Hall Cabernet Cookoff Event

This past weekend, I was invited to attend the Hall Cabernet Cookoff fundraising event held at Hall Wines in the gorgeous town of St. Helena in the Napa Valley.  The weather cooperated, it was sunny and in the 70's....a perfect afternoon for scrumptious food paired with delicious 2011 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon.

Fourteen sample small bites were prepared by both San Francisco and Napa Valley based professional chef teams.  All ticket sales benefited Napa Valley non-profit organizations.

My first bite of the day was this very flavorful ox tail mini taco prepared by Paula LeDuc Catering.  Oh so good.

The Hall Cabernet Cookoff is a complete interactive event, which made it even MORE fun.  After tasting, we were able to cast our vote as to which bite we felt paired best with the Hall Cabernet....and we had 2 1/2 hours to accomplish this mission.  So much fun.

 We tasted power flavored pizza drizzled in balsamic.......

 Pork belly deliciousness......

Some of the other favorite bites included:  wild boar ribs, lamb and fava beans, salted cod, and brisket in a cherry BBQ sauce....so many to choose from and enjoy.

After we cast our vote, my friend, Devi, and I explored the upstairs view from this 1885 renovated barn.

 I want to have a party here....

The tasting room was in a separate building, also overlooking the lawn area.  Very modern, large in size and so comfortable, we didn't want to leave!

We chose to sip some wine on the deck, just outside of the tasting room, overlooking the vineyard and grounds.

Bookmark the Hall Cabernet Cookoff for next May.  It is a MUST do.  You can't go wrong....I, myself, cannot WAIT!

The participating chefs this year, included:

Oenotri
The Grill at Meadowood
Kara's Cupcakes
CA' MOMI
Bounty Hunter
Mark Hopkins
One Market Restaurant
Yankee Pier Larkspur
Paula LeDuc Catering
Culinary Mercenary
Earth's Bounty Kitchen
Press Restaurant
The Farmers Market Pantry
The Pear Southern Bistro

For more information on the event, please visit:  Hall Cabernet Cookoff