I love meeting winemakers and hearing their stories of how they fell onto the path of becoming a winemaker. Every person has a different journey as to what drew them into the wine industry. When I sat down with Megan McGrath Gates, winemaker at Lucas & Lewellen in the Santa Ynez Valley, she shared her story with me, which started with a childhood dream. But, even with a dream, she never imagined she would end up making wine. And yet she has. Megan's childhood dreams have become her reality as I wrote about recently in the Napa Valley Register and am sharing here.

When Megan McGrath Gates was a little girl, she would listen to the stories of her grandparents. A ninth-generation Californian, Gates was raised in Riverside. But, her ancestors were ranchers and she is a direct descendant of the historic Olivas family in Ventura, California.

Despite her ancestors, Gates was a typical suburban kid. Her dad is a lawyer and her mom is a teacher. She is one of six children and has a twin sister. With all of the romantic stories about her family, she dreamed about being a rancher and living a bucolic life.

18 April, 2019
Storytelling, mysteries, puzzles, art and magic. If this intrigues you, then you will understand why 49 Boxes at the Black Rabbit Rose in Hollywood is the Please The Palate pick of the week. 49 Boxes is running from April 14 through May 26 in Los Angeles and I had the privilege to attend a media preview for a fully magical evening. Taking up residence in Black Rabbit Rose in Hollywood, we entered the vintage-adorned bar. Large tables of eight filled the room and on each table were a number of wooden boxes of all shapes and sizes. At the front of the room is a display of artifacts, as well as a large box with 19 padlocks. We took our seats at the tables, forming groups that we would be working with to solve the mysteries.
13 April, 2019
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