Farm-to-Table Fun in The Vineyard

Phil Maddux, Winemaker

There's something so romantic about vineyards, don't you think? My partner, Jon, and I attended a wonderful six-course farm-to-table meal held in a local vineyard recently. Granite Bay, restaurateur and chef, Irie Gengler, partnered with local vintners, Phil & Jill Maddux, in a fabulous feast of locally grown and raised culinary delights. On a Sunday afternoon we toured the vineyard atop a majestic hill in the rolling countryside of South Auburn then tasted wines before taking our seat at the 50-foot-long table set outdoors on a beautiful autumn day. Herbs and arugula from the chef's own garden accompanied a rich array of produce from local orchards, farms, and ranches in Placer County, CA. The elegant menu artfully described each course noting where the produce came from. Free range beef, pork, and lamb from Sinclair Family Farms in Penryn were paired with kabocha squash, walnuts, chocolate persimmon, yuzu citrus, jujube, and pears from Otow Orchards and Pine Hill Orchards in Granite Bay and Loomis. Other ingredients including locally grown cippolini onions came from Twin Brooks in Newcastle. Each course was paired with a wine selection from Lone Buffalo Vineyards.There was something for everyone tastes!

Deb & Jon at Lone Buffalo Vineyards

Many happy diners we met that day were from Granite Bay and were familiar with Irie's talents having eaten at his restaurant, Source Global Tapas. Allison and Lauren, who work for HP and sat next to me said that Irie is well-known for his purple mashed potatoes which were served with the Rosemary Skewered Lamb with White Pomegranate-Soy Glaze. The soup was an Almond Wood Rotisserie Chicken in a Kabocha Squash Soup with Chive Oil - delicious! I loved the salad of arugula, candied walnuts, chocolate persimmon, blistered red peppers, a light whole grain mustard vinaigrette, and served with something I absolutely love on top - marigold petals! I love edible flowers - there is something so joyful about eating the vibrant color and delicateness of flower petals. I don't have a garden yet and must admit I experience edible flowers difficult to find even at the farmer's market. 

Arugula Salad - Photo: Deb Jordan

The meal just got better and better. The 4th course of Spiced Paella Pan Seared Beef and Pork Meatballs on a Bed of Braised Cippolini Onion and Fingerling Potatoes was so good I didn't even get a photo of it before it vanished! However, the 5th course was the pièce de résistance! At least for me, oh my, I still can remember the tenderness of 3 Hour Yuzu and Sasparilla Braised Beef Short Ribs on a Bed of Spaghetti Squash - yummm! I learned something, as I usually always do, that we have in our county an orchard that grows the Japanese citrus known as "yuzu". Yuzu is used to make a sauce called ponzu which I adore. This, I thought, was a hard-to-get ingredient in my area but not so. 

3 Hour Yuzu & Sasparilla Braised Beef Short Ribs/photo Deb

It's so much fun meeting new people, making new connections, and sharing good food! From my experience of Irie's artistry I know that I can't miss a visit to his restaurant soon. Everyone at the event received two coupons for appetizers at Source and Jon and I are looking forward to redeeming ours in the near future. The restaurant's blog says, "If you know anything about the team at Source, you know that It's the farm-to-table, direct from-the-grower concept that inspires and fuels us." It is so wonderful to see this farm-to-table movement take off supporting communities in their sustainability as well as encouraging people to eat more in sync with the season. There is something so natural and simple about seasonal cuisine. 

Lone Buffalo Vineyards - Viogner/photo: Jon Haass

Jill and Phil of Lone Buffalo are so passionate about their venture and I watched them thoroughly enjoying themselves at this event, sampling the food as they could in between courses. Lone Buffalo produces eight distinct wines including unique wines such as Tempranillo, Tawny Port, and Petite Sirah and produce about 1,400 cases of wine each year. Even daughter, Jocelyn Maddux, who does Marketing and PR for this boutique-vintner family has begun to make wine under her own label: jBrand. Jocelyn spoke to the crowd just before the sixth course thanking everyone for attending and encouraging them to support their local farmer's market. The Lone Buffalo vineyard, part of the Placer County Wine Trail, was planted 10 years ago and is a lovely place to visit with a tasting room that is open Friday-Sunday Noon-5 pm. 

50-foot-long table Lone Buffalo Vineyards/photo: Jon Haass

Don't forget, all you fellow locavores,  you don't want to miss the Mountain Mandarin Festival coming up November 18-20 at the Gold County Fairgrounds in Auburn.

For more information about local grown: Placer Grown

Love to you all, eat well, and be happy!

Deb 

Jill Maddux, Irie Gengler, Phil Maddux, Jocelyn Maddux