May 25 – The Urban Forager

My guest this week is Elisa Callow with her new book The Urban Forager – Culinary Exploring & Cooking on L.A.’s Eastside.

The Urban Forager showcases one of California’s richest and most rapidly expanding culinary cultures: the eastside of Los Angeles. Food makers representing the eastside’s diverse traditions share beloved personal recipes, ingredients, innovations, and neighborhood resources. A hands-on, stunningly photographed collection of inspiring recipes, profiles, and references for novice and adventurous home cooks and the culinarily curious, it includes conversations with Sumi Chang (Europane) and Minh Phan (Porridge and Puffs), as well as such acclaimed home cooks as Mario Rodriguez, Rumi Mahmood, and Jack Aghoian. Part cookbook, part guide to foraging the best LA has to offer, The Urban Forager is a compelling bridge to the unfamiliar.  Get a copy NOW!

About the Author
Author Elisa Callow shares her recipes and food discoveries on her blog, The Urban Forager, www.theurbanforager.co. She is a well-known arts-nonprofit consultant in Los Angeles. Photographer Ann Elliott Cutting is on the photography faculty of ArtCenter College of Design. She is also a ceramicist and, to really round things out, a molecular biologist who has worked at Caltech.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2015 Viña de Arganza SÉCULO Mencia, D.O. Bierzo Spain
A fruit forward ripe example of Mencia from the Northwest of Spain.  After cool stainless fermentation, the wine is aged 3 months in American oak barrels. Dark ruby color offers aromas of oaky ripe blackberries, blueberries and subtly dried fruits…prune,raisin and spice cake on the nose.  The jammy palate offers mocha, spice, raisin and cassis flavors that finish rich and chocolaty.  Wine Enthusiast 91

Great value wine and on sale at Jacob Liquor Exchange!
Tell them you heard about it from Good Life Guy

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May 18 – Bogle Vineyards

Another FUN and informative show for you this week…

I’m out in California judging at the El Dorado County Fair wine competition near Sacramento.  Not only will I have some results of this competition but more importantly I will be doing my show live from Bogle Family vineyards in the Clarksburg American Viticultural Area (AVA.)

Always a fan of Bogle and the great wine being produced by the family, I look forward to sharing their story with you.  Learn more about Bogle Vineyards at www.boglewinery.com

Jody Bogle

My guest is Jody Bogle Director of Public Relations and part of The 6th generation of Bogles to work in the wine business.  As a kid working in the fields, Jody didn’t have much desire to work in the family business. However, with the opening of the tasting room in 1997, she found her calling in hospitality and events, international wine sales and the Bandwagon wine club.

Though the Bogle family has been farming in the Clarksburg region for six generations, their involvement in the wine business spans back 50 years. In addition to passing down a strong work ethic and dedication to quality, the success of Bogle over the years is rooted in the day-to-day involvement of the Bogle family.

The family takes great pride in making wines of exceptional character and quality. From vineyard to bottle, the highest standards are set, in order to create a wine that overdelivers each and every time.

 

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Good Life Guy’s Wine(s) of the Week:
The Wines of Bogle Vineyards!

Jacob Liquor Exchange Bogle display

All Bogle Wines are on sale at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road, Wichita
Tell my friends at Jacob you heard about it from Good Life Guy 😉

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May 11 – Riverfest Wine event and Peay Vineyards

First up this week is Mary Beth Jarvis from Wichita Festivals to talk about the upcoming Wichita Riverfest and especially the “D’Vine Prophecy – A Wine & Food Experience.”

This event was put together by yours truly and my good friend Rob Bennett from Southern Glazers.  It’s Tuesday June 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Century II Exhibition Hall Mezzanine.  For only $45, you get to sample six varieties from Prophecy Wines paired with special bites by Culinary Catering.  Joining us will be Wayne Bryan with a dynamic Music Theatre performance and you also get front-of-house seating for Festival of Broadway.   Must be 21, have a Riverfest Button and make reservations at 316 267-2817, hope to see you there!

It’s always fun when someone from a fine winery is in town and this Saturday is one of those days.  joining me in studio is Derek Reijmer, Peay Vineyards National Sales and CMS Advanced Sommelier.

Peay brothers and Derek

Nick Peay says: “For twenty years we have focused on developing a strong voice for Peay and to building relationship with you, our customers. We wanted to be sure we hired someone who also shared this drive. And I think we did. Some of you may have already met Derek Reijmer as he traveled on behalf of Peay the past 6 months. Derek has worked as a sommelier in some of the finest restaurants in the country (Alinea, Little Nell, Matsuhisa) and has pursued the academic side of his profession, as well, passing the advanced sommelier certification last November (a very difficult exam).

Derek and I will now work as a team to represent Peay at dinners, events, and private tastings. He is younger and more handsome than me and can pour wine without dribbling which I apparently often cannot. He has been a buyer of Peay wines for 10 years both professionally at restaurants he worked for and also as a consumer when out to eat. I am thrilled he has joined us and I hope you have the pleasure of meeting him soon as he is a member of that rare breed of people who at their core wish to provide service to others at a very high level.”

Peay Winemaker Vanessa Wong joined Peay Vineyards for their first vintage in 2001. Prior to Peay, she worked at Peter Michael Winery as winemaker and assistant winemaker from 1996-2000. She also has spent time working in France at Château Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac and Domaine Jean Gros in Vosne-Romanée as well as in California at Hirsch Winery and Franciscan.  Together with Andy and Nick Peay, Vanessa shares the vision of farming grapes that express the unique climate and soil of a site and result in world-class, single-vineyard wines.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:

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May 4 – Brisket & Trading Dishes

Well DANG!  The Good Life has been pre-empted for WSU baseball this week.  Both of these guests will be rescheduled soon.
Happy Weekend to all 🙂

We kick off this week’s Food, Wine & Fun with my friend Steven Raichlen.  Steven has a new book “The Brisket Chronicles” and is doing a special event here in Wichita, Saturday May 18th from 11 am – 1 pm at the WAVE restaurant in partnership with KPTS. Guests will dine on delicious BBQ catered by Adiós Nachoria @ WAVE and Steven will demo a dish from his latest book, The Brisket Chronicles. Tickets are $75 each and include a signed copy of the book, two tickets and one free book is only $125.  Tickets are available via the KPTS website.  Grill master Steven Raichlen shares more than 60 foolproof, mouthwatering recipes for preparing the tastiest, most versatile, and most beloved cut of meat in the world—outside on the grill, as well as in the kitchen.  Can’t make the May 18th event, get a copy of The Brisket Chronicles NOW!

Later in the program Chef Steven Ferneding joins us with his new book “Trading Dishes – Feeding the World One dish at a Time.”

This exotic collection of healthy recipes will take you on a culinary adventure around the world. Chef Steven prepared, cooked and collaborated with the locals he met from the countries he explored throughout the filming of the Trading Dishes Show. This international cookbook also includes, spotlight of locals and excerpts from the Trading Dishes team’s expedition around South East Asia. There are stories of environmental change and personal travel tips from the chef. The recipes found here are a mere taste of what you’ll see on the upcoming show. Enjoy, Safe Travels, and Happy Cooking!  Get a copy NOW!

Steven Ferneding is an explorer and chef who travels the world to film Trading Dishes a travel and cooking show he created that focuses on global warming and its affects on crops and food availability across the globe. His mission: to teach locals and remote viewers alike new and healthy dishes using the produce available locally to them as they adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. Chef Steven’s love for the culinary arts began in 2007 as he traveled for a year around the world tasting local delicacies. While overseas in Thailand, Chef Steven discovered the dish Shrimp Pad Thai and feel in love. Upon returning home Chef Steven began teaching this dish to friends and family but he knew he could not stop there. Suddenly preparing regional cuisines became a passion and something he needed to explore further. His culinary path lead him to the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from culinary school at the top of his class he ventured down to California where he completed his internship in San Diego’s premier seafood restaurant “The Oceanaire”. While in San Diego he was given the opportunity to work on private yachts in the Bahamas. For the next seven years he cooked for the world’s rich and famous on the most prestigious yachts and homes, all over the world. Even while preparing food for prestigious clientele, Steven could not forget Shrimp Pad Thai and his calling to find more like it in other regions of the world. So, in 2012 Chef Steven was fortunate enough to spend a year and a half embarking on a culinary exploration through India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Japan. While visiting each of these countries he had the opportunity to study Indian and Southeast Asian cuisines, learn new and local dishes and work with other amazing chefs. Together they tested new recipes and exchanged culinary techniques. Chef Steven was able to participate in cooking classes, as well as prepare and cook in kitchens which served both tourists and locals alike. Tying his love of the outdoors and our planet Earth with his newfound love of cooking, the idea for his show “Trading Dishes” was born. This global culinary journey inspired and enriched the life of Chef Steven immeasurably, and he is excited to share some of that knowledge with you.  Learn more about the Trading Dishes Travel Show.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2017 Ver Sacrum Geisha De Jade, UCO Valley Argentina
“A 50/50 blend of Roussanne and Marsanne, the 2016 Geisha de Jade is the first vintage of this bottling, produced with grapes planted in Chacayes in 2012. The whole clusters were pressed after one week of skin contact, followed by fermentation in concrete vats. It then spent one year in used 500-liter oak barrels that were not topped up and where a veil of yeast (flor) developed. The wine has an expressive and nutty nose and a super austere palate that is dry, with a stony feeling. It is complex and layered, with great freshness and pungent flavors. This is excellent!” ~ LG Wine Advocate 92

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Apr 27 – Cristian Mubert and Estampa

Joining me LIVE from Chile is Cristian Mubert Export Director for Viña Estampa.  Had the pleasure of meeting Cristian several weeks ago when he passed through Wichita.  An interesting guy from a fine Chilean winery with some amazing motorcycle adventures promoting the wines of Viña Estampa.  Follow Cristian on Face Book, Twitter and Instagram.

Viña Estampa began in 2001 as the result of the vision and entrepreneurial spirit of Miguel González-Ortiz, the winery’s owner and current president. From the beginning the winery focused on innovation and modern techniques to create world-class wines that would fully express the characteristics of the different varieties and their origin, the Colchagua Valley.

Estampa is the only winery in Chile that specializes in the production of blends, a technique that consists of carefully combining two or more fine varieties, each contributing its best characteristics, to create wines with tremendous balance and unique personality.

The technique of blending consists of carefully combining two or more varieties to craft a single wine. Each variety contributes its finest characteristics to the blend to create a beautifully balanced wine with unique personality. This method has enabled Estampa to achieve wines that are unique in their balance, character, and expression with their own identity that distinguishes them from the rest.  Estampa is the only winery in the New World with blends for all of its lines of products.

The creative spirit, the technical quality, and a great love of the land enable the creation of exceptional wines that are a true contribution to the Chilean wine industry and make Viña Estampa a world-class winery.

Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
The wines of Viña Estampa
Reserva 2017 Malbec/Syrah
Reserva 2015 Carmenere/Malbec
Fina Reserva Ensamblaje 2014 Carmenere/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon

 

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