LA Wine and Food Festival & Western Food Expo- Preview and Tickets (8/25-28, 06)

IRON CHEF CAT CORA, COOKBOOK AUTHOR DAVID LAWRENCE AND A PLETHORA OF NOTED CHEFS, VINTNERS AND AUTHORS TO APPEAR AT LOS ANGELES WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

Wine Sampling, Gourmet Food Tasting, Book Signings and Cooking Demos Slated for Aug. 26-27
 at LA Convention Center

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 2, 2006) – The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival announced today the lineup of celebrity chefs, international and domestic wineries and gourmet food exhibitors for its inaugural event on Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. An array of wineries, from Italy’s Vinissimo to Stacked Stone on California’s central coast, will be pouring unique varietals and offering festival-goers a tutorial in proper sipping, food pairing and more. Alongside the wineries, some of LA’s most celebrated chefs, including Iron Chef Cat Cora, Boy Eats World cookbook author David Lawrence, wine expert Amy Reiley and many others, will host cooking demonstrations and gourmet food sampling.

“We’ve got a terrific weekend planned for Angelenos who are ready to experience the ultimate in fine food and wine – right here in their backyard,” said Ron Mathews, event director for Reed Exhibitions, producers of the festival. “This is one weekend when you can kick back and relax with a glass of wine you’ve never tried without having to drive to Napa or Temecula to do serious tasting. And if you’re a food connoisseur, nothing could be more satisfying than rubbing elbows with some of the area’s finest chefs, who will be available to sign cookbooks, offer cooking tips and share some of their delicious creations in our demo kitchen.”

The Festival, which is open from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at $65 per day, will kick off at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown on Friday evening, Aug. 25, with a Reserve Tasting offering specialty wines and extravagant culinary delicacies.  The cost of the Reserve Event is $125 for the open tasting (7 to 10 p.m.) and $225 for the prime tasting (6 to 10 p.m.). Proceeds from a silent auction, sponsored by the STAPLES Center Foundation, will benefit The Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles, an organization providing services for the area’s homeless and needy since 1914.

The following chefs will be cooking palette-pleasers and discussing new trends in food and entertaining during the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival:

·         Iron Chef Cat Cora, author of Cat Cora’s Kitchens. She is currently writing her second book, Cooking from the Hip.   

·         David Lawrence, author of Boy Eats World! A Private Chef Cooks Simple Gourmet, will give advice to young cooks who enjoy entertaining at home. Boy Eats World! promotes having fun in the kitchen and strives to demystify cooking for a generation that grew up playing Atari.

·         Tommy Tang, known as the “Godfather” of the Thai cooking movement, will show off his amazing cooking skills, which have impacted the way Americans view preparing and eating Thai food. 

·         Joyce Goldstein, restaurant and food industry consultant, is the author of numerous cookbooks. She has written for Gourmet and Wine & Spirits magazines, and is the owner of Square One restaurant in San Francisco.

·         Ann Gentry focuses on healthy cooking and eating.  Owner of Real Food Daily, Gentry fuses gourmet eating with healthy vegan foods. She has shared her knowledge of healthy cooking via numerous TV shows and publications and teaches cooking lessons across America. 

·         Larry Bressler began his culinary career at the age of 13 – working as a dishwasher. He has since become one of the foremost chefs in the country and is known for his work at numerous
five-star properties. Bressler shares a favorite recipe with the public in the new Chefs’ Specials of California Cookbook: Signature Dishes and Favorite Recipes from Celebrated Chefs and Restaurants Cookbook, on sale in conjunction with the Festival.

·         Melody McGinley is a regular guest chef for WOR radio and can often be found at “Taste” events, as well as teaching children how to prepare healthy food. A recipe from McGinley can also be found in the new Chefs’ Specials of California Cookbook.

·         Pamela Kindel’s wine seminar on Sunday will discuss how to select a fine Bordeaux wine – the inexpensive way! 

·         Amy Reiley is one of only 15 people in the world to hold the title of Master of Gastronomy from France’s Le Cordon Bleu. Reiley’s book, Fork Me, Spoon Me: the sensual cookbook, was released in 2006 and established her as America’s aphrodisiac food expert.

·         Joseph Antonishek of MINX Restaurant & Lounge in Glendale has worked with some of the culinary world’s finest, including Wolfgang Puck, Charlie Palmer and Bobby Flay, and has been recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation.

The chef demonstration schedule is as follows:

Saturday, August 26	Sunday, August 27
2 p.m.   CAT CORA DEMO & SIGNING	2 p.m. AMY REILEY DEMO & SIGNING
3 p.m.   TOMMY TANG DEMO & SIGNING	3 p.m. DAVID LAWRENCE DEMO & SIGNING
4 p.m. JOYCE GOLDSTEIN DEMO & SIGNING	4 p.m. MELODY MCGINLEY DEMO & SIGNING
5 p.m. ANN GENTRY DEMO & SIGNING	5 p.m. JOSEPH ANTONISHEK DEMO & SIGNING
6 p.m. LARRY BRESSLER DEMO & SIGNING	6 p.m. Sip & Savor Today’s Bordeaux with PAMELA KINDEL, Certified Specialist

In addition to cooking demonstrations, attendees will be wowed by a Chocolate Corner featuring gourmet chocolate tastings from companies such as Jers Chocolates and The San Francisco Chocolate Factory. Cigar Rolling Demonstrations will feature Cuban Master Rollers, sponsored by PAYNE-MASON, who will be present at the Friday evening Reserve Tasting as well as at the weekend-long Festival. Gourmet Food Tastings will feature appetizers; candy and chocolates; cheeses; coffee, tea, and cocoa; nuts, jams and preserves; meats and pates; oils and vinegars; seafood and caviar; sauces and spreads; and much more. Some of the country’s leading preparers of gourmet food will be offering samples, including Phillips Foods Inc., Preferred Brands International, Everybody’s Nuts, HSR Associates and Chantilly Baby.

Additionally, the new Chefs’ Specials of California Cookbook:  Signature Dishes and Favorite Recipes from Celebrated Chefs and Restaurants Cookbook will be available for $19.95 at the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival, or for $17.95 with advanced purchase of a Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival ticket at www.lawineandfoodfest.com. The cookbook can also be purchased for $17.95 with no advanced ticket purchase by visiting www.chefsspecialscookbook.com.

The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival is being co-produced by Reed Exhibitions with World of Wine Events and the Monterey Wine Festival. Industry trade professionals attending the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo are also invited to attend the Festival on Aug. 26-27 for $10 per day. To learn more about the festival or purchase tickets, please visit www.lawineandfoodfest.com.

The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival is being co-located with the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from Saturday, Aug. 26 through Monday, Aug. 28, 2006.  Both events are produced and managed by Reed Exhibitions, and the Western Foodservice Expo is sponsored by the California Restaurant Association (CRA).  For more information call 800-840-5612 or visit the official Show Web site at www.westernfoodexpo.com. 

ABOUT WORLD OF WINE EVENTS

World of Wine Events, LLC is an event management and festival production company specializing in the creation of world-class wine and culinary trade and consumer events.  World of Wine Events provides strategic guidance, logistics, operations, marketing, public relations, and industry insights for winery and spirits road shows, distributor trade tastings, as well as large format tasting and lifestyle festivals.  World of Wine Events is the producer of the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, Southern California’s largest wine and culinary extravaganza.  More information on World of Wine Events and the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival can be obtained by contacting Michelle Metter at 619-602-9789 or by visiting www.worldofwineevents.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS

Reed Exhibitions, which manages more than 420 events worldwide, is a member of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world-leading provider of information-driven services and solutions.  Reed Exhibitions offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet to a database of 3.5 million in North America (NYSE:RUK/ENL).  Reed manages three shows for the foodservice and hospitality industry in the U.S., including the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo to be held Aug. 26-28, 2006, at the Los Angeles Convention Center; the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show to be held Sept. 8-10, 2006, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando; and the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York to be held March 4-6, 2007, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.  All together, more than 50,000 foodservice professionals attend the three shows.  More information about these events can be found by visiting the official event Web site at www.thefoodshows.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For additional information, contact:

Kristin Reynolds

Formula PR

[email protected] 

LOS ANGELES WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL COMMENCES WITH RESERVE TASTING EVENT;
FEATURES SILENT AUCTION BENEFITING THE MIDNIGHT MISSION

Downtown L.A. Mission Has Served the Homeless and Needy Since 1914

LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2006) – The inaugural Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival, slated for Aug. 26-27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will feature a Reserve Tasting on Friday, Aug. 25, to formally kick off the event. The Reserve Tasting, to be held at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown, will offer specialty wine and gourmet food tastings as well as a silent auction with proceeds benefiting The Midnight Mission of downtown Los Angeles. Produced in partnership with the STAPLES Center Foundation, the auction will include some 50 items up for bid including premium wines, specialty cookbooks, vacations and more. More than 400 people are expected to attend the Reserve Tasting event.

“We’re pleased to announce our partnership with the STAPLES Center Foundation through the silent auction benefiting The Midnight Mission,” said Ron Matthews, event director for the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival. “The Mission is one of the foremost organizations of its type in the L.A. area, and it’s an honor for the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival to be able to give back to the community in this way.”   

The cost to attend the Reserve event at the Marriott Downtown is $125 for the open tasting (7 to 10 p.m.) and $225 for the prime tasting (6 to 10 p.m.). The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival, featuring celebrity chefs including Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame plus author and noted chef David Lawrence, takes place from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, and Sunday, Aug. 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Nearly 100 international and domestic wineries and winemakers will be present, including Vinissimo, Stacked Stone Cellars, Cambria Estate Winery, Saint Helena Road Winery, Bridelwood Estate Winery & E’cluse Wines, and many more.

The Midnight Mission, established in 1914, has served the homeless and needy of Los Angeles with recovery services, educational training, family housing and numerous other noteworthy projects over the years.

“We’re tremendously excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival,” said Orlando Ward, director of public affairs for The Midnight Mission. “As homeless service providers, it’s significant when private organizations consider the work we’re doing and support us in such a generous, meaningful way. This is a groundbreaking event on so many levels, and we’re very happy to be a part of it.”

Those wishing to donate goods or services to the Reserve Tasting silent auction should contact Phoenix Kovacs with Reed Exhibitions at 203-840-5930. All donations are tax-deductible.

ABOUT THE MIDNIGHT MISSION

The Midnight Mission is an independent nonprofit organization providing services to homeless and near-homeless men, women and children since 1914. It has no religious or political affiliations. The goals of its programs are to facilitate the growth of its clients/participants/guests and enhance their capacities for self-sufficiency. This is attained by removing obstacles that impede personal growth, i.e., substance abuse, educational deficiencies, lack of basic necessities and poor mental health issues. The Mission not only provides access to services that address homelessness, hunger, poverty and addiction, but also helps change those environmental factors which impede or interfere with the process of growth and self-fulfillment.

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ABOUT THE STAPLES CENTER FOUNDATION

The STAPLES Center Foundation has established a number of partnerships in the Los Angeles community to assist charities in raising funds and awareness for their organizations with a special emphasis on the low-income neighborhoods surrounding the arena. The Foundation has donated an excess of $5 million in financial and in-kind support to many community-based organizations, helping to reach those in need. 

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival is being co-produced by Reed Exhibitions with World of Wine Events and the Monterey Wine Festival. The event is open to the public, and tickets for Aug. 26-27 are $65 per day. Industry trade professionals attending the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo are also invited to attend the festival at a discounted rate of $10 per day. For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets, please visit www.lawineandfoodfest.com.