Alice Waters is my Taylor Swift. The food revolutionary and legendary owner of Chez Panisse brought farms and farmers to the table in a way that changed the trajectory of dining in America. Her food tells the story of seasons, fleeting moments and perfect peaches. And I might faint if I actually got to meet her.
Waters, along with culinary rock stars Kyle and Katina Connaughton of Michelin-starred SingleThread, legendary dairy farmer Albert Straus and radish whisperer Tucker Taylor, aka Farmer T of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, will discuss food and farming on several educational panels during the 51st annual Gravenstein Apple Fair (Aug. 10-11) at Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol.
Also on the roster: Author and activist Dan Imhoff, Elizabeth Kaiser of Singing Frogs Farm, Hector Alvarez of Hector’s Honey Farm and Sarah Silva of Green Star Farm.
But you don’t have to be a food nerd to have fun at this family-friendly, “ag-tastic” celebration of one of Sonoma’s oldest and most endearing crops (not to mention increasingly endangered).
Celebrate the famous Gravenstein apple and its many heirloom cousins with harvests from 40 small-scale apple farms, local cider makers, apple pie makers, crafters, musicians, cute farm critters and amazing noshes that never disappoint. One of the best bets is to grab a $55-ticket to the Artisan Alley for additional nibbles, drinks (and way shorter lines).
General admission tickets are $30 at the gate, but you can get a family pass for two adults and two children for $55 in advance. VIP tickets for $150 let you skip the lines and offer dedicated shaded seating — something well worth the price tag on blazing summer days.
Stay tuned for more details about the chef lineup, vendors, where to find Waters, and the rest of the superstar food crew. Tickets are now on sale at gravensteinapplefair.com.