Food Events 8/1 to 8/5

Bruce Aidells

Food Cycle
Aug. 1 (Wednesday)
Sonoma State grad Adam Williams and Leah Heyman are bicycling 4,500 miles across the USA from Maine to California to raise awareness about sustainable lunch programs and connections between organic farms and public schools. On August 1, Cotati’s Redwood Café will welcome FoodCycle to Sonoma County, and give Adam and Leah a chance to talk about what they’re doing and why, and to share their adventures on the road. The riders started on April 21 in Brunswick, Maine and holds a degree in Environmental Studies from SSU. Find out more about their journey at http://foodcycleus.com/. For updated details on the time and event, visit http://www.facebook.com/redwoodcafe.cotati Redwood Cafe, 8240 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati, 795-7868.

Eggs on the River Eggfest
Aug. 4 (Saturday)
Nope, this event isn’t actually about eggs. It’s an a celebration of BBQ cooking on a strange-looking contraption called The Big Green Egg. Confused? Part barbecue, part smoker, part ceramic cooker, these odd-looking grills have a huge following of barbecue enthusiasts who cook up everything from pizzas to meatloaf on their Eggs. For the second year, Stumptown Brewery (15045 River Rd., Guerneville, 869-0705) hosts an Eggs on the River Eggfest (August 4, 2012), a cookoff with 18 of the Eggs fired up and ready to cook onsite. It’s BYO food with amateur eggists doing their thing from 10am to 4pm. Throughout the day, check out demos and snack on food made by contenders. More details and registration at winecountryeggs.com . Tickets $20 per person, $35 per couple. http://www.winecountryeggs.com/

West of the West
8/3 to 8/5
Sonoma’s best-known coastal wineries (think Littori, Merry Edwards, Paul Hobbs, Peay and LIOCO) gather for the West of the West Wine Festival August 3-5, 2012. Held in Occidental, the three day event will feature some of the most acclaimed Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Syrahs on the market today. Most of the events are sold out, but a few tickets remain for welcome dinners and the Sunday grand tasting. Other wineries include Flowers, Anthill Farms, Heintz Ranch, Marimar Estate, Siduri, Hirsch, MacPhail, Patz & Hall, and Wind Gap. Star-studded enough for ya? Sunday Grand Tasting, 1-4pm, $125.

Meaty Discussion with Bruce Aidells
8/5 (Sunday)
America’s Meat Guru, also known as local meat legend Bruce Aidells, will hosts a meaty discussion at the bucolic Windrush Farm in Petaluma on Aug. 5, 2012. He’ll give a preview of his forthcoming book, The Great Meat Cookbook, helping cooks of every level create meaty recipes that are big on flavor without necessarily beating up your budget.

Part of Berkeley’s original Gourmet Ghetto, he’ll share stories about the people and places that helped define how we eat today. With him will be Michele Anna Jordan, best known for her popular columns about the food and wine lifestyle in the Press Democrat.

Yanni’s Sausage Grill will be serving sausage, along with Lagunitas beer and wine. Readers Books will have Bruce and Michele’s books for sale and for signing. 2-5pm, The event is offered on a sliding scale, from $40 to $60, free for children 12 and under and is a benefit for the Sonoma County Book Festival. Tickets are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/258915