Heart of Sonoma Valley this ?weekend; Sonomans win big in Napa; McDonald’s crazy news; Food warnings; Film Festival Food Film Festival food guide

Now that everyone has recovered from St. Patrick’s Day, if you partook at all, the Glen Ellen and Kenwood wineries, which call themselves the “Heart of Sonoma Valley,” offer a big sampling weekend this Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22.

The event is called “Savor Sonoma Valley” – well at least part of it. Twenty wineries will offer tastes of their 2014 vintage from barrels and new releases, and will pair them with local foods for your tasting delight.

Glen Ellen wineries participating include Benziger Family Winery, Eric Ross, Little Vineyards, Loxton Cellars, and Mayo Family. Kenwood area wineries that will pour include B Wise, Chateau St. Jean, Deerfield Ranch, Imagery, La Rochelle, Ledson, Muscardini, Naked Wines, Orpheus, Paradise Ridge, St. Anne’s Crossing, St. Francis, Ty Caton and VJB. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. $65 a person for weekend includes logo glass, $20 designated driver, $50 Sunday only. Contact heartofsonomavalley.com or call 431-1137 for tickets.

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Reminder: More than 90 cheesemakers will offer tastes (and some cookbooks) at the Artisan Cheese Festival in two tents outside the Sheraton Sonoma County hotel on Lakeville Road in Petaluma this Saturday and Sunday. Of course, they will be joined by many brewers and winemakers galore.

Sunday will bring a delish sounding Bubbles & Brunch before the Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace on March 22. Enjoy a sit-down three-course brunch and cheese-centric cooking demos by the winery’s executive chef Erik Johnson. Brunch $115 includes early entry to Marketplace. Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace, $45 adults, $20 children under 12. Admission includes insulated tote bag and logo wine glass. Brunch 9 to 11 a.m. Marketplace noon to 4 p.m. More events info at artisancheesefestival.com.

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Bulletin:

The Last Wednesday Food Group will not meet next Wednesday due to opening night at the Sonoma International Film Festival. Instead, we will meet Thursday, April 2, at Readers’ Books. Paperback copies of M.F.K. Fisher’s “How to Cook A Wolf” are only $16.95, minus our 15 percent discount. If you feel like it, cook one of the easy and inexpensive recipes in the book and bring something to share. 7 p.m. 130 E. Napa St., Sonoma. 939-1779.

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While it is very much open and thriving, Sheana Davis has listed The Epicurean Connection shop for sale so that she and fiancé Ben Sessions can offer more cheesemaking classes and cheese and wine pairing demos at other sites. They kicked off this week with a Cheesemaking Class and Wine Tasting with The 49er Foundation Winter Fest at Squaw Creek as guests of the York family. For the foundation’s auction, Ben donated wines from his private collection including some made by his late father, Bob Sessions, at Hanzell. Soon Sheana takes off for New Orleans to host cheese classes and seek out new products from N.O. chefs.

Between tastes of her new buffalo milk gelato flavors and other new arrivals at The Epicurean Connection, Sheana will serve as a consultant to help set up a specialty cheese and gourmet foods shop at the Pont Reyes Seashore Lodge in Olema.

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Richard and Susan Idell recently hosted their annual spring tasting of cult chardonnays made from their Michael Mara Vineyard, co-developed with the famed winemaker and vineyardist Steve Matthiasson. Most of the winemakers were there presenting chardonnays made by Broc Cellars, Chaname Wines, Idell Family, Iconic Wine, Kesner, Mattiasson Wines, Doug Mo’s MoWines, Rowland Tebb Wines, Scholium Project, and Young Inglewood Vineyards.

The Idells, their daughter, Elena, Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson, Todd Rowland and Stephen Tebb, Chris Brocway, Doug Mo, Mark Simon of Young Inglewood Vineyards, Brad Smith of Silenus, Maria DiRiggi and Kristen Dyer of Hamel Family Wines, Ian Blessing and Danielle of the girl & the fig, Paul Berg of Santé Restaurant, Hanna Teitelbaum, John Keiser, Daedalus Howell and I all tasted divine wines and spat them, as usual, into the Idells’ roses, all of which seem to thrive on the juicing.

After the formal tasting Susan Idell served a simple salad of baby bok choy, kale and radicchio with Belfierore feta, Grove Street oranges, toasted hazelnuts, Keller Estate olive oil, and black salt, all accompanied by local cheeses such as Point Reyes Blue, Nicasio Valley Foggy Morning, Marin French Brie, Valley Ford Estero Gold, Laura Chanel Chèvre and Spanish Manchego cheeses, with her own plum gelée, apple jam and cucumber relish.

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Nancy Boerum, John Burdick and Alan Wastell were all big winners last week at the 2014 Canvas (Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma) Excellence Awards at a gala dinner and ceremony held at the Performing Arts Center at Yountville’s Lincoln Theatre.

Nancy Boerum won the Grand Prize, called the Robert Mondavi Excellence Award, as concierge at Suzanne Brangham’s MacArthur Place, a position she has held since the hotel and spa opened 16 years ago.

Sommelier and musician John Burdick won for Olive & Vine in the Culinary/Restaurant-Sonoma Category, and Alan Wastell, manager of Anaba Wines, garnered the award as best Wine Staff-Sonoma.

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With the recent success of the museum’s world-class exhibitions, educational programs, membership expansion and record-breaking attendance, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA) has just announced that Kate Eilertsen has accepted their newly created artistic director position.

Eilertsen will also retain her role as chief curator. While she has brought in unprecedented funds and attendance records, SVMA will start a nationwide search for an executive director to do fundraising.

Former SVMA exhibitor Eleanor Coppola said, “Kate’s leadership has made this the best regional museum in California.” And I say, “She had the artistic fortitude and courage to display my ‘Kitchen Memories: The Kathleen Hill Culinary Collection’ as art, for three months, attracting more visitors and new members than any exhibition to that point.”

Newly elected SVMA board President, Douglas Fenn Wilson said, “That Kate Eilertsen will take the reins as SVMA’s new artistic director is nothing less than a coup!”

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Food warnings:

Trader Joe’s has recalled most of its house label walnuts due to possible salmonella contamination.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended Costco’s permission to import fish to its Canadian stores on the basis that the “wholesale” chain is not using “adequate controls for food safety.”

Kraft Foods Group Inc. has recalled about 242,000 cases of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinners, due to the risk that they may contain small pieces of metal.

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McDonald’s crazy news:

So we hear/read/see in the news that McDonald’s has made headlines for several things lately: thinking about serving only non-GMO non-antibiotic chicken and possibly offering kale some year. Then comes their new commercial centered in downtown Petaluma.

The ad is for egg white breakfast sandwiches. Why Petaluma? Sonoma’s next-door neighbor to the west used to be the Egg Basket of the country, maybe even the world, and still hosts a short Butter & Egg Days Festival once a year on Kentucky Street.

So it made sense to Mickey D’s ad agency to capitalize and tie the egg white sandwich to Kentucky Street. The only thing is, the nearest McDonald’s is about a mile away on North McDowell and has nothing to do with Kentucky Street. As of last Wednesday, the day after the ads first ran on television, no crowds had formed outside the antique stores, the Irish pub, and Topsy’s restaurant, where, incidentally, I enjoyed a delightfully light veggie-egg scramble for lunch.

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Next week: Easter and Jewish winemakers