38 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 22-28, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com There are a few ways to consume what is, in essence, pure sugar. None requires more careful attention than the s’more. First, there’s the simple fact that this classic feature of American campfire gatherings requires three ingredients. There’s the graham cracker base (flour and sugar), the chocolate square (preferably milk chocolate, meaning more sugar) and the holy glue, the marshmallow (providing both corn syrup and sugar). Of course, the marshmallow must be roasted, although opinions about how to achieve the proper level of roasting differ. If you adhere to the guidance of Diana Ballantyne, manager of Fernwood Resort & Campground in Big Sur, step one before you can even begin roasting is to start a wood fire. Name any other dessert that requires you first to start a fire. “You should be in the dirt, you should be camping, and it should be on a stick,” Ballantyne offers as her vision of the perfect s’more. Add to all of these demands the perfectly roasted, lightly browned marshmallow. “It’s a trial,” Ballantyne says. “It’s how you teach children patience.” For her, the light-it-on-fire method leads to a sorry scorched marshmallow, one in which the burnt skin slips off, but a big, undercooked gooey nub is left on the stick. Of course, there are lessons in patience. But there’s also nostalgia. My grandmother imparted in me the virtue of impatience, jamming her marshmallows straight into the coals, so I have a habit of letting mine set on fire a time or two and blowing them out. At Asilomar Conference Grounds, Food and Beverage Manager Edwin Garcia supports consumption of marshmallows in all forms—in fact he likes snacking on just plain marshmallows. (“Just the texture of it—I like chewy stuff,” he says. “That’s what’s weird about me.”) At Asilomar, Phoebe’s Cafe sells s’mores kits for $9 with supplies to make four s’mores. A lot of groups post up at fire pits out back at the end of a day for s’mores making—no children required. “People hear about it and get all excited,” Garcia says. The same goes at Fernwood, where Ballantyne says s’mores are immensely popular. (There’s even a s’mores-themed dessert on the restaurant menu: chocolate mousse and homemade marshmallows, topped with a toasted graham cracker square, but you can save that for winter—it’s unofficially summer starting on Memorial Day weekend.) In 2023, Fernwood sold 786 Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, 706 bags of marshmallows—the classic Jet Puffed you remember from your childhood, leaving the gourmet stuff for the restaurant—and 683 boxes of graham crackers. (S’more ingredient sales were down slightly in 2024, a year when they were closed for an extended period due to a Highway 1 closure.) “It’s a big deal,” Ballantyne says of making s’mores. “It’s a part of the American camping experience.” Of course, despite the association with camping, anyone can make a s’more anywhere as long as they have a flame. Carmel Valley Ranch used to offer a poolside s’mores station at a gas fire pit, with metal roasting sticks. (This is now only provided for special events.) Monterey Beach Hotel offers s’mores kits to all hotel guests, including wooden dowels. Almost all of them—over 90 percent, estimates Assistant General Manager Bastiaan De Winter—take the opportunity. De Winter prefers the burn-it-down approach to marshmallow roasting. “I like mine scorched,” he says. “I want that burnt flavor. But ultimately, the advantage of giving you a kit is you find your own flavor.” At Monterey Beach Hotel, that includes Ghiradelli chocolate square beyond the classic milk chocolate, with caramel, dark and mint among the variations. In the summer, hotel staff set up big wooden fire pits on the beach, and the rest of the year they use gas fire pits on the deck. De Winter says nothing is lost in the quality of the dessert, but of course there is something that can’t be rivaled by a campfire. He grew up in Belgium, and certain American customs, s’mores included, are now part of life in Europe. “I had nice campfire experiences, where we would just roast marshmallows on a fire,” he says. “I was a boy scout, so I have camped in the middle of nowhere. We would just chitchat into the night and look at the stars. That’s my kind of experience.” FIRST COURSE The essence of the s’more is the roasted marshmallow, shown here earning char marks over a gas fire pit at Monterey Beach Hotel, which distributes s’mores kits to all guests. JACKS-ED UP…Jacks Monterey at Portola Plaza is kicking off its summer music series on May 23. Listen to live music every Friday from 6-9pm on their pet-friendly terrace, sip from a selection of wines, beers and craft cocktails, and nibble small bites or pizzas. 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey. 513-8957, portolahotel. com/dining/jacks-monterey. SPEED THRILLS…Other Brother Beer Co. is teaming up with Monterey Peninsula Pride and hosting a queer speed dating event on Friday, May 23 from 5:30-8:30pm. Mix, mingle, and hopefully find friends or love. Tickets are $34, $5 of which goes to MPP. 877 Broadway Ave., Seaside. 747-1106, otherbrotherbeer.com. TURNING ONE…McIntyre Vineyards is celebrating one year in Carmel Valley with festivities from noon-4pm on Saturday-Sunday, May 24-25. Enjoy new release wines while nibbling small bites and live music. $50; tickets include one glass of wine in a commemorative cup. 24 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. 574-3042, mcintyrevineyards.com. CARMEL HOP…The fifth annual Carmel Culinary Week runs May 30-June 7. There will be specials, popup experiences and events such as the Party in the Plaza kickoff, a showdown competition between Carmel chefs and more. Ticket prices vary. View the full schedule at carmelcalifornia.com. LAVENDER HAZE…Lavender Creek Co. is hosting a series of youpick lavender experiences. Guests will learn how to make their own lavender syrup. Saturdays and Sundays through June. $15/adults, $6/kids 6-12. 45217 E. Carmel Valley Road, Greenfield. lavendercreekcompany.com. ROSÉ GARDEN…Rosé season is here, and Pelio Estate is hosting Instagram-worthy sipping experiences. Enjoy a flight of three Rosés among the roses in their picture-perfect pergolas, each paired with artisanal cheeses and chocolates. $75; reservations must be made online. 25 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley. pelioestatewines.com. BEER HERE…The Seaside Farmers Market is about to get even more fun with Everyone’s Harvest’s Seaside Summer Sessions. Every third Thursday of the month there will be live music and a beer garden from 3-7pm starting Thursday, May 22. 1259 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. 384-6961, everyonesharvest.org. By Jacqueline Weixel MORSELS eatanddrink@montereycountynow.com “It’s a big deal. It’s part of the American camping experience.” EAT + DRINK DANIEL DREIFUSS Fire Side The season is here to embrace the magic of the all-American dessert, the s’more. By Sara Rubin
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