From the Winery

Stay Together! Yoga for Foodies with yoga, live music, dinner and wine.

Last fall my dear friend and yoga instructor Erin Bowman approached me with an idea. How about an evening yoga class in the winery, followed by dinner and wine.  Sounded perfect to me – combining a few of my favorite things into one wonderful evening.

As we tossed the idea around – was the winery really the right location? cement floors can be awfully hard on your knees – we started to read about other similar events taking place around the country. Chicago and New York, to be specific. All to great success.

Then Erin had the idea to take it one step further and bring in live music. Since she had just been to a workshop in San Diego where the practice was accompanied by Steve Gold and his lovely wife Anne-Emilie, she got on the phone. Would they come to McMinnville?  They would. On their way to Seattle.

And it all came together last Friday. What a beautiful experience.  Fifty people ending their week with a beautiful yoga practice accompanied by the hauntingly spiritual music of Steve and Anne-Emilie. Then this same group of now relaxed and blissed out people gathered around the tables for a lovely and simple vegetarian dinner.

Eric and Carmen, chefs of our local, renowned Italian restaurant Nick’s made us a massive pot of Ribollita – the classic country Italian soup thick with white beans, farro and organic greens.  We served up the steaming bowlfuls, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesean.

Bottles of Big Fire Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir were plunked down on the tables for the folks to help themselves. I tossed a huge green salad with some lemon-y, garlicky vinaigrette and passed that with baskets of crusty bread, and a cheese board.

At the very end, while everyone was still talking and sipping, without any thoughts of heading home, we passed what has become one of my favorite desserts to serve.  When the meal has been hearty and you can’t really imagine eating any more, but just a bite of something does sound good, and you still have half a glass of Pinot noir and you don’t want something too sweet to ruin it, this is just the cookie: Fleur de Sel Chocolate Cookies.  I adapted this recipe from one I found online.

Every time I serve them they have been so popular I thought I should share, so you can click over here and find the recipe.

As we were finally saying good night, Steve and Anne-Emilie  remarked several times about how they would be delighted to come back and play for us again. They really embraced the sense of community they felt here.  I love that. After all, isn’t that what it’s all about? Wine, food, friends – and as it happens yoga – all coming together to nurture community.