Get Your Paella On with 18th Annual Catalan Festival

It’s a one-pot wonder, even if that pot is the size of a wading pool. For professional paella chefs, it seems, the larger the pan, the better the dish.

You can check out that theory at the 18th Annual Catalan Festival being held July 24 and 25 at Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards on Hwy. 121 in Sonoma.

That’s when some of the North Bay’s most talented chefs will gather to create a paella feast, stirring and simmering the Spanish rice wafting in enticing aromas of seafood, chicken and sausage steamed with deeply fragrant spices. In most cases, the pan will dwarf any traditional skillet you’ve ever seen, showcasing that this is a dish best enjoyed with lots and lots of friends.

While paella is classic, the recipes are open to a chef’s personal interpretation, often based on what’s available seasonally, in an everything-but-the-kitchen sink mélange. The only must? A healthy pinch of precious saffron.

Showing that individual style will be Jose Castaneda El Toro Market in Healdsburg and Castaneda’s Market in Windsor, a chef who is known for his bolder, bigger flavors, including spicy homemade chorizo. It’s a “New World” approach for an “Old World” food that was born long ago as a rustic meal for vineyard workers in Spain and designed to be scooped by hungry hands directly from the pan.

Also cooking: Sabor of Spain, B44 Catalan Bistro, and Barlata.

As a celebration of Gloria Ferrer’s Spanish roots, there will be plenty of Carneros wine, too – in sparkling and still – plus live classical guitar and flamenco dance.

Details: Taste of Spain, The 18th annual Catalan Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 24-25, at Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, 23555 Highway 121, Sonoma.

Cost: $50 adults; $42.50 for guests under 21, kids under 5 free. Visit gloriaferrer.com or call 707-933-1999.