California's Central Valley is the agricultural center of the entire state. Just 45 miles south of Sacramento, the city of Stockton sits in the heart of this fertile region. On May 11, visitors can experience the farm-to-table bounty at Feast at the Fox, a five-course dinner on Stockton's Main Street in front of the historic Bob Hope (Fox) Theatre. As of press time, individual tickets were sold out, but reservations were available for a table of eight, and donations to benefit the San Joaquin Delta College Culinary Arts Program are still accepted.
"Stockton is a culturally diverse city, stocked full of flavors from across the globe and filled with talented chefs creating delicious menus," says Robyn F. Cheshire, the Director of Marketing and Communications for Visit Stockton. "The beautifully restored Fox Theatre, with its classic neon marquee, serves as the perfect backdrop for this urban farm-to-table dining experience."
The dinner will start with appetizers, craft beer, and wine inside the Fox Theatre lobby, followed by the five-course dinner at one very long farm table on Main Street. Multiple local chefs—including Richard Hyman of Fenix Restaurant in Lodi and Micah Malcolm of Taste Restaurant in Plymouth—collaborated to create the menu, which uses ingredients harvested from farms all within 30 minutes of Stockton.
Even if you can't make the event, there are many ways to experience Stockton's farms and agricultural offerings any time of the year. Also, within a 20-minute drive is Lodi Wine County, where more than 40 percent of the state's Zinfandels come from.
