Crossing South food ,wine and travel festival recently showcased Baja region offerings at Liberty Station. Success in curating culinary experiences in Baja led to this first-ever event on the U.S. (northern) side of Baja known as San Diego, CA!
The cross-border Festival goers had options to enjoy the bites and sips. Entry was free and if you wanted to buy tickets that allowed you unlimited access to tastings from vendors to paying at the booth directly this event was very accessible to the general public.
The day was led by Master of Ceremony Paola Hernandez Jiao (pictured above), Journalist for the San Diego Union Tribune. Musical acts played on stage while festival-goers enjoyed the tastes and sips from the Baja and So Cal restaurants and wineries. The headliner Trevolts from Tijuana brought it home for the crowd.
A sample of those participating:
Featuring drinks from the following wineries, breweries and distilleries:
· Casa Mexico - Penca Larga
The Genesis for the festival is the popular TV show Crossing South seen on PBS and other outlets, The Show features host Jorge Meraz (pictured below L-R Chef Javier Caro and Jorge Meraz) learning about and enjoying local experiences in Baja revolving around food and drink. History and recipe execution are explored in each episode. For over a decade the shows have been giving the audience an appetite to Cross South and partake!
Jorge was News Anchor for TV Azteca in the 90’s and he spent years behind the camera producing content. KPBS had picked up his documentary, Visa Dream, which won an Emmy. When asked how the crossing South TV shows began Jorge relates” The programming director for KPBS, John Decker asked” what else you got”? I happened to have this Baja travel show pilot already done as a future project to pursue, the rest is history!” The show has 13 seasons under its belt and was just renewed.
The food and wine festivals held several times in Baja were born out of fans of the show wanting to experience what they saw on the Crossing South Travel Show. Jorge explained the reason for bringing this event to the U.S. for the first time, “Fans of the show email me relating how tortured they are watching me enjoy the food I was presenting on screen”. Realizing there was a show fan base that could not travel south, he decided to bring the experience to San Diego. “We decided to bring Mexico to them!” The future looks brighter for the culinary resurgence of the several regions of Baja from Tijuana to Ensenada and the wine country of the Valle de Guadalupe. Stewards of culture like Jorge are much needed, when are you Crossing South?
Story By Michael Caro
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