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SACRAMENTO – Visitors to the California State Fair have spoken!

They desire additional knowledge and understanding of their food, and fair organizers have heeded their call for education.

The Taste of California Education Center is a beautiful 24-seat classroom located in the Save Mart California’s Kitchen exhibit hall.

The classroom is an extended sensory evaluation and educational experience. Here top industry experts of wine, beer, cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and honey will lead fair visitors in immersive 30-minute classes to educate visitors with tasting and sampling activities.

The goals of this new kind of fun at the fair are to educate California State Fair guests about some of the most notable food produced by the state; provide the information needed to appreciate that food; share information about quality California products.

“California leads the nation in production of prestige agricultural products that go beyond staple commodities like wheat and soy, providing lifestyle enhancement and a connection to the land, chief among them the wines for which the State is justly famous," said Clark Smith, Owner and Winemaker at WineSmith Wines & Consulting, who will be offering a very unique class on pairing wine with music. "Consumer education provides a critical link in supporting the chain of consumption for this bounty.”

These classes are taught by some of the food world’s top industry professionals. Sommelier’s, competition judges, university professors, professional food tasters, and the producers themselves have enthusiastically come together to volunteer their time. They have all joined in the mission to educate consumers.

“Come to the fair to have fun," says Orietta Gianjorio, consultant to the California State Fair, 3rd Level Sommelier, and professional food taster. Orietta will also offer classes on honey tasting and extends this invitation, "Stop by the education center to taste some fantastic wine, olive oil, cheese, honey and so much more from California. Meet our experts and educators and get your questions about quality standards, labeling system and production answered. Get some easy to use tips to make your daily shopping for the best ingredients interesting and fun.”

You won’t get a better deal for this kind of high-quality food education. Reservations are affordably priced from $5 to $10 per class, all of which include a tasting component.

Seating is limited to 24 people, so make sure you purchase your reservation early. Online reservations as well as a full list of classes can be found at www.castatefair.org/experienceclasses. Proceeds will go toward the sustainability of the Taste of California Classroom, ensuring the continuance of this program.

Classes are offered all Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the 2018 California State Fair, which runs July 13 to 29.

Reservations can also be purchased on location at the Taste of California Education Center in the Save Mart California’s Kitchen Exhibit, Building B, at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the Pawnee fire still burning in Lake County, the Better Business Bureau, or BBB, said it’s important to be on alert for scammers during this time.

Unfortunately, scammers and unethical organizations often use times of tragedy to prey on victims and on the public’s generosity.

Those affected by the fires should also be on the lookout for price gouging of hotels and other goods and services. If you encounter a scam or issues with a business, report it at www.bbb.org.

The following BBB tips will help you donate wisely to those affected by the devastating Northern California fires:

– Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages, emails, and social media pages that claim to link to a relief organization. If you want to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s Web site.

– Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites, as they may not have fully researched the relief organizations they list. The public can go to www.give.org to research charities and relief organizations and verify that they are accredited by BBB meeting 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

– Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fundraising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting fire victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fundraising and administrative expenses. It may use some of its other funds to pay these costs, but the expenses will still be incurred.

– Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly. See if the charity’s Web site clearly describes what the charity can do to address immediate needs.

– Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to see whether they are equipped to provide aid effectively.

– Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations. In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid properly. Ask the charity about its transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

A word on crowdfunding sites. Crowdfunding is a method of raising money from a large group of people, typically via the Internet. If you’re thinking about donating to a fire relief appeal on a crowdfunding site, make sure to ask questions. If the organizer is not responsive or not willing to offer a lot of detail, that is a red flag.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance notes that crowdfunding Web sites call for varying degrees of information in order for appeals to be set up, and may take fundraising pages down when questions are raised that can’t be substantiated. However, those requirements alone won’t prevent all fraud.

If you decide to contribute via crowdfunding, it is probably best to give to people who you personally know that have posted requests for assistance.

Visit www.give.org for more tips on crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding website campaigns can do a lot of good, and raise a lot of money, but make sure you do your homework before contributing.

For many communities, recovery will be a long-term activity that can take many months or years to accomplish, depending on the extent of the damage.

Recovery efforts may not begin until the fires have been contained, and those concerned about helping communities bounce back will have many opportunities to help.

If you encounter any scams, make sure to report them to BBB Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help warn others.

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