The third annual Taste of Rochester is set for June 26-28 and will feature dozens of Rochester-area restaurants, wineries, microbreweries and specialty retailers. The event takes place on East Main Street from State Street to South Avenue and on the riverwalk between the Main Street and Andrews Street bridges.

Highlights of the event include the first Chef Throwdown (an Iron Chef-style competition for local food professionals), live music and a kids' play zone. Hours are noon to 11 p.m. June 26, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 27 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 28.

Admission is free, but there is a charge for food and drink. For a complete schedule of events, go to www.tasteofrochester.net.

What is the Taste of Rochester?
Many of the city's finest select restaurants will offer food and fare to delight the crowd. Additionally, local Wineries and Brewers will be featured at the festival's Wine and Beer Gardens. The Taste of Rochester is a partnership between The Results Group, one of New York State's largest events promoters, and the city of Rochester and the mayor's office.  With special thanks going out to Mayor Robert J. Duffy.

What are the dates and time of the Taste of Rochester?
The dates  are June 26^th, June 27^th ,June 28^th. Times will be posted shortly

How do you get to the  Taste of Rochester?
Please go to our task bar where it labeled “Directions” Please use our virtual map to see either an aerial shot ,hybrid, or driving directions, then print it off and we will be seeing you in just a few moments!

Where do you park?
All of downtown streets will available surrounding the event.

Is there an admission fee?
THERE IS NO ADMISSION FEE TO OUR EVENT!!

Watermelon! says "Summer!" like nothing else. Thousands enjoy this four-day outdoor festival honoring the nutritious, wonderful watermelon. The Watermelon Thump hosts a carnival with kiddie rides, Beer Garden, Plenty of Food, Children's Entertainment including magicians, mime, fire eaters and the like, Street Dances, Arts & Crafts, Champion Melon Judging and Auction, World Champion Seed Spitting Contest, Rodeo, Parade, Melon Eating Contest, and more.

• Thursday night entertainment is Texas Unlimited Band (TUB) on the main stage.
• Friday night main stage entertainment features Kyle Park followed by Kevin Fowler.
• Saturday night the Luling Watermelon Thump main stage entertainment features Texas Renegade followed by Stoney LaRue.
  

The 5th annual Marin County Pinot Noir tasting is an inspired effort to preserve agricultural land in Marin County. Proceeds will benefit MALT. The limited production Marin County pinot noirs include some marquee names and some of California’s most promising new faces: Corda Winery; Dutton-Goldfield Winery; Kendric Vineyards; Orogeny Winery; Pey-Marin Vineyards; Point Reyes Vineyards; Precedent Wines; Sean Thackrey; Stubbs Vineyard; Thomas Fogarty Winery; Vergari Wines; Vision Cellars; and Willowbrook Cellars. A tasting of locally-produced foods will be offered, too. Don’t delay, this event sells out quickly. Buy tickets online or at the door the day of the event.

TIME: 3– 7 P.M.
WHERE TO MEET: Historic Escalle Winery, 771 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur
COST: $50/valet parking and wine glass included

12th Annual Chefs in Shorts Event

Forsaking their standard checked pants, Boston's top chefs don slightly more revealing attire for the 12th annual Chefs in Shorts, scheduled for Friday, June 12th. Starting around 7:00pm, your favorite chefs move their operations outside - onto the patio at the Seaport Hotel - for an urban barbeque. Guests can amble about from one grill to the next, sampling al fresco appropriate bites from restaurants like 606 Congress, Aura, Avila, Bambara, BOKX 109 American Prime, Bond, Bravo, Davio's, Gargoyles, Grafton Street, Kingfish Hall, Metropolitan Club, Olives, Sage, Sauciety, Sel de la Terre, Top of the Hub, Turner Fisheries and Union, among plenty of others.

Proceeds from each $60 ticket benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank, which distributes almost 25 million pounds of food per year to hunger-relief agencies in eastern Massachusetts. Whether you're in it for the food or just to see how your favorite culinarians look in short pants, check out Chefs in Shorts. Tickets are available through the Seaport website, or by calling 617.385.5955.

From Helen Schwab of The Charlotte Observer: The sixth season of "Top Chef" wrapped shooting in Las Vegas, says Eater, which offers photos, too, here. No definitive word (that I can find) on when the series premieres, but October looks likely.

Those who can't stand to wait can tune in June 10 to the spinoff "Top Chef Masters," which I predict will be more fun to watch for food-o-philes and less fun for thrivers on drama. (Gordon Ramsay isn't in it, for example, although -- yay! -- Wylie Dufresne and Hubert Keller are. That's Dufresne at right.) Take a look at the bios here.

The host is requisite model-turned-foodie (Kelly Choi, who, lest you give her short shrift, has a master's degree from Columbia). Judges include the requisite Gael (Greene, this time) and the requisite acid-tongued Brit. This series' is Jay Rayner. Recent review quote, musing on why chef Marco Pierre White puts his own photo on his menu: "I like to think he is offering it as a service to the diners in this restaurant. Because once you have finished your meal you can take home a copy of the menu and then throw darts at the face of the man responsible. It will give you far more satisfaction than any other part of the experience offered here." 

Three-day event in Jack London Square celebrates good food, featuring taco trucks, street food, fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan specialties, and more

Events will raise money for and awareness of food accessibility and farmland issues

SAN FRANCISCO (MAY 28, 2009) – The Eat Real Festival, the country’s first celebration of street food made with sustainably produced products, will take place at Jack London Square in Oakland, August 28-30. Featuring the best of the Bay’s taco trucks, ice cream vendors, and the finest beers of Northern California, the mostly-free event will put eaters in contact with the real people in the Bay Area -- the farmers, chefs, and producers -- who make our food.

As part of the celebration, Eat Real has partnered with La Cocina, a San Francisco based incubator kitchen that enables low-income entrepreneurs to launch food businesses; the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, a state-wide organization working to build a movement of rural and urban people to foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies and promotes social justice; and, the Peoples Grocery, a community-based organization in West Oakland that develops creative solutions to the health problems that stem from a lack of access to and knowledge about healthy, fresh foods.

Eat Real Festival will also anchor a week of street-centered food events in the Bay Area: on August 22nd, La Cocina will kick off a weeklong street food celebration, with an all day event in San Francisco. Bridging the two weekends will be a week’s worth of fundraising dinners for several other Eat Real partner organizations.

 “This event celebrates what’s best about Bay Area food – top quality fresh foods, terrific artisan foods and locally-brewed beer,” said Anya Fernald, Eat Real Festival’s founder. “Eat Real will celebrate how the Bay Area is putting the food back in fast by showcasing delicious street food plus local farm products and brews.”

Highlights of the Eat Real Festival three-day event include:

•    Good to Go Market - featuring local produce and hand-made foods straight from the farmers and purveyors in the Bay Area. 10am - 4pm, Saturday and Sunday.
•    Street Eats - dining at freshest with the Bay Area’s top street food trucks and carts selling tacos, Vietnamese sandwiches, barbeque, hot dogs, ice cream and more, all featuring select sustainable and local ingredients. 11am – 9pm, Saturday and Sunday.
•    Beer Shed - showcasing the best of Northern California’s handcrafted beers under one tent, and featuring a rotating series of IPAs, imperials and cask ales. (tickets on sale now – please visit www.eatrealfest.com for more information)
o    Friday, 4-9pm
o    Saturday, 10am-9pm
o    Sunday, 10am-5pm

•    From Scratch Kitchen – cooking demos from Bay Area chefs, making delicious fresh foods from scratch. 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday.
•    Street Stage – presenting local writers, artists, musicians and activists on stage. 10am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday
•    Curbside Cinema - outdoor film festival, featuring the best food flicks beginning around 8pm, Friday and Saturday.
•    Keeping it Real Dinners – fundraising dinners for non-profit partners at some of the best Bay Area restaurants serving their own special street food menus. Tickets to go on sale in June.

Partners and collaborators include:
•    People’s Grocery
•    Community Alliance for Family Farmers
•    La Cocina
•    Dave McLean, Magnolia Pub & Brewery and Alembic Bar
•    John Randolph, Randolph Designs
•    CCS Architecture
•    Baldauf Catton Von Eckartsberg Architects

For complete information about the Eat Real Festival and the La Cocina Street Festival, as well as information about the ticketed events, please visit www.eatrealfest.com.

About Eat Real Festival
Founded in 2008, Eat Real Festival is a social venture created to inspire eaters to choose tasty, healthy, good food. Through a vibrant, local festival in Oakland, CA, and a focus on delicious and sustainable “street food,” Eat Real puts eaters in contact with the real people -- the farmers, chefs, and producers -- who make our food. Eat Real Festival will donate a percentage of its profit to several California organizations promoting access to healthy and affordable food, entrepreneurship and economic development.

CUESA (The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is hosting their SECOND ANNUAL GRILL FEST: BURGER CHALLENGE. Four local chefs will be battling it out on the grills: Mark Sullivan of Spruce; Andrew Swallow of Mixt Greens; Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf; and Elizabeth Falkner of Orson. Chefs will be provided with all-natural grass-fed beef from Marin Sun Farms, and each will be creating a surprise side dish with ingredients they will individually source from the farmers' market the day of the event.

Want to be a judge? There's one lucky guest spot that will be drawn by either signing up at the CUESA kitchen, or by email to sarah@cuesa.org. A limited amount of mini-burgers will be available for audience members to enjoy for a $2 donation, all proceeds going to CUESA. Saturday June 27th, 11am-12:30pm. This event is first-come, first-served. Seating for 30 is available along with room to stand. South Driveway of the Ferry Building (adjacent to Prather, Blue Bottle, Fatted Calf).

The VIP experience starts at 3:30pm, with a reserve wine tasting by five winemakers including Ghost Horse World, Chase Cellars, and more TBA, plus an artisan cheese reception. There will also be Domaine de Canton cocktails, pre-pig party snacks, beers from Magnolia, and guests can "meat and greet" with the chefs, winemakers, and judges of COCHON555. (This portion is $200). The Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason St. at California.

COCHON 555 SAN FRANCISCO
“Five Chefs, Five Pigs, Five Winemakers”
June 14th, 2009 at 5pm
The Fairmont San Francisco

WHAT: A group of top San Francisco chefs will each prepare a 100 pound heritage breed hog from head to toe for this friendly competition. Guests and professional judges will determine a winner based on presentation, utilization and overall best flavor. The winner will be crowned the “Prince of Porc”. In addition, five selected winemakers will showcase their wines. COCHON 555 is a tribute to heritage and heirloom breeds, chefs and winemakers.

Each 100 lb pig can be pre-cooked, braised, grilled, pressed, pickled, rubbed, smoked, seared, sauced, spiced, injected, marinated, cured in any way, or otherwise prepared. Guest of the event will experience the chef creations during a 2.5 hour stand-up reception. Chef stations will alternate with winemaker tables. Guests should not arrive late for this event.

WHO: A Taste Network Event www.tastenetwork.org featuring:
Ryan Farr, 4505 Meats
Nate Appleman, A16 / SPQR
Staffan Terje, Perbacco
Ravi Kapur, Boulevard
Peter McNee, Poggio Trattoria

Wineries include: Krupp Brothers, Hirsch Vineyards, Elk Cove Winery, Arcadian Winery, K Vintners / Charles Smith's Wines

Judges include: Lessley Anderson of CHOW.com, Bruce Cole of Edible San Francisco, Elaine Johnson of Sunset Magazine, Jeremy Fox of Ubuntu, Bruce Aidells, Author "Complete Book of Pork", Dave Mclean of Magnolia Brewing, Sheamus Feeley of Long Meadow Ranch, Randall Graham of Bonny Doon, Nancy Oaks of Boulevard, Chris Cosentino of Incanto, Peter Jacobsen of Jacobsen Orchards and Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo. More tba.

The VIP experience starts at 3:30pm with a reserve wine tasting by five winemakers including: Ghost Horse World, Chase Cellars, Patz & Hall and Bonny Doon. Artisan cheese reception by Taste Network and Cheese Plus. Mixologists will be passing artisan libations from Domaine de Canton, delicious pre-pig party snacks, tasty beers from Magnolia, and best of all, guests can meat and greet with the chefs, winemakers and judges of COCHON555. (This portion is $200).

Then at 5PM, the fun begins, guests will witness a pig breakdown and porchetta demonstration by THE BUTCHER Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf , over 400lbs of swine, great wines, heritage beans from Rancho Gordo, a pig perfect dessert by the chefs of Magnolia and tasty pig infused truffles. There will be an after party at a location to be determined. This is a full day of new and old relationships, great chefs, swine, wine and we look forward to sharing it with you.

Please sign up to "Bacon Bits" the newsletter for event updates and announcements. Please visit the website where you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter under Cochon 555 and Cochon on Tour. http://www.amusecochon.com

WHERE: The Fairmont, San Francisco - 950 Mason Street
 
WHY: To promote heritage pigs and breed diversity in local and national communities.

HOW: RSVP IS REQUIRED. Tickets are $125 per person (discount to industry) - email event organizer
COCHON 555 began in Atlanta and is national in scope. San Francisco ends our 10 city tour with cities such as New York, Portland, Seattle, Boston, Des Moines, Chicago, Washington D.C. and in the future, all winners will be invited to compete in Grand Cochon. Chefs and judges from each city are selected by Taste Network to participate in the event. www.amusecochon.com

Taste Network is a Georgia-based company delivering experiential services to the artisan wine and cheese industries. The company’s mission is to provide cultured events and education focused around artisan wine, cheese and cuisine to its clients and the public at large. Right now, we love the pig!!! We suggest you request more heritage pig from the menu to the meat counter. Support heritage species. www.tastenetwork.com

Media Contact:
Carolina Uribe
404.201.0796
carolina@tastenetwork.com

WEBSITE: www.amusecochon.com

Be sure to mark your calendar and set time aside for one of the year‚s most rollicking food & wine events: Sponsored by the Park City Jazz Foundation and the Park City Restaurant Association, Savor the Summit is Park City's annual celebration of food, wine and music. Savor the Summit takes place in Park City on June 19-20 this year. The two-day event includes the Grande Table on Friday evening: Dinner is served on historic Main Street (and I mean on Main Street) at one long, continuous table set in the middle of the street.

Reviving the old "Taste of Park City," the Grande Table features some 20 Park City restaurants, each offering its own menu du table. Dinner reservations are made with the individual restaurants and include 350 Main, Mustang, Jean Louis, Royal Street Café, Café Terigo, Zoom, Riverhorse, Easy Street, Wahso, Shabu, Yuki Arashi, Promontory and many more. For a complete listing of participating restaurants and information, visit SavorTheSummit.com.

Also during Savor the Summit, in addition to food and drink, live jazz will fill the air, along with a street dance; gallery events; a beer, wine and cocktail tent; and a main entertainment stage˜all of which are free and open to the public. On Saturday night, Easy Street, Grappa, 350 Main and Wasatch Brewpub are all featuring „dinner and a show‰ specials that include dinner and tickets to the Anders Osborne concert. Easy Street‚s dinner is a Cajun-style all-you-can-eat crawfish boil, while Grappa will host a private High West Distillery whiskey and vodka tasting with appetizers. Savor the Summit events are certain to sell out, so get on the stick ASAP if you hope to attend.

Taste of the NFL will be held this year on June 19 in the Club Lounge West at Paul Brown Stadium. The event raises money for the Freestore Foodbank with dinner-by-the-bite food offerings from 30 restaurants, plus a silent auction with prizes that often feature time spent with members of the Bengals. Lineman Andrew Whitworth and Chef Andy Hajjar of Andy's Mediterranean Grille are the hosts. It's $150, or more at higher levels of sponsorship. For tickets, call Jennifer Ebelhar at 513-482-7539

Mix and mingle with Bengal players, coaches and alumni and dinner-by-the-bite. Raffle and silent auction. Benefits FreestoreFoodbank.

Presented by FreestoreFoodbank The recently opened Paul Brown Stadium is one cornerstone of Cincinnati's riverfront development. 65,535 seats on three levels, including 7,600 club seats and 114 private suites. Take a virtual tour.

Where

Paul Brown Stadium
1 Bengals Drive
Cincinnati, OH  45202
Phone: 513-482-7539
Get directions

When

Friday, June 19, 2009
6:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.

 

You are warned: Tickets to this one go fast. Friday night of this year's annual Fathers Day weekend Washington Brewers Festival features a 21 and over ONLY party with Washington breweries only. Many breweries will bring special kegs specifically for this night. Saturday and Sunday will sport 200 beers in the line up covering a staggering array of styles, and as always, these days are family friendly with plenty of stuff to do with the kids. Food vendors are available on site, and there will also be a small cider and wine tasting area. (Really? I get the cider, but can't wine just stay home for once?) Get your tickets online through Brown Paper Tickets, or at participating retail outlets.

Some of the beers I'm looking forward to drinking: Rock Bottom Bellevue's Black Cherry Saison, Lazy Boy's Friday mystery beer (and don't miss their new Imperial Red, which debuted as our "Voracious Ale" during the Hopscotch festival!), Diamond Knot's daily mystery casks, Big Al's special dad's day brew, Big E's Summer Creamsicle, Boundary Bay's 3B, and Chuckanut's Vienna lager (which I'll down any day of the week). I also get as excited as any kid about the root beer garden, full of small batch root beers from many of the participating brewers.

*Note: Due to the recent maintenance work at Saint Edward State Park this year’s Festival is moving into a different area of the Park and, as a result, on-site parking is very limited. There is a $15 on-site parking fee per vehicle on Saturday and Sunday (free on-site parking on Friday). Advance purchase required. On-site parking passes are available online here. Proceeds from on-site parking will benefit Saint Edward State Park. Only a limited number of parking spaces available each day and advance parking pass purchase is required. Additional on-site parking spaces will be available the day of the Festival only after the vehicles with pre-purchased parking passes leave and release their parking spaces.

The Festival strongly encourages you to take public transportations or park in one of the designated off-site parking lots and take FREE shuttle bus to the Park. Find out more here.

Washington Brewers Festival
Friday, June 19th through Sunday, June 21st
$15 on Friday, $20/$25 Sat-Sun (adv/door)
St. Edwards State Park, Kenmore, WA

Friday
Friday event features:
  • Select Washington breweries only (30+ breweries)
  • Select Friday exclusive beers
  • Handful of Luvin’ on the Music Stage
  • Select food vendors
  • 21+ only
$15 advance tickets/at the door. (Friday advance tickets available online only)
Friday admission includes a tasting cup and 4 tasting tokens
Designated driver admission is $8 and available at the door only
21+ only

Saturday & Sunday
Saturday & Sunday event feature:
  • Nearly 200 beers on tap
  • Live music on the Music Stage
  • Brewers Keg Toss Contest
  • Kids Playground
  • Rootbeer Garden
  • Cider & wine tasting
  • Craft market
  • Festival food
$20 advance tickets or $25 at the door
Admission includes a tasting cup and 6 tasting tokens
Advance tickets are available online now and ticket sales at local outlets will begin May 1st.
Designated driver admission is $8 and available at the door only
All Ages. Those under 21 admitted free (must be accompanied by a parent)

Sorry, no dogs allowed.

Group Discount
Buy tickets for your friends & family and save money! When you buy 9 tickets you’ll get one free ($180 for 10 tickets- $20 saving!). Group discount package is available online for advance purchase only (not available at the ticket outlets or at the door). Group discount sales end on June 12th.

Advance tickets are available online now

Weekend Pass
Want to spend the entire weekend at the Washington Brewers Fest? Weekend passes are available at $35 and includes one ticket each to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Weekend passes are available online for advance purchase only (not available at the ticket outlets or at the door). Weekend pass sales end on June 12th. Weekend pass holders will be asked to wear a wristband throughout the weekend.

Buy Weekend Passes

 

 

Grab your walking shoes and loosen your belt for this year‚s Taste of the Gaslamp, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14. Each $25 ticket gets you a tasting from participating restaurants‚ menus, plus something from the beer gardens. More than 20 restaurants will be part of each day, including CityBeat-recommended spots La Puerta, Nobu, Chocolat Cremerie and Stingaree. www.gaslamp.org. Get Tickets NOW!