We have participated many times over the years at the Wine and Food Festival held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Over 1000 wine enthusiasts attend the event and sample wines from the best of the Central Coast wineries. This year I offered two dishes, Bay Scallops on a Corn Chowder Sauce and Bite-Sized Choux Puffs Filled with a Chicken Liver Pâté. I was surprised and pleased with the reception of the chicken liver dish as I had never offered that at a food event. Sometimes pushing the usual bounds has its benefits.
We received a wonderful thank you from Luke Swetland, the CEO of the Museum. Luke has also appeared on my cooking show, The Inn Crowd. I am delighted to be associated with the museum and natural history has always been a subject of my interest.
Back in my early teens, I use to visit my Great Uncle John Hutchings. My uncle John was a postman by day and an amateur natural historian in his time off. I use to hang around his farm and wonder at all the rocks, stuffed animals, nest and such. Some years later, he opened a museum to house his collection. His collection of the local bird species is so comprehensive that the Smithsonian Museum wanted to acquire it. He decided to keep it at his museum. Over the years, many people donated specimens from all over the world.
