highlighted cover breakfast through dessert, and the breweries profiled showcase local favorites from Hawaii to Maine. The American Craft Beer Cookbook will inspire home chefs to create the perfect, melt-in-your mouth celebration of food and beer.
ROSSI RALENKOTTER - President/CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
“WHAT HAPPENS HERE, STAYS HERE”
Learn the Story Behind One of the Most Iconic Ad Campaigns in History from the Men Who Created It - PLUS: Get a Look at the Ads Premiering this Fall for the 10th Anniversary Re-Launch of One of the Most Successful Campaigns of All Time .
In 2002, two young copywriters from R&R Partners developed the tag line “What Happens Here, Stays Here” for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), creating what was to become one of the most iconic marketing and ad campaigns in history. The first television spots ran in January of 2003, and over the past 10 years, WHHSH has earned a spot in the American pop culture lexicon.
The campaign was inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame and named one of the top 10 best destination marketing campaigns ever by Forbes. The line was the genesis for the popular “Hangover” movies, has been used in multiple sitcoms and even uttered by First Lady Laura Bush to Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. Vegas is now synonymous with “adult freedom” and in 2012, the destination hit a record high of 39.7 million visitors.
JOEL GOTT - "GOTT WINES"
In 1996, Joel purchased a few tons of Zinfandel from family friend and grape grower Tom Dillian. With the help of then-girlfriend—and winemaker at Joseph Phelps—Sarah, Joel produced his first vintage of Dillian Ranch Amador County Zinfandel. The wine received praise from Robert Parker and Wine Spectator, which was all the encouragement Joel needed to produce additional varietals.
A Sauvignon Blanc followed in 1998, and the year after he and Sarah produced California appellation Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon by shopping the entire state for the best fruit, creating a wine shaped by various regions instead of a single estate. This style and commitment to quality wines blended from hand-selected vineyards helped guide the direction of Joel Gott Wines.
In 2003, 815 was added to the California Cabernet Sauvignon label to celebrate the birth of Joel and his wife Sarah’s first daughter Lucy on August 15th. That same year, Alisa Jacobson was hired as the assistant winemaker, and the following year Sarah left her position as winemaker at Quintessa to focus on a growing family and winemaking at Joel Gott Wines