Columnists

Kenneth Kelleher directs this production of “The 39 Steps” with a giggle and a gasp. Once the production starts it moves with an energy that keeps moving at a nonstop pace.

Yes, California's golden (read: brown) hills are lovely, but even in non-drought years our mid-summer landscape seems coated by a dusty tinge that makes me long for a cool verdant setting. Fortunately for us, medicine for parched souls is just over the hill.

Rosy’s at the Beach restaurant has been hosting what has to be the longest regularly scheduled party in Morgan Hill. For over 12 years, the restaurant has invited locals to a wine pairing dinner on the second Wednesday of every month that has created a cult-like following of wine and food lovers.The dinners introduce the lucky diners to wines from some of the finest California vintners and provide a wonderful opportunity to try dishes not normally found on the menu. But regular attendees also know to expect a healthy dose of fun-filled camaraderie.Some attendees arrive early and decorate their tables in different themes while the buzz of others meeting their friends grows louder by the minute. There’s no mistaking the increasingly festive atmosphere as soon as you enter.The speaker from each evening’s guest winery will tell you about the wines, and it helps if you’re taking notes because there is always a quiz during these dinners. A random drawing decides which guests will be asked the questions, but it’s not often that the chosen reveler will be unable to answer correctly because the room becomes a “lifeline” to help answer as a collective mind. Over time, almost everyone will walk away with a bottle of wine as the winner, even if it was a collective win.These dinners also provide chefs with an opportunity to show how creative they can be. After almost 15 years, owner and chef Rich Bergin has turned that responsibility over to new chef Luis and he is more than up to the task. Creative pairings of wine and food highlight the unique ability for certain ingredients in food to make a wine’s flavors change right before your nose.The dinners’ cult-like following has made it difficult for those outside of the current group of ticket holders to break into the dinner routine. As a matter of fact, current ticket holders offered with the option to buy more tickets can only order 5 of the 6 available months to allow room for others.I hate to tease you with such a fun and educational evening, but the good news is that Ladera Grill is also hosting a regularly scheduled series of winemaker dinners. This experience is every bit as special.Earlier this year, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association promoted a Wine Week where these winemaker dinners were the norm. Most of the downtown restaurants participated. All of these meals provided diners with an opportunity to get close to the winemakers, and offered special meals. As a result, we now know our restaurants are up to the task of making food and wine into something memorable.I hope more of our restaurants will offer a regular series of winemaker dinners.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

Opera San Jose begins its illustrious 32nd season with "Tosca," Puccini’s most melodramatic opera. “Tosca” is based on Victorian Sardou’s 1887 French language dramatic play La Tosca. The play starred Sarah Bernhardt, who played the lead in over 3,000 performances.  Puccini became obsessed with turning the play into an opera. Librettist Luigi Illica advised Puccini against trying to turn the play into an opera because he felt it could not be adapted to a musical form and was too violent.

Like every parent, I worry about the health of my children. In my case, my worry is colored by the fact that I was obese as a teenager. One of the first questions I asked my pediatrician was how to prevent the same from happening to my child. And my child wasn’t even 2 weeks old.

Kevin Heath and the Limelight Actors Theater continually bring well done, enjoyable theater to Gilroy. “Other Desert Cities” is a comedy-drama and not an easy piece to deliver, yet Heath and his company of top Limelight alumni actors bring in a first-class production.

 Anyone who is familiar with and enjoys Russian playwright Anton Checkhov’s work will become fascinated with the parallels of the characters in Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies’ homage to the writer with his play “The Country House.”