Despite chilly, windy autumn weather Saturday, a steady stream of people strolled into downtown Eagle to sip Idaho wines, meet the winemakers and savor delicacies whipped up by some of the Valley's finest chefs.
The Eagle Food & Wine Festival, organized by the Eagle Chamber of Commerce, wasn't crushed with festivalgoers. But the downtown was buzzing all afternoon.
People listened to live music, shopped for wine, spices, jewelry and other items and watched kids make chalk art on the sidewalk.
Tamara and David Nagoda, who moved to Eagle from Tucson, Ariz., a year ago, were among those tasting wine at the festival. Tamara said she favors red wines.
"We don't drink a lot of wine," she said, holding an empty wine glass. "We did a lot more drinking before I had my son."
Nagoda said her husband has dabbled in brewing beer at home.
"I think he'd definitely like to have (wine) grapes," she said.
The wine festival's inaugural year was battered a bit by wind, but the day wasn't as blustery, or rainy, as the kickoff gala Friday night.
The soggy weather forced all of the attendees of the $150-a-person gala into the elegant home of hosts Lloyd and Judy Mahaffey, wine promoters whose front yard is a vineyard. Between 110 and 120 people came to the party, said Tim Tower, one of the festival organizers.
"I didn't hear a single complaint from anyone," Tower said.
The gala was a fundraiser for the Special Olympics World Winter Games, which will be hosted by Idaho in 2009. More than $20,000 was raised during a silent auction at the party.
"Overall, we were thrilled with the outcome," Lloyd Mahaffey said.
Those who attended the gala raved about a performance by Grammy-nominated pianist David Lanz, who put off his return to Seattle to do an unscheduled performance Saturday at Eagle's Heritage Park during the Food & Wine Festival Saturday.
Local musicians Keelan Dimick (piano), Tom Jensen (bass) and Damien Bard (drums) kept festival-goers grooving for two hours with a mix of jazz, funk and Latin music.
Dimick, 16, is a student at Eagle's new ArtsWest school, a private arts-focused school that opened this fall.
Food was another big draw for for attendees.
Tower said about 120 people bought advance tickets ($50) for entry into chef's tent at Saturday's festival. Delicacies were prepared — and paired — with Idaho wines.
Eagle chef Jared Couch, proprietor of SixOneSix and multiple winner of local Iron Chef competitions, put foie gras torcione on brioche crisps topped with vanilla-poached peaches, minted whipped yogurt and baby greens.
Chef Jon Mortimer of Mortimer's in Boise and Franco Latino in Eagle, made beef zubaton with Yukon Gold potatoes from his own garden.
"That was delicious. Your potatoes are incredible," said Alan Fenicle, a San Francisco Bay area resident in town visiting his daughter, Camille Fenicle.
Katy Moeller: 377-6413
