The 17th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival has burst into bloom. The Season’s line up of stellar events takes place when wild mustard carpets vineyards with gold, celebrating Napa Valley’s agricultural and cultural bounty. 
The Festival offers visitors from far and wide immersion in the legendary wine region’s good life.  Vineyards vibrant with wild mustard provide a breathtaking backdrop and share center stage with mustard the condiment during the two-month marathon of food, wine and art events. An impressive collection ~ the who’s who of Napa Valley restaurants, caterers and wineries; mustard and gourmet
companies from around the world; regional artists and national sponsors ~ present their finest throughout The Season of Events.

YOUR HOSTS
Meet Napa Valley Mustard Festival Host Chef Anne Gingrass, Executive Chef, Brix, Host Winemaker Julianne Laks of Cakebread Cellars and Host Artist Thomas Monaghan at the events. The Grand Dinner on Friday, February 19 at Brix is limited to 100 and provides an excellent opportunity to mingle with Napa Valley Mustard Festival Hosts, as well as notable guest chefs and winemakers.
ANNE GINGRASS-PAIK
The Napa Valley Mustard Festival is delighted to feature Anne Gingrass-Paik, Executive Chef, Brix, as Host Chef for 2010.  Chef Gingrass-Paik will join forces with Winemaker Julianne Laks o f Cakebread Cellars to appear at events throughout the season and to present the Season’s Gourmet Extravaganza – The Grand Dinner- at Brix on Friday, February 19, 2010.
“I look forward to hosting the dinner and gathering some of my old friends together to cook with,” said Chef Gingrass-Paik.  “It promises to be a fantastic mustard season. One of the most beautiful mustard fields in the valley is right across the road from Brix.  It is filled with gnarly old vines.  Lots of people stop here to take photos.”
For more than 25 years, Chef Gingrass-Paik has guided some of the
nation’s top restaurants, crafting a
personal culinary style that has earned her national accolades as well
as devoted followers.Throughout her career, she has worn many hats:
successful business leader, culinary innovator and role model for other female chefs. Her extensive tenure at such legendary restaurants as Spago and Hawthorne Lane has established her as a culinary icon and mentor to some of the top chefs in California.
At Brix, Gingrass-Paik showcases the seasonal
flavors of the Napa Valley. Her contemporary selections incorporate produce fresh from the restaurant's extensive gardens and orchards, along with the best from Northern California farms, to create a sophisticated garden-to-table menu with Mediterranean accents.
Julianne Laks, Winemaker
Julianne Laks, Winemaker Cakebread Cellers, will join Chef Anne Gingrass-
Paik, Executive Chef, Brix, to Host the 17th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival in 2010.
“As I drive through the Napa Valley each day, I love the stark contrast of colors and texture,” said Laks.  “The dormant vines’ trunks, are brown, twisted, solid and deep. Their canes rising up to the sun amidst a carpet of vibrant yellow mustard flowers is a breathtaking visual drama that gives me a sense of joy for the coming of spring!”
Cakebread Cellars appointed Julianne Laks as winemaker in 2000.  She is only the third winemaker in Cakebread’s 35-plus year history and the only non-family member to hold the position.  Julianne joined the winery in 1986 as a part-time lab technician, later becoming an enologist and an assistant winemaker under winemaker, Bruce Cakebread. She was
promoted to winemaker when Bruce became president and chief operating officer succeeding his father, Jack, who continues as chairman and CEO of the winery.
Julianne’s winemaking skill, artistic passion and intimate understanding of the vineyards are just a few of the reasons the Cakebread family chose her to follow in Bruce’s footsteps.
Julianne is a member of Women for Winesense and Napa Valley Wine Technical Group.
Dedication to Ira Wolk
The Festival’s annual original work of art featured on posters and collateral has most often depicted colorful, whimsical characters engaged with food and wine.  It was time for something new, according to Pat Summers who heads the public relations company that annually brings The Festival to life on behalf of Napa Valley.  
Thomas Monaghan’s ethereal landscapes came to mind as she contemplated
the concept.  She’d seen his work during visits to I Wolk Gallery to chat with the late owner, Ira Wolk, a long time friend of The Festival who had acted as an adviser and judge of The Festival’s annual Photography Contest.
Pat called Ira to discuss the art and learned that just the day before he had experienced a serious bicycle accident.  Ira was then in a comma and the accident
tragically proved to be fatal.
Pat contacted Tom and invited him to serve as Napa Valley Mustard Festival
Artist of the Year.  His resulting work
of art, Reverie, a stunning 48’ by 60’
oil painting, is dedicated to Ira, who is
greatly missed by his community, including the Mustard Festival family.
Reverie by Thomas Monaghan
“I am pleased to have had this opportunity
to create a painting for The Napa Valley
Mustard Festival in honor of my long time friend and advocate, Ira Wolk,” said Thomas Monaghan.  “Ira introduced a new kind of fine
art gallery to Napa Valley.  He was successful,
well-respected, and he helped lay the foundation for many of the art
activities that are happening here now.”
Typical of the artwork Ira Wolk represented, Tom’s outstanding work captures one’s imagination and makes a lasting impression. “I strive for a meditative quality, a sense of peace,” he said.  “I reflected upon the time of year when the land is coming out of dormancy, envisioning the potential of new growth and the silver light of the season.”
Tom created the painting from his memories.  Reverie has roots in The Carneros Appellation. It grows from the fertile dark earth and old vines
depicted at the bottom of the painting, through oaks, past barns, over creeks and fields of mustard into a warm silvery sky.  “The panting has a timeless, atmospheric quality,” he said. “I wanted it to have a sense of the pastoral Napa; soft, sensuous and moody. It will transmit those qualities to the home it finds and place it hangs.”

THE EVENTS

THE UNVEILING
The official unveiling of the season’s artwork, Reverie by Thomas Monaghan, took place at Hall Wines on Sunday, January 10. By evening’s end the high bid on the painting was $11,000. The painting is destined to go to the highest bidder at The Photo Finish, The Season’s Grand Finale Event, at Rubicon Estate, on Saturday, March 27 at 10 pm. 
 
MUSTARD MAGIC ART AUCTION AND A WEEKEND OF FINE ART
Add to your art collection at the Mustard Magic Visual Art Competition and Silent Auction in the Barrel Room at the Culinary Institute of America on January 30; then meet the artists at a reception at St. Supéry Winery on Saturday evening, February 6 during A Weekend of Fine Art. The exhibit will be displayed and offered at retail through March 30. Galleries throughout Napa Valley will feature special exhibits and receptions on February 6 and 7 during A Weekend of Fine Art. Don’t miss Reverie by Thomas Monaghan at HALL Wines in St. Helena. There is no admission charge to these open house events.

THE GRAND DINNER ~ THE GOURMET DINING EXTRAVAGANZA
Indulge in Napa Valley’s most extravagant dining experience of the year at Brix in Yountville on Friday, February 19 at 6 pm. Anne Gingrass, Executive Chef Brix, Napa Valley Mustard Festival Host Chef, and Julianne Laks, Winemaker Cakebread Cellars, Host Winemaker, will head The Dinner’s stellar lineup of chefs and winemakers.  Each chef will combine his or her course with a wine presented by the winemaker or a winery principle. Their practiced palettes will insure a perfect marriage of tastes. Ken Frank, La Toque, Host Chef 2009; Greg Cole, Owner/Chef, Cole’s Chop House; Jeff Jake, Executive Chef, The Carneros Inn and Farm; Christopher Kostow, Executive Chef Meadowood Resort; and Richard Reddington, Owner/Chef, Redd will join Chef Gingrass-Paik and Winemaker Laks to produce the evening’s magnificent mustard inspired menu.  Blackbird Vineyards, Etude, Far Niente Winery – Dolce, Nickel and Nickel, and Dominus Estate will be among the wineries to join Cakebread for this exceptional event.  The event will include a silent auction of exceptional wines and experiences. Seating is limited to 100 at $225 per person.

THE AWARDS ~ A SPICY SOIRÉE!
Don jewels and black tie for a glitzy evening of food, wine, music and dancing at The Awards ~ A Spicy Soirée! on Friday, March 12, 7 pm, at the beautiful Black Stallion Winery on Silverado Trail in Napa. 
As you taste your way through the most creative mustard recipes of the year, while sipping Napa Valley’s finest vintages, the critic’s choice recipe judging, headed by Gene Burns of KGO Newstalk AM810, will take place behind closed doors. You’ll then have the chance to compare your taste buds with those of the professionals as you cast your ballot for People‘s Choice Chef of the Year.
Raise your glass to World Champion Mustard Makers who’ve come to Napa Valley from around the world to walk the red carpet and receive their Napa Valley Mustard Festival World-Wide Mustard Competition Awards.  Tickets are $100 in advance; $150 at the door.
NAPA RIVERWALK MARKETPLACE ~ THE SIGNATURE EVENT
Celebrate the mustard season and taste mustards from around the world at
Napa Riverwalk Marketplace ~ The Signature Event ~ on Saturday and Sunday, March 13 and 14, 11 am to 5 pm in downtown Napa at Riverfront, Historic Napa Mill, Veteran’s Memorial Park and other downtown Napa locations.  Highlights of this rain or shine food, wine and arts festival include: celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live remote broadcasts of KGOAM810’s Dining Around with Gene Burns and Martha Stewart Living radio shows, and the ever popular Sunset Magazine pavilion. Artful activities include fine arts and crafts presented by juried artists and artisans, and live performances of jazz, world, and classical music.
Adult admission to The Marketplace at $35 in advance, $40 at the door, includes 8 food and 5 wine tasting tickets (value $1 each), plus a wine glass.  Student admission, ages 13 to 20, at $10 includes 5 food-tasting tickets.  Admission for children ages 6 to 12 is $5.  Children under the age of 6 are admitted for free.  Visit participating Raley’s, Nob Hill Foods and Bel Aire Markets to purchase adult tickets in advance, which include a voucher for 5 additional tasting tickets.
Purchase a weekend package in advance at mustardfestival.org, which includes both The Awards and The Marketplace at $125 per person.  Park and walk to the event.  Downtown Napa features several parking garages within walking distance of event locations.

THE PHOTO FINISH ~ THE GRAND FINALE EVENT 
View the season’s beauty captured by photographers from far and wide at The Photo Finish, the inevitably  “sold out” and wildly exuberant Napa Valley
Mustard Festival Grand Finale Event, at Rubicon Estate in Rutherford on
Saturday, March 27 at 7 pm.  Taste a heady array of Napa Valley wines along with sweets and savories, view the Napa Valley Mustard Festival Photography
Contest Exhibit of photographs, available for purchase, and revel in the party
until the last dance.  Rubicon Estate provides an exciting new location for this inevitably sold out event. Relevé Unlimited, a new Napa Valley Mustard
Festival sponsor, will join Rubicon Estate to sponsor the photography contest
and exhibit. Tickets to the event are $95 in advance; $125 at the door.

COMMUNITY EVENTS
Don’t miss the community and non-profit events that further enrich the Mustard Season calendar. Mustard, Mud & Music - A Calistoga Jazz Festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday, March 6 and 7 in downtown

BENEFACTOR’S PACKAGE
Treat yourself to a Benefactor’s Package and take advantage of the full spectrum of Napa Valley Mustard Festival events.  Offered at $500 per person, the package includes one ticket to each of the following events: Mustard Magic, The Grand Dinner, The Awards, The Marketplace, and The Photo Finish – plus a 2010 Napa Valley Mustard Festival poster signed by Thomas Monaghan.  Tickets are transferable and may be given as gifts.

COMPETITIONS
Napa Valley Mustard Festival activities include Fine Art and Photography
Competitions, The World-Wide Mustard Competition, overseen by Barry and Patti Levenson of the Mustard Museum in Madison, Wisconsin,
and a Napa Valley Chef’s Mustard Recipe Competition.  For information
and guidelines visit mustardfestival.org.

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS
The Napa Valley Mustard Festival is a non-profit community service organization.  For information call 707-938-1133.  For tickets and information visit The Festival website at mustardfestival.org. 

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