The Third Flavor

Pat & Pete Enoch and the Art Behind an Auburn Tradition

Hundreds of people will wander through Auburn with a glass in hand, moving from shop to shop, tasting what happens when local restaurants meet local wineries and breweries.

What most will never see is the work that happened throughout the past year before the first glass is poured on Saturday.

For Pat and Pete Enoch, that behind-the-scenes work may be the best part.

For 23 years, the Auburn Wine, Ale & Food Festival has brought together the people and businesses that make Auburn feel distinctly like Auburn. Pat and Pete help create the pairings—working with each vendor, matching food with wine and beer, then helping determine which local businesses will host each partnership throughout Downtown Auburn and Historic Old Town Auburn.

And they approach it for what it is—culinary artistry.

“There should be ideally three flavors—the food, the wine and then the third, the flavor together,” they explained. Sometimes, they say, “it is the smallest element that makes the food and beverage sparkle.”

Each restaurant creates a tasting that represents its cuisine. Each winery and brewery brings something different to sip, carefully tested to ensure the pairing works. Yet, for one day, 75 businesses join forces to showcase the hospitality of one small town.

Pat and Pete understand that kind of collaboration and the partnerships created through it.

They’ve worked alongside one another in catering and restaurant businesses for more than 35 years, dividing responsibilities, giving each other room for ideas, and supporting one another in following them through.

Pat and Pete Enoch at Latitudes Restaurant, part of their long culinary history in Auburn.

That same spirit is part of what they admire about Auburn. They speak of the countless people who volunteer their time and a newer generation of entrepreneurs who are continually asked to give—and still do. To Pat and Pete, it is remarkable how much one person can do to make life better for everyone around them.

Their relationship with Auburn goes back even further.

They arrived in the late 1970s and found a community where they could raise a family, grow a garden and build a life. Decades later, what keeps them invested is both what Auburn has become and what they believe is worth protecting: the river, agriculture, outdoor recreation, independent businesses, special events, music and the arts.

And after months of planning, pairing and problem-solving, festival day brings its own reward. Their job becomes putting out the occasional fire, but mostly, they can finally stand back, people-watch and enjoy the festive atmosphere filling Auburn’s streets.

Ask what they hope people will remember about them someday, and their answer is wonderfully uncomplicated:

“There’s no way we will be remembered without ‘Pat and Pete’—hopefully when they think of us it makes their mouth water.”

I suspect Auburn will remember much more. They are a very busy duo but were able to find one photo of their post-retirement getaway.

Making our mouths water is a pretty wonderful legacy. For now, we get to enjoy Pat and Pete where they have long been found: quietly behind the scenes, bringing people together—and next weekend, helping Auburn raise a glass … and a taste … to one of its most beloved annual traditions.

October is a beautiful time to experience the Sierra Foothills between Loomis, Newcastle, Auburn, and Colfax. Explore somewhere new, discover something local, and make a little time for what makes this season here so memorable.