The Greater New York Wine & Food Festival, presented by The Journal News, just announced a series of exciting Celebrity Chef demonstrations which will be held at this year’s Festival, which will take place on Saturday, May 16 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown, NY. These live chef demonstrations by some of the best chefs in the region will take place in a state-of-the-
The Grand Tastings, to be held in the Grand Ballroom, will offer two sessions: 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
The first three hour-long Celebrity Chef demonstrations will be held from 1 – 4 p.m. These demonstrations will be hosted by Liz Johnson, Food Editor of The Journal News, who, in addition to covering restaurant and food news for the newspaper, writes a daily blog called “Small Bites” on lohud.com. Members of the viewing audience will be able to sample the prepared dishes. The lineup features:
1 – 2 pm: Andrew Nusser, Tarry Lodge, Port Chester, NY
(co-owned by Mario Batali)
Andy Nusser’s esteemed career began in the fishing village of Cadaques on the Costa Brava of Spain, where he started out as a dish washer. After coming to the U.S., he later enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. In 1995, he graduated at the top of his class and began working with Mario Batali at Po in Greenwich Village. Andy then opened Babbo, Casa Mono and Bar Jamon with Batali and partner Joe Bastianich, earning many awards for both restaurants. In 2008, Andy and partners opened Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, bringing a true trattoria experience to Westchester County.
2 – 3 pm: Brian Lewis, Bedford Post Inn, Bedford, NY
(owned by actor Richard Gere)
Brian Lewis found his passion for food and cooking at a very early age. After high school, he pursued his formal education, enrolling and graduating from The Culinary Institute of America with honors. He also received a Bachelors of Food Service Management degree from Johnson and Wales University. Brian has worked in various positions at some of the country’s most renowned restaurants, including Lutece, The Sign of The Dove, Oceana, Bix and The Village Pub. His cuisine at The Bedford Post is elegantly simple and comfortable, rooted in tradition, yet inspired with innovation.
3 – 4 pm: Peter X. Kelly, X20, Yonkers, NY
For more than two decades Peter X. Kelly has set the standard for dining in New York with his contemporary American cuisine. In 1983, at the age of 23, this self-taught chef opened the original Xaviar’s in Garrison and began his journey to success. To date, Peter owns four of the most acclaimed restaurants in New York State: Xaviar’
The second session of Chef Demonstrations will occur from 6 – 8:30 p.m., during Grand Tasting Session Two, and will feature a cooking demonstration as well as a cook-off between two former contestants from Bravo’s “Top Chef”. The cook-off will be judged by a panel of esteemed culinary experts from the region, include Liz Johnson of The Journal News. Mike Bennett of the WHUD (100.7 FM) morning show will host this session.
6 – 7 pm: Angelo DiFeo, Blue, White Plains
Angelo DiFeo and his family have been serving great food to the community for more than a decade. The family restaurant, Graziella’s on Broadway in White Plains is renowned for its famous Italian cuisine. After growing up in the restaurant business, Angelo followed his passion for great food and together with co-owner Vincent Corso, opened up a second location, Blue Bar and Grill on Church Street, specializing in modern American cuisine. Blue recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in business.
7– 8:30 pm Top Chef Cook-off between two of Bravo’s “Top Chef” contestants
The heat is on as Scarsdale native Leah Cohen from Season 5 goes spatula to spatula against Lisa Fernandes from Season 4.
While attending Manhattanville College, Leah Cohen began working at Trattoria Vivolo in Harrison and soon after, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation, Leah moved to Italy and took part in an intensive six month Slow Foods program, gaining exposure to regional cuisine from throughout Italy. After spending a year working at La Madia, she moved back to New York working at Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park and Centro Vinoteca where she is now the chef de cuisine.
Drawn to the kitchen since a young age, Lisa Fernandes moved to New York City at 17 when she decided food was her passion and career choice. She attended Johnson & Wales University and received a B.S. in food service management. She then moved to south Florida to diversify her cooking palette, absorbing the local flair of Latin food. Lisa moved back to New York and began working Asia de Cuba, Rain and Public. She has been consulting for the last year and is currently authoring her first cookbook as well as starting up a line of bottled sauces and marinades.
In addition to these demonstrations, this year’s Festival will feature a wide variety of value-conscious, international wines, epicurean delights, entertainment and more. Joining The Journal News as festival sponsors are lohud.com, Thermador, Classic Audi, Stella Artois, WHUD, The Peak 107.1, The Grape Exchange of New Rochelle and Doubletree Hotel Tarrytown. Live jazz from Mark Morganelli’s Jazz Forum All Stars will provide the perfect backdrop for wining and dining throughout the day.
Details & Ticket Information:
For more details, festival updates and ticket information, please visit www.greaternywine.com. Grand Tastings ticket prices range from $75 per person for the Grand Tasting to $479 per person for a VIP Platinum Pass including all events on Friday and Saturday night, Sunday brunch and overnight lodging at the Doubletree.
The Journal News, a Gannett Company based in White Plains, created The Greater New York Wine & Food Festival in 2004. The Journal News publishes four daily editions serving Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties, produces the widely visited news and information website, LoHud.com, and publishes six weekly newspapers.
