We attended the first Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival which took place November 21 - 23 at the DeVos Place Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids. It was great! There were over 100 booths -- wine distributors, wineries, Michigan to International in scope -- and food. The wine representation was spectacular. We tasted only a few but of those we could sample we chose a $200 Opus One 2005 Red for our tasting experience and were impressed with the smooth rich berry flavor. This wine is a 92 pt rated red from Napa, the result of a partnership between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild to create a Bordeaux style blend in Napa Valley. The bottle retails for $179 or more at most wine stores. Described as "a voluptuous garnet, the 2005 Opus One offers concentrated aromas of blueberry, rose petals, white truffle, licorice and nutmeg. Flavors of cassis, black olives, raspberry and dark chocolate." I'm not sure I got all of those flavors out of my tiny sip, but I sure liked the rich berry bouquet that was especially smooth . This wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec. Tasting wines at events like this really help determine what you like best. And for a $176 bottle, you'd better know that you really like it prior to purchasing. One of the best places along the Lake Michigan Coast to buy wine is at Martha's Vineyard in Grand Rapids. At Martha's they specialize in hundreds of international wines. Their great selection of Cabernet's and French reds is known by wine connoisseurs throughout the state and beyond. Their wine attic is fascinating and the bottles are significant enough to impress just about any wine snob.

We participated in one of two restaurants who offered a special three-course small plate and wine pairing. Both the 1913 and Bar Divani Restaurants in Grand Rapids offered the special seating throughout various times at the event. Tickets were $25 for the one hour presentation. Craig Oland, new Executive Chef at Bar Divani, did a fantastic job of answering questions and showing the 12 interested participates how to make each course. We were served, for the first course, sauteed fennel and sweet corn crowned with cornmeal encrusted scallops. The "crisp, clean" Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2006 was a perfect wine pairing for the delicate and slightly sweet flavors in the dish. The second course was a roasted cauliflower risotto - simple and subtle as well. The wine that they paired with this was a surprise - a Morande Pinot Noir 2007 - a great wine that was subtle enough but paired nicely with the nuttiness of the Parmigiano-Reggiano in the risotto and the slightly smokey flavor of the cauliflower in the dish. The last course was a pork Saltimboca created with thinly pounded pork tenderloin, sage leaves and thinly sliced proscuitto served on sauteed turnip greens. This dish was paired with an unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon, Earthworks, from the Barossa Valley of Australia, a rather light Cabernet that paired well with the more complex flavors of this dish. Although these food creations are not on the Bar Divani regular menu, they offer a wonderful selection of diverse small plates for vegetarian and meat eaters along with a wide selection of incredible wines at their trendy Ionia Street restaurant in Grand Rapids. All of the wines are available at Bar Divani, however.

All in all our short 1 1/2 hour experience at the International Grand Rapids Wine and Food Festival was very interesting and worthwhile. Mark your calendar for next year's event which will likely be even bigger and better than this year. Plan on the middle of November the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. About 8000 people attended the three day event.

Bon Appetit!

Sally

I had the distinct pleasure to go behind the scenes and photograph and observe the students at the renowned

Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While there, I also enjoyed a fabulous lunch in their teaching restaurant, The Heritage. My lunch selections were some of the best dishes that I have ever tasted. The food was not only outstanding in flavor, it was a work of art. I chose two dishes, a small plate "Tuscan spiced butter poached giant shrimp" and a main course, "Roasted thyme infused Confit of duck".

The Tuscan shrimp appetizer was lovely. It included a risotto base with white truffles and crimini mushrooms, and two delicate perfectly prepared shrimp on top with a thin crunchy crouton and crisp greens. The small "cake" was surrounded by a ring of chive oil - very green in color - and another ring of cardinal sauce made with lobster eggs and whipped into a bright orange, red sauce. This appetizer was perfectly prepared and presented. The crunchy crouton and firm shrimp combined with risotto al dente, subtly spiced, made for the best sensation of feel and flavors I can remember in a dish. This is one winning recipe that I will soon feature on the greatfoodandtravel.com website! The confit of duck was also a delight and included a garlic chive Yukon gold potato hash, baby carrots, buttered snap peas, orange sesame salad and sauce bigarade. The confit of duck melted in my mouth and, with the sauce which was composed of citrus, cream, Gran Marnier liquor, and the au jus of the duck (as well as many other ingredients!) I was in heaven.

The students are the stars at this restaurant and seeing them work in the kitchen with such earnestness and dedication, I can see why the food is superb. Chef Angus Campbell, the Chef Instructor for The Heritage at lunchtime, creates the dishes on the menu which are all intriguing. The students were dutiful and very much "on" to impress this revered teacher. With his Scottish brogue and commanding presence, "Chef" lights up the kitchen and the dining room while he darts from one place to the next overseeing his students, watching preparations with a keen eye, stepping in to demonstrate, and sending words of focused instruction and encouragement to all of the students. They appear to be watching him out of the corner of their eye, hoping that he will see their finely tuned skill or the beautiful presentation they've just created.

The day I observed there was a lucky tasting table of five people, the Karsten's, who have, since their father's death, vowed to meet on the same day (the 7th) of every month to remember their father who loved food. They meet at a special restaurant or arrange an experience revolving around food. On this occasion in November, they had been personally invited to the tasting table at The Heritage where 14 courses were being served while they observed the students preparing and serving each course. I recorded their day with a photograph and am happy to mention that the host of the table is the owner of D. Schuler's Wine Cellars in Grandville, Jim Mulder. Sisters Kim, Shelly, Kristen, and Nicole were Jim's honored guests. I would say that he was a lucky guy!

You must go to The Heritage for lunch or dinner if you live close to Grand Rapids or are planning to visit in the future. I promise it will be one of the best experiences in food you will ever have. Watching the students makes it that much more special.

Kudos to The Heritage and Chef Campbell's lunchtime student class for an outstanding performance!

The Heritage menu changes each semester so if you want to try what I've just described you need to get reservations at lunch between now and mid-December when the holiday break begins. Classes resume in January 2009 when the new semester starts and a whole new menu will be revealed. The Heritage also serves dinner.

Enjoy!

Sally