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Occasional formal gatherings of a loose-knit group of friends to wine and dine can be great fun. And a small local contingent of such folks now have been having such fun for 50 years. Our fifty (ah, so appropriate) current members of the Pasadena Wine & Food Society recently gathered at Valentino Restaurant to celebrate our branch's founding exactly 50 years ago, in November 1954. In that our first gathering was for "An Italian Dinner . . . ." at Pasadena's Piccadilly Restaurant, this year's "Epicurean Tour of Italy" at Valentino was an appropriate bookend. The dinner, chaired by Chuck Livingstone, honored nine of our longest-tenured members for their quarter century or more involvement. But the highlight of the evening was the awarding of the International Wine & Food Society André Simon Bronze Medal to two of our best and brightest leaders: John Penido and Bob Farmer. Both were honored for "extraordinary leadership over a significant period of time". All in all, it was a wonderful evening.
The 2004-2005 season continues on the 7th of February 2005, and then follows with two additional scheduled dinner events , on 11 April and 23 May. We'll announce particulars about those events soon.
Last season was a real winner. We started with a superb Sauternes tasting at Caltech's Athenaeum in September. Bill Blatch, an Englishman living in Bordeaux and the owner of the Bordelais negociant company, Vintex, led a wide-ranging tasting of Sauternes and Barsac, including the recently released Ch. d'Yquem 1998.
The first dining event of the 2003-2004 season, in November, chaired by John Webb and hosted by international restaurateur, Joachim Splichal, was held at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse in Los Angeles. The meal was accompanied by a sterling line-up of wines: Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay 2002, Ch. Beaucastal Chateauneuf du Pape 1995. Chateau Latour Bordeaux 1990, and Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995. John puts on a good show.
Next up was a delightful meal, on a rainy February night, at Grace Restaurant, also in Los Angeles. James Van de Voorde chaired one of the season's most popular meals, which featured a delightful crab salad paired with a Treana Marsanne-Viogner and a bacon-wrapped saddle of rabbit matched with a South African Pinotage.
We returned "home" in March to a dinner and tasting at the Pasadena-based Smith Brothers flagship restaurant pair – Parkway Grill and Arroyo Chophouse. Steve Higginbotham chaired a tasting menu that compared Paso Robles Wines from Robert Hall Winery with their grape counterparts from France. Steve arranged for winemaker, Don Brady, to discuss and compare the wines. It was a most successful evening.
Our annual Spouses event took place in May of this year, at the Bel-Air Bay Club. Dinner Chairman Phil Sotel presented Chef Pierre Sauvaget, who in turned presented our members and wives with a beautifully planned all-French menu. Meanwhile, the Club, situated up high along the Pacific Coast Highway presented all of us with stunning views. Il était un diner merveilleaux.
The season concluded with another event chaired by Phil Sotel – an informal BYOB Bistro meal at Café Mundial in Old Town Monrovia. An optional event, about half of the membership, their wives, and friends joined in a less formal meal format. One highlight was dozens of different bottles of wine shifting tables over the course of the evening. Given the company, they all tasted good.
David R. Felton
President
November 2004
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