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Issue Date: November 12, 2006
Travel
Journey to food festivals
By Everett Potter
It's no secret that chefs such as Rachael Ray, Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali have been elevated to the status of Hollywood stars. Food lovers not only refer to them on a first-name basis but seek them out at star-studded food festivals around the country. These events offer an enticing recipe of food and wine tastings, cooking demonstrations and the chance to rub elbows with these superstars of the kitchen. The key ingredients for all of these festivals? An empty stomach, a willing palate and a full wallet, because the price of mingling with Emeril or Rachael can be hefty.
Chicago foodies will pay $100 to attend the 13th-annual Bag Hunger Auction Nov. 15 at the Hyatt Regency. Benefiting the Greater Chicago Food Depository, guests in this food-obsessed town can expect tasty treats from 30 Chicago chefs, including Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Rick Bayless and Ina Pinkney.
Colorado's Beaver Creek ski resort offers its Culinary Classic Feb. 1 to 3. Featuring 25-plus seasoned chefs, including Ming Tsai and Susan Feniger, the highlight is the Celebrity Chef Ski Race, which runs $200.
The Anthony Spinazzola Foundation's Gala Festival of Food & Wine Feb. 9 is Boston's bid for gastronomic glory. The event welcomes chefs from more than 125 local restaurants and provides wines from 90 different wineries. Expect to see such Boston culinary celebrities as Tsai, Todd English and Lydia Shire.
In California, Highlands Inn, Park Hyatt Carmel will host its 21st Masters of Food & Wine Feb. 22 to 25. Chefs like Michael Mina, Gary Danko and Michel Richard are the attractions here.
A veritable all-star kitchen team takes to the demonstration kitchens at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami in late February. The headliners include Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown and Martha Stewart. Guests who want VIP status will pay $1,225 for a weekend pass, while $300 gets you into a champagne and barbecue party hosted by The Today Show's Al Roker. But $35 is all you need to attend a kids' cooking demonstration by Lagasse.
In Charleston, S.C., Tom Colicchio and Norman Van Aken are two of the guest chefs who will mingle with low-country culinary wizards at the BB&T Charleston Food and Wine Festival March 1 to 4. If you go to everything, it'll cost you $1,050.
The godfather of these celebrity-driven food festivals is the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Now entering its 25th year, the classic is held every June in this Colorado resort town. The three-day event will welcome culinary royalty that includes Batali, Bobby Flay and Jacques Pépin. Even with tickets approaching $1,000, the event is a sellout every year.
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