Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival a Great Success
Camarillo, CA (PRWEB) July 08, 2015 -- The 22nd annual Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival took place on Sunday, June 7 and raised over $450,000 (net) to support Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families’ valuable programs serving Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties’ abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families.
Guests were treated to a huge sampling of local sweet and savory samples, wines, brews, and specialty drinks from 85 restaurants, caterers, bakeries and specialty shops, and 185 renowned wineries and breweries from throughout the Central Coast. Guests also sampled this year’s “Best in Fest” Brewery competition winner The LAB Brewing Company’s barrel-aged oatmeal stout.
In addition to enjoying the best food, wine, and brews the region has to offer, guests also enjoyed the Festival’s exciting atmosphere with live entertainment and fabulous performances by always-a-crowd-favorite Benise, and the very popular multi-decade cover band Wes Quave. Bruce Barrios also served as the Master of Ceremonies and DJ. In addition, guests in The VIP Lounge were treated to perennial favorite band, Sound Effect, who had its own crowd of happy dancers. Festival-goers were also able to bid on the extensive silent auction’s themed baskets through this year’s new mobile bidding system.
The Festival was thrilled to have celebrity Chef Duff Goldman of the Food Network join the 5th annual Yummie Culinary Competition panel of judges, comprised of local chefs, a Master Chef Junior competitor, and a food columnist. The Yummie Culinary Competition showcased participating chefs’ entries, which were judged in either a Savory or Sweet category and based on flavor, presentation, innovation, and quality. Actor Oded Fehr, of “The Mummy” movies and other film and television productions, was also on hand to lend his wonderful skills as the emcee of the Yummie Culinary Competition. In addition to his judging role, Chef Duff and his Charm City Cakes West staff created a life-sized cake of Casa Pacifica’s beloved therapy dog, Archie, commemorating his 10th birthday. The cake was auctioned off in the silent auction to be donated back to Casa Pacifica for the children to enjoy.
The 2015 Yummie Top Chef Award Winners in the Savory category were:
1st place – Chef John Paolone of Café Firenze for his House-Cured Pancetta, with smoked charred shallots vinaigrette, frisee, and pepper pecorino
2nd place – Chef Gabe Garcia of Tierra Sur for his Ancho Braised Beef Cheek Nugget, pickled onion, jalapeno jam, and corn mash
3rd place –Chef Brandon Worrell of The Cave Restaurant who entered a Bacon Jam Canapé, with bacon jam, whipped brie cheese, compressed sour apple, and whole grain toast
The Yummie Award Winners in the Sweet category included:
1st place – Two-time winner Barry Davis, owner of Scoops in Camarillo Village Square, for his Mojito Sorbet, created with white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint
2nd place – Chef John Paolone of The Cave Restaurant for his Butterscotch “Anti-Griddle” Ice Cream with French toast sticks, chocolate cookie crumble, and vanilla bean whipped cream
3rd – Mark and Theresa Delgado of I Would Rather Be Baking for their Chambord Black Raspberry Cupcake
As a prelude to the Festival, the 2nd annual Yummie Top Chef Dinner was held on Friday, June 5. Once again hosted by the Cassar Family and presented by Pacific Western Bank, the evening featured a nine course dinner specially prepared by master chefs who were previous winners of the Festival’s Yummie culinary competition. Each course was deliciously paired with an excellent local wine, with one course paired with the “Best in Fest” brew winner. Each chef and winemaker shared information about their creation with the dinner guests during the course. Ventura County’s Sheriff, Geoff Dean, served as the master of ceremonies for the evening.
Casa Pacifica thanks returning hosts the Zarley Family, the Van Huisen Family, and Union Bank; the VIP Lounge sponsor, Wells Fargo; the Entertainment Sponsors Luners Professional Sound & Lighting and Darvik Productions; as well as all of the other generous sponsors, vendors, and volunteers, who not only made the day possible, but a great success. Casa Pacifica would also like to acknowledge Roadrunner Shuttle & Limousine for providing a Safe Ride Program available for guests to travel to and from their homes, ensuring that festival enthusiasts could enjoy their time at the Festival and arrive home safely.
For more information about Casa Pacifica and the Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival, and to see pictures from this year’s event, visit http://www.cpwineandfoodfestival.com.
About Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families
Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for abused, neglected, or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and along with its campus-based programs administers a number of community-based programs which are designed with the intent to strengthen families and keep children in their homes. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website http://www.casapacifica.org or call the Development Department at (805) 445-7800.
Valeria Velasco, Casa Pacifica, http://www.cpwineandfoodfestival.com, +1 (310) 405-0357, [email protected]
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