It's that time of year again. Temperatures and dropping and the kids are back in
school. We're trading in long beach weekends for fashion week, cashmere sweaters
and dining out three nights a week. If you're like me, and playing catch-up on what
happened in the culinary world over the last few months, you've got a lot of work
cut out for you. Now, more than ever before, celebrity chefs and new restaurant
openings are in the headlines daily — making it nearly impossible to keep up. If
you're looking for a way to get back "in-the-know" while enjoying great food and
drinks and supporting a good cause, here are a few recommendations for you!
This year is the fourth annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine,
featuring four days of culinary-focused special events showcasing both legendary
culinary icons from around the globe and America's most beloved television chefs.
From September 29 through October 2, in neighborhoods across the city—including
DUMBO, SoHo, and the Meatpacking District—the festival's roster of events is seemingly
endless.
Unique dining experiences, exciting live demonstrations, and educational seminars
fill each day from start to finish. Some highlights on the "food" side include:
A Nuevo Peru Dinner with Gaston Acurio presented by Whole Foods Market; Pizza After
Dark at Pulino's; The Norwood Club presents Murray's Cheese; San Pellegrino's Meatball
Madness presented by Buitoni hosted by Giada De Laurentis; Patron Tequila's The
Art of the Taco presented by Creekstone Farms hosted by Bobby Flay; and Times Talks
with Ferran Adria. On the "wine" side, seminars include: Perrier-Jouet's 200th Aniniversary
Seminar; an Asian Wine Seminar with Anita Lo and Josh Wesson; and Antinori's Interpretation
of Sangiovese with Alessia Antinori.
This year, the Culinary Demonstrations and the Grand Tasting will find a new home
in the historic Hudson River Park's landmark at Pier 57, (15th St. and the Hudson
River) as the first public event in this new destination venue where guests will
watch culinary demos, enjoying Southern Wine & Spirits of New York's portfolio and
sampling food from the best restaurants New York has to offer.
Tickets are available online, with prices to each event varying from $20 to $500,
with the majority priced in the $75-$150 range. Again this year, 100% of the festival's
proceeds will be donated to benefit the
Food Bank for New York City, and
Share Our Strength. As one of the country's largest food banks, the
Food Bank for NYC's mission is to end hunger in New York City by organizing food,
information, and support for community survival and dignity, while Share Our Strength's
highest priority is to make sure that every child in America gets the nutritious
food he or she needs to learn, grow, and thrive by improving the access that families
all across the country have to healthy, affordable food, and by working at the state
and city level. In 2010, the festival raised more than $1.2 million for these charities.
On November 7, New York Taste: A World
of Flavors is set to wow foodies in SoHo, with intimate gourmet tastings
from over forty of the city's top restaurants hand-picked by New York Magazine culinary
editor Gillian Duffy, including mainstay Gramercy Tavern,
David Bouley's newest venture brushstroke, and Marcus Samuelsson's hot-spot
Red Rooster Harlem. The
tastings will allow guests to interact with top chefs and mixologists including
Bill Telepan, Francois Payard, Michael Psilakis and Michael White. With the purchase
of a VIP ticket ($250), you gain early access for a one-hour tasting preview from
6-7pm along with access to the VIP lounge and a special gift bag, while a general
admission ticket ($175) allows you access to the event from 7-9pm. Tickets are available
online through ticketweb.
Presenting sponsor HSBC Premier is helping to underwrite the event that is donating
part of the proceeds to charity partner
City Harvest, an organization that is dedicated to food-rescue programs
in New York. This year alone, City Harvest will collect some 28 million pounds of
excess food from all segments of the food industry including restaurants, grocers,
corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms.
Whether you make it to only one or both of this fall's top culinary events, I'm
sure you'll be impressed. In the past few years both the Food Network's New York
City Wine & Food Festival and New York Taste have been extremely successful and
have grown more popular as a result. So, act fast! Get your tickets and get back
into the foodie loop this fall in New York City.
