What I Saw At The Film Festival!

     It's been an exhausting week. Not because I've had to cook or anything like that, but because I've been partying like a crazy person which puts me totally out of my comfort zone. Alan and I were on the jury this last week for the Sonoma International Film Festival. We saw tons of films, ate great food and were wined and dined and feted. In effect this is the fun type of jury duty!
   This weekend was brilliantly sunny (most of the time) but cold.  I bundled up accordingly and hit the plaza to see what I could see... and eat of course.

Havey was there with his tempting gourmet mini-donuts.

A  pulled pork wagon with  a cool  metal sculpture on top.

There was a dim sum wagon, pizza and  hot fresh pretzels baked by Mike Zakowski who is a member of the winning  Team USA  at the Coupe Louis Lasaffre Competition at the IBIE this last year. ( Paula Wolfert turned me on to him). Mike the Baker (bakjr) is going to be competing with his team next year in Paris in the Coupe Du Monde. Mike is uaually found at our Farmers' Market here in Sonoma with his traveling wood fire oven

 He was baking pretzels for the Film Festival but here's what he's usually up to.

 Of course I had to stop by my usual haunt the Basque Boulangerie for a cookie.

There were a lot of parties. Chef Gordon Biersch hosted one for the filmmakers in the garden of his  Hopmonk Tavern.

  The Guest of Honer at the Festival this year was Susan Sarandon who received a lifetime achievement award. Here's a little taste of that event.

 Afterward everyone adjourned to the Sebastiani Vineyards Barrel Room for a kick ass party with a Rocky Horror Picture Show Theme

Just a little bit of the  ahem....eye candy floating about the room.

  There was dancing in front of what seemed to be the worlds' largest wine vat, food from some of the best restaurants in Sonoma and endless fun.
  Of course bright and early the next morning the jury assembled in a private room at MacArthur Place to hash out everything we'd seen.

Here's a super secret insiders picture taken by me of some of the deep thinking and coffee and aspirin consumption of the morning after jury.

After due deliberation, we prepared for the final party and awards presentation later that night.
And this is how it ended.

In a whirl of laser lights, dry ice and a band. And yes, that's the best picture I could get. You are lucky to have even gotten that.I spent yesterday recovering and getting back to my real writing, the screenwriting that pays my bills and allows me to get invited to stuff like this.
   My day started of with a bang, literally. Well, more like a zzzzzzing sound and sparks as my stove had some sort of inner implosion. And it wasn't even at the party! Anyway, what good is a food blogger without her stove? The original wait-time for a repair was going to be around two weeks, but thanks to Bobby and the good folks @mysears help is on the way a lot faster than I'd hoped.
 Coming up next , a fast and tasty cold chickpea salad just right for Springtime. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori