Aboard the Napa Valley Wine
Train
continued
Day
3 Breakfast: Westin
Verasa Napa go
9:30
- 10:30 am "Behind the Scenes" tour - Napa
Valley Wine Train rail yard, Culinary Art Center and prep kitchen.
A
Train Yard Tour - never on our radar - but we learned
very important things. The Napa Valley Wine Train
is a CLEAN AIR MACHINE. First in the USA, the engines built in
the 50's in Canada, were rebuilt and converted to Compressed Natural
Gas, CNG. The conversion resulted in an 80% reduction in ozone
forming emissions as compared to gas powered vehicles. Other American
railroads are now interested in the technology. The train doesn't
have a Chug, Chug, Chug sound - the distinctive sound is more
random - more like popcorn popping.
Every
morning fresh foods are delivered to the Culinary Art
Center loading dock where staff receive, wash, sort and
refrigerate the products. In the huge spotless kitchen, Kelly
Macdonald, Executive Chef, oversees the prep work, develops
the menus and manages the staff. Believing freshness = goodness,
Kelly insists on the best ingredients. Each week 100 different
spices are ground fresh to season that weeks menu. Breads and
pastries are prepared in-house each day. Garnishes, veggies, greens
and meats are prepped, packed and refrigerated and loaded onto
the trains each morning. The food is later cooked to order on
board.
The
second floor of the center, a very inviting and comfortable apace
with views of the river and downtown, is available year round
for events catered by the Wine Train kitchen. Cooking classes
are also taught at the Culinary Art Center. photos
Lunch
at local Oxbow favorite Taylor's Automatic Refresher go
Many other options to choose from in both the City of Napa and
nearby Napa Valley.
Reluctantly,
we drove back home_but you might catch the Vallejo shuttle in
time for the evening ferry that returns to San Francisco by 7
pm go
Thanks
to all who helped create this fine experience:
Napa
Valley Wine Train
Melodie Hilton
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Andrea
Guzman
Promotions & Partnership Management
http://winetrain.com/
