Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/732294
providers. He's also a forager, looking for wild-growing natural ingredients such as milk thistle, seaweeds, elderberries, mug- wort, and acorns throughout the area and on the hotel's property. e restaurant's mixologist, Alexandra Pellot, dries her own fruits and makes her own syrups from scratch. "I look for ingredients that are unique and will educate our cu- linary team and our guests. I look beyond organic for my sources. I'm looking for places remote from commercial operations, loca- tions with soil that is uncontaminated by any contact with pesti- cides," Olson explains. "I also think the water source is important. We look at all parts of the produce we source, all the way to the tips of vegetables we can use in sauces or use for compost." Olson has his own chef 's garden and a large compost area. He also keeps a bee box on the property. By next year, he plans a thriving hive. e vineyard on the resort's property and its 200 plus olive trees also make fi ne resources for the chef 's kitchen. "We use edible fl owers. We source sustainable, certifi ed organic soybean oil for our grills that composts well. We control freshness and where every element in our kitchen comes from." Pastry chef Carol Anne Phio- pott makes all her pastries and desserts from scratch. Look for desserts such as Phiopott's airy key lime pie, and coconut gelato with bread pudding. Not to miss mains and appetiz- ers include fl at bread with garlic and edible fl owers, raw vegan zucchini noodles, a won- derful risotto featuring wild for- aged mushrooms with eggplant and shallots, and a garden salad with herbs fresh from the chef 's garden. Careful sourcing is also a feature of the fi ne wines the vineyard resort creates a Viognier with notes of citrus and honey- suckle, the hardy Spanish grape of the Tenaught, the fragrant rose petal notes in the Zinfandel. Away from the kitchen and winery, guests can stroll the gardens or the vineyards themselves or experience a spa that's built around organic aromatherapy as well as zero-gravity chairs, infrared detox sauna, massage, facial and body treatments. e hotel also off ers Chära, an onsite holistic wellness program that combines a style of yoga and meditation with aromatherapy and a detox sauna. Wine Tasting Of course, a stay in Paso Robles must include wine tasting and the variety of choices in the region include many that are SIP certifi ed, sustainable, and certifi ed organic. Available to all growers and wineries in California, SIP certifi cation verifi es vintners' commitment to the environment, and the program's high eligibility threshold prohibits the use of high-risk pesti- cides and provides ongoing sustainable performances and practices standards. Among the Paso Robles SIP certifi ed wineries are Villa San-Juliette Vineyard & Winery, Castoro Cellars, Tablas Creek Vineyards which is also certifi ed organic, and Pipestone which practices sustainable farming. Pipestone Vineyards Pipestone Vineyards produces Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier and a dry farmed Zinfandel. Owners Jeff Pipes and Florence Wong have built a vine- yard that employs Chinese feng shui principles of wind and wa- ter usage, and farm with a team of dra horses. Solar powered and a certifi ed wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, the winery has a variety of native plants, fruits and nuts planted among the vines, and provides water sources for birds, deer, raccoons, bats, frogs and deer, among other animals. Photos: Courtesy of Allegretto Vineyard Resort october/november 2016 27