9th Annual West Valley Food & Wine Tour
9th Annual West Valley Fine Food & Wine Tour
(Me, Arriving at The Auto Gallery of Woodland Hills)
Wednesday night, the Porsche/Audi Auto Gallery of Woodland Hills transformed into a party venue filled with glamorous guests from across the SFV to host the 9th Annual West Valley Fine Wine and Food Tour. CEO of the West Valley Chamber of Commerce, Diana Williams, staff and committee have been working for months to make this event a success! Many of the valley’s most loved restaurants and vendors were in attendance to showcase their food and wines. Local businesses also had booths promoting their company and serving up tastes of their favorite wines. Community leaders and businessmen and women had the opportunity to experience the flavors of food and beverages from local vendors of the West Valley-Warner Center area.
(Pictured above: CEO of the West Valley-Warner Center Chamber of Commerce, Diana Williams center, Event Chair, Steve Hornstein far left, Councilman Bob Blumenfield center, with a handful of honored guests, staff and business owners)
The Food.
Local West Valley restaurants and bars like Ruth's Chris, The Villa and PF Chang’s were in attendance, serving up house specialties like Prime Rib Burgers, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Quinoa Salad and Lettuce Wraps.
Il Fornaio, a well-known Italian gem in Beverly Hills, is opening a new location at the much-anticipated Village shopping complex in Woodland Hills. I had the privilege of meeting General
Manager Joel Barajas while savoring samples of fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Il Fornaio will be offering fresh, homemade pastas and traditional Italian specialties. The Village complex opens this weekend and will be home to many exciting stores and restaurants that you already love like Costco, Williams-Sonoma, Fabletics, REI, Katsuya, and many more.
Alligator Pear Catering is a full service catering company located in Canoga Park, and I have to say that their food samples were to die for! For your next event or party call Alligator Pear for all your catering needs, and don’t forget to ask for the Short Ribs with Red Skin Potatoes!
The Drinks.
Owners of the Peasant Wine Bistro served customers tasters their family owned beer. Reps from Aldabella Winery & Tasting Room poured tastes of their Blanca Bella White Blend and Syrah. Both custom crushed and made in their Westlake Village location. Aldabella is a custom crush winery and also operates as a storage facility for wine companies and committed winos with large collections. Stella Artois goblets were passed out to all attendees to sample wine and beer at booths. Anheuser-Busch was also present in a big way offering Shock Top and Sella Artois. Logix Banking Solutions, formerly the credit union department of Lockheed Martin, poured a glorious Chardonnay from Chloe that had me coming back for more!
(Photo-op with the lovely Diana Williams, CEO of the West Valley-Warner Center Chamber of Commerce)
Sweet Tooth.
For dessert, Nothing Bundt Cakes passed around samples of their unbelievably moist and delicious Red Velvet Chocolate Chip cake with cream cheese frosting. Yum! 2X Cupcake Wars winner, Confexion Bakery, was handing out delectable mini cupcakes! Their Red Velvet is a must have, made with a hint of yummy cinnamon!
Art & Fitness.
POP! Balloons decorator/artist Ja’Net Wyatt custom made a balloon design for the event. I had never seen anything like it and WOW! did it make a statement. I was lucky enough to win a gift bag courtesy of POP! that included an engraved wine glass, a small bottle of Gallo Family Wines Chardonnay, a $25 VISA card, and fun party decorations for my next event!
For the fitness buffs, representatives from the local Equinoxx gym handed out free, All-Access, one-week trial passes to lucky customers and put on a raffle for a free month membership.
Who's Who.
Hollywood even had a presence at this shindig. I had the pleasure of meeting valley resident and businessman, Vincent Maguire, co-owner of Maguire & Hart Tax Accountants. Little did I know, Vincent is the brother of Spiderman super-star, Toby Maguire. Vincent sometimes works with his brother on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters as a producer.
A Great Success.
What a perfect way to showcase what the West Valley has to offer and a great opportunity for local businesses to network with one another! Oh, and it was a blast too! J Don’t forget to look out for this awesome event next year. Now, Valley Girls and Gals, get out there in your community, eat up and drink it in! There is so much the West Valley has to offer and you don’t have to fight traffic to find a fun place to go.
Sincerely,
The Winey-Foodie
Canden Bliss Jackson
*Some photos used in this blog were found on the West Valley Chamber's Facebook page and I do not claim they are my own; some photos are my own.
*Special thanks to soundsfishytv for creating a beautiful video showcasing the event!
(Above: Canden taking home a box of Confexion mini cupcakes
and best friend, Jacquelyn Shaw, a local West Valley Accountant)