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Food/Wine
Winter Wine Festival 2010
- Details
- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Food/Wine
- Published on Tuesday, 19 January 2010 07:53
- Written by Lynne Shannon
The 6th Annual Winter Wine Festival is being held at the at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in 
New Castle, New Hampshire from January 15 through February 27, 2010. What better way to cope with New England winter than a month of toasting and tippling. Local hotshot chefs, like Gregg Sessler, executive chef/owner of Cava Tapas Restaurant, and national winemakers, like Ted Seghesio, will be given the spotlight.
Now in its 6th year, the festival has grown by leaps and bounds, offering wine enthusiasts and gourmands the ultimate experience in entertainment and education alongside the beauty of a luxurious historic grand hotel. On the picturesque Great Island of New Castle, New Hampshire, just 1 hour north of Boston and 1 hour south of Portland, the location couldn’t be more perfect. This is a great opportunity to enjoy some of the most exquisite wining and dining in all New England.
This event caters to connoisseurs and novices alike, as guests enjoy the opportunity to meet renowned national and international luminaries in the culinary and wine worlds. Events include:
Wine Makers
Celebrity Chefs
Grand Vintners Dinners, which are Four Course Meals
Tasting Seminars
Grand Tasting Event
Bubbles and Jazz Brunches
Flight Nights
Wine Fair and Sale
In short, there is something for everyone.
The Festival kicks off with the signature Grand Tasting Reception featuring Taste Magazine Top 20 Restaurants. This is a unique opportunity to sample hundreds of wines from around the world, accompanied by hors d’oeuvres prepared by some of the talented chefs that will be featured in the coming weeks at the Grand Vintner’s dinners. Music is provided by Ben Baldwin and the Big Notes.
A special Grand Vintner’s Dinner offered especially for Valentine’s Day is Veuve Clicquot Champagne Grand Vintner's Dinner with Chef Pierre Gignac of 98 Provence
Champagne is the instinctive choice for a romantic celebration. Award winning Chef Pie
rre Gignac brings the south of France to the Wentworth as he creates a lovers’ meal of a lifetime, orchestrating an intimate evening alongside Geraud Lerclercq, Brand Director of Veuve Cliquot, with a one-of-a-kind Sweetheart menu, created by blending his reverence for tradition with his special flare for creativity.
Some other Grand Vintner’s Dinners are:
Grand Vintner's Dinner featuring Kendall Jackson, Certified Master Chef Ken Arnone and Susan Rice's Truffles.
Only 61 chefs in America have the distinction of saying that they are a Certified Master Chef. The almost 10 day long grueling exam ensures that only the best of the best can earn the distinction.
As if having one prepare a four course dinner wasn’t remarkable in itself, Master Chef Ken Arnone will be focusing the dinner around one of the world’s most highly prized delicacies, the truffle. Susan Rice, owner of Black Diamond French Truffles Inc., expects her lands in North Carolina to become the largest truffle producing lands in North America.
Louis Jadot Winery Grand Vintner's Dinner with Executive Chef Jason Johnson of Jumpin' Jay's Fish Café
Louis Jadot Winery covers approximately 380 acres in Burgundy, France. Since 1859, Maison Louis Jadot has accorded equal importance to each of Burgundy’s appellations, from Grand Crus right through to regional wines.
Pairing his savory cuisine with this legendary wine is Jason Johnson, the face behind Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café, which is now in its tenth year. This Dinner pairs fresh seafood with some of the world’s most sought after wine.
Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards Grand Vintner's Dinner with
Chef Gregg Sessler of Cava Tapas & Wine Bar
Brook Williams, CEO and winegrower for Zaca Mesa Winery, specializes in crafting Rhone varietal wines with character and integrity from grapes sustainably grown in their own Santa Barbara County vineyard. All of his wines are 100% estate grown and bottled, a quality shared by less than 1% of today’s wines.
Chef Greg Sessler, co-owner/chef of CAVA Tapas and Wine Bar, has returned to the New Hampshire seacoast after spending 5 years in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Wine Country. Greg has made a name for himself as one of the most talented and creative up and coming chefs in the area.
Casa Lapostolle Grand Vintner's Dinner with
Chef Jonathan Cartwright of The White Barn Inn
Guest Chef Jonathon Cartwright of the White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine has earned the Inn its share of honors, including hospitality’s highest honor, a 5-Star rating from Mobil Travel Guide, as well as the AAA 5 Diamond Award, making the White Barn Inn only one of twelve restaurants/inns in the US to share both of these honors at once. 
Casa Lapostolle Winery of Chile has received Wine Spectators number one wine of 2008 for their flagship wine, ‘Clos Apalta’. Casa Lapostolle has earned recognition for their expertise in French style wine making, as well as their organic horticultural practices.
The final dinner of the Winter Wine Festival is a more casual affair, at Bogle in Blue Jeans & Rockin' Rombauer "Not So Grand" Grand Vintner's Dinner.
Robbie LaBlanc of Bogle Vineyards, Clarksville California, Jim Teegan of Rombauer Vineyards, Napa Valley, and Wentworth By The Sea Executive Sous Chef Matthew Louis are teaming up to rock the NH Sea-Coast
Bogle and Rombauer Vineyards are unique in that they are still family owned and operated wineries, producing very high quality, great value California varietals.
Chef Matthew Louis brings his uniqueness through his inventive culinary talent and cutting edge presentations that have helped make The Wentworth and The Winter Wine Festival synonymous with world-class cuisine.
Recording artist Robbie LaBlanc has sung and performed with many Rock & Roll legends such as Toto, The Rascals and Paul Shafer to name a few. This evening Robbie will be accompanied by Jim’s brother Tom Teegan on bass, who currently plays the Portland night club scene. Who said Wine Dinners need to be formal and stuffy? Attendees are sure to be entertained by two of the most fun wine guys in the business.
Piper Heidsieck Bubbles and Jazz Brunches and
Domaine Chandon Bubbles and Jazz Brunch
Even more reason to drink Champagne are these bountiful brunches with chef-attended action stations, oysters on the half shell, sides of smoked salmon, rich carving stations, savory seafood dishes, mounds of fresh berries, tropical fruits, chilled shrimp, fresh pastas, seasonal vegetables, a pasty buffet and much more are presented against a backdrop of ice sculptures and a live jazz duo.
Other events:
Wine Tasting Seminar
Renaissance of Italian Wines with Philippo DiBelardino of Banfi Vintners
Philip di Belardino, Vice President of fine wines at Banfi, one of the largest suppliers of Italian wines in the world, is often described as a stand-up comedian passing himself off as a wine connoisseur. Everywhere he goes, he is revered and loved for his sense of humor, his insights, and his deep passion for wine and life. Philippo teaches about Italy, while tasting through six classic Italian wines.
2nd Annual Winter Wine Fair and Sale with
The New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlets
Now an annual festival tradition, the Winter Wine Festival has paired with the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlets for an afternoon with wine brokers pouring roughly 150 premium wines. Wines featured at the event will be on sale, at exceptional Wine Fair Only pricing.
Flight Nights
Every Tuesday-Thursday evening
In the cozy Roosevelt’s Lounge, featured flights of wine are paired with complimentary hors d’ouevres and guest wine professionals throughout the entire event, with live entertainment.
For further information, visit WinterWineFestival.com.
6th Annual Winter Wine Festival
January 15 through February 27, 2010
Wentworth by the Sea Hotel
588 Wentworth Road
New Castle, New Hampshire
Transform your Tree at MulchFest 2010
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- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Food/Wine
- Published on Sunday, 06 December 2009 02:05
- Written by FFTraveler Staff
Though it's questionable why you needed to chop down a tree in the first place to celebrate a religious holiday through what is really a pagan ritual, you can help the environment and community by recycling your Christmas tree by att
ending MulchFest, the 2010 edition.
So when you consider the holiday season is over,be redeemed and see your former friendly conifer reduced to wood chips and sawdust to be used for tree pits and gardens. The New York City Parks and Recreation Department hold this celebration of ecological awareness for two days - January 9 and 10, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at several sites around the five boroughs.
For your tree to qualify for this honor, remove all lights, ornaments, and decorations from it prior to drop-off.
Said Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, "Providing collection and recycling options for residents is environmentally valuable and benefits our neighborhoods. Working in conjunction with the city's Parks and Recreation Department allows residents to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring. Compost is a natural fertilizer and is an excellent soil enrichment that promotes the healthy growth of plants and grass."
But given the likely frigid conditions, you may not want to hightail it anywhere depending on where the tree is lodged so there are other options. The Sanitation Department will collect clean, non-bagged Christmas trees that are left at the curb between Monday, January 4 and Friday, January 15, 2010. Again, remove all lights, tinsel, ornaments and stands before setting trees at the curb. If you placed the dried tree in a bag to prevent needles from getting all over--take it out of the bag when leaving it outside.
Those trees will be chipped and made into compost as well. The compost will be processed and subsequently spread upon parks, ball fields, and community gardens throughout the city.
You'll be able to take wood chips and/or mulch from designated chipping sites. Mulch will not be available at "Drop-off Only" sites. Sring a bag so you can grab some free mulch for your own use.
For more information and site locations see MulchFest 2010: http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/mulchfest/mulchfest.html
MulchFest 2010
Jan. 9 -10, 2010 from 10 am - 2 pm
Various Locations throughout NYC
Metropolitan Cooking And Entertaining Show 2009
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- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Food/Wine
- Published on Sunday, 25 October 2009 15:05
- Written by Ff Traveler Staff
DC's hottest chefs showcase their expert culinary skills on the cooking stage at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show. On November 7th and 8th, 2009, it will return to the Washington Convention Center to dish up mouthwatering cuisine and offer fresh cooking techniques at the 4th annual two-day food expo. 
Both DC-based chefs and Food Network stars will be hosting cooking demos throughout the show which takes place from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday, November 7th and 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, November 8th.
In addition to appearances by Food Network stars Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence and the Neelys, the show will offer cooking demonstrations by award-winning local and national chefs, intensive wine seminars, food and wine pairings, cocktail seminars, product sampling and sales from 300+ exhibitors, the Northeast Beef Board Tastings and Entertaining workshops, the Domino Sugar Just for Kids cooking area, and a beer, wine and spirits tasting pavilion.
General admission includes demonstrations and entertaining presentations on the exhibit floor. Additional tickets are required for the feature presentations in the Celebrity Theater, Food & Wine Pairings, Wine Seminars, the Domino® Sugar Just for Kids Interactive Cooking Area, the VIP Celebrity Events, Cocktails with Todd Thrasher, Culinary Innovations with Richard Blais and the Beer, Wine & Spirits Tasting Area.
The award-winning and talented chefs presenting culinary demonstrations at the upcoming event include:
Victor Albisu, chef of BLT Steak
Cathal Armstrong and Todd Thrasher, chef of Restaurant Eve, Eammon's, The Majestic
Richard Blais, chef of TrailBlais (Top Chef Contestant Season 4)
RJ Cooper, chef of Vidalia
Terri Cutrino, chef of Cafe Atlantico
David Deshaies, chef of Michel Richard Citronelle
Daniel Giusti, chef of 1789 Restaurant
Carla Hall, chef of Alchemy Caterers (Top Chef Contestant Season 5)
Mike Hanratty, chef of Mie N Yu
Mike Isabella, chef of Zaytinya (Top Chef Contestant Season 6)
Jamie Leeds, chef of Hank's Oyster Bar, CommonWealth
Patrice Olivon, L'Academie de Cuisine
Barton Seaver, chef of Blue Ridge
Bryan Voltaggio, chef of VOLT (Top Chef Contestant Season 6)
Thomas Wellings, pastry chef of Equinox
Robert Wiedmaier, chef of Brabo, Brasserie Beck, Marcel's
General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on-site.
Children ages 4 - 12 are $10 in advance and $13 on-site.
Children four and under are free.
For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.metrocooking.com
Metropolitan Cooking And Entertaining Show 2009
November 7th and 8th, 2009
Washington Convention Center
2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival
- Details
- Parent Category: Other Festivals
- Category: Food/Wine
- Published on Monday, 21 September 2009 09:57
- Written by Brad Balfour
Presented by Food & Wine and Travel+Leisure Magazine, The 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival takes place this Columbus Day weekend. Guests can savor returning Festival favorites including the kick-off event -- Chelsea Market After Dark presented by The Food Network and hosted by Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and Sandra Lee (Sandra’s Money Saving Meals). There's also the Blue Moon Burger Bash 
presented by Allen Brothers hosted by Rachael Ray held under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO.
• There will be the chic, neighborhood-wide tasting of Meatpacking District Uncorked, RED, hosted by Tom Colicchio with Paul Bartolotta.
• Godiva Chocolatier presents SWEET sponsored by Perrier-Jouët, a celebration of sugary delicacies hosted by Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes).
• The unparalleled tasting of food, wine and spirits will be found in the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite at Pier 54 in Hudson River Park.
A selection of exciting new events that have been added for the 2009 Festival. The fresh program begins on Thursday, October 8th, 2009, with Bacon, Bourbon and the Blues hosted by Thrillist with the following innovative programming continuing throughout the weekend:
Beloved and controversial New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni will hold a culinary discussion to share insights from the field and discuss the highly anticipated release of his book Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater (Penguin, 2009)
An unprecedented dinner series in conjunction with the James Beard House will include:
- The intersection between food and fashion will be examined at the dinner hosted by fashion designer Zac Posen with Giada De Laurentiis (Giada at Home) and Marcus Samuelsson.
- 2009 James Beard Award “Best Chef New York City” Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern will host an Oktoberfest Dinner.
- Alain Ducasse and his chefs will cook dinner in the Beard House kitchen for the first time.
- A decadent Chocolate Brunch will be held with Jacques Torres & Friends.
TimesTalks presented by New York Times will feature a new line-up of discussions with Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Anthony Bourdain
The Festival’s interactive wine and spirits seminars and cocktail clinics will return, taking place at Festival headquarters, The Standard, New York with new headliners like Kevin Zraly, Tony Abou-Ganim, Andrea Robinson, Anthony Giglio and Josh Wesson.
Not-to-be-missed wine seminars at the Astor Center, featuring in-depth discussions with brand aficionados including Boisset, Perrier-Jouët Fleur led by Agnes Laplanche, and Château de Beaucastel led by fifth generation owner and winemaker Marc Perrin
Delta presents Dim Sum & Disco Brunch hosted by Ming Tsai, featuring talent such as Shang’s Susur Lee and Chinatown Brasserie’s Joe Ng at China Grill.
An all-day affair Flavors of the Farm: A Day with Stone Barns Center and Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
Hill Country will play host to the queen of Southern cuisine and her friends as Paula Deen hosts Down South Up North with boys Bobby and Jamie Deen; featuring the latest creations from the Lee Bros., along with Art Smith, Chris Lily and Katie Lee Joel.
Closing out the weekend is an unprecedented tribute to Little Italy’s most iconic dish the “meatball”, with Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis at la venue at the Waterfront.
The 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival is produced by Karlitz & Company and Southern Wine & Spirits of New York.
All the proceeds from the Festival will again benefit the community based, hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength.
For 26 years, The Food Bank For New York City is the city's major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty throughout the five boroughs. Through its network of more than 1,000 food assistance programs, it provides 300,000 free meals a day to New Yorkers in need. In addition, the Food Bank continues to mobilize its efforts to end hunger and increase access to affordable, nutritious food for low-income New Yorkers through direct services, benefits access, and nutrition education. For additional information, go to foodbanknyc.org.
Share Our Strength® is the leading national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. A net of community groups, activists and food programs catch children at risk of hunger and ensure they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. It works with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®, the nation’s premier culinary benefit; Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, a national grassroots effort; Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit®, a touring dinner series; Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out ®, a week-long program involving thousands of restaurants nationwide; and Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®, a cooking-based nutrition education program. Visit Strength.org.
Ticket information and the full line-up of new and returning events can be found by calling 866.696.2933 or at: www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com
2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival
The Standard, New York
