In only a few years, Delilah Snell and Nicole Stevenson have managed to build a crafting empire and homegrown-food community. (Full disclosure: Snell is our Mexican in chief's fiancee.) While their Patchwork Shows fall in line with Renegade and Crafted, their new festival, Edible Edition, may be unlike anything the country has seen.
For two days, the SOCO Collection in Costa Mesa will transform into a palatable classroom. You can visit back-to-back food demonstrations from local makers and attend workshops on everything from craft cocktails to latte art to meat preservation to Japanese pickling. And if you're interested in starting your own food business, there will be a forum with the Health Department and a Q&A about the new cottage food law that allows you to sell products you make at home.
Here are some other highlights:
Cooking With Wild California Ingredients: If you're into cooking with local ingredients, it doesn't get much better than foraging for the options that are naturally here. Chris “CJ” Jacobson from Top Chef hosts this workshop on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Bigmista's Barbeque: It's been said this LA and Long Beach catering company has some of the best barbecue in Southern California. You'll want to snag some of Neil and Phyllis Strawder's mouthwatering “pig candy,” thick-cut bacon that has been coated in brown sugar, then baked until it becomes a slab of caramelized sin.
Beach Bum Foods: Everything in its spreads is organic and non-GMO, and the legumes in its delicious lentil dip are sustainably grown. Choose from the original lentil avocado dip, the basil avocado dip or the spicy avocado dip. You can eat as many pita chips as you want with them because they taste so healthy, right?
Grace N I: This company's branding is so quaint, making preserves, dried fruits and roasted nuts something other than an awkward Christmas present. Everything is made in small batches with the highest-quality ingredients, then placed in beautifully refined packaging.
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