Guide to the 2014 LA Food & Wine Festival
Word on the street is that this summer's Fourth Annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival is going to be the best one yet. How do we know? Let's just say you can't escape the foodie buzz surrounding this cuisine and culture extravaganza. Presented by FOOD & WINE magazine, the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival (August 21-24) is headed back to Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles for a city-wide celebration featuring a weekend filled with live culinary demonstrations, tastings from world-class wineries, book signings, mixology seminars, the LEXUS Grand Tasting, and this year's inaugural event, the Ultimate Bites of L.A. presented by Chase Sapphire Preferred®.
LA Food & Wine Festival
Location: Various locations throughout Downtown LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica & Beverly Hills
Dates: August 21-25, 2014
www.lafw.com
Guests can expect a star-studded lineup of chefs and culinary personalities this year. With a roster including the likes of Scott Conant, Michael Chiarello, Michael Mina, Ben Ford, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Nancy Silverton, Graham Elliott, Michelle Bernstein, Ricardo Zarate, Richard Blais and Fabio Viviani just to name a few, you know this is an event not to be missed. Throughout the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, guests will not only have the chance to meet their favorite chefs, but taste their famous creations first hand.
Attending the Events
With over 25 signature events, there are a huge amount of options to choose from. From cooking demonstrations, special lunches and more, visit Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival to find out which events are being held and how you can attend.
What Not To Miss
Spilling over into Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Hollywood as well as Downtown, it is smart to plan your weekend accordingly. While the weekend is packed with incredible events, here are a few that should be on the very top of your list.
Republique Lunch with Walter Manzke & Michael Tusk
Friday / 12:00 pm
A select group of diners are invited to experience a once-in-a-lifetime lunch with Chef Walter Manzke & San Francisco Celebrity guest chef, Michael Tusk. Featuring a reception with passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne, lunch at Republique will include a four-course meal with a special selection of artisanal wines.
Tribute to Nancy Silverton
Friday / 6:30 pm
Very few seats are available for this extravagant champagne reception followed by five-course meal with wine pairing. Chefs for the evening are Joachim Splichal of Patina in LA, Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumain of Ame in San Francisco, Michael Chiarello of Bottega in Napa, Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in New York and Michael Tusk from Quince and Cotogna in San Francisco.
Dining with the Michelin Stars
Saturday / 6:30 pm
This is your chance to partake in the ultimate dining experience with Michelin Star chefs, Pierre Gagnaire (Twist at the Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas), Michael Cimarusti (Providence in Los Angeles), David Kinch (Manresa in Los Gatos) and Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn in San Francisco).
Junk Food & Killer Wines with Anthony Giglio
Sunday / 10:30 am
Craving good old-fashioned comfort food? "From salty snacks to sweet-tooth no-no's, eating wrong mean you can still drink right!" Join as Anthony Giglio pairs his favorite guilty pleasure foods with great wines.
Richard Blais Cooking Demonstration
Sunday / 10:30 am
He's the winner of Bravo's Top Chef All-Stars, successful restauranteur and cookbook author. How does he do it all and still find time to create culinary masterpieces? Find out during this unique opportunity to get up close and personal with Chef Richard Blais.
Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival Tip
Some special events do offer VIP access for those interested. VIP Access will get you early entry a full 30 minutes before the General Admission and depending on the event, you could have the opportunity to attend a VIP only cooking demonstration with Celebrity Chef Graham Elliot, Iron Chef Morimoto, or Chef Michael Chiarello. Due to the popularity of these events and limited number of VIP tickets available, it's wise to secure tickets to these exclusive events as soon as possible.
The best way to keep up with the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival is by connecting with them across social media. The official hashtag for the events is #LAFW and you can connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, via @LAFoodWine. Each platform will provide event updates, promotions, chef announcements and breaking news leading up to the festival so make sure to log on to stay up to date. To purchase tickets, visit: http://www.lafw.com/tickets/" target="_blank">LA Food & Wine Festival.
