May 19th Dining Around comes to you live from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions event!!! www.cookingforsolutions.org May 17th – 20th www.montereybayaquarium.org

Guests include a GREAT line up of Chefs and personalities – Julie Packard and Sheila Bowman of the aquarium to give us an overview of the programs both the public and the private.  Leading National Personalities Rick Bayless, award winning Chef, Restaurateur, Author and Personality www.rickbayless.com , Sam Choy, Executive Chef and owner of Sam Choy's Kai Lanai, home of Hawaiian Heritage Cuisine Author and tv Personality www.samchoy.com ,  Susan Spicer Executive Chef, Proprietor of Bayona www.bayona.com  Nathan Lyon, currently Shooting his new TV Series 'Good Food America' www.chefnathanlyon.com , Floyd Cardoz, Executive Chef/ Partner, the North End Grill New York,  www.northendgrillnyc.com  www.cheffloydcardoz.com  and Winner of Top Chef Masters.  All of the way from Iceland Hákon Már Örvarsson Bocuse d’Or and World Culinary Cup winner, www.icelandnaturally.com From our own backyard! Tony Baker, Executive Chef of Montrio Bistro  Monterey, www.montrio.com - and Dorris Cooper, Family Member, Cooper Garrod Estate Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains www.cgv.com

 For Full Show Notes and to join the Dining Around On-line community visit  http://diningaround.ning.com/

All of this and more- with me Joel Riddell each Saturday 10am-1pm on NewsTalk910

Photo – Sabrina Glazbrook with Ruud Maasdam of Staete Landt and ME!

OMG I am SUPER happy! Ok- so Sabrina Glazbrook (Gil Gross’ Producer) and I dashed over to the Wines of New Zealand event at Fort Mason today.. It was SUPER DUPER; and reminded me of how very lucky we are to not only have great wine producing regions here – but WONDERFUL imports to try out from over seas. We tasted a number of wines, from various growing regions like Marlborough and Hawkes Bay and regions with smaller production and distribution – yet spectacular quality of product, Canterbury, Central Otago and beyond. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir are the best known and most exported varietals, but New Zealand is also strong in Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Syrah and more- depending upon the region. Look for the wines of New Zealand at your local restaurant and wine shop – for info visit www.nzwine.com Specifically (the wines we tasted and enjoyed the most) Mount Beautiful www.mtbeautiful.co.nz Staete Landt www.staetelandt.co.nz Astrolabe www.astrolabewines.co.nz www.greywacke.com - owned by Kevin Judd, formerly of Cloudy Bay Surprise- while sampling a few Hog Island Oysters and tastes of Cowgirl Creamery we stumbled on Olive Oils from New Zealand! The Village Press www.thevillagepress.co.nz will be available in fine retailers soon – including varietals Barnea, Manzanillo and Picual. We even left with a little bottle to take home! One was peppery, one was spicy, and one was smooth and creamy- all were justttt right. If you cannot get to New Zealand Soon- Taste it in your glass! Joel

Saturday 10am-1pm on NewsTalk910 We will Talk Food, Wine and Travel
I will give you a heads up on the James Beard Winners in our area- and
some of my favorites from other parts of the nation www.jamesbeard.org
for a complete list - we all have our opinions!
And-
Paris with David Downie www.davidddownie.com , Persia with Hoss Zare
www.zareflytrap.com Plus a local festival you have to attend!
www.Simplydeliciousdanville.com

For Food?  It is all about back yards and pigs!  Sunset Magazine tells
you how to grow your own in their "Edible Garden Cookbook"
www.sunset.com  While Brady Lowe gives the low down on the exceptional
pork event www.cochon555.com    * May 20th- ill be there- Judging!
All of this and more- with me Joel Riddell
Saturday 10am-1pm on Dining Around
on NewsTalk910