Another tidbit on Yellowstone - they have just announced a Women only Fly Fishing program. I for one like hanging with the guys for fishing - I like the competition and the strong silent types.

But when travel organizations get creative and cast out test packages like this one - we can reward them with our attention and approval, literally helping build the travel trend of serving us adventurous gals.

Below are the deets. If you have thought learning fly fishing before (and we all thought about at as we gazed on Brad Pitts sinewy shoulders in A River Runs Through It)  now is your chance to act and book a hot summer sojourn! The price is right!

Scheduled for this August 10 - 13, the four-night program is based at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and includes accommodations in Frontier cabins; a special gift for each participant; all breakfast and lunches, and one dinner; eight hours of instruction each day; handouts, and use of equipment, including fly rods, reels, flies, fly-tying tools, lines and waders. The package is priced at $1,867 per person single occupancy and $1,649 per person double occupancy.
    
Under the guidance of nationally recognized fly-fishing instructors Molly Semenik and Matt Wilhelm of the Yellowstone Fly Fishing School, participants will learn about fly fishing in a fun, informative and non-intimidating environment. A wide ranch of fly fishing topics will be covered including casting, aquatic insects, reading the water, fly tying, safety, ethics and etiquette, hooking and landing fish and current challenges to Yellowstone’s fish and their habitat.
    
For more information on the Yellowstone Fly Fishing School, go to www.yellowstoneflyfishingschool.com.
    
The "Fun on the Fly: Learn to Fly Fish" program is offered several times throughout the summer, although the August 11 program is the only one designated for women only.
    
For more information about this program and to make reservations, call (1) 307-344-5518 or (1) 307-344-5566 or visit the web site at www.TravelYellowstone.com

————-PS My sister Jennifer (Mangan) Spenelli was an first assistant editor on Robert Redford’s stunning film and lived in Livingston during the filming. She loved Montana!

I love the Ritz! Spipping champagne, overlooking the ocean -  that’s heaven. Once again, they are hosting their Summer School and Winter School cooking classes and the annual "Inside the Kitchen" fall weekend dedicated to extraordinary food and wine, announced the merger of the two programs today with a new series entitled "Inside the Kitchen: Summer."  
 
Guest instructors for "Inside the Kitchen: Summer" are a veritable "who’s who" of contemporary cuisine, including celebrity pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner, Executive Chef and owner of Citizen Cake in San Francisco; Marcel Vigneron, the molecular gastronomist from Bravo’s second season of Top Chef; Scott Beattie, the innovative bar manager at Cyrus in Healdsburg, Calif.; James Beard Award nominee Nate Appleman, chef of A16 in San Francisco; and Ruta Kahate, author and popular instructor of Indian cuisine, among many others. The resort will donate a portion of class proceeds to Meals On Wheels of San Francisco, Inc.
 
The thirteen-week series of 21 classes at the oceanfront resort feature small plates of each recipe, a beverage pairing, and a customized recipe booklet to take home. Courses taught by cookbook authors include their latest cookbook. Customized Viking cooking stations, with cameras and flat-panel monitors positioned throughout the room, enhance the learning experience. The two themed weekends, Mastering the Grill (July 13 and 14) and Mixology (August 3 to 5), feature a series of classes taught by nationally-recognized experts, allowing guests to delve into the popular arts of grilling and cocktails, respectively, throughout one weekend.
 
Enrollment for "Inside the Kitchen: Summer" classes ranges from $85 to $100 per student, ages 21 and over, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Parking for non-hotel guests is $5. Class substitutions are based on availability, subject to change, and refunds or credit are not available for missed classes with less than 48 hours advance notice. Registration closes 48 hours prior to each class. To register or for additional information, including complete class descriptions, instructor biographies, photos, and recipes, please visit www.insidethekitchen.net or register by phone by calling 650-712-7040.
 
 "Inside the Kitchen: Summer" Schedule At-A-Glance
All classes are at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
One Miramontes Point Road, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
All classes, instructors and menus are subject to change.
Complete schedule here
 
Treasures of Asia: Far East to West with Chef Tim Luym, Poleng Lounge, San Francisco, June 1, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
High Style in Lowcountry with Chef Kevin Johnson, Anson, Charleston, SC, June 8, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
Rustic French with Executive Chef Xavier Salomon, The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, June 15, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
Demolition Desserts with Elizabeth Falkner, Citizen Cake, San Francisco, June 22, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
Summer in California with Chris Kronner, Executive Chef, Slow Club, San Francisco, June 29, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
Flavors of the Mediterranean with Mark Gordon, Executive Chef, Terzo, San Francisco, July 6, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
Mastering the Grill Weekend
Grill Basics with authors Andrew Schloss and David Joachim, Mastering the Grill (Chronicle), July 13, 6 to 8 p.m. ($95 per guest)
The Science of Fire with Schloss and Joachim, July 14, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ($95 per guest)
Unusual and Extravagant Grilling Techniques with Schloss and Joachim, July 14, 4 to 6 p.m. ($95 per guest)
 
Oyster Heaven with author Jaemarie Pomo, The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook (Ten Speed), July 20, 6 to 8 p.m. ($95 per guest)
 
Let’s Cook Japanese Food and Drink Sake! with authors Amy Keneko and Beau Timken (Chronicle), July 27, 6 to 8 p.m. ($100 per guest)
 
Mixology Weekend
Mixology 101 with David Nepove, Director of Mixology, Southern Wine and Spirits, August 3, 6 to 8 p.m. ($95 per guest)
Farm Fresh Cocktails with Scott Beattie, Mixologist at Cyrus, August 4, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($95 per guest)
Rye: Classic and Modern with Greg Lindgren, owner of Rye in San Francisco, August 4, 3 to 5 p.m. ($95 per guest)
Spirits of Latin America with Thad Vogler, bar manager at Jardinère in San Francisco, August 4, 6 to 8 p.m. ($95 per guest)
Brunch Cocktails with Todd Smith, owner of Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco, August 5, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($95 per guest)
 
Lobster Three Ways with Marcel Vigneron from Bravo’s Top Chef, August 10, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
Indian in Five Spices or Less with author Ruta Kahate, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes (Chronicle), August 17, 6 to 8 p.m. ($95 per guest)
 
Sunday Brunch at Foreign Cinema with chefs/authors John Clark and Gayle Pirie, Foreign Cinema, San Francisco, Country Egg, City Egg (Artisan), August 24, 6 to 8 p.m. ($95 per guest)
 
Taste of Campania with Chef Nate Appleman, A16, San Francisco, August 31, 6 to 8 p.m. ($85 per guest)
 
 
Overnight Packages
 
While a stay at the resort is not required to attend any class, guests are invited to enhance their "Inside the Kitchen: Summer" experience with an overnight stay.
 
"Inside the Kitchen: Summer" Sleepover Package
Rates starting at $659 per night.*
* One night in Coastal View accommodations
* Registration for two to any class
 
"Inside the Kitchen: Summer" Weekend Package
Rates starting at $839 per night.* Two night stay required.
For guests interested in attending one of the two theme weekends, Mastering the Grill (July 13 and 14) or Mixology (August 3 to 5).
* Two nights in Coastal View accommodations
* Registration for two to three (3) classes
 
*Rate is exclusive of all applicable taxes and gratuities, is based on availability, and subject to change.

Visit The Ritz Calton Website
 

If Pink is the new Black, then Cheese is the new Wine, and Sommeliers will have to make room for Affineurs*. And if you don’t know what an Affineur is, then Sara Vivenzio’s The Cheese School of San Francisco will make the perfect alma mater.

I don’t think I’ve ever taken more notes or learned so much, or left a class with such a happy belly. Intimate classes are held in a bright, sunny room, and include detailed handouts, plentiful tasting samples, red and white wines, and a variety of “go-withs” such as fresh and dried fruit, Marcona Almonds, breads and preserves.

Sara was a professional cheese monger and buyer for Cheese Plus, a wonderful store a few doors down. She has recruited a talented roster of experts, such as my “teach”, Judy Creighton, an enthusiastic cheese educator and former owner of cheese and wine shops in San Francisco for over 25 years.

Novices can start at the beginning with Cheese 101, comprising of four courses: a Basic Cheese Primer, Cheese Selection, Service and Storage, and Cheese and Wine Pairing. However, true to form, I jumped in feet first, to a wonderfully stinky class: Extreme Cheese, which featured an incredible, international selection of Big, Bad Boys!

Our tasting started with Truf, a new chevre from Piedmont, Italy that was lightly infused with black truffles, and ten cheeses, later we finished with the award-winning Rogue Creamery Echo Mountain Blue cheese from Oregon. My fav, though, was an ooozing, dripping delight, Serra Da Estrela, a raw sheep’s milk cheese from Portugal, that Judy aptly described as “a thoroughbred just raring to get out of the gate.” (Priced at over $50 a pound, I’d better win big at the races to support my new habit!)

And trust me, after one two-hour class, you will be hooked. Not only will you have an enjoyable evening (some students brought their significant other–good idea for a fun & seductive date)! but you will cultivate a new appreciation for artisanal cheeses after tasting such superb examples and learning how they were made. For my next class it’s a toss–up between Ga-Ga for Goat, or For the Love of Chocolate. But I’m warning you… CLASSES SELL OUT REALLY QUICKLY! Check out their website for the latest offerings.

(*Affineur roughly translates to Master Cheese Ager.)

The Cheese School of San Francisco
A: 1555 Pacific Avenue, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109
T: 415-346-7530
W: www.cheeseschoolsf.com

P.S. Wouldn’t this make a GREAT Father’s Day Gift?

Ever since Ferran Adrià from El Bulli hit the scene, Spanish Food & Wine has been HOT HOT HOT- without any signs of a cool-down in the near future. Which is why I was looking forward to attending a trade seminar and tasting “The Spanish Market Now: Trends and Opportunities” presented by Karen Macneil, one of my favorite wine teachers and author of “The Wine Bible.”

The industry event, put on by the Spanish Wine Cellar & Pantry, in both San Francisco and NYC, showcased the latest food & wines from up-and-coming Spanish producers.

Rias Baixas wine region in Spain

Macneil, along with a panel of other wine experts, reported that they had never tasted so many great wines from one country and described them as wines that “underpromise and overdeliver” — often at shockingly reasonable prices (In part two, I will reveal some of Karen’s favorite picks for you to try.) Until around 15 years ago, all most Americans had experienced of Spanish wines was their rather characterless oxidized whites and tired over-oaked riojas. But that is a thing of the past.

Read the rest of this entry »