Taste of Santa Cruz Food and Wine Festival Features Best from Farm to Table

Free public event showcases seasonal produce and local wines; event takes place on March 7 in downtown Santa Cruz, CA. The event is sponsored by Culinary Alliance of Santa Cruz County, a new association of food and wine professionals.

SANTA CRUZ, CA (PRWEB) February 24, 2004 --At the beginning of March most people are biding their time waiting for winter to change into spring. The weather in Santa Cruz County can be dreary and ho-hum. Lethargy sets in, and people's creative culinary juices flow extremely slowly. Why not give folks a few new ideas to get excited about? That's the premise behind the Culinary Alliance of Santa Cruz County's (CASCC, "cask" - http://www.culinarysantacruz.com) first Taste of Santa Cruz event.

Themed "March Kitchen Comforts: Seasonal bites, tips and sips from local culinary professionals," this free public event will take place (rain or shine) from 1 to 4 p.m. in the breezeway of the Cooper House building on the Pacific Garden Mall in downtown Santa Cruz. The building is located at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street.

Part of a series of quarterly CASCC public activities to be held throughout the county, the March 7 event will feature some of the Santa Cruz region's best, including: Apple Lane Inn, Gabriella's Café, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Mariquita Farm, Pelican Ranch Winery, Ristorante Avanti, Theo's Restaurant and Sand Rock Farm.

Chefs, farmers, winemakers and restaurateurs will be providing food and beverage samples, as well as information on how to enjoy the local bounty. There will also be a fun interactive table to introduce people to seasonal root vegetables that they may not be familiar with.

Like future Taste of Santa Cruz events, this first one will certainly offer ideas and knowledge to inspire the public's palate for more seasonal fresh foods and local flavors.

What is CASCC?
The Culinary Alliance of Santa Cruz County is a new food professionals organization that formed in autumn 2003. Dedicated to promoting and advancing the regional food scene, CASCC involves a diverse group of individuals and businesses. Among the growing membership are restaurateurs, chefs, retailers, farmers, winemakers, bakers, food artisans, innkeepers and writers.

For too long, the Santa Cruz region has been overlooked as a culinary destination, yet it has some of the world's best food and wine resources. CASCC is working to build recognition and a substantive food culture for the region. To that end, current CASCC initiatives include:

- http://www.CulinarySantaCruz.com, a new web portal for all things culinary in Santa Cruz.

- "Taste of Santa Cruz" events to showcase local professionals, products and businesses.

- A public education and information campaign on the region's culinary resources, products and services.

For more information, call (831) 457-0243 or visit: http://www.culinarysantacruz.com.