Why do YOU visit –– food or wine?

Most visitors to Napa Valley are interested in dining on our world-class cuisine, and wine tasting is a secondary attraction. I've been saying that for years in my books, and it's no secret among those of us who live here and cover the area's tourism industry. Now the latest market research out of Napa Valley backs it up.

Results of a survey presented recently at a Napa Valley Destination Council's marketing conference revealed that 80% of potential Napa Valley visitors cited restaurants and dining as the primary reason for a visit, while far fewer –– 67% –– mentioned wine tasting. Of those same survey respondents, 63% are interested in culinary demonstrations, too.

I just completed a book about food in Napa Valley, and my own research revealed there aren't enough opportunities for cooking classes and chefs' demos in Napa Valley as there should be, given the number of visitors who apparently want this type of attraction.

At least one event taking place for the first time this fall will offer those visitors another opportunity to concentrate on our cuisine. "Flavor! Napa Valley –– A Celebration of Wine, Food & Fun" is a four-day food-centric happening scheduled for November 17-20. Most of the activities take place at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, and tickets are selling fast for the chefs' demonstrations.

The Napa Valley celebrity chefs pictured above will be the stars of the show, and some are also CIA grads. Flavor! Napa Valley is a benefit for CIA's financial aid for students, so it's for a good cause, too: the training of more world-class chefs.

This DOES amount to a hill of beans

Living in Napa, or just visiting? Either way, you don't want to miss the Rancho Gordo bean store (more precisely called Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Food). Doesn't sound very sexy for an area known for its gourmet dining, but several of the finest restaurants in Napa Valley source the beans in their cuisine from this business, and you can, too.

Rancho Gordo's owner Steve Sando is the entrepreneur behind this successful venture, selling dried heirloom beans and other cooking items at a storefront location at 1924 Yajome Street in Napa. It's a few blocks from downtown, off Main Street. Most of the beans are grown not far away, in the Delta region of the Bay Area, and are some of the freshest you'll find. The rest are grown in Mexico through a project Steve founded to revive the planting of heirloom beans while helping bring income to the farmers there.

The beans are packaged in one-pound bags, or ask about getting a larger quantity, if you desire. Recipes are scattered around the store, too, for ideas in using specific varieties of the beans. It's a fun, friendly place to browse –– and check out those old Mexican movie posters on the wall. You can't leave without experiencing the "touching beans" tub (see photo). It's many varieties of loose beans, crying out to be caressed.

The store also sells cookbooks (including Steve's own), heirloom popcorn, dried prickly pear cactus, dried chilis, and Mexican chocolates. Rancho Gordo also does a booming online business at ranchogordo.com.