TIDBITS : Faulkner Farms Offering a Slice of Country Life

Imagine spending an afternoon sitting on the front porch of a turn-of-the-century Victorian home, chatting, watching the hay wagon pass by, sipping a beverage and eating a slice of fresh-baked pie.

A thing of the past in this fast-paced world? Not at the Faulkner House on Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula, where from 1 to 3:30 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday through the end of the month, adults can partake in some peaceful “Pie on the Porch” activities.

Guests will be able to select from among fresh apple, pumpkin cheesecake, peach crumb and chocolate coconut creme pies, all prepared by La Starr & Company catering in Ventura. To wash down the pie, there will be a choice of iced tea or coffee. A slice of pie and a drink will cost $4.75 plus tax.

To maintain a degree of tranquillity, children younger than 13 will not be allowed on the house grounds. Faulkner Farms, home to a seven-acre pumpkin patch, is at the Briggs Road exit off Highway 126. Call 525-9293 for more information.

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More than 300 guests dropped by the Pierpont Inn a couple of weeks back for the third annual Garden Party benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura.

They were kept busy dashing across the Pierpont lawn from one restaurant booth to another, as more than 20 eateries cooked up an array of foods including gourmet pasta, shrimp lasagna, bruschetta and tamales. Between the admission price and the purchase of silent auction items, the event raised an estimated $20,000 for the club’s programs for teen-agers.

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Giovanni’s Restaurant in Camarillo will host a five-course winemaker’s dinner Monday, featuring the wines of the Chateau Souverain winery.

The meal will open with a tomato, zucchini, eggplant and roasted pepper antipasto, followed by the Pasta e Fagioli, and then a pumpkin ravioli in walnut cream sauce. The entree will be veal scaloppine in tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese.

On the wine list for the evening are a Sauvignon blanc, a Chardonnay, a Zinfandel, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Dessert and coffee will round out the evening--and the belly, no doubt.

Cost per person is $45, tax and tip included. Call 484-4376 for more information. Giovanni’s is located at 5227 Mission Oaks Blvd.

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The hiring of Steven Giles, the new sous chef at the Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, has paid quick dividends in terms of national recognition.

After just three months on the job, the 26-year-old chef was a finalist in the ‘S Auguste Escoffier USA Gran Prix cooking competition in Chicago last month. The event required chefs to create meals that included, in part, a chicken entree with three garnishes, cognac and a Grand Marnier-chocolate-fruit dessert.

Giles was among six finalists selected from about 60 entries nationwide. He prepared roast chicken breast and legs stuffed with sweetbreads and truffles in a cognac and foie gras sauce, braised red endive, stuffed plum tomatoes with morel duxelles, and duchess potatoes with black truffles.

His dessert was a chocolate parfait layered between caramelized chocolate phyllo with raspberry and mango coulis.