A childhood in Costa Rica surrounded by farms helped form Chef Andres Jimenez's passion for local, seasonal, sustainable and organic products. It's a passion he's been able to share with others as the executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Not only does Chef Andres partner with local farms that include Maggie Farms, Tuti Fruti, Gloria Farms, VR Farms and Aqua Farms (for mussels, clams and oysters) but he regularly takes guests on tours of the resort's own herb garden, put in last year as part of the Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program. Here is a short video with Chef Andres in the garden talking about how to work with the herbs rosemary, parsley, sage and thyme.  

In a recent cooking demonstration at the resort (on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean no less), Chef Andres shared with us this recipe for pomegranate and bulgur wheat salad (click "read more" for recipe), which is as delicious as it is healthy -- not to mention garden-friendly. He also left us with this nifty tip: If you want to illustrate the importance of buying organic, just taste the difference it makes in butter. 

Located at the Aloha Tower Marketplace on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Chai's Island Bistro is a haven for local talent. This is true both on the stage (where local entertainment is featured nightly) and in the kitchen, where produce from local farms is featured in Hawaii Regional Cuisine influenced by Chef/Owner Chai Chaowasaree's native Thailand. Chef Chai works closely with local farmers at Nalo Farms and Aloun Farms. He also helped found Hawaiian Island Chefs, an organization whose mission is to promote agriculture and aquaculture in Hawaii and to help promote academic scholarships in the culinary arts. 

For those who can't get to Oahu and would like to learn more about Chef Chai's cooking -- or try it themselves at home -- his cookbook, "The Island Bistro Cookbook," is a great place to start. Below is one of the recipes. According to Chef Chai, "This is one of the easiest dishes to make. You don't have to follow the recipe exactly and you can substitute pork or anything else. You can stir-fry it any way you want and make it as fancy or simple as you like. It depends on how much you want to show off for your dinner guests!"

While champagne is nice for celebrations, in my mind nothing says love like a good red wine -- especially a good pinot noir. For Valentine's Day this year, Jeff and I will be enjoying the 2008 Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir from my friend Toby Hill's Phillips Hill Winery, which makes limited edition pinot noirs from the Anderson Valley and Comptche up in Mendocino. Artwork on the label for the 2008 Oppenlander (pictured right) is also Toby's. For those looking for an excuse to make the trek to Mendocino, this summer Phillips Hill will be holding a farm-to-table winemakers dinner, held in a field atop Mendocino Ridge overlooking the Anderson Valley. All the food will be sourced from local farms and ranches and prepared by a guest celebrity chef to match the wines. Phillips Hill limited edition wine club members will be the first ones notified of the final details for the dinner. For more information, call 707-877-1151 or visit PhillipsHillEstates.com.

To continue our red wine theme, Palo Robles Wine Country will hold its 2011 Los Angeles Grand Tasting on March 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at The Vibiana in Downtown Los Angeles. The event, which will benefit the Southern California Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, will feature more than 28 wineries and gourmet appetizers by RoomForty and is part of a larger Grand Tasting Tour featuring winemaker dinners throughout Los Angeles February 26-March 5. For more information, visit pasowine.com.

And with that, I bid you a very Happy Valentine's Day!