North America - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 195

If you've got the appetite, you can carry on
your gastronomic odyssey across the whole
state. Slow Food Groups ( W www.slowfoodusa.
org) host regular events showcasing their
favourite recipes. Plenty of restaurants espouse
the joys of Slow Food too, from Central Market
in Petaluma ( W www.centralmarketpetaluma.
com) to San Diego's Market Del Mar ( W www.
marketdelmar.com), which serves up exquisitely
presented sushi each day, alongside the finest
fish and meat from nearby farms. Best of all
for seafood lovers is a trip to Monterey, where a
project between the town's aquarium and local
restaurants ensures that diners can choose
establishments serving fish from sustainably
harvested stocks ( W www.montereybayaquarium.
org).
Perhaps even more than its food, California is
famous for its wine. Environmentally friendly
wine growers are easy to find via the California
Wine Institute ( W www.discovercaliforniawine.
com), which has a “green” section highlighting
tours and tastings. If you're in Santa Barbara
County, meanwhile, where the oenophile film
Sideways was set, then you can join dedicated
sustainable wine tours ( W www.sustainablevine.
com) showcasing the best the country has to
offer.
For a probably short-lived souvenir of your
visit, you can buy (and if necessary have shipped
home) a few of your favourite wines at many of
the vineyards. And if you'd also like to take home
a few Californian recipes and cooking tricks
then stop off in Santa Barbara, where Laurence
Hauben runs the Market Forays cooking
course ( W www.marketforays.com), where she
guides visitors around the local markets before
returning to her home to teach them how to cook
with the ingredients. As she was born and raised
in France before moving to California in 1983,
you can assume Big Macs won't be on the menu.

257 eAT youR
wAy Round
cALifoRniA

The arty town
of Berkeley, and
particularly Alice
Waters' legendary
Chez Panisse
restaurant ( W www.
chezpanisse.com),
can lay claim to
being the birthplace
of Californian
cuisine, whose
emphasis on fresh
ingredients and
fusion of elements
from the state's
many gastronomic
cultures has
influenced
restaurant menus the world over. And there are
plenty more gastronomic delights to be discovered
in the Bay Area: join a culinary walking tour of
San Francisco ( W www.localtastesofthecitytours.
com), for example, and you'll have the chance to
explore the backstreet markets and restaurants
of Little Italy or Chinatown.

Springtime mustard in
Meridian's vineyard, Edna
Valley; Feast on organic slow
food at Chez Panisse

Need to know California has several farmers'
markets ( W www.farmernet.com) and you can visit
various farms to pick your own or get involved in
the harvest ( W www.calagtour.org).