Camarillo’s Old Town Association to Host Old Town Camarillo Culinary Crawl on Sun., Aug. 18

CAMARILLO, Calif. - Aug. 2, 2013 - PRLog -- The Old Town Association of Camarillo, an official committee of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce (http://www.camarillochamber.org/) dedicated to promoting businesses and special events located in Camarillo’s historic Old Town District, today announced it will stage its inaugural Old Town Camarillo Culinary Crawl (http://culinarycrawl2013.eventbrite.com/) on Sunday, August 18, 2013, from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. PDT. Tickets, which cost $50.00 per person in advance and $60.00 on the day of the event, are immediately available for purchase via Eventbrite at http://culinarycrawl2013.eventbrite.com, or at any of the participating businesses.

The unique gastronomic experience will feature flavorful, one-of-a-kind appetizers, paired with distinctive wines, beers, cocktails, and non-alcoholic specialty beverages, exclusively designed for the event by the executive chefs of more than a dozen bistros and lounges found on Ventura Boulevard, the heart of Old Town Camarillo. The current list of participants (in alphabetical order), with more venues to be added in the coming days, is as follows:

Bella Victorian Vineyard Winery & Bistro (http://www.bellavictorianvineyard.com/):  2135 Ventura Boulevard.
Don Harper Productions, Inc (http://www.donharper.com/).:  2465 Ventura Boulevard; featuring cuisine from Ottavio’s.
El Rey Cantina (http://www.elreycantina.com/):  2302 Ventura Boulevard.
Element Coffee (http://www.elementcoffeelounge.com/):  2364 Ventura Boulevard; featuring gourmet coffee and baked good selections.
French Bulldog Bistro + Lounge (http://thefrenchbulldogbistro.com/):  2433 Ventura Boulevard.
Moxie Hair & Design Studio (http://www.moxiehairanddesignstudio.com/):  2068 Ventura Boulevard, Suite A; featuring wines from Cantara Cellars.
Old Town Café / Bella Capri Inn (http://www.bellacapriinn.com/):  2050 Ventura Boulevard.
Salon de Solace (http://www.yelp.com/biz/salon-de-solace-camarillo):  2227 Ventura Boulevard.
Studio Channels Islands Art Center (http://www.studiochannelislands.org/):  2222 Ventura Boulevard; featuring cuisine from Zzyzx Café.
Twenty88 Wine Bistro (http://twenty88.com/):  2088 Ventura Boulevard.
Verona Trattoria (http://www.facebook.com/veronatrattoria):  2485 Ventura Boulevard.
Wine Closet, The (http://www.wineclosetinc.com/):  2423 Ventura Boulevard.

“With Old Town Camarillo becoming a more attractive and highly-popular dining, shopping, and entertainment destination for residents and visitors alike, we wanted to stage a distinctive special event that showcases the diversity of cuisine, vintages, and spirits available in this historic district,” said Samson Ghaffari, chairman of the Old Town Association, board member and chairman elect of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce, and founder and president of Old Town Camarillo-based Samson Financial, Inc. “The Old Town Camarillo Culinary Crawl spotlights executive chefs and restaurateurs who are transforming the dining landscape of Ventura County, and breaking new ground every day in the culinary arts. With the success of this event, we hope to make the Culinary Crawl a must-attend, semi-annual affair that attracts significant local and tourist business to Ventura Boulevard.”

“With The French Bulldog Bistro + Lounge being a relatively new business in Old Town Camarillo, special events, such as the inaugural Culinary Crawl, are crucial to introducing new guests to my restaurant, and to ensuring they have a fabulous experience while they are here that makes them want to return — to my establishment and to Old Town Camarillo,” said Gael Lecolley, owner and executive chef of The French Bulldog Bistro + Lounge, and one of the Culinary Crawl’s featured participants. “One major advantage of a progressive dining event like this is that attendees are able to affordably sample a broad range of amuse-bouches, wines, beers, and cocktails in a short amount of time. For example, after participants savor my calamari steak fritti with spicy marinara sauce paired with a pinot gris from Saddlerock Wines of Malibu, they can head next door to The Wine Closet for smoked gouda, baked brie glazed with house-made apricot preserves, and a glass of 2010 syrah cabernet from Los Olivos’ Epiphany Cellars. Then, they can walk down the boulevard to Twenty88 Wine Bistro, where my colleague, executive chef Candace Hilger, will serve goat cheese egg rolls with sweet onion and jalapeño pepper jam along with Mourvèdre from Rancho Ventavo Cellars in Oxnard and Santa Barbara. As we say in the culinary world, variety is the spice of life.”

In addition to the aforementioned restaurants and bars, Culinary Crawl attendees can also sample delectable appetizers and wine pairings at several other Old Town Association member businesses, including Don Harper Productions, Inc. (2465 Ventura Boulevard; featuring cuisine and wine selections from Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant (http://www.ottavio.com/)); Studio Channel Islands Art Center (2222 Ventura Boulevard; serving appetizers from Zzyzx Café); Moxie Hair & Design Studio (2068 Ventura Boulevard, Suite A; showcasing high-end vintages from Camarillo-based Cantara Cellars (http://www.cantaracellars.com/)), and Salon de Solace (2227 Ventura Boulevard). Camarillo’s Epicurean Olive Oils (http://www.epicureanoliveoils.com/), a popular local purveyor of gourmet 100% extra virgin olive oils, flavored olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, and truffle, nut, and seed oils from around the world, will have multiple stations set up on Ventura Boulevard for participants to sample these one of its kind offerings.

Ticket Pricing and Availability
Tickets for the inaugural Old Town Camarillo Culinary Crawl are $50.00 per person if purchased in advance, and $60.00 on the day of the event. Tickets are immediately available via Eventbrite at http://culinarycrawl2013.eventbrite.com/, or at any of the confirmed event locations.

Event Check-In Location and Amenities
Old Town Camarillo Culinary Crawl attendees will begin their epicurean journey at Studio Channel Islands Art Center, located at 2222 Ventura Boulevard, to receive their participant wristbands; event maps and guides; commemorative wine glasses; and complimentary memberships in the Camarillo Culinary Club. After checking in, patrons are free to make their way to any of the event’s participating businesses.

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About the OId Town Association of Camarillo
Founded by a group of successful Camarillo business owners, the Old Town Association of Camarillo is an official committee of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce which seeks to preserve the heart and soul of the city’s historic Old Town District by keeping it uniquely Camarillan, and promoting the diverse spectrum of businesses and special events along Ventura Boulevard. The Old Town Association works with local entrepreneurs, the City of Camarillo, and civic leaders to spotlight Old Town Camarillo’s diverse spectrum of restaurants, bars, salons, boutiques, specialty stores, retailers, and other enterprises, and to raise awareness of the district as an attractive shopping, dining, and entertainment destination. For more information, please like Old Town Camarillo on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CamarilloOldTown, or follow the association on Twitter at @CamOldTown (http://twitter.com/CamOldTown).