Here’s a short Q&A with Lisa Pretty, a woman of many talents, who is involved in this year’s Sunset Savor the Central Coast. Annie and I have known Lisa for some time now which means we’ve had the opportunity to not only enjoy her company but enjoy some pretty (get it…”pretty”…you know, because of her last name?) amazing food and wine extravaganzas that she’s put together.
Savor starts this coming Thursday and goes through Sunday, if you haven’t been you really should check out some aspect of it. If you happen to be going don’t forget to go find Lisa and see what she’s up to. Cheers and thanks again for answering some questions, Lisa!
Matt: So who are you and what do you do?
Lisa: I guess the simplest answer is I am just me and what I do tends to change since I have so many interests. My first career, and what brought me to California from Canada, was high tech. I have a computing & information science bachelor degree and an MBA. After holding a number of executive positions and traveling the world, I decided to escape to wine country. People were shocked when I made that major career change. I traded business suits and a frequent flyer program for work boots and a pick-up truck.
In 2000 I purchased Pretty-Smith Vineyards & Winery (known as Mission View at the time) and took over every aspect of the business. After making wine and farming 45 acres of vineyards for over a decade, my interests led me to the more creative aspects.
Pretty Media Creations is my current business and I do all things creative in the food & wine space. Writing, graphic design, photography, content management and marketing strategy are just a few of the services offered.
In my spare time I am an avid consumer of wine and gourmet items. I think of it as research.
Matt: What is it about Savor that made you want to be part of it?
Lisa: Savor the Central Coast is so much more than just another wine tasting event. The event is 4 days packed full of ways to really explore and enjoy wine, culinary experiences, educational seminars and adventure tours. It truly is a showcase of all the things I love about living in the Central Coast.
Matt: What is your favorite aspect of Savor?
Lisa: Although the unique events such as Sunset at Hearst Castle & the adventure tours that allow participants to actually get out and experience the area are fabulous, I do have to say it is the Main Event at Santa Margarita Ranch that I enjoy the most.
The Main Event really does have something for everyone. Along with being able to taste a wide range of wine, beer and epicurean delights, there is Chef Central with celebrity chefs Fabiola Viviani & Tanya Holland, the Lamb Jam Masters Finale; live music; Winemaker Central Seminars; demonstrations at the California Grown Pavilion and presentations at the Travel & Adventure Stage. Not to mention book signings and new product launches.
I will be the emcee for the Travel & Adventure Stage Saturday & Sunday. There are some great speakers and I anticipate some really interesting discussions. I am especially interested in the talk on Sunday by Victoria Hartt of Vitality Fitness Delivered. She is going to give some advice on “how to travel with your best body”….let’s face it, every wants to look good on vacation and get the most out of an adventure.
I will also be signing copies of my Eat This With…Paso Robles Wine 2 book at the Savor Store Saturday 12:15-1:00 and Sunday 1:15-2:00. I am delighted that the Savor store is selling the book for a Savor special price of just $20/book all weekend long.
Matt: Do you have plans for another food and wine book?
Lisa: I enjoyed completing the two Eat this with….Paso Robles books and at some point will work on another book. At this time I am not sure what the subject will be. I am actually thinking about a novel…a fiction based in Paso. My goal is to complete one book every two years…they will not all be about Paso.
Matt: I saw you are doing your ‘Pretty Cafe’ at Pear Valley Winery…what’s the scoop on that?
Lisa: The Pretty Café was launched at my winery years ago. I did wine paired menus for private events. I love to cook, so thought it would be fun to offer a lunch menu at Pear Valley Winery on weekends. The first few weekends have been great and I expect to be there many weekends and also offer food during their concerts. The Café will only be open weekends when they do not have events booked. With so many weddings and wine events in October, the Café will be closed until the first week in November.
Great Q&A! It’s always so interesting to hear the behind the scenes stories about people’s former lives and current pursuits. I think living in SLO County brings out the creativity in many of us!
Elizabeth, so many stories in SLO and so much creativity here. I love it!! 🙂
Thanks for the post — I hope it gets more people out to SAVOR. The event is jam packed with fun stuff. I hope I can escape for the Lamb Finale — how cool is it that the final event is right here in the Central Coast?