Elite Event: Nora Cocina’s Paella Party @ Urban Legend Cellars

I’m already a big fan of Urban Legend Cellars — so I was very excited to see a YEE planned at the winery. I was delighted to discover that Nora Cocina was making a vegan paella! That was awesome!
Jon was a great host — he greeted everyone and chatted his way around the room. Steve & Merillee and their team were excellent as always — and it was a very nice opportunity to get more wine to bring home! I also ended up with a large plate of paella as I went out the door, offered by the Nora Cocina folks when I told them how much I enjoyed it (yay! leftovers!).
Great event — thanks to Nique & Jon for organizing it!

Another great Unilocal event and it was hosted by Urban Legend Cellars in Oakland. When we arrived two large paella pans greeted us at the door, followed by Jon.
We checked in and received a cool new Unilocal tote in it’s own tote bag. These are so helpful! Appetizers were being passed around by Nora Cocina, which were bite size flavor bombs.
We mingled around the room with our wine glasses listening to the dj play vinyl record and meeting new Unilocalers. It was a fun event and always look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.
Thank you Nique and Jon!

Jon G. looks like a youthful version of Adam Levine on «The Voice». He greeted everyone at this hipster wine and paella event at Urban Legend Cellars. Kudos for being a gracious, charming host in tight jeans. He’s giving J. Lo on Jimmy Fallon’s show some bang for the bucks. See the tightest pants in town showdown here:
I really appreciate these smaller events where your face is not smashed up against a wall with too many people. There were just enough people to mingle and just enough to drink and eat. Besides friendly Elites, the service was excellent between Urban Cellars and Nora Cocina’s Paella
The parking was easy, the paella was slamming, and the wine… who would had thought that Oakland Jack London would make wine this darn tasty?! First class event with first class people, I was able to enjoy this smaller event along with Joyce Z., Jon G. and my bro, Wai T.
Thanks for another fantastic YEE!
Jon G. — J.K. on the jeans… sorta.

My first YEE in several months and once again, it didn’t disappoint!
There was plenty of parking nearby Urban Cellars so I could easily be rolled back out to the car after getting stuffed with paella if need be. First thing, me and Wil G, my +1 for the evening, were greeted outside by the sight of giant paella pans cooking up some great smelling paella by Nora Cocina, that we would soon be enjoying. I couldn’t wait!
We made our way inside and were greeted by Jon who did a great job stepping in for Nique, who unfortunately was under the weather that evening. Got my party pass scanned, grabbed my wine glass and name tag and moved our way further in among our fellow Unilocal Elites and up to the wine bar where two of Urban Cellars wines were being poured, a white 2013 Grenache Blanc and a red blend, Temescal.
I had the red blend, Temescal that went well with the stuffed red sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese being passed around by one of Urban Cellars partners.
After mixing and mingling and taking pictures soon it was ready to line up outside for some of the delicious pallea to come. A vegan pallea, made with rice and a colorful variety of veggies and a seafood pallea, made with rice, shrimp, ham, peas and other tasty ingredients. Delicious! My stomach after this evening was properly stretched and readied for the following days eating activities with the family for Thanksgiving dinner.
Many thanks to Jon for stepping in for Nique, Urban Cellars for hosting a great evening at their winery and pouring some great wines, Nora Cocina for delicious pallea, Unilocal for providing a useful tote bag for checking in to the event and to all the fellow Unilocal Elites to make it a great evening!

Like most YEE, this was another 5 star and is one for practically all your senses. As soon as we parked the car, we could already smell the delicious paella wafting through the air as it was being cooked up right outside of Urban Legend Cellars. After checking in and meeting the fantastic Jon who had to fly solo that night since Nique was under the weather, we were able to already start out the evening with some wine.
I started with the Temescal which went really well with the goat cheese stuffed peppers and the ham and cheese croquetas which teased our taste buds while we were waiting patiently for our paella. Once the paella was ready, in addition to smell, it really hit our other two senses in full force, first in sight since you eat with your eyes as it looked like a masterpiece with the shrimp ringing the shrimp, chicken, and chorizo paella and the colorful vegetables of purple cauliflower and asparagus that painted the veggie paella. Hubby got the veggie since he is allergic to shellfish while I went for the decadent meat and shellfish one where my taste buds sang with the first bite. With the beautiful, aromatic, tasty paella, we enjoyed it listening to the awesome music courtesy of the DJ they had spinning vinyl. I ended up going back to have a sample of the vegetable paella as well with the Grenache Blanc which was also delicious so glad that hubby got to enjoy the experience as much as I did. Although tempting, I decided not to test my touch sense on the paella unless you count the finger food beforehand.
Had a great time meeting other Unilocalers like Angela W. and Tung T. who we found out are practically neighbors of ours, Henna P. even if it was only for a short time, and finally Jenny T. who has been my Unilocal friend forever, and Wai and it is always wonderful seeing Rebekah T who was making us hungry with her cooking plans for Thanksgiving!

I should slap myself in the face for stuffing myself in the face with Korean food before coming to this YEE. Giving the hint that the RSVP page mentioned, «You’ll need to stretch your stomach before the turkey and pie arrive,» I was clueless to the amount of generous servings of paella I was going to get.
Brian and I enjoyed meeting some familiar and new faces at the Nora Cocina’s Paella Party. It was a bummer that Nique couldn’t join us for the evening, but Jon did a fantastic job hosting the event! I had a blast watching the DJ spinning and grooving along with her vinyl records with some old school 80’s music. I also enjoyed the tasty appetizers and the paella.
It was a bummer there was only ¹⁄₁₆ of paella left on my plate because I was so full from stuffing myself with Korean food earlier. However, I’m looking forward to Nora Cocina opening a business in Berkley soon! I sampled both the vegan and the shrimp, chorizo, and chicken paella. The vegan paella was beautiful its colorful vegetables and light kick of spiciness. On the other hand, the shrimp, chorizo, and chicken paella was rich and savory in flavor. Also, I like to thank Urban Legend Cellars for providing tasty wine. The Grenache Blanc made a perfect pairing with the paella because of how light and crisp it was. I was also a fan of the Temescal, it was slightly more bitter than the Grenache Blanc, but it was still a hit.
On a side note, thanks for the free Unilocal tote bag! It feels like Christmas getting a free gift from an Elite event. However, it was truly an awesome event to experience hanging out with some of the coolest Unilocalers before Thanksgiving!
Happy Holidays my fellow Unilocalers and Elites! :)

We arrived 15mins earlier to Urban Legend and as we looked for parking I could smell the wonderful aroma of Spanish flavors through my rolled down window. What a great start to a fun evening. We were allowed to grab a glass of red or white locally made wine to start. A local DJ, DJ Powers was spinning groovy music in the background. Meanwhile 2 very large paella pans were simming away outside. One was vegetarian containing cauliflower and butternut squash while the other contained prawns and sausage among other delicious ingredients. Each pan can serve 100 people! They need to simmer for 2 long hours. We were able to get a chance to see the different layers build up and they did not skimp on ingredients. Using both imported and local ingredients. While that was cooking, 2 appetizers came out. Goat cheese stuffed peppers and a croquette. Both very creammy and yummy. The paella was amazing! Bold flavors, lots of spice but not spicy at all. Everybody got a chance to try both of them. It was a lovely night with fellow Unilocalers!

So very thankful for Unilocal and the Easy Bay crew (Jon and Nique) for planning this great event! We moved into JLS less than a year ago and had no idea this winery existed, so I was glad to discover a new neighborhood gem. The appetizers and paella from Nora Cocina were tasty, as was the wine. I should also add that the DJ’s playlist was on point. It was a great way to kick off this gluttonous weekend. Thanks again!

Lovely way to kick off the holiday weekend! As we got closer to Urban Legand Cellars, we could smell the saffron wafting down the street. I knew it was going to be good.
Our lovely Urban Legend hosts were pouring a Grenache Blanc and Temescal, their red blend that can be purchased in a refillable growler.
Nora Cocina served up two apps — goat cheese stuffed peppers and croquettas — and two kinds of paella — one with shrimp, chicken, and chorizo and a vegan option with chickpeas and colorful veggies. I asked for a «a little» of each and they still piled my plate high. I was grateful for their generosity once I dug in to the incredible food. YUM.
We left with full bellies, new Unilocal friends, a reusable Unilocal tote bag, and a growler of red wine. I would say that is worth five stars!

I had so much fun at this event! The paella was delicious and I can’t wait to check out the new Berkeley location to get some more chorizo in mah belly. Jon and all the other Unilocalers were really friendly and chill. The music was also excellent! Loved it! More please!

Great music from a cool DJ, nice wine from Legend Cellars and lots of good food from Nora Cocina Espanola. Thanks Unilocal and Unilocal intern, Legend Cellars, and Nora Cocina Espanola. Nora is opening a restaurant in Berkeley and I would definitely hire them to cater my events in the future. Friendly owners. Nice people all around. A great party. Good luck Jon to your future endeavors, it was nice talking to you.

Whoa, my belly is full! I look like a turkey now. So glad I don’t have to cook dinner. What a great way to start off my pre-​thanksgiving with Unilocal elites and their plus ones.
Thanks for the delicious Urban Legends wine… red & white were both very good. The Scrumptious appetizers… red picadillo stuffed with cream cheese & deep fried smush potatoes. The chicken, chorizo sausage & shrimp paella was off the hook! They had vegetarian paella as well. Greasy-​licious!
Music was grooving. Good beats. Jon G. was an awesome host and took care of everyone. Got my free tote bag by checking in. Thanks! Everyone was happy and all smiles.
Will definitely be back and hit up some wines from Urban Legend Cellars. Those stemless wine glass were nice too. Thanks Nique for an awesome elite party. Great way to kick off the years end.

For my first elite event, this was a great time indeed. I brought one of my best friends with me and we were appreciative for the wonderful energy brought by the hosts, servers, music, attendees and of course. the paella and wine!
The paella provided by Nora Cocina was DELICIOUS. I was able to try the shrimp one as well as the vegan one, which featured locally grown produce. Can’t wait to try their restaurant in Berkeley. The paella paired well with the white wine I tried from Urban Legend.
What a way to kick off the holidays! Cheers!

Thank you Nique and Jon G. for organizing such a fun and tasty event! It was my first Oakland Unilocal event and won’t be my last. Here’s the low down:
Urban Legend Cellars:
Everything from post-​harvest grapes to bottled wine is done in house. That’s impressive especially given its in a more industrial part of Oakland and not in some vineyard in Napa. I sampled the Grenache Blanc which was light, crisp, and not very sweet. Wines start around the low $ 20s. Parking was easy peasy on the street and it seemed safe to walk over to the shop although there aren’t many storefronts or passerbys.
Nora Cocina:
I can’t wait for their restaurant to open in Berkeley! You know what’s better than eating crispy flavorful paella? Watching it being cooked in huge makeshift pans on burners and then eating it. I loved that they had a vegan option (cauliflower, asparagus) along side a more Americanized classic meat option (shrimp, chicken, chorizo). My favorite part had to be the slow roasted whole garlic. It was so subtle in flavor with the texture of a creamy potato. Yum!

My first Unilocal Elite event and it was great and delicious :)
Urban Legend Cellars has a nice ambience and the staff was friendly and fun. We tasted two wines — Grenache Blanc and Temescal Blend. I liked the Temescal Blend more because of the depth and complexity of flavors but both paired well with the paella!
Nora Cocina’s paella was delicious and flavorful. They served both a meat paella and a vegetarian one. The meat one had shrimp, chorizo, chicken, etc. The veggie one had cauliflower, sweet potatoes, asparagus, etc.
So happy to have ULC and Nora on my radar now. Looking forward to checking out both establishments in the future!

What a great event!
I’m so happy I was on the guest list as aside from it being my first Elite event since July (June in the East Bay!) this was both mine and my +1 first experience of Paella. This also happened to be my +1’s first ever Unilocal event so it was extra special.
Food from Nora Cocina Espanola was delicious and I can see why it was so popular at this years Eat Real Festival. I’m not usually big on Fish (unless it’s battered and deep fried. You know is Brits) so I was apprehensive of one of the dishes at first but whadyaknow? Paella isn’t just Fish! And the Fish that was used (Shrimp) I found pretty darn tasty. I sampled both the Vegetarian and Meat dishes and must say that the Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp was my favorite. Meats cooked perfectly!
Of course, it ‘aint a Unilocal party without some drink and what better place to be for it! Various Wines supplied by Urban Legend Cellars themselves. Sadly being DD I was not able to have any. Humph.
Although not able to make it due to a nasty sickness Nique wasn’t there in person but was in spirit, hats of to both her and Jon for a great event. It was great to see a few new faces after my little hiatus and who knows… hopefully see you all again in the New Year!
Happy Holiday’s!