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First Vineyard, Lexington, Kentucky: The first commercial winery in the U.S.

This article originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register on September 4, 2015. While California may be the main location for vineyards today, the first commercial wineries in the United States were not on the west coast. Of course, then you might think that the first vineyards and wineries were in Virginia or one of the other original colonies. But, on a recent visit to Lexington, Kentucky, I visited First Vineyard, which is said to be the first commercial winery in the United States.

In 1994, Lexington metro officer and builder Tom Beall found some land with the idea of building a small A-frame house for a weekend getaway. He began buying parcels in the area and in 2002 discovered that the property was the actual site of a commercial vineyard. While redeveloping the property, in order to plant vines as was done 200 years ago, Beall, a history buff, starting doing research about the land.

04 September, 2015

Event Recap: LA Food And Wine 2015

For the 5th year in a row, Los Angeles Food & Wine hosted another successful weekend of food and wine events. For three nights, Grand Avenue in Downtown LA was closed off to traffic and filled with more than 30 restaurants each night and more than 100 wines. With Disney Hall looming above, hundreds of attendees wandered up and down the street trying the various foods and wines over a three hour period.

With so many of Los Angeles' best chefs, as well as top chefs from New York, Philadelphia, Dallas and more, serving up flavorful dishes, there is a lot of tasting to do. Between waiting in long lines to some restaurants and getting full quickly, it can be a challenge to try everything. But, I did!

03 September, 2015

Event Recap: Diner En Blanc LA

The website said: "All guests must wear white and be dressed elegantly. Originality is encouraged as long as it stays stylish and denotes taste." As Thursday approached, all I knew was to have my all white outfit ready. All white is tough for someone like me who tends to wear more black then white. But, given that is was a very hot summer night during another LA heatwave, I was happy to oblige.

The phone rang at 6pm and I was told to head downtown to Pershing Square. The location has been secret until this moment. As I was invited as media, I was told the location one hour prior but most people, who signed up through groups, met at a central spot and took buses to the secret location.

02 September, 2015