Truffles—the fragrant underground fungi renowned for their rarefied stature in the culinary world—are poised to draw a debut congress in Paso Robles.
Focused on truffle education, research, and data collection, the North American Truffle Growers Association will come together at Allegretto Vineyard Resort from Oct. 8 to 10.
Lisa Bodrogi, the planning committee chair of the truffle congress, told New Times that SLO County is home to a truffle-producing orchard called Caelesta Wines, Vineyard & Truffière in Templeton. Its presence made the county an attractive spot for the meetup.
“We have proof of concept in Paso Robles, and it also has all the infrastructure with fabulous restaurants, and for people to stay and enjoy food and wine together,” she said. “Truffles are a great complement to wine and the wine industry, so [Paso Robles] seemed like the perfect fit.”
Caelesta isn’t the only local truffle orchard on Bodrogi’s radar. Another one exists in Edna Valley but she said it didn’t want to put the word out. The planning committee chair is also working with a handful of truffle orchards in the Santa Maria Valley. The aim of the truffle congress is to inspire more people in agricultural industries, especially vineyards, to incorporate truffle orchards into their winery format. Called Wrangling Truffles, the convention will showcase Caelesta as a model example.
“You only need a couple acres of truffle trees,” Bodrogi said. “I call them truffle trees because they’re the host trees with the inoculated root. Those trees tend to be oak trees or hazelnut on the West Coast.”
The most sought-after variety by restaurants and those who want to grow the fungus on the Central Coast is the Périgord black truffle.
“It happens to be a winter crop, and that dovetails quite well with the vineyard industry where the harvest finishes around October/November, which is when the harvest of the Périgord black begins,” Bodrogi said.
Through the truffle congress, potential growers can learn about the art and science of truffle production—from research updates to harvesting through truffle hunting. Eighty of the 110 seats are available as of Sept. 12.
One of the hands-on lessons attendees can participate in is the process of sniffing out ripe truffles using specially trained dogs. Alana McGee of the Truffle Dog Company will conduct a session for the congress.
These canines are a marked modern update to the old way of digging up truffles with the help of pigs.
“They have used pigs historically and that was for the European tradition, but pigs can eat the truffles,” Bodrogi said with a laugh. “You train the dog by bribing them with their favorite food. They get accustomed to targeting the truffle and then getting their favorite ground beef or steak treat.”
Any dog can be trained to hunt for truffles, Bodrogi added, but it’s the Lagatto Romagnolo that’s favored by industry experts. They’re a fluffy Italian breed that look similar to labradoodles.
“They’re nonallergenic and don’t shed,” she said. “They were specifically bred because they’re not easily distracted. That’s the key.”
The truffle congress also caters to enthusiasts who aren’t particularly interested in such granular industry knowledge. Community members can instead choose to exercise their tastebuds.
With 150 seats up for grabs, they can enjoy a grand truffle dinner on Oct. 10. The four-course menu will be curated by Chef Jeremy Fike of Allegretto Hotel. Some truffle-centric dishes include a spiced sugar and black truffle infused potato puree, truffle ravioli, and braised short rib with shaved truffles. Fike plans to incorporate frozen black, frozen Italian white, and fresh Burgundy truffles among others.
An a la carte option also exists for the public to join Caelesta’s winery tour. An orchard visit and talk with expert dog trainers will include time in the tasting room. That menu includes choice truffle and wine pairings too, with features like sliced prosciutto with truffle-fermented tomato paste and truffle caviar.
The truffle congress also has a long-term goal. Apart from a few native varieties, most truffles come from Europe. Further, Bodrogi said that there’s more production of truffles on the East Coast than on the West.
“Really getting that West Coast industry ramped up is what we’re most interested in at this point,” she said.
The greatest allure of a truffle is the aroma and taste that come with a short shelf-life—between a couple of days and a few weeks. The congress wants to underscore the value of newly harvested truffles to local growers.
“If you get a fresh truffle freshly picked from the ground, there’s nothing like it,” Bodrogi said. “One of the key features is growing it here on a commercial scale so that we can offer it to our local chefs and restaurants to have fresh product. Right now, their market is being shipped from across
the globe.” Δ
Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal is floating in the heady aroma of truffles. Snap her awake at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Student Guide 2023.