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, CASeventeenth Annual Hospice du Rhône
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, HI20th Annual Maui Onion Festival
The Annual Maui Onion Festival at Whalers Village in Lahaina, Hawaii

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.

James Beard Foundation Awards at the Lincoln Center in New York
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, DCTenth Annual Heart's Delight Wine Tasting & Auction
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, MANantucket Wine Festival
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.


May 15-16
Monterey, CACooking for Solutions
Author and chef Alton Brown at Cooking for Solutions
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.


May 15-17
Paso Robles, CAPaso Robles Wine Festival
A Paso Robles Vineyard
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, CACulinary Evening with the California Winemaster
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, CAA La Carte & Art
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, LA18th Annual New Orleans Wine and Food Experience
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, ArubaFifth Annual Aruba Wine, Food & Art Festival
Beachside dining at the Westin Aruba Resort, in the Caribbean
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, CASixth Annual Newport Beach Food & Wine Festival
Newport Beach Food & Wine Festival at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort
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)


Wine Events

There's always more to learn about wine. Take part in a class, a wine and cheese pairing or a fancy prix-fixe meal at these events across the country.

Culinary Events

Eat, drink and celebrate at these festivals, special dinners, happy hours, cooking classes and more from Los Angeles to New York to London.