We are OPEN! Memorial Day Weekend moved us beyond curbside pickup to a limited opening of our carefully socially distanced, reconfigured Tasting Room and Patio. The weather was gorgeous, and we were elated to have such a lovely and appreciated turnout. As always, we are so very grateful for your support of our family's wines, both from a distance and when you are able to make a short or, often, very long trip to get to Rickreall. We are here to celebrate that. Thank you!
Last weekend, we also opened up our very special Oak Savanna picnic expanse where you can bring your own blankets or folding chairs, to purchase wine by the bottle and our notoriously delicious wood-fired pizza, Fridays through Sundays. You may bring your own glassware or purchase Left Coast Go Vinos, at our cost, of $2 each.
This week, we are returning to a weekday menu as well. Greens from the property will be featured in a Caprese Salad. Our panini sandwiches and charcuterie platters will also be on the menu. Beets, carrots, and tomatoes are growing in the greenhouse and will be appearing in menu selections to come as they are harvested. Come have lunch with us at Left Coast, noon to 5 daily.
Reservations are recommended, strongly encouraged for the weekends.
It's time to introduce or reintroduce you to our talented trio in the Left Coast Kitchen. In Episode 4, I told of the founding of the Tasting Room and how we began to incorporate food offerings to enjoy and pair with our wines.
Our chefs continue to be inspired by organic gardening efforts on property and in sourcing cheeses and protein from local producers and farmers. Left Coast chickens and ducks lay fresh eggs daily, the open face duck egg salad sandwich, now on the weekday menu, a palate pleasing, savory treat. I know you will come up with your favorites for that wine pairing!
By 2009, in a serendipitous meeting through the Left Coast network, we met the wonderful, now our Executive Chef, Carolynn. With a catering background that included her own business and the King Estate Winery, to whom we were selling Pinot Gris grapes at the time, Carolynn came on board, just in time for that summer season. Post a wonderful five years with us, and with the irresistible draw of her daughter's young family living outside of Madrid, Spain, those two darling grandchildren lured her into retirement and travel. But, lucky for us, she was again lured back to Left Coast with the beginnings of our Wine Club's Culinary Book Club and in focusing her talents and marvelous creativity in menu creation for special dinners, events, and Wine Club parties. We are so very glad and grateful to have her back!
You can find Carolynn's Estate Raspberry-Pinot Noir and Strawberry-Rhubarb Rose jams for sale in the Tasting Room. A nice touch of Left Coast for your at home breakfasts.
As we move from Phase One into Phase Two and beyond of Oregon's Reopening protocols, we will be allowed to welcome larger groups back for private parties, after hours. Please think of us when planning your day or evening birthday party, baby shower, wedding rehearsal dinner, or any special gathering. Carolynn, working with our Tasting Room Manager, Lisa, will make sure your celebration will be especially memorable for you. Lisa can be reached at: hospitality@leftcoastwine.com.
In this continuing saga of the evolution of the Left Coast Kitchen, Chef Greg has been a central presence at the Forno Bravo Pizza Oven since its near beginnings over the Memorial Day Weekend of 2015. Greg grew up in Napa Valley and came to us after a 35-year career as a high school math teacher and vice principal. He attended the local Chemeketa Wine Program in 2014-2015. In his work at the oven, he has perfected the dough recipe that is the central element of our pizza success. His sourdough starter for bread served at Left Coast now rivals his native Northern California's best. The salts Greg developed, available for purchase in the Tasting Room, are an apt reflection of the man who is constantly experimenting in the kitchen.
If you missed seeing Greg's recipe for Dark Chocolate Syrah Truffles, you can find that recipe in the last blog, accessible on the website. Or, you can try making Chef Carolynn's Left Coast Flagship Dessert. Her recipe for the best carrot cake of my life will soon be made available on the website. Even, better, you can enjoy a piece when you next visit, back on the Tasting Room Menu from this Friday.
A tribute to Greg's and Carolynn's mentoring strengths, Emma is our more recent addition to the Left Coast Kitchen. She grew up in nearby, little D, Dallas, Oregon, the daughter of a gardening mother. In 2017, shortly after graduation from Western Oregon University, Emma moved to New Zealand for eight months, as a participant in the Willing Workers on Organic Farms, WWOOF, program. Upon returning from that amazing experience, she began working with Left Coast. Her interests and experiences in gardening and cooking were heightened by solo travel last winter in Southeast Asia. Post her travels, we happily welcomed her back to Left Coast where she now divides her time between the Tasting Room, Pizza Oven, the Greenhouse where her mother, Wanda, is also playing a role, and even the Winery. I almost forgot that the ducks and chickens may well call her Mom in her attentive caretaking there!
We will be looking to the return of our hands-on Culinary Classes in the future. Greg's pizza making classes have been especially popular. And we offered a macaroon class in early February that merits repeating. Emma will be including a recipe in our upcoming Recipe and Wine Pairing Section on the website for truffled hazelnut brittle that was presented with a macaroon and Greg's truffles for Valentine's Day. Carolynn's very authentic and regional Paella recipe, that has been featured in a class, will also await you. Spain and Oregon, Paella and Left Coast, of course we have some wine pairing suggestions!
UPDATE: As we grow busier post reopening, the timing of LISA'S AND SUE'S WEEKLY VIRTUAL TASTINGS will be subject to change. Please check social media, Instagram or Facebook, or our website for upcoming dates and hours. It has been so much fun having you join us on those and in offering advance purchase of the featured wines for you to taste along with our Dynamic Duo from the comfort of your own homes. Cheers to that, and thanks for being a part of these informative and interactive sessions!
All the Best from All of Us at Left Coast
