Lift your forks and your spirits at the Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert™ 2014 this weekend, March 21-23 in the heart of the sunny El Paseo’s luxury shopping district. Now in its fourth year, the gourmet event gathers the West Coast’s most-inspired chefs and culinary stars for three days of cooking demonstrations, wine and craft beer seminars, and tastings from more than 50 restaurants and 70 wineries, breweries, and spirits purveyors.
Celebrity chefs cooking up a storm include Ari Taymor, Executive Chef of Alma in Los Angeles named 2013’s “Best Restaurant in America” by Bon Appetit; Brooke Williamson, a finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef, House of Food judge, and owner of L.A. gastropubs Hudson House, The Tripel, and Playa Provisions; David LeFevre, a James Beard Award-nominated chef of Manhattan Beach Post and Fishing With Dynamite; and Gale Gand, a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef.
The tented festivities kicked off today with a four-course gourmet lunch featuring James Beard award-winning chefs LeFevre, Williamson, Gand, and Matthew Accarrino, with wines curated by Wine Australia. Saturday, March 22 features the California Dreamin’ Grand Tasting, which festival co-producer Tony Marchese describes as “a celebration of the sunny California lifestyle, an ode to our local chef talent, homegrown wineries and craft brewers.”
A stellar lineup of 10+ live culinary demonstrations includes local Coachella Valley chefs, as well as Sweet cookbook author Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections, and, in his first Palm Desert appearance, Chef Alex Reznik, king of the kosher kitchen at L.A.’s marvelous Ditmas Kitchen & Cocktail.
The final foodie schedule is served up with the Brunch, Bubbles, and Brews Grand Tasting on Sunday, March 23. The best-of brunch menu is served with free-flowing Champagne, sparkling wine, and standout microbrews from more than 80 labels. Wine and beer seminars will turn amateur “winos into connoisseurs on the subjects of wine pairing, BBQ, beer brewing 101, and more.” Cooking demonstrations by Ari Taymor, Roy Choi and others will turn foodies into foodists.
Produced by Palm Springs Life magazine, a portion of the proceeds from the Food + Wine Festival Palm Desert will benefit the James Beard Foundation and AIDS Assistance Programs charitable organizations.
