9

FOOD - DRINK -FUN

Mountain View News Saturday, March 2, 2024 


THE TASTING ROOM

I’m Gustavo Lira, Tasting Room Manager 
and Wine Buyer at The Bottle Shop in 
Sierra Madre with another wine and spirits 
selection. 

March is Women’s History Month which 
is a great time to showcase one of the most 
amazing women I have ever met. Bibiana 
Gonzalez Rave-Pisoni is her name, and 
she has quite a fascinating story. She’s a 
mother of two young boys. She’s one of the 
best winemakers in America. She sources, 
ferments, and roasts coffee from her native 
Colombia. And… she’s a Badass Woman!

Bibiana is the owner and winemaker of 
Cattleya Wines, Alma de Cattleya Wines, 
and makes wine with her husband Jeff under 
the Shared Notes label. Bibiana and Jeff also own and operate Shared Notes Coffee 
Roasters. I’ve known Bibiana for several years now and immediately loved the wines 
she was producing. They all share elegance, finesse, and character. I also was drawn to 
her determination and will to follow her dream of becoming a winemaker. 

Growing up in Medellin, Colombia doesn’t exactly provide you an easy road to being 
a winemaker. She understood this and made her mind up to move to France when 
she was 18 years old to enroll in Viticulture & Oenology school. She sat in the Dean’s 
office until she convinced them to accept her into the school. She did this on her 
own without a penny to her name and without speaking a word of French. Within 
a month of starting school, she was pretty 
much fluent in French.

After obtaining her Viticulture & Oenology 
Degree and a Diploma of Oenology with 
Honors from the University of Bordeaux, 
Bibiana eventually made her way to 
California. She worked at several wineries 
before starting her own winery. Grit, 
determination, and fortitude – this is what 
this woman is all about. 

She’s also about making the best wine 
she can. The Cattleya “The Initiation” 
Syrah 2021 is flat out brilliant. Refined 
and elegant with lovely spice and floral 
notes. It’s gorgeously layered and above 
all, it’s balanced and delicious. The Alma 
de Cattleya Pinot Noir 2022 is a delightful 
wine with brightness, rose floral notes, 
and berry notes, followed by a smooth 
and lengthy finish. These are only two 
examples of the wines she makes. Once you taste them, you will fall in love with her 
wines just as I did years ago. 

The Bottle Shop has the Cattleya “The Initiation” Syrah 2021 for $69.99 and the Alma 
de Cattleya Pinot Noir 2022 for $28.99. We also have Shared Notes Whole Bean Coffee 
for $22.99. 

Start off Women’s History Month the right way by enjoying these incredible wines 
(and coffee) made by one Badass Woman!

Until next time – Salud!

Upcoming Wine Tastings – Spanish Wines with Premium Tinned Fish (Conservas) 
also Fresh Shucked Oysters and Champagne!

Scan the QRCode to subscribe to The Bottle 
Shop newsletter and stay informed on our 
weekly wine tasting, beer tasting, and special 
winemaker events.

PET FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS UPDATED

First of all, the term “pet friendly” might be considered an oxymoron. The rule of the thumb 
is that the restaurants have some sort of outdoor (al fresco) patio dining. Each city has its own 
regulations on laws about bringing Fido to restaurants. Here are a few guidelines that I have 
come up with.

To keep obliging restaurants happy with their decisions to include pets, here are some etiquette 
rules you and your pet should follow when dining out:

• Keep your animal leashed at all times.

• No barking

• No begging

• No jumping

• No eating off the table

• No sitting on chairs, tables or benches

• Do not enter the inside of the restaurant.

• Current vaccination tags should be on pet's collar

• Bring your own food dish and water bowl. Health codes prohibit pets from eating and 
drinking from restaurant dishes and glasses.

• Get your pet to sit under or as close to the table base as possible to reduce the chances 
of your waiter tripping over your pet 

Now that we got that out of the way here is a list of local favorites, did I miss a spot? Please 
email me!!

The wonderful Raymond Restaurant 1886 is a great place for happy hour and, depending on 
the weather, a great place for your pooch. I have it on good authority that all three Lucky 
Baldwin’s allow pets and that the Old Pasadena location even has some treats on the menu 
(beer?). Sierra Madre’s Casa Del Rey is very dog friendly and has water bowls for Lil Milo and 
you can enjoy the tacos, right across the street is the Wisteria, yes just visited there last night!!! 
One of my favorite Italian restaurants is Mi Piace - space is limited but they will welcome your 
puppy with open arms. Looking for some Tex with your Mex? El Portal on Colorado Blvd. has 
a great patio and is perfect for a meeting of you and your pooch. Porta Via Italian Foods on 
California tells me that they are dog friendly. Well, the Dog Haus better be dog friendly, right? 
Check out both locations, but I would suggest the one on Green St. The new True Foods is a 
great place for a Sunday Mimosa on their patio, and Bella will feel like a champ . If your like 
Susan Henderson and golfing is your thing take your pug to Brookside Golf Course! Well, I 
know I missed a few but that’s a great list to start with.

Tune in this Sunday afternoon at 5 PM AM 830 Angels Radio

diningwithdills@gmail.com


Bibiana Gonzalez Rave-Pisoni


CINNAMON BAKED 
FRENCH TOAST


Level: Easy

Total: 13 hr

Prep: 15 min

Inactive: 12 hr

Cook: 45 min

Yield: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

 Butter, for greasing

 1 loaf crusty sourdough or French bread

 8 whole eggs

 2 cups whole milk

 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream

 1/2 cup granulated sugar

 1/2 cup brown sugar

 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 Freshly grated nutmeg

 1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces, plus more for serving

 Warm pancake syrup, for serving

 1 cup fresh blueberries, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Special equipment: 9-by-13-inch baking pan

For the French toast: 

Grease the baking pan with butter.

Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the 
eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 
vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed 
(overnight preferably). 

For the topping: 

Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together 
using a fork. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, and mix it all together until the mixture 
resembles fine pebbles. Store in a re-sealable plastic bag in the fridge. 

When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the 
casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a 
softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour or more for a firmer, crisper texture. 

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with warm pancake syrup and

sprinkle with blueberries.

626.253.1323suecookrealtor@gmail.comDRE02015404Real Estate Cooked to Perfection!
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com