Fire up that lovelight and slip into the mood for romance with an evening of wine, roses, and utter indulgence on Feb. 11. For the second year in a row, Nipomo’s Trilogy at Monarch Dunes will open its doors for the gala Pre-Valentine’s Day Taste l’Amour, a wine tasting and gift expo that fills the elegant Avila Room with lively fun and food samples, as well as a series of rollicking raffles.
On tap are more than 20 local vendors and artisans offering an eclectic selection of products, services, and gourmet goodies assembled in the name of love. Even better, items available for sampling and purchase are grown, produced, or handcrafted right here on the Central Coast.
Event organizers Ahly Mueller and Jackie King staged last year’s extravaganza—Trilogy’s first-ever wine tasting—and experienced such success that the venue’s managers asked them for a repeat performance. The nearly 400 guests who attended in 2010 reveled in an evening geared toward celebrating the wonder of Cupid’s handiwork.
“Last year was packed,” laughed Mueller, who doubles as both a graphic and landscape designer. “You could hardly walk in the room, but that was mainly because we marketed it toward Trilogy [residents] and it was a free event.
“This year we’re charging $10 per person,” she added, “because we want to raise funds for the organic garden program we’re starting in the local schools. Trilogy donated the ballroom and their services, because it’s a non-profit event.”
Both working landscape designers, the two women aim to launch the Nipomo Grade School’s Organic Garden Project, the first of its kind for the town’s school district.
“We think organic gardening for kids is a great idea,” Mueller said, “and that everybody should get their hands dirty at one point or another. If kids learn organic gardening early, they not only learn respect for the earth, but also how to grow their own food.
“Believe it or not,” she continued, “there’s not a lot of kids who understand the whole process of planting a seed, watering it, caring for it, and watching it grow.”
This year’s Taste l’Amour presents the perfect opportunity to enjoy an evening of food and fun, do a little Valentine’s Day shopping, and contribute to a worthy cause. From jewelry to flowers to sweet treats, shoppers will find something for every taste and romantic requirement.
Arrayed throughout the ballroom will be one-of-a-kind sweets from Preferred Jams & Jellies, luscious chocolates from Ada’s Sweet Inspirations, and organic honey from California Bee Company. La Bella Olives offers stuffed olives, finely milled oils, chutneys, and lots of fresh bread for olive oil tasting.
Pick out matching jewelry for you and your sweetheart from a variety of jewelry-makers, such as Tina Doherty and The Artistic Pony, or browse the vintage women’s clothing, which includes hand-beaded silk dresses, eveningwear, and accessories from Rubella’s Royal Boudoir.
Fine artist Lani Briceland will display pastel paintings, as well as handmade textiles and twisted-wire jewelry, and Luffa Farm and The Soap Works will offer gift baskets brimming with locally grown products and luxurious bath sets. Mueller, proprietor of Grow Your Own, will offer a plant-your-own Spring Bulb Basket Buffet, as well as potted flower arrangements and mini-succulent gardens for sale.
Local florists, including Cloud 9 Designs and Jackie King’s Barefoot Gardens, promise to come loaded with mixed flower arrangements and bouquets of roses guaranteed to put a Valentine smile on that special someone’s face.
Live music by Acoustico, a two-piece ensemble, will fill the air with a blend of original songs and unique takes on various artists from the ’60s, ’70s, and into the present.
For oenophiles, local wineries will pour tastes to pair with all the nibbles available for sampling. Producers on hand will include, among others, Per Bacco, Roblar Winery, Firestone Vineyards, and Wood Winery.
The three-tiered raffle (all tickets are tax-deductible) will feature a bonanza of goodies from a dazzling range of suppliers and businesses. Courtship Level tickets ($10) buy a chance for a number of tempting small items, while Engagement Level tickets ($20) promise greater rewards. Holders of Marriage Level tickets ($50) stand to win the top prize—a huge gift basket stuffed with a weekend’s worth of fun for lovers.
“We’ve got at least 75 different raffle items,” Mueller said, “and we’re hoping to raise money for our cause by raffling them off.
“We’ve got movie rentals, breakfast and dinner gift certificates, chiropractic and massage certificates, and wine packages, as well as products and gift certificates from every vendor there,” she continued. “And we’re going to put together a bunch of really cute baskets to raffle off individually.
“We expect the mood to be festive,” she declared. “We’ve gotten a lot of support so far, because every time you do something for kids, people really want to be in on it.”
The Pre-Valentine’s Day Taste l’Amour Wine Tasting and Gift Expo takes place at Trilogy at Monarch Dunes, 1645 Trilogy Parkway, Nipomo, on Fri., Feb. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. Cost is $10 at the door, and all proceeds benefit the Nipomo Grade School’s Organic Garden Project.
For more information, call Ahly Mueller at 245-2420.
K. Reka Badger is in the mood … for something sweet. Contact her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Feb 3-10, 2011.