Saturday, August 29 1:00-5:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 30 1:00-5:00 p.m.

The Grant Park Summer Shade Festival is proud to announce the return of Corks & Forks - a Fine Food & Wine Event to the line-up of offerings and activities for the 7th Annual Festival. Corks & Forks provides an opportunity to experience scrumptious dishes prepared by Atlanta's top chefs. Send your taste buds into a salivating frenzy. Saturday and Sunday will feature different chefs. Plus, taste some of the coolest wines and craft beers/ales to hit the Atlanta market in 2009. We will have sit-down workshops on tasting and selection as well.

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW - Advance Tickets $35 Each/$45 at the gate.  Saturday and Sunday tickets sold separately.

Our 2009 line-up of chefs/restaurants is still in development but here is a list of those who have committed as of June 1, 2009.   

• Babette's Cafe - Chef Marla Adams
• Bhojanic - Chef Arehna Malhotra Becker
• Cabot Creamery
• Canoe - Chef Carvel Grant Gould
• Dolce' - Chef Kris Callaway
• Eno - Chef Eli Kirshtein
• Geisha House - Chef Kris Callaway  
  
• Graveyard Tavern - Cristy Nolton 
• Holy Taco
  
• JCT Kitchen - Chef Ford Fry
• Legal Seafoods - Chef John Piper
• Livingston Restaurant & Bar - Chef Gary Mennie
• Metrotainment Bakery
• Murphy's - Chef Gregg McCarthy
• ONE midtown kitchen - Chef Tom Harvey
• PARISH Foods - Chef Nick Melvin
• Peasant Bistro - Russel Hayes
  
• Rathbun's - Chef Kevin Rathbun & Kirk Parks
  
• Rise Sushi Lounge - Chef Tony Wang
• Rosebud - Chef Ron Eyester
• Six Feet Under Pub & Fish House - Nancy Mitchell 
• TAP - ChefAdrian Villarreal
  
• The Melting Pot
• The Shed at Glenwood - Chef Lance Gummere
• The Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View - Chef Christian Messier 
• Trader Vic's - Michael Broderick
• Trois - Chef Drew Van Leuvan
• TWO urban licks - Chef Cameron Thompson 
  
• Woodfire Grill - Chef Kevin Gillespie
  

Our 2009 event is shaping up to be bigger and better, so put it on your calendar NOW! And get ready for a taste sensation in Grant Park.

Saturday and Sunday tickets sold separately. Different chefs each day.

Tickets Available On Line

Proceeds benefit the Grant Park Conservancy and its work to restore and care for Atlanta's oldest public park.

Corks & Forks: A Fine Food & Wine Event, Aug. 29th and 30th. Taste dishes from Atlanta's top chefs and sample wines and craft beers and ales. There will also be sit-down workshops on tasting and selection. Corks & Forks is held as part of the free Summer Shade Festival in historic Grant Park. $35 in advance, $45 at the gate (the festival is free). Both days 1 p.m.-5 p.m. 499 Broyles Street. 404-521-0938. www.summershade.org.

Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, Aug. 9th. Prominent Atlanta chefs will be paired with a local farmer to face off in an "Iron Chef"-style competition using tomatoes. Benefits will go to Georgia Organics. Judges will be Bon Appetit Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton, Food + Wine freelance writer Danny Bonvissuto, and Southern Living senior food writer Donna Florio. The 18+ event will be held at JCT Kitchen and will feature live music and beer from 5 Seasons Brewing. $50, $45 for Georgia Organics Members, or $90 for VIP pass that includes an open bar. 1 p.m.-6 p.m. 1198 Howell Mill Rd. 678-702-0400.

The American Cheese Society is holding its annual Festival of Cheese in Austin Aug. 8. The event is expected to draw cheesemakers from around the country and Canada for judging, seminars and tastings. From 5:30 to 9 p.m. Aug. 8, the public can participate in a tasting of more than 1,100 artisan and specialty cheeses, along with wine, beer and specialty foods at the Hilton Austin, 500 E. Fourth St. Tickets are $75 at www.cheesesociety.org.

Washington, DC Summer Restaurant Week is August 24-30, 2009.

Join us this August when nearly 180 of metropolitan Washington, DC's finest restaurants offer awe-inspiring, multi-course meals prepared especially for this gourmet event.

Destination DC and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington are proud to present the 15th Washington, DC Restaurant Week from August 24-30,2009.

Lunch: $20.09 for a three-course fixed-price meal
Dinner: $35.09 for a three-course fixed-price meal
Beverages, gratuity and tax are not included.

Go to the Website for full list of participating restaurants

TOMATO ART FEST IS RIPE AND READY FOR
FREE FUN SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2009
A Uniter Not a Divider, the Tomato Brings Friends and Neighbors
Together for a Unique Event

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - July 24, 2009 - For one day out of the year, Music City celebrates friends, neighbors, family and tomatoes at the highly anticipated Tomato Art Fest, to be held Saturday, August 8 in Historic East Nashville.  Voted Best Festival two years in a row by the Nashville Scene Readers Poll, the Sixth Annual Tomato Art Fest promises live music, one-of-a-kind contests, kid-friendly events, art, fashion, food and fun.  Last year, thousands of attendees from around Middle Tennessee flooded the streets of East Nashville's Five Points ready to celebrate the tomato, and this year will be no exception.  A community builder, the Tomato Art Fest has grown steadily since its humble beginning in 2004.  After all, the Fest's motto is "The Tomato...A uniter not a divider...bringing together fruits and vegetables."  Check out www.tomatoartfest.com for more information.  

"The Tomato Art Fest offers East Nashville's creative and business communities an opportunity to share what they love about East Nashville," said Meg MacFadyen, event co-founder and co-owner of Art & Invention Gallery.  "We welcome everyone to come out and celebrate with us.  It is a day for community, creativity, and of course, all those wonderful tomatoes."

Restaurant Week Boston® is brought to you by the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and American Express twice a year in March and August.  March '09 set a record with 228 restaurants participating in the program.  Many restaurants opted to include Saturday night and also extended their prix fixe menus beyond the official two weeks.

This coming August, Restaurant Week Boston® will be offered from Sunday, August 9 through Friday, August 14 and Sunday, August 16 - Friday, August 21, 2009.  Diners will enjoy 3-course lunches for $20.09 and/or dinners for $33.09 at restaurants throughout Boston, Cambridge, the suburbs and beyond.

Price is per person and excludes beverage, tax and gratuity. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion.

Restaurant Week Boston® is a perfect time to sample new restaurants and visit old favorites as chefs prepare delectible 3 course meals for your dining pleasure.

Go to the website for a list of participating restaurants along with sample menus and online reservations.

Come and enjoy the STREET FOOD FESTIVAL (presented by La Cocina) on Saturday August 22nd. It's part of a longer week with Eat Real Festival in Oakland. La Cocina's street food vendors (think El Huarache Loco's huaraches, Estrellita's Snacks' pupusas, Onigilly rice balls) in 10x10 tents with two items each, priced at about $3 and $8. There will also be four booths for non-profit partners with the SF underground street food scene (think Tamale Lady, bacon-wrapped hot dog folks, perhaps the crème brûlée cart guy, etc.) and eight spots for Bay Area restaurateurs playing by some street-food rules (like Poleng Lounge).

There will be homemade drinks at the booths, plus a spirits, beer, and wine garden with cool bartenders. On top of all that, there will also be street music (think roving mariachis, the bucket drum guy) and a kids' area with Mission Pie. It will be free to get in, but tickets for munchin' are available ahead of time online at Brown Paper Tickets. Website and more details coming soon. Event updates, for now, via streetfoodsf on Twitter. And where will it be? Check this out: Folsom Street will be closed down from 25th to 26th Street. 11am-7pm.

Devour Downtown originally started in 2005 as Indy Restaurant Week. This week-long event was created by the Indianapolis Downtown Restaurant & Hospitality Association (IDRHA), a chapter of the non-profit Indiana Restaurant Association (IRA).

In two years time, the event has expanded to occur twice a year, both in the summer and in winter seasons, and has extended from one week to two -prompting the name change from Indy Restaurant Week to Devour Downtown. The summer version of Devour Downtown has also grown it include a special Taste of Devour Downtown Kick-Off Event to raise money for Second Helpings and to give diners an sneak peek of the flavors of participating restaurants.

Restaurants who are members of the IDRHA are all invited to participate. All that is asked of participating restaurants are three $30 gift certificates to use in radio and television promotions and advertising and a special $30 Devour Downtown menu.

Devour Downtown is a great way to experience member restaurants in the downtown Indianapolis area. It is the perfect excuse to visit your favorite restaurant downtown or to try a new one!

Tickets just went on sale for SF CHEFS. FOOD. WINE. the four-day food and wine hootenanny to be held in San Francisco from August 6th - 9th, 2009. On Saturday the 8th, I will be a part of a panel discussing restaurant reviewing, and moderating another one on culinary matriarchs, featuring Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), Annie Somerville (Greens), Cindy Pawlcyn (Mustards Grill), and Patricia Unterman (Hayes Street Grill). I'll be doing a full recap on the event in a week or so, but thought you'd want to take a peek at the line-up and perhaps get tickets now.

Inspiration.
San Francisco is and always will be a major influencer for food and wine trends, food politics and the sustainability movement. It is a community rich with farmers, writers, winemakers, spirits distillers, artisans and vibrant independent chef owned restaurants. The population is well-educated, diverse and appreciative of great food and good living. Mild weather ensures quality produce year-round. The moderate climate is also perfect for growing grapes, and Northern California is recognized as one of the top wine producing regions in the world. A devotion to social consciousness has led the area to become the epicenter of sustainability in farming, fishing and ranching. Rounding out the natural bounty is Pacific Ocean seafood from just outside the Golden Gate, one of the richest fisheries in the world.
          
The Event.
SF Chefs. Food. Wine. is a four day food and wine event celebrating the unique flavor, diversity and bounty of Northern California. The main tasting tent will be in Union Square, where chefs, wine makers and distillers will offer an exploration of taste featuring local products. Classes and seminars will offer interactive opportunities for the public to participate with local farmers, ranchers, chefs, winemakers, distillers, media, luminaries, authors, vintners, mixologists and culinary experts in an entertaining forum.

The Cause.
The event supports three charities. Feeding America is a major sponsor of the San Francisco Food Bank, which provides food to needy families in the community. Meals on Wheels provides food and meal delivery especially to seniors and others with mobility issues. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation provides funding for culinary and hospitality students based upon economic need. All three charities will receive funding from the weekend’s activities.

At A Glance.
Event Dates: August 6-9, 2009
Location: Union Square and surrounding hotel and retail spaces as well as restaurants throughout the city.
Guests: 1500 attendees per day
Tickets: Go on sale Friday, May 22nd.
Children free at Sunday family activities.