Special events Location: Vino Locale, 431 Kippling Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
The newest and the latest goings on with Incredible Edibles is a series of Food & Wine Pairing Dinners — and this is how it all came about. It occurred to me that it is time to systematize the fragmented bits and pieces of my journey into the culinary world; at the very least, to give my life some semblance of order, substance and meaning; to perish without a trace seems unfathomable to me. Hence, the compilation of the Culinary Expressions of my Life in the kitchen. A series of events gave rise to an opportunity that inspired my new undertaking; specifically, my reconnection with my long term friend and former employee, Randy Robinson. He has recently opened a wine sales and tasting boutique in Palo Alto, Vino Locale. His shop focuses on the wines of Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries. His passion toward this wine appellation was instrumental in rekindling my long love affair with the Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Makers, professionally that is. And as a result, the idea came to me. It would be a viable premise on which to base a cookbook ~The culmination of a long love affair~the marriage between the Wines of Santa Cruz Mountains and the Incredible Edibles. Throughout the years of developing my own version of food preparation, cooking, exploring into the profound beauty of culinary diversity; the pairing of food and wine with the SCMW never occurred to me—and now it seems so logical, like taking a walk into one's own backyard, after having traveled and searched the wide reaches of the globe, to discover the most beautiful flower anyone has ever seen; and it has been there all the time, quietly maturing, evolving into a magnificent beauty, singularly, radiant, in its own light. (So it has been my experience with the Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries). And with their help, I hope to complete the full circle of my journey. The Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Makers have been so underrated,perpetually overshadowed by their more famous and established siblings in Napa Valley; and working as a chef in catering is similarly overlooked. The one advantage of not being in the lime light is that there are no set expectations, as in an established restaurant; and, along with the inherent nature of the business, it afforded me the opportunity to fully develop my chameleon like disposition; gave me the freedom to treat each event as an isolated project and the occasion to create its own thematic uniqueness. These are the essential elements that enabled me to develop a set of cooking skills that transcends established boundaries. “Tasting the rich DeRose Winery wines with the complex and intense flavors of the dishes that complemented them so well was an awesome experience.” ~ Catherine Granger, reviewing the June 2005 Wine Pairing Dinner on www.manageyourcellar.com I learned my craft well;like a wild plant sending its roots far and wide, seeking sustenance and nourishment. For the first time, I feel that I have the ability to verbalize the how's and why's of what I do, beyond cooking and feeding the masses; but to truly understand and appreciate the science and the art in the process. Transcendental cooking, or cooking Mabelesque www.manageyourcellar.com—voila. I have created this series of food and wine pairing dinners to keep myself on track with my commitment to produce a cookbook, as well as to test out my thoughts and theories on food and wine~ Please join me in my new "project"… Mabel Bialson
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