Casa Festiva's "The Food Section" page offers news and information about Central Coast restaurants and events.

The “San Luis Brewers Guild” is planning their 2nd annual “Brews & Bites” on Saturday, September 4th in the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo from 12-6 pm. The guild is made up of breweries based in San Luis Obispo County and they will once again showcase their craft beers together with foods from local restaurants. There is no entrance fee to the beer fest, which will also feature musicians from the San Luis Obispo area. There will be three available packages for those wishing to taste local beer. The small package costs $15 and includes the commemorative pint glass, 4 tasting tickets and 1 raffle ticket. For $25 one receives the pint glass, 20 tasting tickets and 2 raffle tickets. The large package runs $35 and includes pint glass, 20 tasting tickets, 3 raffle tickets and the official BREWS & BITES T-shirt. Additional single taster tickets will also be available for $1. Proceeds from the event will go to Woods Humane Society and Earth Day Alliance. The “Bites” portion of the event will be presented by various local restaurants and caterers. All food is available on a cash basis – no tickets required.For additional information and a current line-up of music, please visit www.slobrewsandbites.com
Breweries on board: Firestone Walker, Creekside Brewing Co., Einhorn Beer Co., Central Coast Brewing, Downtown Brewing Co., Tap It Brewing, Cayucos Beer Co., Cal Poly Brew Crew, Orcutt Brew
Also, check out the Facebook page for updates on bands, food, and special brews being offered!

Old-fashioned Threshing Bee Jack Creek Farms - (Templeton, California) Sept 4 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Bring the whole family for a fun Saturday morning. Step back into a simpler time and connect with the past. Starting with standing wheat we will bind, stack, thresh, sack, clean and grind the grain into flour the same way it was done in the early 1900s. We will have several restored antique tractors on display. Visit with the farm animals, view the growing crops (including a large pumpkin patch and gourd field), lasso Bailey our dummy roping steer and sample honey, apple cider, pomegranate granitas, fudge & jam.
Visitors may purchase freshly harvested whole wheat berries directly from the antique threshing machine. Bring your own 5 gallon bucket, or purchase one from us (we will have a limited supply). Cost of grain is $10 per bucket (approximately 30 pounds). Please note that it will need to be hand-cleaned for straw and an occasional weed seed. You most certainly won't find fresher grain anywhere on the Central Coast! No pesticides . . . fresh and wholesome for your family.

"The Artful Tomato" Saturday, Sept. 4th  ~  2-5 pm
Celebrate the end of summer over Labor Day Weekend at "The Artful Tomato" Fest at the Bedford Winery Tasting Room & Courtyard. There is nothing better than a vine-ripened tomato from a local garden. Stephan Bedford has been fighting off gophers and squirrels so you can sample a wide selection of "love apples" from the hundreds of varieties available and seldom seen - from Cherokee Purples to Yellow Taxis. Along with our tomato tasting and talk, experience a plethora of dishes that express the tomato in all its glory. And of course, the wood fire oven will be stoked for sourdough pizzas. Don't miss this classic event!
$20 per person (includes wine tasting), $15 for wine club members. RSVP at 805-344-2107 or e-mail tastingroom@bedfordwinery.com.
Tasting Room open daily 11 am to 5 pm
Located at 448 Bell Street, "downtown" Los Alamos

INAUGURAL “SALAD BOWL FESTIVAL” SEPTEMBER 12 IN THE CENTRAL COAST’S SANTA MARIA VALLEY
Salad Dressing Contest, Cabbage Bowling and 5K Run and Half Marathon All Part of The Fun
Famed for its bounty of row crops and role as a major agricultural producer, the Santa Maria Valley is a natural fit for the region’s first-ever “Salad Bowl Festival” on Sunday, September 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the town of Guadalupe.
The event, which will be held at LeRoy Park at 4630 11^th Street, centers around a 5K run and half marathon, but also includes a salad dressing recipe contest, family and kid-friendly games, arts and crafts, music and entertainment, food, beer and wine, and information booths promoting healthy living. Keeping in the spirit of the theme, the games include “cabbage bowling” where actual cabbages are rolled at pins; a “broccoli toss” in the vein of tic-tac-toe; and “gunnysack races” where participants retrieve carrots and croutons and place them in a salad bowl.
Salad dressing entries will be judged in two categories: “creamy” or “vinaigrette.” Entries must be delivered between 8 a.m. and noon to the Guadalupe Boys and Girls Club.
The 5K run and half marathon will start and finish at LeRoy Park. The start time is 8 a.m. with late registration and packet pick up at 6:45 a.m. One portion of the course is flat and fast, and offers beautiful views of the Santa Maria Valley from the levee; another section of the half marathon has participants climb the majestic Guadalupe Dunes, the site of the buried movie set from Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent film, The Ten Commandments. Walkers are also welcome to take part in the 5K event.
Conceived by Guadalupe residents and merchants, the Salad Bowl Festival was established to promote the City of Guadalupe and to celebrate the region as a place for healthy, high-quality produce.
For general festival information, as well as details on registering for the Salad Dressing Contest or 5K or half marathons, the public is invited to visit www.saladbowlfestival.com.

SUNSET Savor the Central Coast. This exciting new food and wine celebration, with expected attendance of more than 8,000 from throughout California, is scheduled for September 30-October 3, 2010 and will take place at Santa Margarita Ranch and locations throughout San Luis Obispo County, California.           

Dolphin Bay Resort invites you to "Join us each month for an intimate cooking class with Lido Restaurant's Executive Chef, Evan Treadwell. Experience the passion and expertise that Evan has demonstrated over twenty years as an acclaimed gourmet chef, as you roll up your sleeves for this cooking demonstration and learning experience. Dolphin Bay's cooking school offers a series of special culinary evenings that showcase the rich bounty of the Central Coast. Guests join Lido Restaurant's Executive Chef Evan Treadwell for an inspiring cooking demonstration followed by a multi-course dinner paired with notable local wines."

• Lido Basics - Sauces & Dressings ~ September 30, 2010 ~ $75 per person
• Appetizers & Tapas ~ October 28, 2010 ~ $85 per person
• Holiday Favorites ~ November 18, 2010 ~ $85 per person  

 Each class starts at 5:30 p.m. to meet Chef Evan and a featured guest, followed by instruction at 6 p.m. then dinner at 7:30 p.m.  Guests enrolling in a cooking class may book a room the same night for a special rate.

Windows on the Water offers several evening specials in the bar throughout the week: Martini & Music Mondays with All "Featured" Martinis $3.95 and live music, .65 cent Oyster Tuesdays; Sliders and Beers every Wednesday with Three Premium Mini-Burgers served  on a home-made bun for $8 a Trio and $1 Off All Beers!
Also Sommelier, Chris Battles is now hosting nightly flights featuring: Wine, Beer, and Tequila and Chef Neil Smith offers a Three Course Chef's Prix Fixe Menu Sunday - Thursday for $30.00.

Melanie Blankenship from Nature's Touch and Bill Spencer of Windrose host a live radio show called Earthtalk at 10 a.m. Saturdays on KVEC 920am! Hear them and their special guests discuss food and veggies and seasonal and local and organic and soil and the farming community and farmers markets and more...!

1st Fridays of the month, local chefs, caters, food producers, etc. at Meridian Vineyards, Paso Robles

Select your favorite sushi items from The Monterey Bay Aquarium's online menu and find out how sustainable your choices are. Then order a Sushi Advocate kit and help spread the word about sustainable sushi choices at your local restaurants.

Central Coast residents ...
Check out this local social networking site for SLO County activities, including fine dining.
www.slopages.com