EDIBLE: Folktale and Todd Fisher team up, with an eye on further projects.

Todd Fisher has a penchant for any number of things, many of them edible. Bacon. Sriracha. Pickled hot dogs at Southern gas stations. Teleme cheese. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Whole-roasted foie gras. Red Birkenstocks.

But he’s not reveling in them like he once did. A few months ago he remembers waking up and feeling ready for a change. “I didn’t want to be the fat guy anymore,” he says.

Today he’s 50 pounds lighter, and suddenly ready to take on another change, a restaurant change. That marks the most recent of many in the last decade and a clue why his grandma calls him a gypsy.

For nearly three years Fisher has steered Tarpy’s Roadhouse (647-1444), returning it to the landmark status befitting its history and property – by way of gregarious leadership, earnest collaboration, 12-hour brisket and brie-bacon-lobster-Kobe burgers.

Now he leaves the Highway 68 outpost for Folktale Winery (293-7500) in Carmel Valley. That means the still-new winery, with Fisher as director of culinary relations – hiring chefs, leading catering operations, planning parties – will see its culinary program evolve significantly. And it means Fisher has as big a canvas as he’s ever had – even if Folktale doesn’tultimately help run the pillar property that is Seventh & Dolores in Carmel. (More on that in a second.)

He’ll stay on for a month at Tarpy’s to ease the transition, which speaks to the mutual respect between Fisher and the Downtown Dining team, including company chief TonyTollner.

“It’s bittersweet: It’s tough to lose him, but he’s a big talent and it’s hard not to be excited for him,” Tollner says.

In Folktale, Fisher encounters a company and an estate with ambitions as big as his personality. They’ve roared to life in the former Chateau Julien since they completed its purchase in July 2015 – and have honored bold promises to reinvent how a winery can approach its social life. The 15-acre spot on Carmel Valley Road featured live music and lawn games from the get-go, to pair with a remade tasting lounge and garden. The Chef Duel series, which happens the first Monday of every month, has been a hit (and continues 6pm Feb. 6, Pablo Mellin vs. Matthew Beaudin, with hamachi as the battleground ingredient). Its Live in the Vines concert series with KRML has hosted big and upcoming names likeBrett Dennan, Anderson East and Kaleo.

KRML General Manager Jeff White asked Fisher to supply grub to balance the wine intake at those shows, a pairing perpetuated with other music events.

“His involvement came out of the kind of affair we wanted: accessible stuff that wasn’t too high end, but very creative,” White says. That included rosemary-portobello bisques, grilled-salmon-and-cauliflower salads and exotic grilled cheeses with braised short rib and smoked onion.

Fisher will collaborate with kitchen manager John Hendricks on things like the prosciutto-arugula flatbread, while expanding offerings to go with Folktale’s portfolio of sparkling, whites and reds.

“We’re looking for more elegant flavors to pair with the wine,” says Folktale partner Greg Ahn. “We want to take his passion for food and marry it with our wine.”

The incoming Fisher will also help “develop more of a farm experience,” Ahn adds, pointing to two-and-a-half acres dedicated to developing into an organic garden. Fisher also envisions pâté done on property and a charcuterie program to complement a wider range of “noshes.”

“We’re going to do a better job with pairings and small bites,” he says. “A higher level of execution.

“With pairings, you either are trying to mimic profiles or contrast profiles,” he adds. “We’ll do a little of both, depending on the season and the wine.”

He’s thinking Rosé-spiked watermelon in the summer and roasted squashes and beets to combine with deeper reds like Folktale’s Syrahs in the fall.

And he’s thinking about a good time.

“We’re going to have a s***-ton of fun,” he says. “My goal is what it always is: bring fun and excitement.”

The ideas include Folktale picnics in the wine garden with fried chicken and “to die for” grits he perfected at Tarpy’s.

“The reality is: Some tasting rooms have food components,” he says. “But there’s nothing around here like this.”

Rumors that Folktale is opening a restaurant, though, are unfounded. But it did just remodel its kitchen.

“We don’t want to start a new business,” Ahn says. “It’s something to elevate the wine experience.”

In what they’re describing as an executive role, Fisher will also help with special events that may include festivals. (I can hear Folktale’s neighbors cringing.)

At the moment, the Folktale team is also consulting on the much-debated and much-awaited Seventh & Dolores event space at the eponymous intersection in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

While Folktale advises on buildout, kitchen design and a potential menu with owners Fred Kern and Jeff Peterson, Ahn is careful to emphasize they haven’t committed to being operators of the space, allegedly a steakhouse concept.

“The potential of being involved in it gets my mouth watering,” Fisher says, “but until someone says it’s for real – that they need a plan and a menu – it’s a nice idea, but it’s a moving target and nothing’s happened yet.” Whatever the case, change is in the air. And it smells good.

~ QUICKBITES ~

• Trio Carmel (250-7714) is offering a free flight of red wine to anyone wearing red this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4, in honor of “National Wear Red Day” and the fight against heart disease.
• Chef Adolfo Veonese of Taverna Aventine in San Francisco and Trattoria Aventine in Hollywood joins Angela Tamura for Péppoli’s annual “Under the Tuscan Moon” four-course dinners, with open seating 6-10pm Friday, Feb. 3 ($95, 647-7490 for reservations).
• Vino Napoli Wine Bar at the corner of Seventh and Dolores will be converted into more dining space for neighboring Little Napoli Bistro Italiano (626-6335). Owner Rich Pepeclaims Péppoli (see above) as one of his restaurants on his website, but while he helped put the principals of the restaurant together for the deal, he doesn’t own any part of it.
• Abalonetti Bar & Grill (373-1851) has a new locals menu with items like Parmesan-crusted chicken, “mile-high” meatloaf and grilled calamari steak, with sides, for $10.95 each.
• Coronado Brewing Company does a tap takeover Friday, Feb. 10, at Post No Bills (324-4667) in Sand City, on its way to S.F. Beer Week (Feb. 10-19).
• Carmel Honey Co.’s Jake Reisdorf talks visits Revival Ice Cream for a free “Love Buzz” talk and dessert tasting 2-4pm Saturday, Feb. 4.
• Zach Houde now directs traffic at the best old-school/under-the-radar bar in the area, Gianni’s Pizza (649-1500). “It’s like I’m at home,” he says. “The game is on and I make drinks for friends – only they give me money.”
• Monterey County visitors spent $160 million in 2016, according to the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Surveys reveal the top three activities are dining in restaurants (87.1 percent), shopping (62.8) and outdoor recreation (34.5).
• The remodeling of Jacks Lounge at Portola Hotel (649-2698) – doubling the size of the bar and extending restaurant seating into the lobby – is on track to open in March with the debut of the redone Monterey Conference Center this spring.
• Richard von Weizsaecker: “Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to new risks of infection.”