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Class is in Session at the Roblar Winery and School Never Tasted So Good
Rate it! Votes (3) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard and Mitch Mandell Photos: Mitch Mandell Posted October 25th, 2008

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA – Looking for the ultimate foodie night out in Santa Barbara? Consider an evening cooking class at Roblar winery. You’ll learn valuable kitchen skills, drink some incredible wines, mingle with lots of interesting people also interested in food and wine, and have an incredible dinner that you’ll be able to recreate at home to impress all your friends.

Every Saturday night, the winery, housed on a gorgeous 38 acre vineyard, hosts a themed class in their state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, taught be some of the area’s finest chefs. The popular classes sell out quickly, so plan well in advance of your visit to the Santa Barbara area. Class size is strictly limited to no more than 24.

The night we attended, Chef Lenoardo Curti of Trattoria Grappolo in Santa Ynez was holding court, teaching eager foodies the secrets of making a perfect squid ink risotto, calamari and octopus salads, and English trifle (that's your humble editor Cheri helping out Chef Curti in the photo). Of all Roblar’s instructors, the personable Curti is the most popular according to Roblar marketing director Beta Silva.

“His classes always sell out almost immediately,” she says.

It’ no wonder, as Curti’s charm and natural good humor immediately connects with every member of his audience. His classes feel like you’re just hanging out with friends, having a good time, and cooking up some incredible food.

Roblar’s great facilities ensure that everyone gets a view, and Curti passed out numerous tastes (perfectly paired with Roblar’s wines) along the way.  In addition to his signature recipes, Curti imparted lots of practical cooking and prep tips to his students, making it especially easy for home cooks wanting to replicate a restaurant quality experience.

Afterwards, the group retired to the dining room where everyone enjoyed the fruits of chef Lenonardo’s efforts. Lively conversations with new found friends flowed as liberally as the wines.

All too soon dessert was served, business cards exchanged, and everyone went their separate ways. As diverse as the crowd of foodies attending the class were, we all had something in common at the end of the evening at Roblar – we all knew how to make a great calamari salad and squid ink risotto, and were were all fans of Chef Leonardo Curti and Roblar wines.

Santa Barbara County encompasses the cities of Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Ballard, Buellton, Lompoc, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Solvang as well as Channel Islands National Park.

For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara County Visitors Guide, contact the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission at 800-676-1266, 805-966-9222 or www.santabarbaraCA.com.

Roblar Winery is located at 3010 Roblar Ave in Santa Ynez, CA, 93460. Phone 805-686-2603 or click to www.roblarwinery.com for a schedule of classes or to make reservations.

If you can’t make it to one of his classes, visit Chef Leonardo Curti’s restaurant Trattoria Grappolo at 3687 Sagunto St. in Santa Ynez, California, 93460. Call 805-688-6899 or click to www.trattoriagrappolo.com.

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