From being named one of America's 20 best small towns by Smithsonian Magazine to more recent love from Conde Nast Traveler, Mill Valley has been on the receiving end of plenty of compliments over the years. But the latest attention to come our way – the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee's "50 Perfect Hours in Mill Valley" – might just make us blush.

Here's the lowdown: The 50th edition of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game and the biggest sporting event in America, is set for February 7, 2016 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, which is raising the money to put on the Super Bowl and managing all of its planning and production, is celebrating some of the top destination towns and cities in the Bay Area, hoping to get attendees of the big game to spend extra time here before and after.

The committee tasked San Francisco writer Katie Morell with creating digests for a series called "50 Perfect Hours." To date, she's highlighted places like Palo Alto, Pebble Beach, Napa Valley and Walnut Creek. In her story, which has since been picked up 7x7 Magazine, Morell describes Mill Valley as "an idyllic town of 14,000 residents with tons of green spaces and leafy downtown streets filled with one-of-a-kind shops, art galleries and restaurants perfect for strolling at any time of day.... Mill Valley is a magnet for tourists from around the world, many of whom want to move immediately following a visit."

Morell's "perfect way to spend a 50-hour getaway in Mill Valley" begins at the Mill Valley Inn downtown, waking to its delicious complimentary breakfast before heading to the Depot Bookstore & Café before browsing shops like OSKA and and Summer House.

A bike ride around the lower slopes of Mount Tam follows, before a respite and dinner at El Paseo – A Marin Chophouse and some live music at Sweetwater Music Hall. The following day begins with grabbing a picnic lunch at Mill Valley Market and heading off to Muir Woods National Monument and Mount Tam State Park. Morell recommends moving over to the Mountain Home Inn – "a secluded hideaway perched within Mt. Tam" – for the next night. End your Perfect 50 Hours in Mill Valley by rising early to see the sunrise from the balcony before dashing off.

What do you think of "50 Perfect Hours in Mill Valley"? What would you have added? Tell us in the Comments below!

The Mill Valley Hat Box, which closed in early February due to serious water damage, isn't re-opening in the space at 118 Throckmorton Avenue, where it's been located for 10 years, according to shop owner Danielle Schubert.

Schubert says she's looking for a new space, "hopefully in Mill Valley," and will let us know when she does. Bob Knez of HL Commercial, which is representing the building owner, says the owners are looking for a new tenant for the space. He says the owners would prefer not to rent to a food-serving business. Contact Knez at bob@hlcre.com.

While Hat Box had a decade-long history in downtown Mill Valley, the building itself is steeped in the town's history. Frank Canepa, who emigrated from Genoa, Italy in 1913 at the age of 17, rented out half of Gosser's Meat Market, a butcher shop located at 118 Throckmorton, to open the original Mill Valley Market in July 1929. Canepa later moved the business in the 1950s to its current location at 12 Corte Madera Avenue, expanding the business over time into the adjoining office, pet shop, restaurant and bar. At 118 Throckmorton, a laundromat occupied the space for more than 20 years prior to the Hat Box opening there.

Lovers of gourmet food, fantastic wine and finely crafted beer found paradise on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in downtown Mill Valley on June 22, as the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting served up yet another landmark edition of the event’s rich history.

With wine from more than 50 premium wineries, beer from 10 breweries and food from more than 20 gourmet food purveyors – with attendees clamoring for the tasty fare from 10 local restaurants and chefs – the event was a smashing success. Throngs descended on the Depot Plaza on June 22 for one of Mill Valley’s biggest events of the year, with proceeds benefitting Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation and the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“You simply couldn’t ask for a higher quality event for foodies and wine and beer aficionados than this one,” said Paula Reynolds, board chair of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. “And frankly, we’re thrilled at the enthusiasm and the sophistication of our audience. Thanks to everyone who made it happen, particularly our sponsors, and to the hundreds and hundreds who attended despite a weekend packed with great events right in the middle of the World Cup!”

“Our Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting continues to be a top shelf event,” says Doug Canepa, co-owner of the Mill Valley Market that has curated the event since its inception. “It’s unmatched in the quality of its ingredients – beer, wine, food, restaurants, volunteers, sponsors and local organizations – and it all came together again this to make it a wonderful afternoon.”

"We're very grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community event," says Bill Lampl, executive director of Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation. The samplings of savory and sweet foods, wine, and beer were just amazing as well as having great live music. And what a beautiful day!”

The 33rd Annual Mill Valley Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting was presented by Bank of the West with co-sponsors Pacific Union Real Estate, PG&E, Bradley Real Estate, Marin Modern Real Estate and Mini of Marin. Supporting sponsors include Urban Sitter for the KidZone, Tam Bikes for complimentary bicycle parking and Mill Valley Refuse.

Lindsay Webb, a brand ambassador for MINI of Marin, says that her team had some trepidation at the beginning of the day about being first-time sponsors of an event with a 33-year history. As they position their MINI in the Depot Plaza prior to the event, they wondered, “Like the new kid on their first day of class, will they all like me?” Webb says.

“But as the day was underway, it became clear that we were going to fit in just fine. Like getting picked for dodge ball, we could exhale. We noticed that many of these smiling faces enjoying their sips and eats were not only becoming our friends, but had always been. It was a wonderful mix. Those we knew, those we didn’t, and those we got acquainted with. It was a pleasure to participate in an event for the first time, and feel as though we had been there all along.”

On Sunday, June 22, 2014, Mill Valley held the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting, with proceeds going to the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce and Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation. Hundreds turned out on a gorgeous sunny day to taste some of the best wine, beer and food the Bay Area has to offer.

About the Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting:
Hosted by Mill Valley Market since 1981, this special North Bay event brings together all the best aspects of California living into one exciting afternoon set against the backdrop of beautiful Mill Valley. The Mill Valley Wine & Gourmet Food Tasting featured Known for a wide selection of hard to find wines, this event is not to be missed by anyone who is a fan of finely crafted beverages and foods.

About the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce:
Whether it is a large corporation, a retail business, a service provider or an independent professional, the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce is here to advocate for and provide your business with an array of unique marketing opportunities to reach both residents and visitors. We have a strong relationship with the City of Mill Valley, a dedicated Board of Directors, talented staff and growing membership, and we welcome you.

About Kiddo!:
Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, is a non-profit 501(c3) organization made up of parents, teachers, business people, and active members of the community who raise funds to supplement limited school budgets. Kiddo! funds vital programs and teachers for K-8 schools – including art, music, drama, poetry, dance, P.E., technology, classroom aides and library aides.

About Mill Valley Market:
Since 1929 Mill Valley Market has been owned and operated by the founding Canepa family. We specialize in artisan foods including restaurant-quality prepared foods, local produce, choice meats, poultry and seafood. We will even enhance your meals with the perfect wine. Quality is our passion.

Hungry?

If the answer is no, we're about to change that.

On the eve of the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting, set for June 22 from 1–4pm in the Depot Plaza downtown, with proceeds going to the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce and Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, we're about to get your taste buds a teaser of what they can expect from the 11 fantastic local restaurants who'll be showcasing their menus on Sunday.

This landmark event is all about consuming some of the best wine, beer and food you'll find anywhere in the Bay Area or beyond. For the 2014 edition of the event, which has been hosted by Mill Valley Market since 1981, wine from 60 premium wineries, beer from nine craft breweries (including Mill Valley's own Beerworks and Headlands Brewing Co.) and food from more than 20 food purveyors and 11 local restaurants and chefs.

Here are the 11 local restaurants and the fantastic food they'll be showcasing at the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting:

• Balboa Café – Grilled Corn on the Cob w/ roasted garlic aoli, parmesan cheese and smoked sea salt.
  
• Beerworks – Roasted Indian eggplant w/ smoked tomato relish.
  
• Beth's Community Kitchen – Mini Brioche Sandwiches (egg salad, tuna, BLT), along with pastries, pizzette and ginger snaps.
  
• Bungalow 44 – The restaurant's famous Kobe beef and Lamb meat balls.
  
• La Ginestra – Polpette alla Napoletana (Neapolitan meatballs).
  
• Molina – A selection of Chef Todd Shoberg’s market-based fare, including produce pulled from the ground that morning from local farmers, fish caught with lines in nearby rivers and ocean waters and hand-picked oysters and shellfish, as well as local meats like rabbit, pig, quail and cattle that Shoberg feels are raised in a truthfully humane manner.
  
• O Baby Bar – Vegan brittle with coconut sugar and a tavern nut bar.
  
• Pasta Pomodoro – Insalata de Faro (Ancient Italian grain tossed with roasted vegetables, salsa verde and pecorino cheese), as well as Polenta Farcita (Polenta rolled and stuffed with organic spinach and provolone cheese, topped with brown butter and crispy sage).
  
• Piazza D'Angelo – Capunti do Grano Arso, a burnt wheat pasta from Southern Italy, in a lamb ragu with goat cheese from Achadinha Cheese Company in Petaluma.
  
• Prabh Indian Kitchen – Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Naan.
  
• Tony Tutto Pizza – A variety of vegetarian pizzas, including both menu favorites and market-driven specials just for the event.
  

The 33rd Annual Mill Valley Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting is presented by Bank of the West with co-sponsors Pacific Union Real Estate, PG&E, Bradley Real Estate, Marin Modern Real Estate and Mini of Marin. Supporting sponsors include Urban Sitter for the KidZone, Tam Bikes for complimentary bicycle parking and Mill Valley Refuse. 

Record attendance of more than 1,000 participants is expected this year. Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 on the day of the event. 

Click here for more info and to buy tickets.

The newest wrinkle of the 33rd Annual Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting presents both short- and long-term benefits for parents attending the event, set for June 22 from 1­4pm in the Depot Plaza.

The short-term win from the first-time inclusion of the KidZone is the ability to attend the event with the peace of mind that your children will be in safe, fun, creative and nurturing place just a few dozen yards way from you as you enjoy some of the best food and drink the Bay Area has to offer.

The long-term gain is the possibility of finding your favorite babysitter, as KidZone sponsor Urban Sitter operates an online system by which you can access 250 babysitters in southern Marin, using your own friends (and their friends) for recommendations.

“Urban Sitter is a website that connects babysitters and families and connects them through people you know,” says Colette Perachiotti, Urban Sitter’s community manager for Marin. “Parents can find a sitter and the site will show them who their friends have used. So you’re not just going online and finding a random sitter but finding those who your friends have used.”

The three-year-old site also gives users the ability to focus on specific criteria for sitters, such as CPR training, languages spoken

“And you can pay by credit card and not have to go to the ATM before you come home,” Perachiotti adds.

A number of sitters hired by event organizers through Urban Sitter will be in the KidZone leading crafts like “make your own bandanas.” Marin Theatre Company staff will also be on hand with their “Dramativity” booth, leading a “make your own Play” workshop featuring a “rack of costumes and props and easy things kids can throw on and off to make their own characters,” according to Mariel Rossman, MTC’s education coordinator.

Kids will engage in theater games, with staff using a script and calling on characters and have them act out what’s happening, Rossman says. “It moves quickly and it’s really fun,” she adds.

Click here for more info and to buy tickets for the 2014 Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting.

In the 11 months since they launched Headlands Brewing Company, Mill Valley residents Phil Cutti and Patrick Horn have been among the hardest working duos in the brewing business, personally filling every role in the operation, from brewmaster to distributor and everything in between.

If the pair was searching for tangible proof that their hard work was paying off, it arrived earlier this week in the form of 150,000 16oz. cans, ready to be filled with one of Headlands’ three beers and waiting for its label to be slapped upon them. The leap reflects a steady spike in production from about 90 barrels total every four to six weeks up to about 220 barrels a month.

“To have the confidence of our board to make such a big next move – you have to pay for those cans up front,” Cutti says. “We’re really seeing some consistent growth, and that’s prompted this next big step. We’re feeling great about where we are.”

Headlands will showcase its beers at two upcoming local events: a Meet the Brewer event at the Sweetwater on June 16, and at Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting event on June 22 in the Depot Plaza.

The company’s early success is the product of hard work, but it’s also the result of the Bay Area brewing community from which it has spawned. Cutti and Horn are as steeped in the Bay Area home-brewing scene as any pair running an 11-month-old brewery could be, and they’re leaning on that tight-knit community as they catapult to new heights.

Take their fellow local brewers at Mill Valley Beerworks, who launched their 40-barrel Fort Point Beer Co. in the Presidio in January. Cutti has done some work for the four-year-old downtown Mill Valley outfit, and they collaborated on Ned, a Flanders Sour Red named after The Simpsons’ character. When it came time for Headlands to do some contract brewing – leasing space within another brewery to avoid the costs of running its own facility, a strategy often referred to as “gypsy brewing” – Beerworks owners Justin and Tyler Catalana were game, leasing Headlands space at Fort Point. Headlands is currently brewing its Hill 88 Double IPA and Groupe G Belgian RyePA at Fort Point and its Point Bonita Rustic Lager, a pilsner, at Sudwerk in Davis.

Justin Catalana says Cutti and the Beerworks team hit it off right away in terms of creative energy and a dedication to making great beer, so supporting Headlands’ fledgling brewery made perfect sense. When Cutti told Catalana this week that Headlands was nearing its one-year-anniversary, he was stunned.

“I honestly thought it had been a lot longer than that,” Catalana says. “They’ve really worked hard to make it happen.”

“We all just try to look out for each other,” Cutti says of the local brewing community. “People ask about competition among us, as in, ‘Aren’t you trying to try to take that person’s tap handle at a bar?’ – but a high tide raises all boats – so if we make each other make the best beer we can by teaching someone the best technique or by helping someone with equipment, it helps us all.”

Though their company is still in its infancy, Cutti and Horn are not entirely newbies. Horn is one of the co-founders of Pacific Brewing Laboratory and Cutti has been brewing at Southpaw BBQ in San Francisco in recent years. They connected at an event put on by the Sirwisa Brewing Collective, Cutti’s organization for home brewers who want to move to the commercial side. Sirwisa is the Peruvian word for beer – Cutti is of Peruvian descent.

Cutti started home brewing in 1995, and began thinking about it as a career in the early 2000s. But then the University of San Francisco grad became the director and exercise physiologist of the Human Performance Lab at Stanford, a great job that delayed the transition.

He later met Horn, who’d spent the better part of his career as a lobbyist in Washington, DC, primarily for the alternative energy business. They connected over their love of endurance sports, specifically long-distance open water swimming, a bond that seems to take a back seat only to brewing beer.

Through the open water swimming group Night Train Swimmers, Cutti met Matthew Davie, a Belvedere resident whose career in the tech sector has included stints at the Walt Disney Company and as CEO of Breaktime Studios. Davie now sits on Headlands’ board and handles the financial of the business.

“We’ve shown that we can make great beer at scale this quickly,” Davie adds. “For a company that’s on this trajectory, they’re doing exponentially more with less resources than other companies would be at this point. They’ve stayed true to themselves.”

Kim Sturdavant, brewmaster at Social Kitchen & Brewery in San Francisco’s Sunset District and an alum of Marin Brewing Company, says Cutti and Horn have a work ethic that matches their talent.

“They’ve been hustling since day one,” he says. “They’re just all over the place, handling every aspect of their business. I’m expecting their product to get better and better.”

Headlands’ three-year plan included adding a brick-and-mortar facility in the third year. They’ve pushed that leap into year two, hoping to ink a lease on a space, preferably in southern Marin, in the next 12 months.

“We’ve looked at some spots in the city, but with a name like Headlands, it behooves us to be in Marin,” Cutti says. “We always wanted to be a near the mountain and the bay. Marin speaks to us in that way.”

Cutti and Horn take their two-man operation to the distribution side of things as well, personally checking in with the beer buyers at places like Mill Valley Market, Whole Foods, BiRite, BevMo and Tony Tutto Pizza, all of which carry their beers.

At the June 22 Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food event, Headlands will be pouring a limited edition Hill 88 Double IPA aged in Four Roses Bourbon barrels especially to be sold at Mill Valley Market.

“You have to make bets on good people – Patrick and Phil are incredibly quality people, and they were put on this planet to make great beer,” Davie says. “It’s that simple.”

The 411: For more info on Headlands Brewing Company, check out their Facebook, Twitter, and website. And click here for more info and to buy tickets for the Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting event on June 22 in the Depot Plaza

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Organizers of the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting, set for June 22 from 1–4pm in the Depot Plaza downtown, with proceeds going to the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce and Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, have made a slew of new additions to the 94941's iconic downtown event, including:

• Making Kiddo!, the non-profit Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, a co-beneficiary of the event, along with the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce 
  
• Including complimentary valet bicycle parking, provided by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and sponsored by Tam Bikes in Mill Valley
  
• Creating a KidZone, sponsored by Urban Sitter, provides a fun environment for children agree 2 to 8 and features entertainment, arts and crafts and free childcare services for event attending parents

But while these additions are meant to encourage alternative forms of transportation and help parents with young children attend this fantastic event, they're mere compliments to the main course: some of the best wine, beer and food you'll find anywhere in the Bay Area or beyond. For the 2014 edition of the event, which has been hosted by Mill Valley Market since 1981, wine from 60 premium wineries, beer from nine craft breweries and food from more than 20 food purveyors and 11 local restaurants and chefs.

With that in mind, here's the full list of all of the great brands that will be at the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting:

The 33rd Annual Mill Valley Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting is presented by Bank of the West with co-sponsors Pacific Union Real Estate, PG&E, Bradley Real Estate, Marin Modern Real Estate and Mini of Marin. Supporting sponsors include Urban Sitter for the KidZone, Tam Bikes for complimentary bicycle parking and Mill Valley Refuse. 

Record attendance of more than 1,000 participants is expected this year. Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 on the day of the event. 

Click here for more info and to buy tickets.