Casa Pacifica Celebrates Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival’s 30th Anniversary

Casa Pacifica celebrates the 30th anniversary of its popular Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival on Sunday, June 2. This outstanding event, voted Ventura County’s “Best Charity Event” and “Best Food & Drink Festival” for more than a decade, will be hosted by Bank of America; Conico Oil/MacValley Oil Co.; Mission Produce; Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner, PC; and the Van Huisen family.

Casa Pacifica’s signature fundraising event, the festival helps fill the annual gap between revenue and actual costs of the agency’s crucial mental health programs and services. Located in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in Camarillo, Casa Pacifica provides therapeutic programs and services to children, young adults, and families who face mental health challenges. The largest nonprofit provider of children’s mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, they help more than 2,000 children, young adults, and families each year.

Chief Development Officer Carrie Hughes explains, “We work diligently to curate a fantastic yearly event that inspires the senses. Our volunteers, sponsors, and community have all played a seminal role in the festival’s evolution from a small and humble event to Ventura County’s premier wine, food, and beer happening. We continue to grow because of everyone’s belief in Casa Pacifica’s mission of providing healing and hope to families in need.”

Casa Pacifica’s first festival was held March 20, 1994, at the Pierpont Inn with just a handful of exhibitors and around 50 attendees. Joyce Hall, a longtime Casa Pacifica volunteer, helped establish the event’s planning committee. She was instrumental in attracting regional wineries, restaurants, and breweries. Today, an estimated 350 volunteers devote their time and talents to make this one of Ventura County’s finest affairs. To accommodate the growing attendance, it relocated in 2007 from Oxnard’s Embassy Suites to Cal State Channel Islands, where it has been held ever since.

One of the festival’s most anticipated events, the Top Chef Yummie Culinary Competition pits the region’s top chefs and caterers in a blind-tasting culinary throwdown. Judges rate both the savory and sweet categories based on flavor, presentation, innovation, and quality to crown the chef whose submission wins the title and a desirable prize package. Competition winners also receive an exclusive invitation to be part of the Top Chef Yummie Dinner event—sister event to the Wine, Food & Brew Festival.

Another unique facet is the annual Best in Fest, a blind tasting competition among Ventura County’s finest breweries that is held a few months prior. Each entry is judged by a panel of cicerones, certified beer judges, and industry experts. The winners are crowned on the main stage during the festival.

The festival has something for everyone, incorporating a mix of high-profile culinary and beverage talent along with beloved local restaurants, wineries, breweries, bakeries, and specialty shops. They also offer a VIP experience, which begins even before guests enter via preferred parking and early access.

Hughes adds, “We’re immeasurably grateful to our volunteers, our sponsors, and our exhibitors, who selflessly donate their time, talents, and products—be it food, wine, or beer—to support the vital work of Casa Pacifica. It simply wouldn’t be a festival without them!” To date, the festival has attracted nearly 100,000 guests. View this year’s exhibitors, purchase tickets, and learn more about this amazing event at their website. Casa Pacifica 1722 S. Lewis Rd., Camarillo 805.366.4040 cpwinefoodbrewfest.com