California November Food Festivals

California just finished collecting Halloween candy and but it's time to move onto November holiday celebrations such as harvests and Thanksgiving. Here are a few food festivals and event for the month of November, always a season to remember for heartwarming recipes served at family gatherings, in restaurants and at wineries and festival events.

NAPA VALLEY: Worlds of Flavor, November 6-8, 2019. Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival. By invitation, see worldsofflavor.com

Past Events

SAN FRANCISCO: Chocolate Salon November 18 2018,  Fall Chocolate Salon at Hotel Kabuki, $ fallchocolatesalon.com

SAN JOSE: Festival of Pupusas Saturday November 10, 2018, 12-7 p.m.
History Park
1650 Senter Road
San Jose CA
$15-105
VIP Tables $525-995, festivalofpupusas.com
408-228-3650
The largest food festival of its kind in the West Coast offers more than 30 different types of Pupusas including Shrimp, Steak and Cheese varieties. In addition to honoring the amazing Pupusa, traditional Saldadorean dishes such as: Platanos fritos (fried plaintains), mariscadas, casamientos and an array of Salvadorean dishes. It's time to get your pupusa fix on!

COSTA MESA:  Halecrest Park Annual Chili Cookoff November 17, 2018, 12-4 p.m. Location:
3107 Killybrooke Lane, Costa Mesa. halecrestpark.com

FRESNO: 2018 Merchants' Lunch and Country Store, November 8, 2018, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Church Campus, 430 South First Street at Historic Huntington Boulevard, near Downtown Fresno. The First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno, California's oldest Armenian Congregation marks its silver anniversary of a congregational cookbook at its annual harvest season community luncheon featuring seasoned beef filet kebab or garlic chicken kebab, rice pilaf, cheese boureg, garden salad, pickled tourshee, fresh peda bread and paklava, among the offerings. $15 per person, dine-in, take-out, or drive through. The drive-through lane will be located on the Raisina Street side of the Church Campus, one block west of First Street between Huntington Boulevard and Balch Avenue. The autumn food bazaar marks the 25th Anniversary of the publication of "A Hundred Years and Still Cooking," the FAPC Fidelis Women's Society Centennial recipe collection. First published in 1993 by H. Markus Printing, the 496-page volume includes instructions for preparing 636 different ethnic recipes and sells for $35 Call: (559) 237-6638, fax (559) 237-9526, or e-mailing administration@fapc.net 

Past Events

AVILA BEACH: Harvest on the Coast Weekend   slowine.com

BIG SUR: Food & Wine Festival November 2-4, 2018
Ticket prices vary, buy online at bigsurfoodandwine.org
Big ocean, big views, big food and big wine equals Big Sur Food and Wine Festival.

COSTA MESA: Community Chili Cook-Off. Chili Contest. Entertainment, Exhibits, Vendors! Vote for your favorite chili! The competition is ready to heat up! Time: 124 p.m. Cost: Free Location: Halecrest Park 3107 Killybrooke Lane and 3124 College Ave., Costa Mesa, California, RSVP: halecrestpark.com

MADERA: Madera Pomegranate Festival 
pomegranatefestival.com
Madera, California
Pomegranate themed festival. Vendors range from makeup, beauty salons, women's wear to toy makers, business banks and nuts, jellies and pomegranate products. Free parking and entrance to the event. Free children's art center hosted by Madera County Arts Council and fun activities by the City Parks and Community Services. Art show, Master Gardeners representing the Pomegranate, and music. Wine, beer and food vendors.

MENDOCINO: Mendocino Mushroom, Wine &  Beer  Festival 
10896 Lansing St
Mendocino, CA
mendocino.com
Mendocino County is home to more than 3,000 mushroom varieties, including the rare candy cap mushroom with its intense maple syrup flavor and sweet fragrance that grows only along the northern coast of California. With mushroom dinners, wine- and beer-pairing workshops, cooking classes, musical performances, exhibits, guided mushroom foraging there is something for everyone during this magical season of mushrooms. Events take place throughout the County, from the coast to the inland valleys.

RAMONA: Art and Wine Festival
ramonaartandwinefest.net

RIDGECREST:  Petroglyph Festival  Free, rpfestival.com  
Balsam Street Fair, Balsam and French Avenues

SAN DIEGO: San Diego Beer Week, November 3-11, 2018 Hundreds of beer-centric events take place throughout the county during this 10-day festival highlighting San Diego's award-winning craft beer, breweries and pubs. sdbw.org

SIERRA MADRE: Hops for Hope November
Santa Anita Park Arcadia, CA thesperofoundation.org

WALNUT CREEK: Gourmet East Bay  More than twenty of the top restaurants throughout the East Bay will feature premier tastings; wineries from Livermore, Napa, and Lodi will feature tastes of great wines, and premier spirits vendors will pour their signature cocktails amidst an exctiing and fun atmosphere with fantastic live music. A raffle and silent auction will be one of the highlights of the evening – with prizes ranging in value and grandeur – from a $500 shopping spree at Broadway Plaza, to 12 months of dining at participating restaurants, to overnight stays at some of the best hotels in the East Bay. Proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano – just in time for the holiday season. To purchase tickets, visit GourmetEastBay.com.

YUBA CITY: Sikh Festival
Sikh Temple Tierra Buena 2468 Tierra Buena Road Yuba City, California 95993 facebook.com/

VENTURA:  Ventura County Farm Day  Celebrating the Hands & Lands That Feed Us  
Ventura Farm Day Barbeque November 5, 2016 4-9 p.m.  at Ventura County Fair Grounds, (San Miguel Building)
10 W. Harbor Blvd.
Ventura, Calif., 93001
$40, $15 age 12 years and under
venturacountyfarmday.com
(805) 901-0213
The barbeque features live country music by Coldwater Canyon, farm fresh food prepared by Young Farmers & Rangers, locally produced craft beers and wines and kids activities.

 Free admission to 20+ farms
For more information about SEEAG, visit  seeag.org
 Locations: Farms throughout Ventura County including McGrath Family Farm, Houweling's Tomatoes, Gill's Onions, Deardorff Family Farms and Petty Ranch Ventura County   The 4th Annual Ventura County Farm Day will take place at farms throughout Ventura County. In keeping with the spirit of giving during the month of November, Farm Day gives the public an opportunity to say thanks to our farmers and agricultural workforce who make sure we have food on our table. Farm Day is a free self-guided tour in which over 20 participating Ventura County farms open their doors, enabling the public to learn about agriculture firsthand. Each farm will feature a number of family friendly activities including free produce, agricultural book signings and food and beverage samplings. Following the farm tours is a barbeque at the Ventura County Fairgrounds (San Miguel Building) in Ventura.
Ventura County Farm Day is organized by Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG). SEEAG's mission is to help children understand the farm origins of their food through classroom agricultural education and free farm field trips. Over 10,000 elementary school students in Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey by participating in SEEAG programs.

SONOMA: Extra Virgin Festival  B.R. Cohn Winery 15000 Sonoman Highway Glen Ellen, CA
(701) 938-4064 $20, brcohn.com/sonoma-extra-virgin-festival
Celebrating all things olive along with Sonoma's olive harvest 
A variety of Olive Oil and Food Producers
Hand Harvest of 160-year-old heritage trees
Blessing of the Olives
Educators and Cook Book Authors
Food Trucks
Cooking Demonstrations
Live Music

NEWBERRY SPRINGS: Pistachio Festival November 3, 2018
pistachiofestival.info 18th Annual
Newberry Springs, California
Old fashioned family oriented festival, one day event, free admission & parking, featuring live music, food, merchandise vendors, lots of food and of course pistachios. Annual event always held the first Saturday in November.

SONOMA COUNTY: A Wine & Food Affair  wineroad.com
Sonoma County, California
Join us for a weekend of wine and food pairing. All of the wineries participating will have a favorite winery recipe in the cookbook, which they will prepare both days for you to sample, along with the perfect wine.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK: Grand Grape Celebration November & December
travelyosemite.com
Yosemite National Park, California
Prominent winemakers showcase their vintages at Yosemite National Park, with wine tastings, seminars and gala dinners.
Session I

PLACERVILLE: Crab & Chowder Gala Location: El Dorado County Fair and Event Center Address100 Placerville Dr. Placerville, CA 95667, eldoradocountyfair.org/gala.html 

LONG BEACH: Tropicalia Music & Taco Festival November 3-4, 2018 queenmary.com All you can eat tacos provided by more than 20 vendors. Musical mix of reggae, dub and chicano. $105-200 approx. tropicaliafest.com

QUINCY: Community Supper
Join Quincy Chamber of Commerce in this community for a fantastic dinner provided and served by a different host each week. Donations gratefully accepted. Location: Quincy Methodist Church, 445 Jackson Street, Quincy, CA, quincychamber.com

ESCONDIDO: Tamale Festival November 3, 2018
Annual Escondido Tamale Festival in San Diego County, CA
Grape Day Park
Escondido, CA
EscondidoTamaleFestival.org
Free

PASO ROBLES: Garagiste Festival November 10-12, 2017
californiagaragistes.com
Paso Robles, California
Celebrating the Artisan Winemaker. Welcome to Garagiste, a place for the underground, the different, and the cutting edge of small production winemaking with no rules. Garagistes: A term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their garage, who refused to follow the rules.” Now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. Syn: Rule-breakers, pioneers, renegades, mavericks, driven by passion.

SAN DIEGO: San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival November 12-19, 2017
sandiegowineclassic.com
San Diego, California
An international showcase of the world's premier wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities, and gourmet foods. The San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival is a week of epicurean experiences, featuring wine-tasting seminars, cooking classes led by award-winning chefs, wine and food tastings. More than 10,000 food aficionados from across the nation indulge in the West Coast's largest food and wine celebration. The Festival benefits culinary arts and enology scholarships awarded by The American Institute of Wine & Food and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

SANTA CLARITA: Soup for the Soul 
Savia Campus of Real Life Church
23780 Newhall Avenue
Santa Clarita, CA
$50 person, $500 table of 10
RSVP (310) 927-8194
btohome.com
 Bridge to Home invites the public to help those experiencing homelessness by attending the annual fundraising event and awareness. Includes gourmet soups, hors d'oeuvres, desserts, entertainment, plus a live and silent auction.

OAK GLEN:   Apple Butter Festival November 24-25, 2017 Riley's at Los Rios Rancho 39611 Oak Glen Rd. #13, Yucaipa, CA losriosrancho.comlosriosrancho.com
Pioneer families made a custom of gathering together in late fall to cook up apple butter from the last apples of the season.

LOS ANGELES: The Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza November 17, 2017
thewhiskyextravaganza.com
Los Angeles, California
Features a sampling of over 100 of Scotland's most prestigious single malt & Scotch whiskies, as well as unique single malts from Ireland and Japan. The Extravaganza takes place during the spring and fall seasons. Each event is held at the finest hotels and private clubs in the United States to ensure an elegant, comfortable and relaxed environment. Tickets by advance purchase only.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Glen Ellen at B.R. Cohn November 4, 2017, $20
• Pomegranates in Madera 
• Tamales in Escondido 
• Italian in Pittsburg  Soroptimists
• Mushrooms in Mendo 
• Polynesian in Pleasanton 
• Farm Day Barbeque at Ventura County Fairgrounds 
• Spaghetti in Lewiston   fund the Bridge Lighting
• Cheese in San Diego stonebrewing.com

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.