"west coast" news and stories

When Google held its first analyst day in February 2005, the investors who had come to kick the tires of the already exploding search-engine company probably expected to hear from the CFO -- if not from founders Sergei Brin and Larry Page. Instead they got a lecture from the company's chef, Charlie Ayers, on the proper way to grill pork tenderloin, the centerpiece of that day's lunch.

Granted, Google always did things its own way. But when Ayers was hired in 2000 to bring "eclectic, high-flavor, low-fat food" to the engineers and data crunchers that made up the staff there, he had already logged time working as a personal chef for members of the Grateful Dead: Unorthodox was relative. But where the band might have started off at the crunchier end of the food spectrum, the geeks at Google were used to thinking of food as fuel, the more high-octane (Jolt, pizza) the better. It was up to Ayers to wean them of frozen fish sticks and introduce them to the pleasures of grilled striped sea bass. His menus became the stuff of legend and the Google cafeteria was the envy of Silicon Valley.

Ayers left the company in 2005 with a boatload of stock and the dream of starting a chain of organic fast-food restaurants. Today the first Calafia ("Slow food cooked fast") is nestled in the midst of the Town & Country Village, across from the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, Calif. The tasteful interior of the 120-seat eatery is all wood and stainless steel, a far cry from the sort of interactive video-game environment he had envisioned. (One investor told him his original concept sounded like "an adult Chuck E. Cheese, and I wanted to kill myself.") It's also become the new go-to lunch place for the local digerati.

As 2009 comes to close, so do this year's food festivals. Here is a selection the end-of-the-year picks, a couple of which involve the warm caress of alcohol, as often required to survive Jack Frost's lengthy stay.

Annual Holiday Ale Festival, Portland, Ore., Dec. 2-6: This sudsy soiree bills itself as the premiere winter-beer tasting event. With more than 50 craft quaffers, such as Bear Republic Brewing Company Barrel-Aged Old Baba Yaga, Hopworks Urban Brewery Kronan the Barbarian and Alameda Brewhouse Papa Noel's Special Reserve, we're inclined to believe it. On Dec. 6, don't forget to attend the sixth annual Beer and Brunch Event. Among the menu items will be Belgian-style favorite La Fin du Monde and cheeses galore from the Willamette Valley Cheese Co.

Indio International Tamale Festival, Indio, Calif., Dec. 5-6: This celebration of a quintessential Mexican food, started in 1992, will offer customary festival attractions, carnival rides and a parade. But what's not to love about a plethora of Mariachi bands and a tamale-eating contest?

• Contrary to popular belief, Champagne prices are apparently dropping; here's how to buy.
• If beer is more your style, here are some suggestions for what to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner.
• And turkey basics from the USDA allow for more drink and less think next Thursday.
• A columnist offers three steps to "fool-proof" gravy.
• Local chefs share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
• The Pacific Northwest Cheese Project, a blog about local cheeses, is now a book.
• The Thomas Street Bistro runs more like a dinner party than a restaurant.

• In a city where it seems most everyone drives everywhere, two sisters lead a taste tour, on foot.
• But a trip on the light rail can be just as delicious.
• Now that Gourmet is gone -- and with it, Ruth Reichl -- Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Barbara Fairchild steps into the spotlight at Condé Nast.
• A round-up of gravy and stuffing recipes from the Los Angeles Times' test kitchen.
• Drinking juice at breakfast? You might as well be chugging soda.
• Raising your child on a vegetarian diet? If so, meat may become the forbidden fruit.
• Even though the picks may not be perfect, it's lime season in California.
• Dining guide "EAT: Los Angeles 2010" hits bookstore shelves Dec. 1.

Photo: www.houstonhotsauce.com

September might be halfway over and autumn imminent, but that doesn't mean the fall food fun has to end. Here's a selection of September food fests across the country.

Nappanee Apple Festival, Nappanee, Ind., Sept. 17-20: Apple season is upon us. Many are headed to pick-your-own orchards. This festival includes an apple-peeling contest, apple bake-off, pie-eating contest and the world's largest baked apple pie, weighing in at 600 pounds and a whopping 7 feet across. There's a daily lumberjack show, too.

The Houston Hot Sauce Festival, Houston, Sept. 19-20: Hot sauce festivals are on fire! Nationwide, they're popular, chilehead blow-outs. Attendees can sample and purchase a plethora of sauces, chiles and dry rubs. Don't forget to vote in the People's Choice for the Hottest Hot Sauce at this ninth annual festival.