Indian Wells Arts Festival Shines A Light On The Culinary Arts

From Indian Wells Arts Festival: While Indian Wells Arts Festival focuses primarily on the visual mediums of painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, and jewelry, festival founder Dianne Funk complements the exhibition of such works with the culinary arts in a Gourmet Marketplace where attendees can sample as well as buy artisan goods.

Tim Burton makes maple and specialty syrups at Burton’s Maplewood Farm in Indiana. His locally residing cousin, John, and cousin Ruthie in Colorado will be at the marketplace with intriguing products that, as Tim puts it, “go well beyond pancakes.” Culinary masterpieces include syrups aged in Texas bourbon whiskey barrels and rum barrels from Colorado’s Breckenridge distillery. “We have the largest Rumford fireplace in North America,” Tim notes with pride. “We bring the barrels as close to the fire as we can and heat them to ‘chase the ‘devil’s cut’ into the syrup.” Tim especially recommends using his barrel-aged syrups on salmon, Brussels sprouts, and baby carrots or drizzled over a scoop of ice cream. One also could use them — as well as his traditional maple syrup — on pancakes, waffles, and crepes.

Also making a debut appearance at the festival are California Balsamic owners Thomas and Ethel Allen of Ukiah. The couple will bring infused balsamic vinegars, which are unlike products found in grocery stores.

“We blend essential oils with rice bran oil and white balsamic vinegar,” says Thomas, who explains that rice bran oil does not impart a flavor profile that affects the desired taste. The vinegars also are creamier than store-bought varieties. Custom flavors include lemon, tangerine, lime, lemon/strawberry, garlic, and garlic habanero. Thomas and Ethel will bring about 30 products, including vinaigrettes. “Everything is done by hand and in small batches — five gallons top,” Thomas says. “That’s the way you are going to make it right every time.”

Christopher Szumelda of Seven Barrels in Laguna Niguel also will be bringing balsamic vinegars. But just as visual artists differ, so do culinary artisans. Christopher will bring his own “designer” olive oils that are naturally infused and cold pressed in Sonoma and Napa valleys. Oil flavors include lemon, lime, blood orange, white truffle, herb, and a blend of three olive varieties. Balsamic vinegars are barrel aged and come in flavors such as vanilla fig, pomegranate, black currant, raspberry, chocolate, maple, peach, prickly pear, coconut, blueberry, elderberry, and sriracha mango. Festival-goers can ask Christopher to suggest oil and vinegar pairings.

Sandi and Hugh Sabel of Carlsbad started out as growers and developed a line of preserves, fruit hot sauces, salsas, marinades, and salad dressings based on what they grew. But their Terra Verde Foods bottled products (now more than 20) “outgrew” what they could produce from their fields. So, Sandi says, “We identified growers that grow the way we did.” Looking for only the best ingredients, they extend their range beyond California — for example, sourcing green chiles from New Mexico, Marion berries from Oregon, and maple sugar flakes from Vermont. All of their products are organic, with natural preservatives, little or no sugar, and low sodium content. Sandi and Hugh also make unique seasonings, such as lavender pepper with French grey sea salt, roasted garlic, lavender, and black pepper.

Opened less than a year ago, Wildest Greens restaurant in Palm Desert will make its festival debut with handcrafted, health-oriented products. Those who have trouble getting their families to eat vegetables especially will be interested in Rainbow Chips, which include dehydrated gold and red beets, zucchini, butternut squash, and kale. And those who have heard about the multiple health benefits of turmeric will want to try turmeric honey, which Wildest Greens owner Denise DuBarry Hay says “is made with organic wildflower honey and turmeric from our family farm in Kauai.” Turmeric also is used as an ingredient in 4-ounce elixirs, in which the spice is blended with ginger and cold-pressed apple juice and lemon juice.

Angie Waser of Hemet represents solid and liquid forms of the culinary arts —offering no-mayo, gluten-free dip mixes in 14 flavors (although roasted garlic is the best seller, ghost pepper also is popular) and drink mixes that do not require a blender to create slushies (simply combine the mix with wine or a spirit such as vodka and freeze for a slushy lemon drop, peach Bellini, or cosmopolitan). Angie will use fruit juice and nonalcoholic wine for sampling at the festival.

Hepps Salt Co. owners Brian and Amber Hepps present organic, additive-free sea salts that are used by celebrity chefs and bartenders. The range of colors and flavors includes black and white truffle and hand-mixed blends. The salts can be used for cooking, brining, and finishing to impart distinct accents.

Not all Gourmet Marketplace items are edible. But the ceramic graters of Palm Springs born-and-raised James Lassak and his wife, Bella, nevertheless belong in the kitchen. The couple will showcase their artistic graters with one-of-a-kind patterns. “They can be used for more than 25 food items — from garlic and ginger to chocolate,” says James, who, like Denise, will be a local connection making his first appearance at the festival.

Rounding out the marketplace is Hollywood’s Lissa Pelham, offering note cards she makes by sewing fabric to paper. Lissa has developed around 200 designs that feature themes such as animals, universities, sports teams, florals, and what she calls “cutesy/kitschy.” No, you can’t eat her cards. But they are great for sending thank-you notes to dinner hosts and hostesses.

Presented by the City of Indian Wells, the 16th annual Indian Wells Arts Festival is hosted by the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and held on the venue’s Grass Concourse (Enter from Washington Street at Via Sevilla, between Highway 111 and Fred Waring Drive, Indian Wells, California), open Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Children are free to the event, adults $13. Free parking and valet available. For more information, visit www.IndianWellsArtsFestival.com.

Photos courtesy of Indian Wells Arts Festival