{Kristin}

When Megan and I were asked if we would be interested in taking a quick road trip south to do some pre-coverage leading up to this month’s four-day extravaganza of food and wine that is Savor the Central Coast, we were like, “Duh.  Um…yeah.”  Eloquent, I know.  That’s us.

The event, which is sponsored in part by Sunset Magazine, celebrates the natural beauty and the overwhelming bounty that this spectacular area of California has to offer.  From farm tours, to cooking seminars and winemaker dinners, to hikes, gourmet picnics, and food and wine fueled galas and awards ceremonies…this is utterly a celebration of everything good and delicious that is happening on the Central Coast.  And believe me, there is a whole lot of good and delicious stuff happening on the Central Coast.

Handcrafted wines?  Yup, they’re producing some killer Pinot and some really neat, funky white varietals like Grüner Veltliner and Grenache Blanc.  Rhone is king here.  And, local foods like abalone, farmed right here.  And oysters.  Oh, you know we’d drive four hours for oysters at the drop of a hat!  A beachfront hotel?  Megan would more than likely sell a kidney to sink her toes in the sand.  And, adventures?  You don’t don’t have to ask me twice!  Zip lining at a winery, paddle boarding and bluff hikes?  I’m already in the car, seatbelt fastened, ready to go.

Gosh, what would you say?

Before you know it, we were loading up [enough shoes for a month and plenty of Kombucha] and heading south [tires screeching] like Thelma and Louise – in the knowing words of a good friend – minus the driving off of the cliff at the end.  Well, and sadly, minus the Brad Pitt character…unless you count Neal Maloney, the super cute oyster farmer we had the fabulous opportunity of lunching with.

We had a serious blast and are already counting the days until we get to head back at the end of this month for the actual event itself during the weekend of September 29 thru October 2.  And we hope you’ll join us!  Visit www.savorcentralcoast.com for a complete listing of the fabulous events and use our special discount code CCLifestyle to save 15%.  Exclusively for our friends attending the Central Coast festivities, you’ll be invited to a little soirée that we’re hosting that Friday evening.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for this week’s Savor Sweepstakes to win a pair of tickets to Sunday’s Main Event!

And most exciting (!) stay tuned right here during the next few weeks for the complete adventures [thru Volume #6] of our time on the Central Coast!

And we’re off!

By the time we’d reached Paso Robles, you know it was wine time!  We’re suckers for a great logo, so when we noticed the Pithy Wine Company’s charming downtown storefront we screeched to a halt and popped in.  A wee bit of wine later [um, no..the soda is super cute, but we're wine gals!] we were back on the road with some Pinot in the belly and a few bottles in the car for good measure.

Alrighty, we had wine.  Now, where’s the cheese?!  Luckily the little town of Templeton and the Happy Acres Goat Farm a few miles away, was our first “official” visit of the trip.  During the event, visitors have the opportunity to visit the farm for a tour and lunch with Sunset’s food editor, learn the cheesemaking process and even milk a goat!

Stephanie Simon is not your typical farmer.  Blonde and bouncy and chatty, she might be…but when it comes to her goats she’s completely serious.  Her herd is lovingly cared for, fed only the tastiest grasses, with only the occasional peanut thrown in as a special treat.

Each goat has the silliest name, but none funnier than the miniature horse, Al Ca-pony! Muhahaha!  There he is!!

Happy Acres supplies many of the Central Coasts best restaurants with their farmstead cheeses, while travelers lucky enough to happen in can visit the rustic barn store at the farm and pick up some to take home.  The farm is a family effort!  Stephanie’s mom whips up the most heavenly goat’s milk lotions in a cottage on the property, they’re all-natural and the scents are dee-vine!  I simply cannot stop slathering my honey-oatmeal on!  Visit the farm’s website to order some for yourself.  Trust me, you will not be sorry!

We’ve only just arrived on the Central Coast and we’ve already met some truly dedicated and kind folks.  I had a feeling that by the end of our stay here our car will be filled with many of these beautiful products and we’ll return to Sonoma with gorgeous, delicious stuff and most importantly, memories of our time with all of these wonderful people.

Interested in joining us for the Savor the Central Coast event?  Win two tickets to Sunday’s Main Event by submitting a short poem in the comments section here as to why you would like to experience the Central Coast.  A winner will be chosen randomly and announced next Monday.  

Images taken by us, just for you.