Fresno Famous

Fig Fest 2006 — Celebrating a Valley Treasure
August 12, 2006 9 AM to NOON at The Vineyard Farmers Market
Northwest Corner of Blackstone and Shaw

Fig Celebration Features Gourmet Chefs, Live Jazz & Attracts Thousands

FRESNO, Calif., Gourmet food lovers from throughout California are invited to savor the heritage of the California Fig at the third annual Fig Fest held in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley.

Fig Fest 2006, takes place August 12, 2006 in Fresno, California from 9 a.m. to noon. Admission is $5 with proceeds to benefit Community Food Bank and Slow Food Madera. Tickets will be available at the door. The 2005 event attracted nearly 4,000 people, who sampled gourmet food featuring fresh and dry figs.

Fig Fest is held at the Vineyard Farmer's Market in Fresno. The event features live jazz by Lisa's Big Night Out, face painting for the kids, and plenty of fabulous fig recipes.

The event, sponsored by the California Fig Advisory Board and Slow Food Madera, is
designed to increase appreciation for figs and local produce. Fig Fest 2006 will feature book signings by Sondra Bernstein of the girl and the fig restaurant in Sonoma, Ca. and Marie Simmons author of Fig Heaven Cookbook.

Featured restaurant's include; Bentley's Fine Foods, Campagnia, Cracked Pepper Bistro, Doug-Out Cookies, Erna's Elderberry House, Laloo's Goat Milk Ice Cream of Petaluma, Lantana, Love & Garlic, Senses World Cuisine, Slates, The Chef's Table, The Girl & The Fig of Sonoma, The Vineyard Restaurant, The Vintage Press, Trelio Restaurant, Upstairs Downtown.

Some of the delicacies offered will be Fig Jam & Goat Cheese on Crostini w/shaved Red Onion, Stuffed Mission Figs w/ Gorgonzola & Candied Pecans, Fig & Walnut Cookies, Calimyrna Figs filled with Port Wine-Mission Fig Compote and St. Agur Cheese, Black Mission Fig Ice Cream, Baked Brie topped with Fig Chutney, Fig & Port Ice Cream Sandwiches, Savory Fig Bread Pudding and Panchetta Wrapped Grilled Figs.

The California Fig Advisory Board, Slow Food Madera and The Vineyard Farmers Market also invite valley fig lovers to Fig Dinner 2006: A Study in Figs. This unique dinner created by Chefs James Overbaugh and Karsten Hart of Erna's Elderberry House will accentuate this versatile fruit in a five-course showcase dinner. The dinner will take place at The Vineyard Farmers Market on Saturday August 12, 2006 at 7 PM. The dinner, including specially selected wines, tax and gratuity is priced at $110 per person with only 150 tickets available online at brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. Proceeds from the Fig Dinner will benefit Slow Food Madera.

Fresh figs are harvested from May to November. Dried figs are harvested from late summer to early fall. All of the nation's dried figs and 98% of the nation's fresh figs are grown in California, primarily Fresno, Madera and Merced counties.
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Location: Vineyard Farmers Market N.W. corner of Blackstone & Shaw, 100 W. Shaw, Fresno
Starts: 2006 Aug 12 - 9:00am
Ends: 2006 Aug 12 - 12:00pm
Website: http://www.californiafigs.com