SF CHEFS Food, Wine & Spirits 2012 - Better than Ever!!

By Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives

The tent was up in Union Square and the Chefs had prepared fabulous tastes. The Wine was being poured and this year the Cocktails were flowing. For the fourth year in a row San Francisco shined! As advertised there was Tasting, Pairing, Mixing, and Engaging as thousands celebrated local flair & regional flavor in the epicenter of culinary innovation in San Francisco.

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We enjoyed meeting and chatting with culinary personalities like Joanne Weir and Martin Yan, watching cooking demonstrations and of course tasting the culinary delights and libations. We attended the Grand Tasting Tent on Sunday and had a very enjoyable time. We found that the tastes were delicious and that there was plenty to eat.

We enjoyed the offerings of Chef Martin Yan (M.Y China), Chef Adam Jones (Palomino), Chef Alan Fairhurst (Scoma's), Chef Justin Everett (Murray Circle), Chef Austin Perkins (Nick's Cove), Chef Gustavo Romero (Credo), Chef Robbie Lewis (Bon Appetite), Chef Diego Oka (La Mar), Chef Jason Berthold (RN74), Chef Gaston Alfaro (Half moon Bay Brewing Co.) and Chef Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster Harlem). We also enjoyed the tastes from Columbus Salami, Driscoll's fruit and Illy coffee.

There was a focus on Spirits this year with mixologists offering excellent cocktails using Pisco Porton, Compari and Four Roses Bourbon. There were over 100,000 cocktails poured which suited the younger attendees. Beer flowed as well, with excellent selections from Anchor Brewing, SF Brewers Guild and Stella Artois. Wine and champagne drinkers could enjoy Stags leap and Domaine Chandon as well as wines from Amador County, the Livermore Valley and Portugal.

We really enjoyed SF CHEFS Food, Wine & Spirits 2012 which truly celebrated the San Francisco Bay Area's love of food and plan to attend again next year. Go to http://sfchefsfoodwine.com to stay informed about the upcoming competitions, cooking demonstrations, educational seminars, special dinners and events which will start in Spring 2013.