Farmers & Makers Market event celebrates women in food and wine
– Cherry Bombe and Travel Paso announced the Farmers & Makers Market, a three-day event celebrating women in food, wine, farming, and hospitality, scheduled for Sept. 25-27 in Paso Robles.
The weekend will include a welcome party, tastings, panel discussions, dinners, walking tours, and a market featuring California wines, seasonal foods, and artisan products.
“Paso Robles is a region defined by independent thinkers, and a remarkable number of them are women, from multi-generation farmers to first-time winemakers to chefs reimagining what California cuisine can be,” said Stacie Jacob, president and chief executive officer of Travel Paso. “Collaborating with Cherry Bombe on the Farmers and Makers Market lets us share that story with a national audience, and to do it during one of the most beautiful weekends of the year on the Central Coast.”
The weekend will begin Friday evening with a welcome party at Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar featuring wine and food.
Saturday morning will include a scenic activity followed by a wine pairing lunch featuring the white wine portfolio of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines paired with seasonal California cuisine.
The Cherry Bombe Farmers & Makers Market will run Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the 1889 House and The Piccolo at Paso Robles Inn. Organizers said the market will include walk-around tastings, vendor demonstrations, rooftop talks, panel discussions, and rotating wine tastings featuring women farmers, chefs, winemakers, purveyors, and makers.
Saturday evening will feature “She’s My Cherry Pie: After Dark,” a dinner at EMRE at The Ava Hotel with guest chef Sarah Thompson of Wynn Las Vegas.
The event will conclude Sunday with a walking tour of downtown Paso Robles and a tasting at Hope on Park hosted by Gretchen Roddick, executive vice president of Hope Family Wines. Sunday evening will feature the Whole Foods Supper Club, described by organizers as an intimate farm-to-table dinner celebrating women in agriculture.
Individual event tickets are currently available, including early bird pricing through June 30. Organizers also announced discounted pricing for Bombesquad members and Paso Robles residents, along with a limited number of VIP weekend passes that include access to all events.
“The number of dynamic, fearless, accomplished women leading farms, driving innovation, and shaping the future of food has grown more than 13 percent in the last decade,” said Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “Women-led farms are often at the forefront of soil health, water conservation, and long-term land stewardship — and women in agriculture support industry leadership in innovation that feeds the nation, supports millions of jobs, and leads the way on climate-smart, sustainable farming practices. Farmers & Makers is a beautiful way to celebrate and amplify that story.”
Organizers said the event also recognizes the International Year of the Woman Farmer, a United Nations initiative focused on women’s roles in global food systems and addressing gender gaps in access to land, financing, and resources.
Kate Miller Spencer, chief executive officer of Cherry Bombe, said, “Farmers & Makers is our love letter to the women who grow, make, and sustain the food we love, and Paso Robles is the perfect place to tell that story. We are so proud to bring our community here and showcase the bounty of the Central Coast.”
More information and tickets are available at Cherry Bombe Farmers & Makers Market.
