Elite Event: Farm and Sea to Table

Simply fantastic YEE! It keeps getting better and better. Not only was it a gorgeous day, but add the fabulous Abby, Unilocalers from all over, amazing food and beverages … we had the most terrific Elite Event ever!
We sampled some of the tasty vinegar infusions to dip your little bite of bread in ~ who would have thought of such genius vinegar combinations!!! The chocolates were simply divine, and the chefs were amazing to watch make the paella from start to finish! Sadly we opted out of sampling the paella, since we had dinner reservations in Pacific Grove later that afternoon, and didn’t want to spoil it.
Nice to see some regular Unilocalers ~ always a pleasure!

One of the best venue for Elites and their + ones to party. Lovely hotel inside and beautiful grounds. All for Unilocalers courtesy of La Playa Hotel and our very own Abby and Unilocal.
I’ll start with the best surprise of the event. The very tasty paella by Spain at Home. Generous portions matched the immense admiration I have for their super awesome tasting dish. Loaded with seafood. Divided into two portions. With or without the squid ink. I’m a fan of both. But I’ll take either of the two anytime! Thank you so much! Looking forward to calling you guys for a private event :)
Thanks to Chesebro and Blair Wineries. Awesome tasting wines and very engaging staff.
Pieces of Heaven. Aptly named company who showered Unilocalers with little heavenly bites. Dark chocolate truffles. Much appreciated!
Cheeses, burratas and pesto jars. Olive oils and breads/​crackers. All for us?! Why, thank you La Playa!
The hotel staff were great. Friendly, accommodating and truly delightful:) Thank you Hotel La Playa for hosting us. You’re a true gem. Lovely location close to what matters most. The beach and downtown. Till we meet again!

There are many things I like to give thanks:
1) Beautiful Sunday in Carmel
2) Beautiful Abby S.
3) Beautiful La Playa Hotel
This was an awesome event with great wine tasting, homemade chocolates, and farm and sea to table food (although I did not wait in line for the paella). Overall, I had a great time with my fellow Unilocalers! Cheers!

An Incredible Farm-&-Sea-To-Fork Experience By the Ocean
SITREP
I feel the gauntlet has been firmly thrown between the Unilocal Community Managers (CMs) in a rich foodie competition of sorts. It seems that Kevin of North Bay, Nique of East Bay, Abby of South Bay and Alex of Sacramento have created a movement in focusing on «local-​sourced» foods with a Farm-​to-​Fork emphasis.
On this plain, Alex L. in Sacramento has got some bragging rights with the recent «Farm-​To-​Fork» Unilocal Block Party back in September. And from the standpoint of looking just at the «Farm» component, I think Sacramento wins that competition hands-​down as the leader in the National «Farm-​To-​Fork» movement that has overtaken the State’s Capitol.
HOWEVER
And this is a BIG «HOWEVER»! What South Bay accomplished — in picking UP that gauntlet — is that when you factor in the «Bounty of the Sea», South Bay is a major contender that takes it to a whole other level! And to be totally forthcoming, I LOVE SEAFOOD!
LA PLAYA CARMEL HOTEL
And what venue makes an outstanding forum for enjoying all of this bounty? The La Playa Carmel Hotel in the picturesque & beautiful seaside town of Carmel along the coast and inside the Monterey Bay Peninsula area.
This was an absolute treat from the standpoint that this entailed one of my all-​time favorite endeavors: THE ROAD TRIP! And that’s because Carmel is not exactly within a cab ride or Cal train-​reach of the usual South Bay & Peninsula realm. This took some planning. In fact, a WEEKEND of plans extending over the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday weekend. And with an overnight stay component for ME and many others. [In fact, I am writing this review from the hotel!]
SOME HISTORY
And about La Playa Carmel Hotel, our CM Abby S. shared some really insightful & fascinating history on this place, most notably that what is now the main entrance of La Playa Carmel, is the building that once stood as a luxurious mansion, designed in 1905 by artist Christian Jorgensen as a gift for his wife (who was a part of the notable Ghirardelli family from San Francisco):
The vistas and atmosphere expressed by the Jorgensen’s hospitality are a reminder of the time when it was more common to bring guests for longer stays and visits, guests that included many prominent artists, musicians and writers, to the Monterey area, much like Hearst Castle in San Simeon — further on down Highway 1 — in providing these traditions, though on a larger scale.
THE DELIGHTS OF FOOD & WINE
We got to enjoy some very delectable food selections and tasty wines, all regionally sourced and provided to us in the exquisitely beautiful courtyard of the La Playa Carmel Hotel.
The selections included:
* The Wine of Holman Ranch Vineyards — Owner Peter helped me discovered a new varietal at this tasting in fact! PINOT GRIS — a refreshing white (not to be confused with the also-​offered more familiar red, Pinot Noir):
* Chesebro Winery — They had an amazing Sauvignon Blanc that I loved.
* Blair Winery — These guys also featured the Pinot Gris:
Now, there were a LOT more wines. However, on balance, I am decidedly a white wine fan, with a few exceptions (most notably, the Australian varietals of Shiraz and Petit Syrah, and the Spanish varietal Rioja). This was a white wine experience delight for me.
TASTES
* Pieces of Heaven Fine Chocolate — Peggy & Bob, owners, made the MOST decadent Dark Chocolate AND Raspberry treats! Oh my freakin GOD. Tonguegasms all around! If there wasn’t so much sugar in these tasties I would have just camped out here.
* Spain of Home — Chef Raquel N. Hermosilla led a troupe of her talented cooks to prepare the MOST AMAZING Paella dishes for us to feast upon!
KUDOS
My hats off to the amazing staff of La Playa Carmel Hotel who set-​up this amazing event! I enjoyed the cheerful lovely servers, such as Arielle and Lauren, who kept the food prepped and whizzing by. Hotel management, such as Mary, Jackie, Tracy and Chris, were all participating and making the event such a success.
But an event wouldn’t even happen if it was for the brilliance of the CMs that put it all together. Leading the Unilocal forces, Abby S. did such an incredible job of managing the details of everything, and on this occasion she had the support and energy of Nique F. and Jelena Z. to make every detail stand out and every Unilocaler feel welcome.
THE LOWDOWN
An incredible, tasty event, raising the bar for future events.

First Elite Event of the 2014! Hats off to Abby and her Unilocal Staff for a beautiful and fun event!!! It was a beautiful day in Carmel, California. The air was crisp and cool and the sunshine was bright and warm which proved to be a perfect combination for the weather at the first Elite Event in 2014.
We were able to sample the delicious breads, cheeses, olives from the farmers in the Salinas Valley. We tasted the delicious wines from the beautiful Holeman Ranch (a friend of mine was married there last year). I absolutely fell in love with the chocolates from Pieces of Heaven — their dark chocolate was exquisite. The olive oil from Trio Carmel was divine — especially the one with mushroom. It was great to sample the different vendors. I can’t wait to visit the aforementioned vendors and their shops!
It was great seeing fellow Unilocalers:
Beth W.
Nadia L.
JM C.
Frau C.
Allen C.
Rachel C.
Janet O.
Adam O.
Alexis H.
Audrey C.
Quirk Z.
What a lovely way to spend a Sunday– with Unilocal Elites, delish farm to table eats at the breathtaking La Playa Hotel.
Kudos to our beautiful CM Abby for throwing yet another Unilocaltastic Event!!!
LOVE in 2014,
Noelle J.