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Pryor will be heading up the winery’s culinary program where he will create innovative wine country cuisine to pair with the Langtry and Guenoc wines.
Before joining Langtry Estate & Vineyards, Pryor worked at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant located at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley for the past eight years.
A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and the Culinary Institute of America, Pryor brings a strong knowledge of culinary techniques to his position at Langtry Estate & Vineyards.
Pryor has worked in the food and wine industry for the past 15 years. His love of fine wine and the foods that go with it leads him to specialize in matching California’s seasonal, local ingredients with its fine wines. Chef Pryor calls on the techniques and cuisines of Europe, Asia and Latin America to inspire his menus.
“Bringing Michael on as executive chef at Langtry Estate & Vineyards allows us to create our own special food matches to pair with our exceptional wines. His unique recipes and creative pairings will be a welcomed treat for our wine club members,” said JoAnn Schwartz, Langtry’s tasting room and wine club manager.
At Langtry Estate & Vineyards, Pryor will be responsible for planning and preparing food and wine pairing menus for VIP guests of the winery. Chef Pryor will also prepare and test wine-paired recipes for the winery’s club members. Additionally, he will hold wine tastings for the winery staff to increase their general knowledge of the food and wine industry.
Additional information on the winery is available at www.langtryestate.com or by calling 707-987-2385.
Langtry Estate & Vineyards is located at 21000 Butts Canyon Road, Middletown.
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Dynamic digital signage is a marketing tool the Middletown Area Town Hall's Economic Development Committee has been discussing for months. Could the introduction of digital signage outside the local post office and on Highway 29 as you approach Middletown really encourage more travelers to shop and shop?
Kevin Comora, president of Vizicast Multimedia, has been in the digital signage business for 19 years and is convinced it can. He is the driving force behind San Francisco's 15-year success with digital signage at Pier 39 on Firsherman's Wharf. He has digital signage working its marketing magic in hotels, casinos, retail stores – and even battleships like the USS Ronald Reagan.
In approximately an hour's time, Comora put together a dynamic digital presentation using information from just three Web sites of well-known Middletown companies – Langtry Farms, Sylvie's and Fergusson Cutlery. Comora promised to place the dynamic digital signage presentation up on the Web temporarily so folks who were unable to attend the mixer can see it.
Joel Moss, supervisory special agent for the FBI, came and spoke about InfraGard – a program that links the citizenry with important information that helps guard our national infrastructure. The public is invited to join this program absolutely free. The only requirement is that all those participating pass a basic background check. No felons are allowed to be in this program. For more information about InfraGard, visit www.infragard.net.
John Schuman, senior worldwide evangelist for the Creative Business Unit of Adobe Systems, flew in to Sacramento, rented a car and made the two-hour trek over to Middletown to be able to attend this mixer. He spoke about the wonders of Dreamweaver, the amazing Web design software that is used by more professional Web designers than any other software in the world. For more information about Dreamweaver, visit www.adobe.com.
Voris Brumfield, with the office of Lake County Code Enforcement, brought the paperwork regarding the rules and regulations for digital signage in the county. The good news is digital signage is allowed here. The big question at this point is how should it be initially introduced and financed?
Lake County has three Visitor Center locations – the Calpine Visitor Center in Midddletown, the Lake County Visitor Center in Lucerne and the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce/Lake County Visitor Center in Lakeport. Each location lacks a kiosk. Dynamic digital signage could easily solve that problem.
Comora actually has high school and college students helping to implement dynamic digital signage for communities. Last year just 30 Middletown High School students engaged in a letter-writing campaign which resulted in Adam Housley, an international correspondent for Fox News, coming and addressing the parade crowd at "Middletown Days." Because nothing succeeds like success, a letter-writing campaign was pursued again this year. This time, not 30, but 110 letters went out. Even middle school students wanted to be involved this time around. This time teachers gave every student participating community service credit toward graduation.
Doug McConnell, host of KRON 4's "Bay Area Backroads," responded by giving Middletown the opportunity to be among the first communities to post pictures of this annual parade and festival on its newly-created Web site venture, www.openroad.tv. Photograhper Craig Eve has provided pictures, but the Middletown Central Park Association has yet to grant permission to upload them to the Web.
Meanwhile, Dr. Korby Olson, superintendent of Middletown High School, is eager to get another letter-writing campaign underway in January of 2008. Perhaps by that time the letter-writing campaign will have morphed into a dynamic digital signage opportunity granting high school students community service credit toward graduation.
However, one thing is for sure. Whatever the campaign turns out to be, one thing is for certain. Unlike the two previous years, the student effort will not be promoting "Middletown Days" as the Middletown Central Park Association does not wish to promote its parade and festival outside the local community. Why? Because there is actually a fear too many people may actually show up and the small town will not be able to accommodate them.
However, the Middletown Senior Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is in need of a new location or building. The Foundation Center of San Francisco is scheduled to open a satellite resource center within the Clearlake Public Library in a few months to provide valuable information which can result in grant funding of 501-c3 nonprofit organizations.
Between tools like the Foundation Center, dynamic digital signage, InfraGard, Dreamweaver and the enthusiasm of local students, amazing things could happen in Middletown. Stay tuned.
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WASHINGTON – On Thursday the House of Representatives voted to pass HR 2881, the House Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization.
The bill requires airlines and airports to have emergency contingency plans to take care of passengers who are involved in long flight and tarmac delays, including plans on deplaning after a lengthy delay.
These plans must account for the provision of food, water, clean restrooms and medical care for passengers. The Department of Transportation can fine those who fail to develop or comply with these plans.
“Today, the House sent a clear message to the flying public: everyone has a right to be treated decently and fairly while on a plane or in an airport, especially during excessive delays,” Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who authored the bill, said in a written statement.
“For too long, we’ve heard story after story of paying customers being subjected to uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe conditions when flights are delayed or canceled,” Thompson said. “Right now, airline passengers aren’t guaranteed access to clean drinking water, food, bathrooms or medical care. They can also be held on a plane for hours on end against their will.”
Thompson said he found those conditions unacceptable, which is why he introduced the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights (HR 1303) in March. That bill requires airlines to provide passengers with the basic necessities during delays and allows passengers to get off the plane when delays became excessive.
Thursday's House vote on those key provisions in the FAA Reauthorization bill is a big step toward securing passenger rights, Thompson reported.
“The inclusion of passenger rights in the FAA Reauthorization bill is a big win,” Thompson stated. “However, we must make sure this legislation not only becomes law, but also does the job. We’ll be keeping a close watch on whether the airlines use this as opportunity to improve the way they treat passengers.”
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In addition, the legislation includes another provision from Thompson’s bill, which will require airlines to provide passengers with food, clean drinking water, usable bathrooms, proper ventilation and medical care during delays.
“This is a tremendous victory for everyone who flies,” said Thompson. “Right now, passengers have no assurance that they’ll be given basic necessities when planes are delayed. They could be kept on planes against their will for hours and hours. I introduced the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights because I believe passengers deserve to be treated decently and fairly when they fly, especially when there are excessive delays. The language in the FAA Reauthorization is a huge step toward making that happen.”
Since Thompson introduced HR 1303 in March, excessive airplane delays have continued and the public’s outrage has grown. With the help of the Coalition for an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, Thompson has added 49 Members of the House as co-sponsors to his bill.
Inclusion of HR 1303’s key provisions in the FAA Reauthorization demonstrates Congress’ determination to improve the airlines’ treatment of passengers, and it is a victory for the flying public.
“Millions of Americans depend on the airlines for work and pleasure, and we want to make sure they can continue to serve us,” added Thompson. “I think this bill will help the airlines by providing an industry standard for the treatment of passengers.”
A manager’s amendment to the FAA Reauthorization requires the airlines and airports to submit their plans for handling delays to the Department of Transportation (DOT); however, the DOT may establish minimum standards for the plans. Within nine months of the date of enactment, the Secretary of the DOT shall review, approve or require modifications to the plans. If the airlines or airports do not follow their plans, the DOT can impose civil penalties.
“I thank the thousands of people who have joined our effort to create a Passengers Bill of Rights, especially the Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights,” said Thompson. “We now need to focus on getting these critical provisions through the House and Senate conference and onto the president’s desk.”
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