For three decades the nonprofit YoloArts organization has been cultivating creativity within the community and now invites the community to attend its “Artistic Sensations: Opening Doors to Art Education,” fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 13 at Rominger West Winery in Davis.

Proceeds from the YoloArts Gala will benefit Art Education in schools, for more than 3,000 children from every corner of Yolo County. YoloArts also helps to support art instruction in the classrooms of Yolo County’s special education students.

Guests will have a chance to sample the best of Rominger West Winery by sampling the best of many barrels and bottles, with a commemorative wine glass to take home. The Buckhorn will cater the event.

Davis-based artist Susan Shelton, declared a “Remarkable Woman” by the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, will be on hand and guests will also have a chance to bring home an original piece of art created by artists from throughout Yolo County.

There will be live music by McMartin and the Blues Rockers, a raffle and a silent auction.

Tickets are $50 and may be purchased through www.yoloarts.org/boxoffice.php. Sponsorships are also available

Rominger West Winery’s tasting room is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is located at 4602 2^nd Street in Davis, across from Target. The venue has free Wifi and gourmet cheeses, salami and crackers are available for sale daily. The winery also provides a 10 percent discount to students and military. Visit www.romingerwest.com for more information.

Cinco de Mayo may be over, but the festivities continue with an evening of tequila tasting at Social Nightclub from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 14. The event is hosted by Agave52 and includes sips of more than 20 samples from six producers including Alquimia, Casa Noble, Crotalo, Don Pilar, El Relingo and Manana.

Tastings engage guests and promote conversation in judging the drinks based on aroma, color, spice and more. Both tequila amateurs and aficionados alike are encouraged to attend. Food is provided, for a fee, by Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas and there will be Latin music performed by John Collins.

Social Nightclub occupies the second floor of the Cosmopolitan on 10^th and K Streets in Downtown Sacramento. The venue has an outdoor patio, open air fireplace, private outdoor cabanas on the veranda, a lit dance floor and even mashed-potato sculptures by area artist Gustave Renoso.

Tickets are $30 and part of the proceeds goes to “El Concilio.” Agave52 hosts monthly Tequila Tasting events throughout California. Upcoming destinations include San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Newport Beach and Walnut Creek.

Social Nightclub is located at 1000 K St., Second Floor, Sacramento. For more information, visit www.agave52.com.

Plan a fabulous Memorial Day weekend of gourmet food and wine pairing with the winemakers and owners of four family-owned and operated wineries located in the heart of the El Dorado Wine Country as they celebrate their Estate vineyards and showcase the amazing Rhone varietal wines and blends produced in the rich agricultural district known as Pleasant Valley.

Local farms, artists plus winemaking and vineyard practices will be highlighted. There will be new releases, wine club specials and barrel tastings.

Participating wineries include Holly’s Hill, Miraflores, Narrow Gate and Sierra Vista. The menu will be different at each venue. Holly’s Hill will have Smokey Ridge Sausage Brochettes and Crepes with Coffee Pot Ranch Ham and Gruyere; Miraflores will showcase Spring Lamb Sandwiches on a Crusty French Baguette with Caramelized Onion, Garlic and Dressed with 2005 Miraflores Syrah Rosemary Dressing and Fresh Roasted Vegetable Sandwich on FreshCrusty French Baquette including Eggplant, Onion, Zucchini, String Beans Roasted in Virgin Olive Oil with a Light Aioli Dressing; Narrowgate will feature Lemongrass Chicken Curry with Ginger, Cilantro and Toasted Coconut. Three Onion, Olive and Apple Wood-smoked Bacon Flatbread with Shaved Fennel and Pecorino Salad; and Sierra Vista will have Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Olives over Cous Cous and Mini Sandwiches piled with Shredded Beef in BBQ Sauce.

Choose one day to visit all four wineries, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event. There will be a charity raffle to benefit the El Dorado County “Ag in the Classroom” program.

For tickets and additional information visit www.rocksandrhones.com or call (530) 344-0227.

Artists from all over the state will gather and showcase their exquisite gourd art at the 9th Annual Gourd Art Festival in Knights Landing, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15. The festival, taking place at Greg Leiser Farms, is the only one of its kind in Northern California devoted exclusively to gourd art.

Visitors can expect live demonstrations, free entertainment and a children's crafting area. Artwork from the Northern California Gourd Art Competition, sponsored by the California Gourd Society, will be on display as will gourd artwork from students at Robbins Elementary School.

The festival gives people an opportunity to see how gourds are used by different cultures, to listen to music performed on gourd instruments, and of course spend a day in the country. As in years past, admission and parking are free.

Learn new tips and techniques from expert gourd artists, including Betzy Kritzon, who will demonstrate mixed media textures on gourds. Marilyn Crayton will explore alcohol inks and ornaments; Lisa E. Toth will explain how to apply finishes to gourds and faux finish effects; Kathy Riker will be on hand with a demonstration of inks, paints and varnish finishes; and Carolee Jones will demonstrate pine needle weaving on a gourd.

Prior to the festival, Greg Leiser Farms will host pre-festival Gourd Art Classes Wednesday, May 11 through Friday, May 13. Students must register ahead of time.

Many vendor booth spaces are filled, including California Gourd Society "gourd patch" groups, representing the gourd artwork of over 100 members. Suppliers will be selling affordable grinding flex tools, wood burners, heat guns, paint, ink dyes, embellishing items, air tools, airbrushes, books and more.

Individual artists will also be selling their wares, which may include gourds turned into birdhouses, gourd purses, gourd gardens, gourd dolls, whimsical characters on gourds, gourd jewellry, drums and shakers from gourds, gourd chess sets, and more.

Expect approximately two dozen varieties of gourds at the festival, most of which receive their names by the way they look: apples, cannon balls, swans, martin house, African kettle gourds, warty gourds, etc.

People are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch, but, failing that, food vendors will offer a smorgasbord of options like breakfast burritos, hamburgers and hot dogs. Enjoy food at covered picnic tables and listen to the free live entertainment from the Putah Creek Crawdads and award winning Mamadou and Vanessa Sidibe as they play gourd instruments. Artists Gregory Cain and John Massey will also perform, as will The Conjure Band, playing country rock, and oldies.

The festival has developed and evolved over the years and found its origins by suggestion from artists who wanted to have a celebration as a venue to promote their artwork and exchange ideas with other artists.

Greg and Mary Leiser have been farming since 1972 and have been growing 25 varieties of hard shell gourds for more than a decade. Gourds are sold year round with thousands of choices.

For directions to the farm and additional information, visit www.gourdfarmer.com. To sign up for mid-week gourd art classes, visit www.galaxygourds.com.

The community is invited to "Nuevo Latino Cuisine: Culinary Artistry, Community and Conversation," hosted by the UC Davis library beginning at noon Monday, May 9 at the Putah Creek Lodge at UCD. The convivium will include presentations by speakers recognized internationally for their contributions to the Latin American culinary world.

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen will cater lunch and the menu will feature cuisine based on traditional  South American arepas, grilled corn cakes filled with marinated meats, cheeses or beans, accompanied by  tostones, toasted unripe plantains and an ensalada of tropical fruit and vegetables.

“We selected the Latin American food theme for our first convivium because (the library) hold(s) extensive resources that represent the exciting, cutting edge scholarship produced by researchers across many disciplines -- history, anthropology, ethnic and gender studies, botany, economics and more -- about the diversity of food ways throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Myra Appel, event organizer and Humanities, Social Sciences and Government Information Services, Head at UCD’s Peter J. Shields Library. “Specifically, we highlight Nuevo Latino Cuisine because this Pan-American trend is the latest expression of fusion cuisines that began to develop in 1492 with the arrival of Columbus.”

According to Appel, the concept of Nuevo Latino Cuisine has been credited to a group of innovative chefs based in Florida in the 1990s. The so-called “Mango Gang” took Latin American, especially Cuban, culinary traditions and recipes, added locally grown produce and fresh seafood and meat, applied classic French cooking techniques and created an upscale cuisine.

The trend, also labeled “New World Cuisine” or “Pan-Latino Cuisine,” has spread throughout North America. Latin American chefs from Lima, Peru, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and from Mexico City to Guadalajara, also are experimenting with vibrant fusion cuisines based on their unique traditional Latin American gastronomic heritages and influenced by  French, Asian and pan-Latino culinary techniques to create "Gourmet Latino" or "Alta Cocina" cuisines.

Presentations are artfully plated, sometimes minimalist or eclectic, and always memorable, Appel said.

“Many people in the U.S. often do not realize that Latino cultures, both across Latin America and in the U.S., are highly diverse and that these cultures have been influenced by global forces --migration, media, trade -- over hundreds of years,” Appel said. “From the indigenous cuisines based on the regional availability of foodstuffs melded with the ingredients and cooking techniques introduced by European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian immigrants, settlers, slaves and merchants came the first fusion cuisines. Nuevo Latino Cuisine, based on these venerable Latin American dishes, is one contemporary interpretation.”

Clare Hasler, Executive Director of the Robert Mondavi Institute, UC Davis, will comment on the importance of research and outreach across the sciences and humanities/social sciences for food studies, and how the RMI has fostered interdisciplinary projects.

Ken Albala, a noted food historian, faculty member at the University of the Pacific and prolific author and editor of publications that include “Eating Right in the Renaissance,” and “A Cultural History of Food,” will speak on “The Roots of Latin American Food.”

Steve Sando, owner of Rancho Gordo: New World Specialty Food, culinary consultant and author of “Heirloom Beans,” will discuss “Redefining the New American Kitchen: Bringing Latin American Heirloom Ingredients to the Modern Table.”

Finally, Leopoldo López Gil, a founding member of the Slow Food Movement in Venezuela and member of the Academia Venezolana de Gastronomía, with his daughter Adriana López Vermut, owns the Pica Pica Maize Kitchen restaurants located in Napa and San Francisco. Señor López will talk about the “new modern Latin cuisine” and the ingredients and culinary traditions that encourage chefs and serious home cooks to experiment and create new fusion dishes.

“We want to champion diversity,” Appel said. “We hope to bring in the community, both the academic and the regional communities, to engage in conversation about serious academic topics that are also enjoyable (yes, fun!). We want to offer an event that reaffirms the role of the Library as the center of intellectual resources and knowledge.”

Registration forms may be found at http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/ul/events/nuevo-latino-cuisine/nlc-registration.pdf. Complete the registration form by May 4 and mail check to: Library Administration, Shields Library, 100 North West Quad, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. The cost is $50 including lunch and presentations. Book signings will take place after the presentations. Contact: Myra Appel at mlappel@lib.ucdavis.edu for more information.

Campus Map http://campusmap.ucdavis.edu/?b=122

Visitor Parking ($6.00/day) http://campusmap.ucdavis.edu/?l=54

Who doesn’t want to save time, save money AND eat well when it comes to planning family dinners? Subscribers to WeeklyMenuClub.com have the opportunity to try out the service for free for two weeks. Members will receive weekly emails that include the upcoming week's Monday through Friday dinner menus, a shopping list and the associated recipes. After the two week trial period the service is $19.95 per month.

“You know that you want to eat fresh, delicious food every night, but don’t have the time to dig through recipe books and make extensive shopping lists,” states WeeklyMenuService.com. “You like cooking, but don’t want to do the time consuming stuff. Weekly Menu Club is the ideal situation.”

Save Time: Save 5 hours per week because WeeklyMenuClub.com do all of the planning and organizing of your week’s dinner menus.

Save Money: Save $5,000 per person per year by eating at home Monday – Friday for dinner. Because you have everything planned, you’ll also waste less food, which means waste less money!

Eat Well: Eat healthier, tastier food and improve your dinner variety.

The “Quick Family” option, for example, is ideal for those families who really want to fit tasty, healthy meals into their routine. Each meal can be made in about 30 minutes or less.

A sample menu may include: chicken breasts with mozzarella; Alfredo and sweet pepper pizza; beef and asparagus sauté with rice; salmon with pesto mayo and buttered peas; and pasta with broccoli and lemon with bread.

Besides “Quick Family” menu options, the site will soon offer additional choices: Couples, Light & Tasty, Low Fat, Seafood Allergy and Vegetarian.

Visit www.weeklymenuclub.com for a two-week free trail and other downloadable tips and techniques.

Take Sunday brunch to a new level, and step back in time, by heading to the Delta region for an intimate Champagne Sunday Brunch at Grand Island Mansion. The mansion is the largest private residence in Northern California and is about a 30-minute drive from Sacramento.

All brunch entrees include freshly baked breads, fruit compote, regular and decaffeinated Columbian coffee, tea, milk, orange juice, and, of course, all the Champagne you can drink throughout the meal.

While traditional favorites such as Eggs Benedict are on the menu, they are served with subtle twists: Griddle toasted sliced English muffin with Canadian bacon, tomatoes, avocado and poached morning-gathered eggs topped with a rich Hollandaise sauce, with seasonal vegetables and a sliced fruit garnish.

What most would consider French toast is actually Italian toast on the Grand Island Mansion menu. Sliced, fresh sourdough French bread, baked in sour cream, amaretto and egg batter comes with honey sweetened vanilla butter, toasted almonds, fresh whipped cream and berry compote.

For those seeking the "lunch" part of the brunch menu, guests are in for a treat: New York steak, chicken crepe a la maison, maple glazed salmon or quiche de jour are yours for the taking. All entrees will tempt your palate, especially the salmon with balsamic vinegar and citrus essence served with potatoes au gratin, wilted spinach and apple cider butter.

For dessert, the server will bring a dessert tray to the table and entice guests with selections like brownie s’more, walnut tart, lemon soufflé and English toffee brulee.

The Italian Renaissance style villa was built in 1917 for San Francisco native Louis Meyers and his wife Audrey, daughter of the Lublin family of the former Weinstocks Lublin department stores.

The 24,000-square-foot mansion boasts 58 rooms, including a cozy movie theater and bowling alley. While the Champagne Sunday Brunch menu is a feast for the palate, the estate itself is a feast for architecture enthusiasts and layman alike, featuring five marble fireplaces, inlaid parquet flooring, rare tile work, period furnishings and original artwork. Other amenities include a heliport, tennis court, basketball court, private docks and classical Italian gardens.

The mansion and grounds are only open for public viewing while dining during the famous brunches, March through October, or private function parties like weddings. Famous guests have included former presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, author Earl Stanley Gardiner and actress Jean Harlow.

The menu does change, so consult the list of options online for the most up to date information. The Grand Island Champagne Sunday Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and reservations are recommended. Visit www.grandislandmansion.com for more information or call (916) 775-1705 for reservations,

Spend Mother’s Day picnicking and touring several of Capay Valley’s finest gardens, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 8.

Visitors are welcome to picnic in the gardens – delicious box lunches will be for sale at the Guinda Grange Hall using local ingredients, or bring your own. Art and plants will also be for sale at the Grange Hall.

New gardens have been added this year to the self-guided tour, as well as several points of interest along the drive though the valley. Featured gardens include: Capay Organic Farm, Capay Valley Vineyards, Annie Main’s Garden at Good Hummus, Gretchen’s Dream Gourds at Blue Heron Farm, Laurie Hayes’ Garden, Pat Harrison’s Garden and the Will Baker Native Plant Garden. See full descriptions of each garden below.

See how California native shrubs are integrated into lovely annual and perennial gardens, or talk to the gardeners themselves and learn the secrets of their success. Some of the gardens will have musicians and artists performing amongst the flowers.

Many of the gardens are also showcases for agricultural production in the Capay Valley. The Capay Valley, located west of Woodland on Highway 16, is an agricultural valley. Farms produce organic fruits and vegetables, orchards produce almonds and walnuts, vineyards produce wine grapes, and rangelands supports cattle. The Valley is comprised of several small towns including Brooks, Capay, Esparto, Guinda and Rumsey.

Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event in the Esparto Community Park. Tickets are $10 per adult and children are free. All proceeds from this tour will go towards establishing and enhancing garden projects in the communities of Esparto and the Capay Valley, including the Will Baker Memorial Garden in Guinda.

For more information call (530) 796-3464 or visit www.capayvalleygardentour.com.

Garden Descriptions:

Laurie Hayes' Garden Stroll through the spacious garden filled with rose and lavender border, perennial beds in both sun and shade, xeric plantings filled with grasses and native perennials, grape arbor, fruit trees and veggies. Garden sculpture from local artist David Hayes will be available for purchase, as will potted plants, and maybe fresh apricots!

Pat Harrison’s Garden Step into a page from history and visit this garden surrounding an 1880 brick home built with brick from nearby Cache Creek Brick Works. The Superintendent built this home on 6.6 acres. His wife and daughter both taught at the Capay School just across the dirt stagecoach road. Today, ~130 years later, the road is now Highway 16. Around this turn-of-the-century home, separate gardens are connected by wandering paths.  See bulbs and roses dating from the 1800’s, a micro-forest of redwoods, a children’s play area, horse shoe pit and farm animals.  Use the picnic tables and bring your own or purchase food from the Guinda Grange Hall.

Annie’s Garden at Good Humus Produce Established in the Hungry Hollow area in 1984 by owners Jeff and Annie Main, this 20 acre organic farm grows flowers, herbs, fruits and is a source of beauty. Many flower garden plants came from Annie’s grandmother’s garden.  Flowering trees and shrubs, native hedgerows and Australian Beefwood create borders, leaving central areas for vegetables, flowers and the stone fruit orchards. Bring your picnic and walk the paths to find the perfect spot for a family lunch. Sale items include plants, fresh flower bouquets, jams, jellies and dried fruit.

Capay Organic Farm was founded in 1976 by Kathleen Barsotti and husband Martin Barnes.  Kathleen’s legacy continues as her sons Thaddeus, Noah, and Freeman and their families run the farm and it’s large CSA (community-supported agriculture) program, delivering boxes of fruits and vegetables direct to customers in northern and central California.  Enjoy the farm-house garden and farm animals – goats and chickens.  Bring a picnic and hear live music.

Capay Valley Vineyards The “greenery” featured here is a working vineyard. Shoots that were pruned in late March are budded out and growing rapidly. Vineyard tasks include removing extra shoots and suckers and moving trellis wires to hold shoots upright.  Next to the parking area, get a close-up look at vines. Wine tasting features award winning Viognier, Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet, and Sparkling Viognier. You can picnic here with view of vineyard.

Will Baker Native Plant Garden Designed and constructed by a group of dedicated local volunteers, this demonstration garden is an ongoing community project with help from experts (Yolo County Resource Conservation District).  The garden commemorates Dr. Will Baker, a local resident, poet, author, rancher and English professor at UC Davis. See how drought tolerant plants native to Capay Valley are used for wildlife habitat, fire and weed suppression, and erosion control.  Plants are grouped in natural plant communities --  dry hills, lowlands, ponds and streamside.  From informational displays, visitors learn about how to use plants at home or on the farm.  Planting began in 2008/2009; now trees, shrubs and grasses flourish. Funding is from donations, CA State, this Garden Tour, and the Capay Valley Rotary Club.

Full Belly Farm There are so many gardens here at the farm it is difficult to choose which one to see first! The straw bale house is a sight with a berm covered in drought tolerant and California native plants. Gravel paths around the house take you past beds of Yucca and other succulents as well as through plantings of Euphorbias and lavender. Stroll through the many acres of cut flowers where you will see perennials and annuals in full bloom. The rose arbor garden boasts 15 year old perennial plantings of a delicious mix of shrubs and trees. And don’t forget your picnic lunch to be enjoyed on the grassy lawn area surrounded by the newly planted brick berm!

Gretchen’s’ Dream Gourds at Blue Heron Farm, 2739, Rumsey Canyon Rd., Rumsey: This small organic farm is nestled between Cache Creek, fields of organic produce and the historic ‘Rumsey Ditch’ irrigation canal. Blue herons, the farm’s name sake, are often seen. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the farm grows seasonal organic produce –Washington navel oranges, squashes and tomatoes. In addition, Gretchen and John grow hard-shelled Lagenaria gourds, which have an endless array of shapes and sizes. See a display of Gretchen’s wood-burned Dream Gourds, and then buy raw cured gourds and Lagenaria plants for your garden.  Visit this lovely farm along Cache Creek, meet Sienna, their friendly dog, and enjoy the natural beauty.

Take your mother to Scotland for Mother’s Day! The 135^th Anniversary Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival is set to take place Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland.

The Scottish Festival and Games is a celebration of all things Scottish, from food to games to historical reenactments. Sixty-four Scottish Clans will have booth space in the Glen of the Clans. Visitors are welcome to get more information and find out history about the different clans.

Live music entertainment will begin each day at 11 a.m. Performers include Colin Clyne, Stout Rebellion, Tempest and Wicked Tinkers. There will also be fiddlers and harpists beginning at 10 a.m. daily in the Fiddlers Glen.

Competitive Scottish games will take place in these categories: athletics, Highland dance, pipe and drum and drum major.

The Scottish Festival and Games will assemble the largest selection of Scottish animals of any games or festival held in California. Clydesdale horses, Scottish Highland cattle, Dexter cattle, Shetland pony, Scottish sheep, Scottish Fold cats, as well as several dog breeds, from Shetland Sheepdogs to Gordon Setters will be on display. There will be Sheep Dog demonstrations and Frisbee dogs entertainment.

A wide range of vendors will also be on hand offering everything from traditional fish and chips to jewelry.

The Saturday night Ceilidh (party) dinner and entertainment begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Crown and Thistle Pub and White Heather Stage area. The family event includes a barbecue provided by Ludy’s Main St. BBQ and live entertainment beginning at 5 p.m.

Children seven years of age and younger, and military with ID, are free. One-day youth, ages eight to 17, tickets at the gate are $6; adults are $15 and seniors are $10. There are discounts for tickets purchased in advance and two-day tickets. The Saturday Night Ceilidh is extra.

The Yolo County Fairgrounds are located at 1125 East St. in Woodland. For more information, visit www.saccallie.org/games.