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The West Coast of the United States, famous for beaches, Silicon Balley and a whole array of forward thinking ventures, is also home to a buzzing food scene of restaurants, bars, museums and of course the old FDL favorite - farmers markets.
Here is a round up of some of the best food stories to come from the West Coast in 2011: don't miss it!
Sitting on the dock of the bay.....
Rumor has it that Otis Redding wrote his famous 'dock of the bay' song while sitting in a houseboat in Sausalito, California. But Sausalito isn't the only important bay in California, as FDL found out when we visited the San Francisco Ferry Building. Located on the San Francisco bay, the SF Ferry Building has been a permanent fixture since 1898. Then, after many different uses, in 1990 it became the home of the ferry market, a bustling, lively market selling a huge array of food items. Honey, coffee, cakes, fish and even famous restaurants. So why not have a read and take a visit to discover it for yourself.
(Gourmet) Meals on wheels
All across the world, from London to Paris, there has been somewhat of a fast food revolution taking place on four wheels. Yes, the once hated sweaty burger vans, greasy suppliers parked outside nightclubs, have been vanishing only to be replaced by high quality food trucks. This is taking place everywhere but nowhere is the gourmet food truck movement more evident than in Los Angeles. Italian, Indian, Chinese - even fresh breads and cakes - often organic and usually offering high quality lunch are now available throughout the city. Twitter sees chefs post their daily deals and locations and with the sharp increase in popularity FDL expect to see more in 2012.
Seeing stars
You can't talk about the West Coast of America without mentioning the huge celebrity population in that part of the world. A heaven for the rich, young and adventurous and of course home of the stars backyard, Hollywood. FDL met with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and the Desperate Housewives star, Eva Longoria. Both encounters were to discuss the actresses' passion for food and how they plan to branch out and get involved in the industry. Gwyneth with her recent cook book and Eva with her upcoming restaurant venture.
Cultural hotspots...
Home to designers, artists and writers - the West Coast is a cultural soup of flavors. The Litquake fetstival is just one of the events that caught FDL's eye in 2011. Held in San Francisco and then moving to Texas, the annual literary festival has a special day dedicated to food writers. With a look at hot books and classes on how to write compelling and popular cookbooks, this is an inspirational event for anyone interested in the growing trend of food writing. Link: FDL also managed a stop at the world famous Getty Museum in LA with their well established restaurant hosted within the Getty Villa - a truly remarkable setting and cuisine in one of the best museums in America.
Photo by star5112 | flickr
