The Basil Gelato Lady and Celebrity Chef Hubert Keller

Northern California Wine Country is a mystical place. I will never forget the first time I attended a small olive oil festival at B.R. Cohn Winery, many years ago. It was around that time that I began wearing my “rose colored glasses” and would never see life the same again.
This week our Standards of Excellence team joined by our friends at Viking Range sponsored the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend at the historical Mac Murray Ranch in Healdsburg, CA.

Our tasting booth was a huge hit; our theme utilized herbs and spices in unconventional ways. All day long, where ever I went I was called “the Basil Gelato Lady”. (I loved that!) I will share the secrets of our Basil Gelato and Lavender Gelato desserts, along with herb infused syrups in Thursday’s post. First, I have to share the “behind the scenes” chef action.

The Hollywood Style, Viking Chef Stage was housed in a huge tent, overhead mirrors glinting with hundreds of smiling faces reflected below. The chefs were thrilled to cook on this stage for the Steel Chef Competition. Off stage, we had an SOE media interview area and the best view of the action! Take a look at this spectacular set up complete with a grill, six burner cook top, a wok burner, refrigeration, a convection microwave, and more!

Catch the excitement as Janine Falvo, Chef de Cuisine of Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar at the Lodge at Sonoma steps off of the stage after her round one win and listen to her swoon over the Viking equipment!



Janine then battled it out with Chef Rudy Mihal of Spoonbar in the h2hotel in Healdsburg. Watch the unprecedented conclusion as the esteemed chef panel with surprise guest, Top Chef Master and Bay Area legend Chef Hubert Keller weighs their decision with joyous hosts Ziggy the Wine Gal and Food Celebrity Clark Wolf!




Finally the moment of gratitude as we thank the thrilled chefs, celebrity Chef Hubert Keller and VIKING!




Wow! This was tremendous event, perfectly executed. Thanks to the SOE team for making it shine and all of the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend producers and staff for creating magic. At the end if the day, I almost expected to leave through a secret wardrobe door…