CAMARILLO, CA - The 21st annual Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival took place on June 1, 2014 and raised over $450,000 (net) to support Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families’ valuable services to Ventura County’s abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families facing great challenges. Casa Pacifica would like to thank all of the generous sponsors, vendors, and volunteers, who not only made the day possible, but such a great success! Casa Pacifica would especially like to thank its returning hosts - the Zarley and Van Huisen Families - and new this year Union Bank, as well as Wells Fargo for sponsoring the VIP Lounge and The Patio Restaurant at Players Casino for sponsoring the live entertainment!

The exciting live entertainment featured fabulous performances by Benise and His Band of Gypsys, who were accompanied by captivating aerial artists, and Wes Quave Live – a multi-decade cover band that had guests filling the dance floor. Bruce Barrios – the best DJ in Ventura County – served as the Master of Ceremonies and DJ. The perennial favorite band, Sound Effect, kept things lively in the VIP Lounge. The addition of Living Vines performers this year roaming the grounds fascinated everyone with their beauty and exotic feel. Festival-goers perused an extensive silent auction with themed baskets when they weren’t sampling a plethora of delicious sweets, savory treats, wines, brews, and specialty drinks from the finest restaurants, caterers, bakeries and specialty shops from throughout the Central Coast with 85 fabulous food exhibitors and 185 renowned wines and brews to choose from.

The 4th annual Yummie culinary competition showcased participating Festival exhibiting chefs’ entries, which were judged in either a Savory or Sweet category and based on flavor, presentation, innovation, and quality. Entries were sampled by a panel of celebrity judges comprised of television, radio, and print media personalities and food columnists and were judged based on which chef’s dish they felt was the “Yummiest.”

The 2014 Yummie Top Chef Award Winners in the Savory category include 1st place to now two-time winner Chef Gabe Garcia of Tierra Sur with a Cold Smoked Hamachi with beet butter, sweet and sour leeks, and dried citrus; 2nd place winner Chef Rachel Holst of Main Course California who entered Cherry Smoked Short Ribs with whipped potatoes and crisped kale; and placing 3rd in the Savory category was Chef Robin Higa of Market Broiler who entered a Seared Sea Scallop with mixed green salad.

The Yummie winners in the Sweet category included 1st place to now two-time winner Head Pastry Chef Anastashia Chavez of Barrelhouse 101 with a Berry Balsamic Cheesecake comprised of layers of genoise, mascarpone cheesecake, and chocolate ganache with mixed berry preserves, infused with Duchess Sour Red Ale and Rozendal’s Aged Balsamic Vinegar; in 2nd place was Chef Allison Davis of The Sugar Lab who entered a Key Lime Pie with a cinnamon graham cracker crust holding a creamy and smooth key lime filling and topped with a toasted meringue; and placing 3rd in the Sweet category was Chef Ernie Borjas of The Yacht Club at Channel Islands Harbor with Paradise Lava – a baklava-styled treat comprised of secret ingredients.

For the first time this year the Festival held a “Best in Fest” brew competition for the hand-crafted, artisan beer exhibitors which was judged one month before the festival. The winning brew – Restraint, a maple brown ale by Institution Ale Company – was prominently featured at the event and accepted their award on the main stage. The winning brew was also paired with one course at the first annual Yummie Top Chef dinner hosted by the Cassar Family which took place the Friday prior to the Festival and featured a nine course dinner specially prepared by master chefs who were previous winners of the Festival’s Yummie culinary competition. The other courses were deliciously paired with an excellent local wine.

Roadrunner Shuttle & Limousine provided a Safe Ride Program which was available for guests to travel to and from their homes ensuring that festival enthusiasts could enjoy their time at the Festival and arrive home safely.

For more information about Casa Pacifica, please visit www.casapacifica.org or check out the Festival’s website for pictures and more information at www.cpwineandfoodfestival.com.

About Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families
Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for abused, neglected, or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and along with its campus-based programs administers a number of community-based programs which are designed with the intent to strengthen families and keep children in their homes. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website http://www.casapacifica.org or call the Development Department at (805) 445-7800.