I may not believe in magic, but I believe in the magical energy of the Palm Desert and Coachella Valley! This weekend Team Betty packs up the cameras and SPF 30 for the 2nd Annual Food and Wine Festival Palm Desert March 25 – 27, 2011, which is sure to cast an epicurean spell on food and wine enthusiasts from all over the world. If you are unable to attend, follow me on Twitter and share in my experiences real time.
The event will feature James Beard Award winning chefs, including Roy Yamaguchi (top), Paul Bertolli, Bradley Ogden (left, with Todd Williams) and Jimmy Schmidt. Acclaimed Culinary Institute of America graduates will be in attendance, including Mark Peel and Duff Goldman, as well as Cohn Restaurant Group Executive Chef and one of my personal heros, Deborah Scott.
A Grand Tasting of the finest wine, champagne, cognac and sake will also be showcased courtesy of the premium wine and spirits distributor, Young’s Market-The Estates Group.
The three day event benefits the Friends of the James Beard Foundation and the Culinary Institute of America Endowed Scholarship Fund.
The Food and Wine Festival Palm Desert 2011 kicks off Friday, March 25th, and celebrates food and wine through Sunday, March 27th. Tickets are $100 Friday and $65 on Saturday and Sunday. You can get more information on tickets and the complete listing of celebrity chefs, restaurants and wineries in attendance here.
Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert is a Palm Springs Life event produced by J. Hocker & Associates with numerous sponsors, including the City of Palm Desert, Time Warner Cable, The Culinary Institute of America, Friends of James Beard Foundation, Cambria, California Date Administrative Committee, Cunard, Viking Range Corp., Jensen’s, The Cook Street Group, R & R Radio Group, Stella Artois, Icelandic Glacial Water, Trinchero Family Estates, Costco, Godiva Chocolates, Beaverton Foods, Inc., Sonoma-Cutrer, OpenTable.com, and Eisenhower Imaging Center.
Great article and photographs. Ironically, Roy Yamaguchi, Bradley Ogden, and Todd Williams are featured in the book I co-authored titled ~ The World of Las Vegas Dining and being launched in April.