Honey, French, Dijon Oh My”¦ Honey, French, Dijon Oh My”¦

By Razi Schwartz

Condiments are the last great art form”¦in my humble opinion, of course. Take ketchup, for example ““ you can call it catsup if you like, have it in a variety of colors, handmade or pre-bottled by the famous 57s. Or pickles! Oh pickles! I love me a good pickle, and we all know pickles come in all shapes, sizes, flavors, consistencies ““ a little extra garlic, a little less garlic, juicy, super juicy. I think you get the condi-gist. But today, today I’m not here to talk about those other condiments ““ I’m here to talk about mustard. If your parents won’t talk to you about mustard, I guess it’ll just have to be my job.

What do I know about mustard? Well, I know I like it, that’s for sure. There’s honey mustard, Dijon, Dijonnaise (but I don’t know if we can really count that), “would you pass the Grey Poupon?” “¦ really, our world’s mustard options are endless, and let’s be real ““ I’ve only scratched the surface of our consumer brands. Think of the endless possibilities of mustard in this world ““ it’s like wine, or any other culinary art ““ bread ““ olive oil ““ vinegar. Jeez, I’m making myself hungry now.

So, where does one go to try, taste, and learn about all this unknown and untapped mustard fabulousness? Well, that would the Napa Valley Mustard Festival, that’s where. The festival is a non-profit community organization that attracts thousands of visitors to the area, thus helping local businesses, organizations, and sponsors during a time of year that is usually “slower” than other times of year. I mean, we are still talking California, so”¦even the winter months are far more enjoyable than, say, being in New Hampshire. But, nonetheless, it’s winter. But it is such a perfect time for mustarding (I made up that word, FYI) because you’ll see the richest shades of green and yellow as the mustard covers the vineyards. The festival actually lasts for the majority of the winter season ““ end of January through March ““ so you have lots of time to get on up there to Napa and check it out.

But what you really might not want to miss is the Mustard Magic Grand Opening Event, the launch event for the WHOLE FESTIVAL. And, what’s my mantra, people? I love being there first, I love being the early bird, I love being at the pulse of awesomeness. The opening event will be held at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, on Saturday, January 28th. A gourmet buffet, wine, an art auction ““ and of course, mustard. I mean, how can you go wrong? I don’t know if you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating at The CIA, but”¦it is not to be missed. And I love the whole feeling of this festival ““ why shouldn’t we celebrate good food, good wine, Napa, art, and mustard all in one place?

Advance tickets for Mustard Magic are $135 if you purchase online before 3pm on January 27th. The tickets cost $175 at the door. Overall, and UNBELIEVABLY REASONABLE PRICE for a night of magnificence. This link, the one I’m about to list, will take you to the ticket sales: http://www.mustardfestival.org/tickets/.

There is also a huge, long, comprehensive calendar of events for the festival season that I highly recommend checking out. I mean, it’s not like we need an excuse to go to Napa, but”¦this will just give you another reason to pack the bags for a weekend, and share a good time with someone special. Come on, who doesn’t relish in that?
http://www.mustardfestival.org/calendar/