Fresh Local and Sustainable

As a child, I coveted the processed foods other kids had at their homes. I wanted the boxed macaroni and cheese, the Koolaid, the canned Campbell's soups. My mother bought fresh produce and meats and cooked--and expected us to cook--from scratch. Now, of course, I'm grateful for the good start she gave us toward a lifetime of healthy eating. Society has caught up with the philosophy of eating local, sustainable and organic (when possible) food made from fresh, seasonal ingredients with even golf courses--the last bastion of traditional grill food like burgers--starting to offer veggie burgers and salads with nary a trace of iceberg lettuce.

Touring and Tasting and Buttonwood Farm Winery were among the many local businesses donating products (in our case--wine!) and time to the Santa Barbara Culinary dinner last night benefiting the Julia Child Scholarship for students at the SBCC School of Culinary Arts. Santa Barbara Culinary is a group of culinary professionals--caterers, restauranteurs, farmers, etc. and food afficionados who meet monthly for a wonderful dinner created around a theme. This month's theme was local bounty sourced from local and sustainable food producers. Bonnie Crouse has the monumental job of overseeing all procurement of food, equipment and supplies and budget management for the University of California at Santa Barbara, so last night's gala event must have been a walk in the park! More than a decade ago, Bonnie started bringing the locavore philosophy to the University--working to support local farmers, ranchers and fishermen (and women) by buying locally, with the added benefit of improving the freshness of the ingredients used for student and faculty.

We feasted on olives and cheeses from Olivos Del Mar, beef sliders and BBQ organic chicken from DeyDey's Best Beef Ever, halibut with miso ginger marinade and black cod with arugula pesto from Santa Barbara Fish Market, grilled asparagus and legume and fresh vegetable salad from Farmer Direct Produce, organic salad from Shepherd Farms, and luscious berries with Champagne-honey sabayon from The Berry Man who also donated this amazing gift basket won by raffle. UCSB Executive Chef Jaime Herrera and his team created a culinary tour de force with the fresh produce, meat and seafood.

Touring and Tasting poured Rack & Riddle Brut sparkling wine for a starter and Becky, the new marketing manager at Buttonwood Farm Winery, brought four of their lovely wines: two Sauvignon Blanc, a Malbec and a Cabernet Franc. I loved the 2010 Zingy--100% Sauvignon Blanc that was hand-harvested and slow, cold fermented, yielding a crisp, bright wine with citrus and peach flavors. The 2010 Signature Blend Sauvignon Blanc was blended with aromatic Semillon. Malo-lactic fermentation gives it a creamy texture and, though the citrus is still evident, tropical flavors of guava and passionfruit are predominant. Anyone who finds Argentinian Malbec too rugged will love the Buttonwood 2009 Malbec which has a velvety texture. It's still a bold wine with structure and jammy flavors, but without any rough edges. My favorite was the 2008 Cabernet Franc. The vintage notes remind us that 2008 was an odd year for weather with the coldest spring in 25 years. Their crop was less than half the normal volume, but the smaller quantity was carefully hand-harvested and field sorted. Cabernet Franc is one of the grapes used to blend traditional Bordeaux and has a medium body and aromatic nose. The Buttonwood Cabernet Franc was well-balanced with a minerally touch to the mix of fruit flavors.

Buttonwood Farm Winery fit perfectly into the evening's theme of local and sustainable as the founder, Betty Williams, was a proponent of organic farming long before it became fashionable. Buttonwood continues to be a careful steward of their land, using organic techniques and tending the vineyards by hand. Buttonwood also produces more than wine: peach salsa, Cabernet chocolate sauce, olive oil, Sauvignon Blanc jelly and other delectable items. The Buttonwood Farm is a destination--not just a tasting room. I missed their farm tours during April's Earth Month On the Farm, but I see they have a Crawfish Boil coming up on May 19th -- crawfish + Buttonwood wines = a winning combination!