resorts, and hotels.

After a tour of the bakery, we watched, fascinated, as Timdemonstrated various decorating techniques. Welearned about various kinds of chocolate, and we tastedsome for ourselves. As everything is made from scratch,

we got to ask tons of questions ofTim and Joan who were delightfullyinformative. As Tim put the finaltouches on a scrumptious-lookingtart, he said his image is often tomake a “still life painting with fruit.”His creative genius, knack for newflavor combinations, and artistic flairare evident in each dessert.

Then Joan demonstrated how shedecorates wedding cakes with anItalian meringue buttercreamfrosting, utilizing a half dozendifferent tips on her pastry bag tocreate lovely designs. She made itlook so simple, but when we tried it,we ended up with chocolate all over

Winter 2003

( Continued at Desserts on page 2)

AIWF/NORCAL

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joe Agro

Julian Brandes

Denise Carter

Danielle Forestier

Ron Hildebrand

Sharona Kitahara, Chair

George Linn

Don Partier

Mark Russo

Ted Smith

Eugene Soules

Summer 2004 - 1st of 2 Parts

Wish you could have been there !The American Institute of Wine & DESSERT S !

Just look at what youmissed!

While you mayhave beensweltering in the

late August heat, someof us AIWF memberswere in air-conditionedcomfort, studying andpracticing the intricaciesof pastry decoration atSweet Finalé Patisseriein the city of Napa. Andthe fruits of our effortswere beautiful anddelectable, as well!

With a tall glass of Mumm Blanc deBlanc in our hands, we listened as owner JoanKetchmark spoke about this history of the bakery whichshe and husband Tim Ketchmark started in 1994. Timbrings 20 years of artistic dessert making, Joan abouthalf of that, and their expertise shows very clearly in theextravagantly architectural creationsthat emerge from the kitchen ofSweet Finale. Both graduates of SanFrancisco’s CCA (California CulinaryAcademy), they started thepatisserie shortly after marrying 11years ago. Joan creates all thewedding cakes, which are very muchin demand for their tempting tasteand beautiful designs. Tim isresponsible for all the individualsized desserts they offer of whichthere are usually 10 or morevarieties available in the case.

Sweet Finale sells their finedesserts to such high-end NapaValley shops as Dean and DeLuca,

Bounty Hunter, Sunshine Foods, andothers, as well as many restaurants,

by Sharona Kitahara

Sharona Kitahara, Denise Carter, Sandra Soules, and Beverley Soules toast thecompletion of many fine desserts.

Its fun to get your hands “dirty” with lotsand lots of chocolate!

2

( Continued from Desserts page 1)

our hands and lopsided cakes.

It was great fun to “get our hands dirty” and make ourown dessert designs under Joan’s helpful guidance.

Our “sweet finalé” was to sit down with our creations anda cool glass of champagne, chat about what we learned,and basically overindulge in the sweet temptations.None of us bothered even trying to resist!

To try these amazing desserts for yourself, visit SweetFinalé at 1146 Main St. in Napa, phone 707-224-2444, orhave a look at their website, www.sweetfinale.com.

Right: Sharona Kitahara, BeverleyBarbour-Soules, and Denise Carterenjoying the process of making somewonderful patisserie desserts.

Far right: Joan Kitchmark,patisserie owner and teacherdemonstrates to proper use of apastry bag and the various tips.

Below: Some of the desserts madein the class.

Patisserie owner Tim Kitchmark demonstrates how to make chocolatedecorations for the class.

3

Imagine enjoying sunset on a square–rigger, sipping a martini or glass

of wine, and viewing the most beautiful urban setting in the world…

Well, you can enjoy all of this and more during the AIWF’s memorable

evening onboard the fabulous Hawaiian Chieftain. This is the same

legendary square-rigger you have read about and possibly even seen

on the bay… and since this is it’s final season you will not get another

chance to sail into history, and through the Golden Gate, on this

historic treasure.

We leave from Sausalito at 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 3, 2004, and

return by 9. While the sails are unfurled. you can enjoy your favorite

drink and, later in the evening, a lavish buffet dinner .

As the sun sets (at 6:51 p.m.) we will pass under the Golden Gate

Bridge, then sail over to the beautiful San Francisco marina area. We

will pass the city skyline and then on to Alcatraz and Tiburon. On the

way you will learn about the ship and its history, and about the great

wines we will be serving.

Space is limited and this event is sure to sell out so reserve your spot

onboard soon. The charge for this special event is $100 for AIWF

members and $110 for non-members. For more info call 415-383-6070.

See the Payment Coupon on page 6

There is a payment coupon for this event on page 12. Print it, fill it

out, and mail it with your check or credit card information by

September 24th and mail it to: AIWF/NorCal Chapter P.O. Box 640584

San Francisco, CA 94164-0584.

OCTOBER OPULENCE

4

Morselsis published quarterly bythe Northern CaliforniaChapter of The AmericanInstitute of Wine and Foodas a resource for itsmembers.

Address any questions,comments, or suggestionsfor future articles to:

Editor, Design, &Production

Ron HildebrandHILDEBRAND

DESIGNSan Francisco

415.447.7601d e s i g n e r @ h i l d e b r a n d e s i g n . c o m

Copy EditorEugene Soules

415.440.3602bevbarbour@aol.com

For information aboutmembership, attendingevents, involvement inevents or programs, orgeneral information aboutThe American Institute ofWine and Food,call 415-383-6070.Leave your name, phonenumber or email address, anda detailed message so you canbe contacted with all theanswers you require.

Talk from the ChairDear Friends,

We mourn the passing of one of our heroes, icon and AIWF co-founder Julia Child. Juliagave so much of herself, and had a tremendous influence on American cooking andattitudes about food. Many of you may have spoken with her at various AIWF events overthe years – I consider myself quite lucky to have done so. She had a good, long life, and

we were fortunate to have had her as long as wedid. We will miss her, and we will carry on herlegacy through our Days of Taste program, whichwas her passion. See more on this below.

Speaking of passion, who doesn’t overheat inweather like this? Even though the calendar sayswe’re headed into Fall, Mother Nature tried tomelt me into a puddle today. I hope you wereable to stay indoors during this heat wave.

Fortunately, I was able to spend the afternooncreating gorgeous desserts during our PatisserieEvent at Sweet Finale in Napa. See what youmissed by catching the accompanying article.

We’ve enjoyed a whole series of interesting andunusual events this year, from our lively GreekTaverna Event to the recent Sephardic Dinner. OurBoard of Directors has put together a fabulouslineup of food and wine extravaganzas for your

pleasure. I hope you’ve been able to join many of them! We have lots more to come,too, including a Dinner Cruise on the Bay, our Annual Oyster Festival at Tomales Bay, andmore.

I spoke about some of our more unusual events at the AIWF Summer Chapter CouncilMeeting, held in early August in Hilton Head, South Carolina (too bad it couldn’t beHilton Head, Hawaii!). During this conference, I had the opportunity to talk with thechairs and leaders of many other AIWF chapters, learn from their successes and mistakes,and share a wealth of information and good ideas. For a peek into what the SouthFlorida

Chapter is doing, have a look at www.101Zinfandels.com. This outstanding wine programwas put together by key chapter members, and it is an inspiration.

Also, please visit our national website, www.aiwf.org, to see what’s going on in the AIWFworld. It’s quite exciting! There is a committee dedicated to upgrading the nationalwebsite and providing seamless links to and integration of various local chapterwebsites. There’s a lot of work to be done, but we have confidence and enthusiasmabout the future of AIWF on the web.

This is especially appropriate, since September is our inaugural web-only issue. This ispart of an effort to cut down on costs, in order to better devote our funds to scholarshipsand Days of Taste programs. If you’re familiar with Days of Taste, you know it is a key partof the mission of the AIWF, to educate kids on nutrition, food, and the importance ofeating together as a family. We are still looking for a committed volunteer to lead thisprogram for the AIWF NorCal Chapter next year. If you are interested, please give us acall!

Hope to see you soon!

Kanpai!

Sharona Kitahara

5

Company is located at 20215 State Hwy #1 in Marshall, West Marin, a 45-

minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge.

To get there take Hwy 101 to Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Until it dead-ends

at Highway # l. Turn right and continue through Point Reyes Station

on Hwy #1 to number 20215 on the north side of Marshall where you

will see their sign on the left. (See map below.) Bring comfortable clothing

and shoes to walk the beach. Remember the weather is changeable this

time of year, so layers of warm and cool clothing are advised, along with a

Jacket or sweater for later in the day.

The very reasonable charge for this all-you-can-eat-and-drink event is $45

for members and $50 for guests.

See the Payment Coupon on page 6

A payment coupon for this event on page 12. Print it, fill it out, and mail it

with your check or credit card information by September 24th and mail it to:

AIWF/NorCal Chapter P.O. Box 640584 San Francisco, CA 94164-0584.

Are you Looking forward to a fabulous day on Tomales Bay?

We’ll be at the Hog Island Oyster Company. There will be fruit,

salads, Champagne, wine and good things to nibble as we gather.

Then we’ll start the fires and cook oysters, clams and sausages in a host of

delicious ways. While waiting, you can learn to shuck oysters, enjoy the

wonderful views of Tamales Bay, and hear a talk on everything you always

wanted to know about the Bay’s seafood delicacy—the oyster.

Among the various preparations will be Beth’s Pernot-infused Oysters

Rockefeller, Maggie’s version of Oysters Ran, (oysters baked on the half shell

with Wakame and topped with spicy aioli), Thai mignonette and many

more. We also will serve Beverly’s succulent steamed clams with garlic, wine and

spices and clams in Sapporo Beer, oriental style. In fact, if you have a

favorite oyster or clam recipe, bring it with you and we’ll try it out. We’ll

also serve a variety of wonderful goodies from both land and sea for those

of you that want to eat something other than oysters and clams.

To visit Tomales Bay alone is definitely worth the trip. It’s a lovely drive

through the redwoods and along the shore. The Hog Island Oyster

ENCORE!! OVATION!!

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND OUR SHELLFISH EXTRAVAGANZA

“Slurp & Burp” SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17,2004

NOON TO 4 p.m.

Top left: Hog Island oysters.

Top right: Kumumoto oystersgrown at Hog Island.

Right: Harvesting oysters at HogIsland Oyster Company.

Above: Pictureyourself in thispicture. It’s an oystereating party just likeours at the Hog IslandOyster Company.

Right: The historicMarshal Post Officewhich once stood atthe site of the HogIsland OysterCompany.

6

N OT E : Please ch e ck the date and time on the inv i t ation to each event or on our Web site as arrangements may ch a n g e. R e s e rve early as most ofour events sell out. R e s e rvations are made with your payment by ch e ck or credit card info sent to NorCal’s official addre s s : AIWF NorCal, P. O.B ox 640584, San Francisco, CA 94164-0584 (NOT E : When a re s t a u r a n t , w i n e ry or other location is booked for an eve n t , we must commit to ac e rtain number of persons at t e n d i n g. If a member doesn’t show - u p, we still have to pay for the food, w i n e, ve n u e, and other ch a r g e s. T h i sn e c e s s i t ates our policy of no re f u n d s for events and pro grams after a re s e rvation is made). See our Web site at w w w. a i w f / n o r c a l . o r g or call ourHotLine at 415-383-6070 for event updat e s , to request members h i p, or to volunteer for committees or future eve n t s.

...and there are more wonderful events being planned andscheduled for the remainder of 2004 —watch this space! or visit our Website at www.aiwf/norcal.org for updates.

Save the DateAIWF/NorCal Calendar of Events

October3

SUNDAYHawaiianChieftain

Bay Cruise,Cruise & Dinner

atEmbark at Marina Plaza

Sail on Historic YachtSausalito

(See page 3)

October17

SUNDAY“Slurp & Burp”

ShellfishExtravaganza

atHog Island Oyster Co.Marshall,Tamalis Bay,

Marin County(See page 5)

BE ON THE LOOKOUT!

Early inNovemberIn Celebrationof Julia Child:Our Memories

atPlace to be Determined

San Francisco

January30

SUNDAYAIWF/NorCal AnnualMeeting, Scholarship

Awards,Dinner,Dance, & Auction

at

World Trade ClubSan Francisco

Payment Coupon for the two upcoming events featured on pages 3 and 5QUESTIONS: AIWF/NorCal Hotline: 414.383.6070 • Email: aiwfnorcal@comcast.net • Website: www. a i w f n o r c a l . o rg

November16

TUESDAYSouth African Wine

Tasting & Dinnerat

Crossing the BarRestaurant

San Francisco

See many more photos & stories of past events in Summer 2004 Morsels- 2ndof 2 Parts