After a three-year hiatus, the beloved celebration of Santa Maria’s delicious namesake steak and Presqu’ile wine is back with the region’s top grill masters, live music, and more.
Aug. 17, 2023 (Santa Maria, Calif.) – Presqu’ile Winery is excited to announce the Tri-Tip Cook-Off is returning to the estate winery on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 from noon to 3pm.
Tickets are $40 ($35 for wine club members) and available at Presquilewine.com. Those looking to make a weekend of the Cook-Off, check out the lodging at the Santa Maria Valley Chamber & Visitors Bureau.
This year’s Cook-Off will include some of the Central Coast’s most skilled pit masters preparing their unique takes on the famous Santa Maria-Style BBQ Tri-Tip. Guests will vote for their favorite and the top chef will be crowned the Santa Maria People’s Choice Tri-Tip Winner.
Presqu’ile will be offering wines by-the-glass and bottles throughout the event, including the 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir, and other wines that will pair perfectly with the steak.
The event will feature classic sides created by Presqu’ile’s own Chef Julie Simon from the winery’s one-acre garden and the area’s top purveyors, as as well as live music from Ruben Lee Dalton.
Guests will enjoy Tri-Tip from each of the grill masters competing for the top prize, including Whiskey Bent, Rolling Oak, Oak & Smoke BBQ, Central City Entertainment and Brooks Burgers.
Santa Maria-Style BBQ dates back to the mid-to-late 1800s. It traditionally includes Tri-Tip Steak cooked over the region’s native red oak on an iron grill that can be raised and lowered via a hand crank to control the temperature.
The delicious steak and sides are so embedded in Santa Maria’s culture that the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce in 1978 copyrighted the classic menu – BBQ Tri-Tip, Santa Maria-style pinquito beans, salsa, tossed green salad and buttered French bread – to preserve the tradition. The menu is now in the Library of Congress.
For more information and tickets, please visit Presquilewine.com.
About Presqu’ile
At Presqu’ile, our mission is clear: the relentless pursuit to deliver elegant cool-climate wines and genuine Southern Hospitality in the heart of the Santa Maria Valley. Presqu’ile (pronounced press-KEEL) is a French/Creole word meaning “almost an island,” or peninsula. The name pays homage to our family’s former gathering place on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For generations it was a place rich with joy and the warmth of the human spirit. Our estate winery honors that way of life and we hope to engender the same conviviality among family and friends through every bottle and every visit. Open daily except Tuesdays | presquile.com | IG + FB: @presquilewine
