Nothing says Wine Country Chef like a twin-engine, 25-gallon margarita maker.

Then again, local boy-done-good Guy Fieri doesn't exactly fit the SoCo mold. With his trademark spiky hair, body art, shades and tank top, the Food Network wild man is heading out this week on a 21-city rock 'n roll food tour the likes of which only Fieri could conceive.

Among the on-stage antics: a giant margarita maker, an LA DJ, an Australian mixologist and some cooking demos most likely involving hot peppers and liberal use of the word "money" and "off da hook". As in "these hot wings are so MONEY they're off da hook, bro!"

You gotta love the adrenaline-fueled personality of Fieri, who's probably the only chef with enough chutzpah to put on a cocktail and cooking roadshow and actually get women throwing bras at him. Seriously. It's already happened.

The format of the show sounds pretty loosely organized, with "flair" bartender Hayden "Woody" Wood warming up the crowd, DJ Cobra laying down the beats and Fieri ad-libbing it with cooking demos peppered with behind-the-scenes stories from his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives adventures.

The closest Guy and his Knuckle Sandwich Crew get to home: San Jose. (See Tour Dates). Tickets range from $37 to $150 for the "Kulinary Krew" and $250 for "Off Da Hook" stage seating -- which would likely be the best vantage point for underwear tossing. 

More Fieri gossip: Apparently a Food Network producer was fishing around for info on local breakfast spot, Carlos' Country Kitchen for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, BiteClub hears.

And, one has to wonder exactly what's up with Tex Wasabi's, which is still closed from remodeling after several months due to a water main break (it was originally scheduled to re-open in October). Has Fieri forsaken the downtown spot? Recent focus on Sacramento-openings leave us wondering if Tex has been terminated? The website says the remodel will last until late 2009. 

The last day to submit bids for the former Copia came and went last Thursday, but still no final word on who's officially interested or if any of the bids will ultimately be accepted.

BiteClub, however, got some some additional scuttlebutt from insiders on where the wind is blowing.

A top Food Network chef I recently accosted says there's no way FN top brass are interested in Copia, with parent company Scripps attention still on the move of the Fine Living Network (soon to become The Cooking Channel) to New York City's Chelsea Market. "No, its absolutely not true," he said of the continued rumors of FN interest in broadening its reach to Napa, laughing off persistent rumors to the contrary. With so much of their talent based in Wine Country, it seems counter-intuitive. Still no official word from FN.

Conversely, a CIA-insider says the St. Helena satellite of the Culinary Institute of America is "very interested" in the Copia space if the price is right. Word on the CIA's interest has been murky, with reports vacillating as to their official interest in the space. But with the ongoing remodeling of Greystone into an ever-more tourist and conference-friendly space, the kitchen digs are feeling ever-tighter.

Is the CIA heir-apparent to Copia? It's looking that way.

Stay tuned for more details...

Why you care: Street Food is the "it" cuisine of the moment -- with everyday home cooks delivering pies on bicycles and top chefs incorporating the simple, comforting flavors of Asian, Korean, Japanese and Mexican street foods into their menus.

Why I care: Hundreds of chefs, writers, foodies and industry folks flock to The Culinary Institute of America for the annual Worlds of Flavor Conference, a state of the kitchen discussion on current culinary trends. The mix of national personalities, celeb chefs and out-of-the-box thinkers is an inspirational view into what's next.

Feeling like the Street Food phenom has bypassed Sonoma County entirely? Don't despair, SRJC Culinary whiz Mei Ibach, Jillian Dorman and La Texanita's Alma Mendez have been hard at work on a top secret mobile eating unit, called Street-Eatz.Though its still in development, they hope to launch an internationally-inspired MOBILE KITCHEN onto the SoCo LUNCH AND CATERING scene soon. 

Not hip to sidewalk dining? Check out my photos and blog coverage of Worlds ofFlavor at the CIA -- an international confab of the food elite (including La Reichl) starting TONIGHT!

Put down the canned mushroom soup and jellied cranberry sauce, this is a Chef Intervention. Because while your family recipes may be adequate, there are trained professionals from throughout Wine Country ready and willing to turn over their tried-and-true recipes to you.

From paper bag roasted turkey to drop-dead delicious mashed potatoes, these are home-friendly dishes from a dozen (there are many more online) top toques have culled from their restaurants and personal recipe files (chefs have to cook Thanksgiving too). But more than that, they're recipes that these chefs think they've got down cold.

So get inspired, steal them freely and take all the credit. We won't tell.

DOWNLOAD ALL RECIPES (PDF)

Roast Turkey in a Bag: Jeff Mall, Zin Restaurant, Healdsburg

The king of cozy comfort food, this Healdsburg farmer/chef is a natural for Thanksgiving's showpiece, turkey. But rather than trying to glam up the pedestrian bird with brining and complicated cooking methods, Mall roasts the turkey in a paper bag, a tried and true method he learned in high school. "I think that most brined turkey really just tastes like the brine and not much else," Mall said. To close the deal, Jeff glazes the turkey with a finger-lickin' mix of butter, ginger, chives and maple syrup. But Mall's masterpiece isn't complete without this Southern boy's other signature holiday dish, Drunken Cranberry sauce, made extra-festive with a heavy dose of Marsala wine, Triple Sec and bitters.
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