The Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival is always one of the highlights of my summer. Each spring, I wait with eager anticpation for the event lineup to be announced…and that time has finally come! The 2012 Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival is shaping up to be another epic weekend filled with incredible food, amazing culinary experiences, and tons of opportunities to meet and spend time with celebrity and local chefs!
Caesars Entertainment Atlantic City will present the fourth annual Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival from July 26-29, 2012. The festival will feature a collection of the world’s most renowned chefs, icons, TV personalities and experts - arguably one of the festival’s strongest lineups to date - including Anne Burrell, Tom Colicchio, Robert Irvine, Aaron Sanchez, Buddy Valastro and Andrew Zimmern, with more announcements to come. The event takes place across all four Caesars Entertainment Atlantic City casinos and resorts – Caesars, Harrah’s Resort, Showboat and Bally’s. “Caesars Entertainment is committed to continually offering Atlantic City’s residents and visitors the top entertainment programming in the region and there is nothing more exciting than the return of the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival,” said Jennifer Weissman, Regional Vice President of Marketing for Caesars Entertainment. “We are proud of this year’s outstanding line-up of high-profile celebrity chefs and experts, as well as our own family of talented chefs honorably representing our casinos and resorts.”
The 2012 festival will present an acclaimed roster of exciting gastronomic talent on both a local and national scale. I n addition to Anne Burrell, Tom Colicchio, Robert Irvine, Aaron Sanchez, Buddy Valastro and Andrew Zimmern, the 2012 Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival will showcase wine, beer and spirits experts such as Gary Monterosso and Michael Green and Caesars Entertainment’s top in-house culinary talents. This year’s festival will offer more than 30 events such as cooking demonstrations, wine and spirits seminars, and various tasting events. Some of the highlights include:
- The Grand Market: This world of indulgence will excite, inspire and amaze as you eat and drink your way through this tasting village. Showcasing more than 100 stations featuring food, wine, spirits, ales and more from world renowned restaurants and brands, all which can be experienced during a four-hour journey.
- Mia Seminar Series: America’s premier wine tasting seminars return to the shore with the ever-talented Michael Green’s hands-on seminar designed to educate oenophiles with exemplary wines from around the world.
- Book Store & Signings: Throughout the weekend, festival goers are given the opportunity to shop for their favorite cookbooks from the festival personalities and meet their favorite culinary idols.
- Define “Cheese-Steak”: Join New Jersey resident, celebrity chef and Top Chef judge, Tom Colicchio as he walks you through a who’s who of cheese steaks while local sub shops battle it out for votes in the contest to find the “best of” this Philadelphia classic.
- Sunset Sliders, Sushi & Sake: Summer nights along the Jersey coastline are like none other and when you add a chic, rooftop party with Sushi and Sake, then it must be at Caesars. This is the festival’s unique version of a ‘surf and turf’ party atop the Pool Deck at Caesars, all paired with Saki tasting.
- Sweet & Stylish: Blending designer fashion and sensual desserts, Chef Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss and owner of Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey will create the ultimate nightlife event and one-of-a-kind showcase of style and decadence, displaying favorite specialty cocktails and sweets for festivalgoers’ tasting pleasure.
This year Caesars Entertainment has partnered with local charity, The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, to be the official charity sponsor of The Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. The community Food Bank of New Jersey fights hunger and poverty by distributing food and groceries, providing education and training and developing new programs to help low income individuals meet their basic needs. As a non-profit organization, The Community Food Bank of New Jersey acts as the central food distribution center for other non-profits in New Jersey that serve individuals including local soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters.
Tickets for the Food Network Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival are on sale now! Check out the Festival website for a full listing of events and to purchase tickets. And be sure to follow the Festival on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! I will be talking to some of the participating chefs in the next couple of months, so keep your eyes out for future posts about some of the Festival’s featured chefs and events!
