The Garagiste Festival, the first and only festival dedicated to discovering and promoting artisan ‘garagiste’ winemakers, announced that chef Charles Paladin Wayne will create the winemaker dinner for the third annual Garagiste Festival.  The dinner,  “Undiscovered Treasures of California’s Central Coast,” kicks off the festival on Thursday November 7th, and highlights local producers, as well as garagiste winemakers who are pouring at the festival. The dinner will be held at a hidden gem of the Central Coast, the historic Carlton Hotel in Atascadero.  Wineries featured at the dinner are Bodegas M, Caliza, Clos Solene, Cutruzzola, Paix Sur Terre, and The Farm Winery.

“The Central Coast is a treasure trove of artisan winemakers, food producers, culinary artists, and beautiful venues… but much of this remains  undiscovered by those not in the know. The Garagiste Festival is all about bringing awareness to lesser known, small-lot artisan winemakers and our dinner this year reflects that credo on all levels,” says Garagiste Festival co-founder Doug Minnick.  “Chef Charlie, who has long been renowned locally for the magic he creates from the area’s remarkable food producers, was instrumental in the success of our dinner last year, which was brilliantly chef’d by Ludo Lefebvre. This year, he is the perfect choice for our completely Central Coast line-up, featuring some of the region’s most exciting garagiste winemakers matched with six stunning courses, all served amidst the elegance of the historic Carlton Hotel.”

Chef Charlie has been a chef on the Central Coast since 1983, working at numerous restaurants including Sea Venture, Olde Port Inn, Café Roma, Inn at Morro Bay, and Rhythm Creekside Café.  He was one of the first chefs in the area to focus on creating menus from the emerging local artisan food movement, showcasing local organic produce, seafoods, cheeses, and sustainably ranched meats; then, when there were only nine wineries in business in the area, expanding his focus to matching local foods with local wines. He created the first wine dinner in 1987 for Eberle and went on to serve as chef at several of the area's early flagship wineries, including Edna Valley, Justin Vineyards and Summerwood Winery, where he developed a following and a reputation as the go-to chef for creative and perfectly balanced food and wine pairings.  Today, Chef Charlie is one of the area’s most in-demand event chefs, bringing his unique flair with local wines, foods and service to private events.

“My core belief as a chef is to utilize what is in your community’s backyard — and we have such treasures in ours here on the Central Coast, many of which are often overlooked,” says Paladin. “I am excited to have the opportunity to bring attention to the richness of our region’s talent, produce and garagiste vintners in this locally-sourced dinner which will, in the true spirit of the garagistes, be completely hand-crafted, full of surprises, blessed with the joys of our unique ‘terroir,’ somewhat renegade and, I hope, completely delicious.”