MAY 2009
Seasonal
Tip:
HARICOTS
VERTS (French green beans) are their best
this month. Also, look for these spring items
in markets and on restaurant menus: red onions,
sweet basil, mangoes and fresh goat cheeses. |
|
|
April 30 - May 2
Paso Robles, CA—Seventeenth Annual Hospice
du Rhône |
This annual event is known as the world’s largest
tasting of Rhône
varietals and will be centered at the
Paso Robles Event Center. This year's event highlights include a Rhône Rendezvous Tasting, Rhône-n-Bowl, and Dine Around. Be the first to secure a spot with the
Weekend Package that includes two continental breakfasts, four seminars, two luncheons, the Grand Tasting and farewell BBQ. The theme this year is "You're the Rhone that I want," a duet from the popular 50's film favorite, Grease. So get your Pink Ladies poodle skirts or T-Birds black leather ready. For more info, visit www.hospicedurhone.org. |
May 2
Ka'anapali, HI—20th
Annual Maui Onion Festival
Once again, Whalers Village will celebrate all things onion at the 20th annual Maui Onion Festival. Guests enjoy gourmet delights, celebrity chef demonstrations and recipe contests. Local celebrity chefs will participate in cooking demonstrations featuring the Sweet Maui Kula Onion in gourmet cuisine tastings throughout the day. The Maui Onion Festival has been a signature event at Whalers Village since 1990. Each year it is enjoyed by thousands of visitors and residents fascinated by the cultivation and preparation of the world-famous Sweet Maui Kula Onion. Live performances throughout the day. Admission is free. For information contact Whalers Village at 808-661-4567 or visit www.whalersvillage.com.
|
Considered the "Oscars of the food world,"
this is one of the most prestigious events in the food and beverage industry. The Outstanding Chefs in America award, presented by American Express, is bestowed upon chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. 2009 nominees include Daniel Patterson of Coi (San Francisco), Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare (Las Vegas) and Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern (New York). Read more of our coverage of the James Beard Awards. This black-tie event will be held at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center in New York. For tickets, call 212-925-0054 or email boxoffice@jamesbeard.org. More information available at www.jbfawards.com. |
May
7-9
Washington, DC—Tenth Annual Heart's Delight Wine Tasting & Auction |
Master winemakers and top chefs gather to play and bid at the yearly wine tasting and auction that benefits The American Heart Association. Thursday will offer intimate wine dinners with an international flair all over the city and Friday will feature the Vintner Dinner highlighted with the wines of Château Latour led by Frederic Engerer, followed by a live auction . The wine weekend then rounds out with a virtual tour of Bordeaux, a seated tasting of more than twenty 2006 Bordeaux, seminars, food, and live and silent auctions. For more information, contact Heidi Arnold at the American Heart Association office 703-248-1720, email Heidi.Arnold@heart.org or visit www.heartsdelightwineauction.org. |
May
13-17
Nantucket, MA—Nantucket Wine
Festival |
 |
The nation's whaling capital will become a wine mecca at this thirteenth annual event. This festival attracts the major movers and shakers of the wine, food and restaurant scene. The festival includes an opening reception where
the Nantucket community greets winemakers and sips elegant
flutes of Champagne.
There will be winemaker symposiums/luncheons, wine and food seminars,
a charity gala, an auction dinner and the Grand Tasting
where more than 150 wineries will be pouring their wines.
Winemakers that attended last year include: Justin Baldwin
of Justin Vineyards & Winery, Bill Easton of Domaine
de la Terre Rouge, Laurent Drouhin of Maison Joseph
Drouhin, Jean-Luc Thunevin of Chateau Valandraud. From
the culinary world, 2008's chefs included Jimmy Bradley
(The
Red Cat and The
Harrison, New York City), Chris Schlesinger (East
Coast Grill, Cambridge), Jean-Louis Gerin (Restaurant
Jean-Louis, Greenwich) and Barbara Lynch (No.
9 Park, Boston). For more information, call 508-228-1128
or visit www.nantucketwinefestival.com. |
|
More than a dozen noted chefs from every region of the United States will act as ambassadors of sustainable dining at Cooking for Solutions. The focus will be on great cuisine from sources that protect the health of the oceans and the land. Celebrity chefs will create memorable gourmet dishes, host one-of-a-kind food and wine adventures and present cooking demonstrations that feature sustainable seafood. Thomas Keller and Alton Brown, both chefs and authors, will be honored this year. The roster of culinary greats include: John Ash (Fetzer Vineyards, Santa Rosa), Nate Appleman (A16, San Francisco), Regina Charboneau (Inn at Twin Oaks, Mississippi), Sam Choy (Sam Choy's, Honolulu) and celebrity chef Frank Stitt among others. For details call 831-647-6886 or visit www.montereybayaquarium.org. Tickets can be purchased by calling 866-963-9644. |
|
Taste
award-winning wines from Paso
Robles wineries pouring their top bottles at this
27th annual event. Located close to mountains, beaches
and deserts, this rural area is known as one of the
country's finest wine-growing areas. Local vendors will
provide the food and live entertainment. For more information, call 805-239-8463 or visit www.pasowine.com. |
May
16
Los Angeles, CA—Culinary Evening with
the California Winemaster |
Benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, this eighteenth annual celebration takes place at the "Midwest Street " backlot at Warner Brothers in Burbank.
More than 65 wineries and 45 celebrity chefs across the
nation will tantalize the over 1,200 expected guests.
A single ticket costs $350 and the event lasts from
6 p.m.-10:30 p.m. For further details, call 323-655-8525 or visit www.californiawinemasters.org. |
May
16-17
Mountain View, CA—A La
Carte & Art |
The Bay
Area's bustling festival season kicks off in Mountain
View at this vibrant springtime celebration featuring
savory ethnic and classic American foods, premium wines
and microbrews, cooking demonstrations, a juried art
show, lots of music and fun for kids. Downtown will
be transformed into a moveable feast of strolling people
and colorful tents. Get your fill of gourmet sausages,
crêpes, marinated artichokes, barbecue chicken,
fresh fruits, organic produce and more. Located on Castro
Street between Church Street and Evelyn Avenue, 10 a.m.-6
p.m. each day. Admission is free. For more information,
call 650-964-3395 or visit www.miramarevents.com. |
May
19-23
New Orleans, LA—18th Annual
New Orleans Wine and Food Experience |
 |
Experience the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans through its local cuisine paired with wines from around the world. This five-day vinicultural and culinary experience kicks off with Vintner Dinners held at some of the city’s premier restaurants with prices ranging from $85-$125 per person. At the center of the event are the Grand Tastings, featuring extensive offerings from local chefs and a variety of domestic and international wines, as well as a cooking demonstration stage. New this year is the Celebrity Chef Gala where attendees will get a chance to mix and mingle with chefs such as Michael Richard, Marc Vetri and Neal Fraser. Seminars include "Eat Like a Pig,” featuring bizarre foods of Louisiana paired with Rhone Valley wines hosted by Chef Donald Link, and “Party Like It’s 1999!” - a tasting of Napa Cabs from the 1999 vintage paired with epicurean delights from restaurateur Dickie Brennan and Executive Chef Jack Martinez. Not to be missed is the Royal Street Stroll, an evening outdoor event showcasing the lively city’s art scene and architecture alongside live jazz and wine offerings. For tickets and more information, call 504-583-5550 or visit www.nowfe.com. |
May
21-23
Palm Beach, Aruba—Fifth Annual
Aruba Wine, Food & Art Festival |
 |
This three-day festival, held at The Westin Resort, Aruba, kicks off with a chef competition at the Taste of Aruba event at the hotel's Pago Pago restaurant. Chefs from The Westin Resort, Aruba and local restaurants including Papiamento Restaurant, Le Dome and Aqua Grill will each prepare a signature course and pair it with a special wine selection. On the 22nd, the Wine & Food Pairing Exhibition in the Grand Ballroom will feature tasty morsels from The Westin culinary team and Aruba Culinary School students, and samplings from wineries around the world. Live music and a special art exhibit of the island’s best artists spice up the event. Bringing the festival to a sparkling end will be the Capturing the Champagne Sparkle event, a dinner with famed South American chef Harry Sasson Tchira matched by bottomless flutes of Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon-sponsored Chamgagne. Tickets for each event are individually priced and range from $25-$140. For more information, call the hotel at 011-297-586-4466 or visit www.westinaruba.com. |
May
22-24
Newport Beach, CA —Sixth Annual Newport Beach Food & Wine Festival |
Spend Memorial Day weekend in sunny Southern California and experience spectacular wines and culinary masterpieces. The Balboa Bay Club & Resort will once again host the festival, which pays a special tribute to South American wines this year. The three-day event will feature a wine tasting with master sommeliers, a food and wine evening on the bay, wine seminars, and a Grand Tasting of over 60 wineries from around the world. Famed South American Winery ambassador Philip Di Belardino will host an exclusive educational luncheon, pairing South American cuisine with wines from Concha Y Toro winery. The weekend will conclude on the terrace with cigars, cognacs, and cocktails. A 15 percent discount will be offered for event tickets purchased in advance. For more information, call 949-630-4145 or visit www.balboabayclub.com. |
Back
to the Calendar
(Updated:
04/22/09 ET)
|
