If you have been living under a rock, chances are that you missed all the buzz about the third annual Greenwich Food & Wine Festival coming up this weekend. 
Three years in a row, I have ecstatically watched this event get bigger and better. Presented by Serendipity magazine, benefiting the Hole in The Wall Foundation established by Paul Newman, this is a three-day celebration of all things food and wine on local as well as national culinary scene. Not only does it put our amazing local chefs on center stage, it also pulls some really big names from all over the country. All, so we (you and I) can mingle-amongst, learn-from and celebrate-with the likes of Bill Taibe, Tim LaBlant, Fritz Knipschildt, Rui Correia, Duff Goldman, Graham Elliot, Dale Talde, Richard Blais, Francois Payard and more.
One of my favorite aspects of this festival is the Food Demo Tents. You have got to check out this year’s line-up. Celebrities that you usually just see on TV or read about in magazines, will be right in front of your eyes, in-person, demonstrating their cooking techniques. This year, there is even a celebrity Sommelier and Mixology Tent. Super exciting! I have already planned my day around the demos that I just can’t miss.
The Southern Bash and BBQ Pitmaster Tent will be celebrating all things grilled. It has an extensive schedule of its own for the whole day. You have gotta check it out.
The Culinary Tent takes the center stage at the festival as it showcases a humongous array of area chefs. All my favorite restaurants are participating, yay!!! And I get to taste their delicious and creative offerings - to my heart’s content.
And if you are like me, and love collecting cookbooks…. you MUST check out the Celebrity Book Store, where you can buy the latest cookbooks complete with the author’s autographs. There will be some big names in that tent - and I can’t wait!
On Friday night, there is a Grand Tasting Event that features the cream of the crop in the Fairfield county culinary scene. These carefully selected chefs offer their tasty bites as Pat Green fills the tent with beautiful music.
The headliner on Saturday nigh is DISPATCH. That alone may make you run to your laptops or iPhones to purchase those tickets.
And now for my absolute most favorite part: My dear friends at CTBites are hosting a Bloggers’ Lounge this year at the festival. And they have a killer agenda of their own. Lots of local and national celebrity chefs are invited to participate in talks on a variety of culinary subjects Our very own, dear-heart Matt Storch will be moderating some talks along with some CTBites writers and …. your’s truly! Wait till you see this line-up!!! This is the coolest setting for a foodie like me. I LOVE discussing the culinary trends and techniques as much as I like to taste them. While the Bloggers’ Lounge is mainly designed for bloggers and media folks, CTBites is offering special access to a handful of its readers. Be sure to check out their website to see how you can get these highly coveted spots. And if you are the lucky winner … well! then, come say “Hi”!
For detailed information on everything planned by Serendipity magazine during the Greenwich Food & Wine Festival, be sure to check out their website at http://greenwichwineandfood.com
