During this period, 11 restaurant and winery establishments in the Santa Maria Valley will offer everything from complimentary tastings and “buy one get one free” to 15 percent off a meal. The event dates were chosen to coincide with California Restaurant Month, a successful statewide promotion that benefits food and wine establishments during the winter season.

Participating local restaurants offering 15 percent off menu items are The Vintner’s Bar & Grill at the Radisson Hotel Santa Maria; Portabella Bar & Grill at the Holiday Inn and Suites; Gilli’s Grill & Sports Bar; Starry Sky Coffee Company; and Papa Murphy’s Take & Bake Pizza (discounts exclude tax, alcohol and gratuity). Participating wineries include Costa de Oro Winery; Cambria Winery; Riverbench Winery; Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards Tasting Room; Toccata Wines Tasting Room; and Wine Country Orcutt.

Here are some quick facts about California dining to whet your appetite:

-Thirty cities across California are hosting restaurant weeks this January.  
-California is the top destination in the U.S. for culinary travel, with visitors drawn to the rich and diverse wine and food product.
-California produces 90 percent of American wine and is one of the leading agricultural producers in the U.S.
-More than 400 agricultural crops, attracting some of the greatest chefs who enjoy creating with the freshest ingredients.  
-Last year travelers in California spent $23.1 billion on food and beverages, more than for any other spending segment and constituting 26 percent of all visitor spending last year.

So join the culinary fun and DineOut: Santa Maria Style!

During this period, 12 restaurant and winery establishments in the Santa Maria Valley will offer everything from complimentary tastings and “buy one get one free” to 15 percent off a meal. The event dates were chosen to coincide with California Restaurant Month, a successful statewide promotion that benefits food and wine establishments during the winter season.

Participating local restaurants offering 15 percent off menu items are The Vintner’s Bar & Grill at the Radisson Hotel Santa Maria; Portabella Bar & Grill at the Holiday Inn and Suites; Gilli’s Grill & Sports Bar; Starry Sky Coffee Company; and Papa Murphy’s Take & Bake Pizza (discounts exclude tax, alcohol and gratuity).

Participating wineries include Costa de Oro Winery; Cambria Winery; Riverbench Winery; Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards Tasting Room; Toccata Wines Tasting Room; Sierra Madre Vineyards and Wine Country Orcutt.

Click here for full details on the savings that await you during DineOut: Santa Maria Style!

This event features more than 100 wineries pouring tastes of their most current wines, as well as more than two dozen local chefs, caterers and specialty food purveyors showcasing fresh regional ingredients amid live music and a silent auction. Several Santa Maria BBQ specialists will be among the culinary participants, including the Hitching Post, Far Western Tavern and Susie Q’s Brand.

The festivities actually begin today as local wineries host winemaker dinners and open houses. On Saturday evening, the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum will present the Harvest Moon Dinner Dance, featuring wine, barbecue, and dancing

You may also opt to purchase a “Vintners’ Visa” for the entire weekend for $35. The 12 wineries participating in this program will “pull out the stops” for visa holders. And while you’re at it, you are encouraged to stay and play in the Santa Maria Valley for the entire weekend, so that you can enjoy scrumptious Santa Maria Style Barbecue, stunning beaches and world-class golf, among other attractions.

For tickets and information regarding Celebration of Harvest and the Vintners’ Visa, call the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association at (805) 688-0881 or visit www.sbcountywines.com.

Indeed, the Santa Maria Valley’s temperate climate and fertile soils also yield world-class wines, strawberries and produce.

So it’s fitting that the agricultural community of Guadalupe is home to the Salad Bowl Festival, an innovative celebration of “all of the produce that makes a great salad.”

The second annual Salad Bowl Festival begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 22 in downtown Guadalupe. This year’s festival will feature live entertainment, a farmer’s market, an agriculture history display, food booths, children’s activities, “cabbage bowling” and a salad dressing competition.

A “Grease & Greens” car show will showcase a variety of custom autos and motorcycles, and a preceding Friday night downtown cruise will get things rolling.

Featured bands will be Pryor Baird and The Deacons, The Hydramatics, Electric Grease and Valente Pastor. The festivities will be preceded by a half-marathon and 5k run. The event will conclude with a  barbecue.

For more information on attending or participating, visit the Salad Bowl Festival web site.

Don’t miss this festive and flavorful immersion into the agricultural bounty of Guadalupe and the Santa Maria Valley.

Indeed, barbecue isn’t the only thing that’s red hot in the Santa Maria Valley. Here, Chardonnay is just one of the many varietals that excel in the valley’s temperate coastal climate, which is shaped by a rare “transverse” geography that runs west to east and encourages the influx of cool marine breezes. The result is one of California’s longest growing seasons, which ensures the development of complex, flavorful and exquisitely balanced grapes. Which is why three wines grown in the Santa Maria Valley were named to the top ten slots of the Wine Enthusiast’s most recent list of Top 100 Most Coveted Wines.

The Chardonnay Symposium is the only event of its kind in the United States to focus on this popular varietal. The event begins on Friday with a Chardonnay clonal tasting and Santa Maria BBQ at Sierra Madre Vineyards, followed on Saturday by two educational panels at Bien Nacido Vineyard and Tantara Winery, as well as a star-studded luncheon at Au Bon Climat Winery.

The event concludes with a Grand Chardonnay Tasting at Byron Vineyard and Winery, featuring 50 wineries from Washington, Oregon, Sonoma and the Central Coast. Visit www.thechardonnaysymposium.com for information and tickets.

Barbecue and wine may get the most press, but local strawberries enjoy the spotlight every spring at the ultimate berry bash: The Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival, taking place this year from April 29 through May 1 at the Santa Maria Fairpark.

This family friendly event features strawberry varietal sampling, strawberry desserts, educational exhibits, a farmers market, cooking demonstrations, agricultural displays, wine tasting, live music, old-fashioned carnival entertainment and, of course, Santa Maria BBQ. Click here for more information.

More than 7,000 acres and 10 varieties of strawberries are grown in the Santa Maria Valley. What’s the secret to the valley’s success as one of North America’s most prolific, high-quality strawberry producers? It’s the same thing that makes the valley such a great place to live, and to grow wine, too: the uniquely moderate coastal climate.  In the words of local grower Daren Gee, “It’s rarely too hot or too cold in the Santa Maria Valley. Most of the time, we hover between 50 and 75 degrees, which is perfect for growing strawberries.”

In other words, what’s good for Syrah is also what’s great for strawberries! And the Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival is just another reminder that our region offers a regional culinary experience like no other.

On that note, you are invited to kick off your holiday season with “Flights and Bites,” a weekend celebration of food and wine pairing hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country on December 4-5.

The festivities begin on December 4 as Costa de Oro Winery, Kenneth Volk Vineyards, Riverbench Vineyard and Core Wines successively open their doors for a progressive pairing of gourmet morsels and artisan wines. The delicious fun continues on December 5 as other participating wineries welcome Flights and Bites ticket holders.

The tickets cost $25 per person, and include food and wine tasting as well as a commemorative Riedel glass. Special lodging rates are available at The Historic Santa Maria Inn, Rodeway Inn and Radisson Hotel. Just mention the event to receive your discount. And while you are here, don’t forget to dine at one of our fine restaurants specializing in Santa Maria barbecue!

Click here for tickets and more information on Flights and Bites.

As always, this festive street fair will feature a feast for the senses courtesy of local winemakers, brewers and artists. Admission is free. Optional tickets can be purchased for access to the wine and beer tasting tent. The festival unfolds along South McClelland Street near library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Live art demonstrations will be staged throughout the day. Additionally there will be youth/teen activities including carnival games, a petting zoo, craft projects and a Chalk Art Expose. This year’s event will also feature a car show, live entertainment, delicious food (including Santa Maria barbecue, of course!), and wine and beer tasting from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For more information on the Autumn Arts Grapes & Grains Festival, call the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department at (805) 925-0951 ext. 260.

Needless to say, Santa Maria Style Barbecue will play a starring role at Savor The Central Coast, as expressed and complemented by the signature flavors of participating local restaurants, food purveyors and wineries. The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau is partnering with other Santa Barbara County communities—Santa Barbara, Buellton and Solvang—to celebrate a “Santa Barbara County road trip” theme at the Central Coast Pavilion at the main event.

The main event takes place on Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3 at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, located about 35 miles north of Santa Maria in San Luis Obispo County. The main event will include a food and wine marketplace, cooking demonstrations, and kitchen garden seminars. Related events throughout the region will include wine tastings, agricultural tours, a gala dinner and a closing concert by Chris Isaak at Avila Beach Golf Resort.

Click here for more information and tickets to Savor The Central Coast. We hope to see you there!

The event, which will be held at LeRoy Park at 4630 11th Street on Sunday, September 12, will feature a salad dressing recipe contest, family and kid-friendly games, arts and crafts, music and entertainment, food, beer and wine, and information booths promoting healthy living. Keeping in the spirit of the theme, the games include “cabbage bowling” where actual cabbages are rolled at pins; a “broccoli toss” in the vein of tic-tac-toe; and “gunnysack races” where participants retrieve carrots and croutons and place them in a salad bowl. Salad dressing entries will be judged in two categories: “creamy” or “vinaigrette.”

Conceived by Guadalupe residents and merchants, the Salad Bowl Festival was established to promote the City of Guadalupe and to celebrate the region as a place for healthy, high-quality produce. Click here to visit the event web site.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to taste and celebrate the wondrous natural flavors of the Santa Maria Valley!

P.S. Special thanks to Reka Badger of the Santa Maria Sun, KKFX Television, Santa Maria Times, Santa Barbara News Press and others for spreading the word about this one-of-a-kind event in the heart of Santa Maria BBQ country.