Who Was That Masked Vintner?

California wine maker Randall Grahm is known for (1) using grape varieties of the Rhone Valley and (2) giving his wines comical names such as Le Cigare Volant (French for “the flying saucer”). It turns out one admirer of both abilities is an astronomer named Dr. Edward Bowell. Last Sunday, Bowell gave Grahm a surprise party at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., to announce that the latest asteroid he’d discovered had been named Rhoneranger in Grahm’s honor. Rhoneranger is between 7 and 15 miles in diameter, with a surface area probably about a third as large as all the vineyards in California.

240 Seconds and Counting

The Pizzadom, a tabletop pizza oven running on either electricity or fondue-cooker fuel, heats up to 800 degrees and can cook a pizza in four minutes. It’s available at various kitchenware stores including Cook N Things in South Pasadena and Cookin’ Stuff in Torrance, around $249.

Chili Out

The Clothing Optional Nude Chili Cook-Off is on again this year at Treehouse Fun Ranch in Devore, Calif. There will be $1,000 in cash prizes; chef’s entry fee $35, (714) 887-7056. The Nude Chili Cook-Off will be supplemented by a wet T-shirt contest.

A Bear Tasting

Just missed the McCleary, Wash., Second Growth and Bear Festival on July 17-19. The purpose of this annual event, which dates from 1958, is to rid the local forests of surplus bears, who would otherwise kill a lot of young trees planted for reforestation by chewing off their bark. The bears coincidentally provide meat for bear stew (just add carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, cabbage and spices). This year’s festival was attended by 5,000 humans and three bears.

The Home Cookie

Due out in August: “Mrs. Fields Cookie Book: 100 Recipes From the Kitchen of Mrs. Fields” (Time-Life, $12.95). These cookie recipes (plus a couple of pies and cakes) are not the ones used in the Mrs. Fields cookie stores, which require special convection ovens, but practical home recipes. There are color photos of the finished product, and often of procedures, on every page. Debra Fields says in her introduction that her five daughters made the final photo selection, and the photos do make the sweets look good.

For the Record

The (800) 660-6079 number given for the Superchar steak grill (Newsbites, July 16) was only good for callers from the San Francisco area until last week. Now anybody can use it--or if you don’t want to take any chances, try (415) 941-6079.

Kids, Collect Them All!

USA Today reveals that the cult of the celebrity chef has reached new heights in Michigan. A restaurateur there is issuing chef trading cards, each with a photo and a recipe from a famous Michigan chef, such as Jimmy Schmidt of the Rattlesnake Club. A 16-card set costs $10.50 from Rainbow Connection, 308 East St., Rochester, Mich. 48308; 10% of the gross goes to Rainbow Connection, which fulfills the wishes of terminally ill children.