Destination marketing: it's Patrick McFarlan's specialty. Happens that he's employed by Willows Lodge in Woodinville; that doesn't stop him from marketing Washington's distant vineyards. As president of the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce last year, he spearheaded an event called the Washington Wine Highway, held again this past weekend on the lawn at Chateau Ste. Michelle.
Food, drink, and roadsigns that let you pretend you were in Yakima or Walla Walla without having to spend hours and hours on the Interstate. They told the food vendors to expect 1,500 at each booth, but the hot tickets, like Elliott's Copper River salmon filets and 0/8 Seafood's scallop sashimi, served 2,000 portions on Saturday alone.
Numbers not as high back at The Bellevue Collection (high-end shopping in and around Bellevue Square), which piggybacked onto the weekend with a lower-key promotion of wine dinners and tastings. Not quite as focused, perhaps, on the simple pleasures of eating, drinking and snoozing on the grass.
Posted by Ronald Holden at May 29, 2007 11:05 AMI attended this event on Sunday, which was very wet and cold. The crowds were down, but they still ran out of the good food. If you like raw octopus salad, or deep fried duck won tons..there were plenty for all, but the salmon, beef, and lamb items were gone in a flash...maybe this should be considered in the planning of next year.
People want sustanence..not pithy, airy nothing food.
The wines were excellent..and the music great too.