Chef Andy Bates having a pop up dinner at Redlight Redlight

A popup dinner will be hosted by Redlight Redlight Beer Parlour next Thursday, November 6th. Celebrity Food Network UK Chef Andy Bates is gonna be in town and will be preparing an English Dinner. I will be cooking with him as well. The Redlight Redlight brewers are crafting a traditional english style ale to pair with Andy's fare. Ticket are on sale now at Redlight Redlight.

https://www.facebook.com/events/872111226145812/883952854961649/


 

Redlight Red Light Chili Cook-Off.

On October 26th 5-10pm Redlight Red Light will be hosting an epic Chili Cook-Off.

Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/260031377529166/

On October 26th Redlight Red Light will be hosting an epic chili competition featuring chilies crafted by AT LEAST 12 different chili masters!

A onetime suggested donation of $10 (or whatever you choose, folks) gets you a bowl of each chili! That's 12 bowls of chili! The proceeds for this event are going to Orlando's own, Armando y Jorge's Orlandoñan Hot Sauce, to help them raise money for a new steam kettle cooker! Support local!

Do you have a great chili recipe? Put your money where your mouth is! There are still spots open to share your chili with everyone and compete for the prizes! The top 3 winners will be decided by voting cards from everyone attending.

Prizes include, but are not limited to:
$50 Redlight Redlight gift certificate
Redlight Redlight Shirt
Redlight Redlight glassware
$30 Will's Pub Gift Certificate
A case of Goofy Boots and Uncle Mills hot sauces
$50 St. Matthew's Tavern at the Orlando Beer Garden gift certificate
$50 Gators Dockside Baldwin Park gift certificate
The Peacock Room gift certificate for 10 Car/Pumpkin Bombs
...many more to come!

Fee to enter the competition is $10 and comes with two beers on the day of. Call Redlight Redlight at (407) 893-9832 to get yourself signed in!

There no rules as far as fillers are concerned. Meat is not always the most important ingredient! We love the other stuff, too! Minimum amount required is 4 gallons and the chili is prepared prior to the event. We will provide bowls, utensils, and napkins. If you're not using a crock pot, bring a table top burner!

O-town MacDown Mac & Cheese event

http://www.cravelocal.com/all-events/mac-attack-give-back-yummy-event-supports-give-kids-world/

"A delicious “food fight” cooking competition featuring professional chefs and restaurants as well as home cooks and non-profit organizations who will duke it out to the very end to be named Orlando’s Mac-n-Cheese Champion.

Prizes will be awarded in various categories, and the event will include live entertainment, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live performances, a kids’ fun zone including face painting, bounce houses and macaroni art station, theme park character meet-and-greets and vendor booths.

Presenting sponsor SeaWorld along with Give Kids The World invite the general public to come sample the cheesiest mac-n-cheese that area culinary combatants have to offer at this cooking challenge.

Attendance and participation benefits Give Kids The World Village, a 70-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families."


Saturday, August 23, 2014
11AM-4PM
Orange County Convention Center, Hall D2 West Concourse
9800 International Drive, Orlando FL 32819

$10 for Adults - includes all the mac-n-cheese you can eat!

Some of the competitors include local restaurants:
Bar Harbor Seafood/Boston Lobster Feast
CaveMen - Cave Inn BBQ
Cheesy Chicks!
Cib's Smokehouse
Collette's Clean Eats
Cox Radio's All Hallows Cheese
The Crooked Spoon
Lovette's
Love and Jinny
Le Cordon Bleu College of Orlando
Loud Mouth Grill
Muse Gelato
Napa Restaurant/Hyatt Regency Orlando
Pretzel Crisps
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Talk of the Town Restaurant Group
Taverna Opa Orlando
Toasted
Westgate Smokehouse Grill
Yak & Yeti

buy tickets here:
http://support.gktw.org/site/PageNavigator/macdown.html

Florida Film Festival 2014

The 23rd annual Florida Film Festival will take place in Maitland Florida on April 4-13, 2014. They always have great parties and food events during the festival so here is a summary:

Enzian is located at 1300 South Orlando Ave., Maitland, FL 32751

Opening Night Party:
Friday April 4th, 2014
Opening Night Film 7PM The Trip to Italy preceded by “Oh Sheep!” shown at Regal
Cocktail hour at Eden Bar: 7–8PM.
Food and cocktail bar inside theater:  8–11PM.

Party ONLY ticket price $95

Some great local restaurants are participating this year in the opening night party, there is always unlimited sampling and the lines are usually quite quick.

Restaurants:
Cask & Larder
Ethos Vegan Kitchen
K Restaurant
Olea Grill
Sushi Pop
Smiling Bison

Bars:
The Matador
The Courtesy

Locally Fresh! Farmers Market

Saturday, April 5, NOON-2:30PM at Lawn at Eden Bar FREE and open to the public


An afternoon tasting of local eats and a video sneak peek into the world of our nearby farming communities. Enzian goes down to the farm to learn where our food is coming from. Featuring food from these vendors: Lake Meadow Natural Farms, Palmetto Creek Farms, Olde Hearth Bread Co., and East End Market.

After "Locally Fresh!" there will be a farmers market on the lawn. Guests will get a chance to talk to the famers and other local vendors as well as purchase goods to take home to try.


Sunday Brunch Buffet

Sunday, April 6, 11AM-2PM at Eden Bar
$13.99--includes buffet & a mimosa
À la carte options also available

FILMS: 
Also there will be a few films of interest to food centric folks

---

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/le-chef

Le Chef

View trailer on Youtube(Link)
    Directed by: Daniel Cohen
    FRANCE/SPAIN, 2012, 84 minutes
    In French with English subtitles
    Rated PG-13

Toss together a veteran three-star chef, a new CEO who wants him out, a molecular gastronomist whom the CEO wants in, and an incredibly talented and obsessive young chef. Throw in a dash of Japanese high farce. Sauté with the flawless charm and great timing of French comedy and voila! LE CHEF. Jacky is a young chef who keeps getting fired from his jobs at ordinary restaurants where he expects extraordinary gastronomes. Béatrice is Jacky’s very pregnant girlfriend. Alexandre Lagarde (played by the fabulous Jean Reno, Leon the Professional) is a three-star living legend past his prime. Sweating his contract (that depends on his three stars), Chef Lagarde pits his wits against a new CEO who wants his traditional French cuisine replaced by molecular gastronomy. Sacré bleu! Jacky has been reduced to washing windows at a nursing home when the two meet and begin a brilliant collaboration. French, funny, food, love, LE CHEF has it all.


---
 After Winter, Spring

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/after-winter-spring

    Directed by: Judith Lit
    USA/FRANCE, 2013, 74 minutes
    In English and French with English subtitles
    Southeast Premiere


Trailer on Vimeo(Link)

This is an utterly gorgeous love story for the farmers in Perigord, France, which has been continuously cultivated for over five thousand years. One hundred years ago, half of the population of France were farmers. Now less that 3% are. Will the Perigord peasants be the last generation to employ and sustain the old methods? Will the world lose their “old peasant wisdom” of prudence, respect, and love of the earth? Filmed over four years, AFTER WINTER, SPRING is a treasure trove of great food and farming traditions. With fascinating detail, it captures the roots of farm-to-table and the tenacity of the people who have taken one season at a time for generations. The filmmaker, an American ex-pat and Perigord neighbor, was raised on her own family’s farm in Pennsylvania. Her bond to the land and the people who love it translates into an insightful, lyrical tribute to a way of life on the verge of extinction.

shown with the Short Film:

Faces from Places—Louisiana: La Boucherie

Laissez le bon temps rouler! Meet a Cajun butcher, watch a Cajun BBQ, go whole hog, and Party! 

Spacebar Beer Pairing dinner with Fork in the Road

On Monday March 31st Spacebar and Fork in the Road food truck are having a Unibroue beer pairing dinner.

Event bright tix

Monday, March 31 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Spacebar, 2428 E Robinson St, Orlando, FL

This is a limited engagement. Only 48 tickets will be sold to this exclusive Beer x Food tasting. Come enjoy some of the worlds finest beers from Unibroue pared with the talents of Chef Bryce from  the award winning food truck Fork in the Road. 

Unibroue Tasting:

Blanche De Chambly Ceviche, Nasturtium, Citrus Maudite King Salmon, Maple Glaze, Pickled Heirloom Beets, Horseradish

La Fin Du Monde  Porkbelly, Barley Risotto, Braised Greens

Trois Pistoles Crawfish polenta "Fries", Etouffée Sauce

Terrible  Beef Shortrib, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Balsamic Cippolini Onions

Ephemere Hazelnut Sponge Cake, Vanilla Bean ice cream, 17 grande reserve redux

Beer Pairing Dinner at B&B Junction Winter Park with Cigar City

@CigarCityBeer + @BB_Junction beer dinner pairing Tuesday, December 10th, 2013.

Winter Park farm to table Burger Joint B&B Junction is pairing up with Cigar City beers for a beer pairing dinner, Tuesday December 10th at

30 spots available call 407-513-4134.

They are located at 2103 West Fairbanks Ave in Winter Park, FL in the old 4 Rivers space near I-4.

Dinner will include gnocchi, duck confit, bourbon-bacon glazed donuts, mussels, red snapper.

$40 a person you will also get to meet the brewer.

John Rivers book signing in Winter Park

John Rivers of 4 Rivers Smokehouse will be hosting a book signing and interactive cooking demonstration for his new cookbook, The Southern Cowboy, at the Williams-Sonoma in Winter Park.

The cookbook will be available for purchase for $28.99 - cash or credit card is accepted. Recipe cards and tips by John Rivers will be available.

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2013
Time: 12 – 2 p.m.
Location: Williams-Sonoma | Winter Park
142 South Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL

Trucks & Tech II : Trucktoberfest

https://www.facebook.com/events/633501336674659/

Trucks & Tech is a mashup between two cultures - foodies and techies. Trucks & Tech II will be an Oktoberfest themed event featuring German inspired food from each food truck - participants are encouraged to come in costume. The event will be held on October 17th at 6:00pm at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, Florida. It will feature some of Orlando's best food trucks along with technology discussion, demonstrations and all new Startup Alley.

http://trucksandtech.com/ 

Food Trucks will include

• SWAT Truck
• 

  Dixieland Diner
• 

  swedeDISH

• 

  Melissa’s Chicken and Waffles
• 

  The Crepe Company
• 

  Soup to Nuts

   

   

Magical Dining Month 2013 at Luma

Famed Winter Park restaurant Luma is one of the featured restaurants for Magical Dining Month which runs throughout the month of September. We recently attended a preview dinner for the 3 course prix fixe meal that will be offered for $33. Below is the Menu and some of the selections.

3 Course prix fixe menu

Vidalia onion eggplant soup with pimenton on creme fraiche and chive

Ashley Farms Chicken breast - Rabbit Run Farms Pole Beans, baby fennel, currants, marcona almonds, salsa verde

Pompano Beach swordfish forbidden black rice Anson mills red sea peas, Serrano butter sauce, pickled sweet peppers

Crispy grit cake with royal red pickled shrimp, tasso ham, green tomato chutney

Lemon olive oil cake. Cherry compote, lemon curd, house made vanilla ice cream

Malted sponge cake. Peanut caramel, milk chocolate cremosa, Maldon salt.

Cask & Larder's Beer vs. Whiskey Dinner - 8/19

On Monday, August 19, Cask & Larder Brewmaster Ron Raike and Bar Manager Larry Foor serve up a four-course battle–beer vs. whiskey showdown with house-brewed Cask & Larder beers and Brewmaster favorites paired head-to-head against selections from the Brown-Forman Family of Fine Whiskies in Florida. Starting with a reception at 5:30 p.m., the four-course dinner will offer guests the chance to taste a flavorful selection of beers and whiskies alongside Cask & Larder’s acclaimed kitchen creations. Reservations are now available for $65 per person, including tax and gratuity. For an additional $10, each guest can also receive a copy of Chef Owners James and Julie Petrakis’ signature cookbook, The Ravenous Pig: Seasons of Florida. For reservations, call (321) 280-4200.

Before the dinner, Whiskey Brand Champion and Certified Spirits Specialist Michael Ring, as well as our contenders Ron and Larry are available to “talk smack,” answer questions about the great beer vs. whiskey debate, and offer tasting notes on what diners should seek out in pairing great food with great drinks. 

Dinner Menu:

Reception with Hand Passed Hors d’Oeuvers

Beer: Berliner RogenWeiss (3.3% abv) – Refreshing German-style sour with Rye and Wheat | Whiskey: Jack Daniels “Gentlemen Jack” TN

First Course: Cucumber Gazpacho

Chilled Lobster Ceviche, Hearts of Palm, Charred Mango, Lemon Verbena

Beer: Olde Southern Wit (5% abv) – Brewed with Coriander, Lemon, Lime and Grapefruit Zest | Whiskey: Old Forester Bourbon KY

Second Course: Chicken Liver Spedini

Southern Stone Fruit Bread Salad, Bacon Sorghum Vinaigrette

Beer: White Oak Barrel Aged Trois Mois Saison (7.1% abv) | Whiskey: Jack Daniels “Single Barrel Select” TN

Third Course: Pork Cheek Dumpling

Calico Bay Scallop-Beet Ragu, Fennel-Olive Slaw

Beer: Jack Daniels Barrel Aged St. Kate’s Stout (5% abv) | Whiskey: Woodford Reserve Bourbon KY

Fourth Course: Peach Cornmeal Upside Down Cake

Beer: Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Porter (9.2% abv) | Whiskey: Woodford Reserve Double Oaked KY

The Festival of Bacon October 5th 2013 Festival Park Orlando Florida

The Festival of Bacon will be October 5th 2013 Festival Park Orlando Florida 11am - 7pm

Music by Ben Prestage

Official Website:
http://festivalofbacon.com/

Twitter:
@festivalofbacon

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Festival-of-Bacon/648924871789277

This one-of-a-kind event will boast over 30,000 samples of bacon wrapped treats for event goers to sink their teeth into. Bacon sampling will be made available from 11 AM to 7 PM, and the event will also include live music from various local artists, beers, and bacon-inspired cocktails.

Discounted, pre-sale tickets will be available at 6:00 PM on August 2, 2013. General admission for the event will be $25 for pre-sale tickets, and $35 during the day of the event. For more information, please email contact@festivalofbacon.com

The presale ticket site is here
http://festivalofbacon.eventbrite.com/

Food events at the 2013 Florida Film Festival

The Florida Film Festival always has great food events during their annual weeklong film fest. This year is no exception. We attended many of the food events at the film festival last year including a dinner at Luma. You can read about it and see pics here: Luma Chef Feast

 Here is a summary of this years food events:

http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/

Opening Night Film and Party

Friday, April 5
Opening Night Film: TBA
Eye Opening Night Party
8PM–2AM
Enzian & Eden Bar
1300 South Orlando Ave Maitland, FL 32751
Early Purchase Party ONLY tickets are $85
Local culinary geniuses prepare “Eye Opening” bites to delight your appetite and intrigue your mind. Hang out while Eden Bar serves up tasty handmade cocktails all night long!
Participating restaurants include Eden Bar, K Restaurant & Wine Bar, Ethos Vegan Kitchen, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, and more!
Food will be served 8:30–11:30PM.  Drinks will be available all night.

Saturday Night Whole Cookery Feast at Cask and Larder

A foodie’s dreams come true! Enjoy an evening at Central Florida’s newest “Southern Public House,” Cask and Larder, sister restaurant of The Ravenous Pig. Savor an evening fit for royalty at this new Winter Park treasure! Brewmaster Ron Raike will brew custom beer as well as present some extraordinary hand-crafted cocktails and specialty wines. Chef/Owners James and Julie Petrakis promise to cook up an unforgettable four-course Whole Cookery Feast, featuring items such as whole suckling pigs, whole smoked duck, whole roasted fish, and their Butcher’s Feast of lamb.* Celebrity chefs from around the nation join in to create their own take on “Southern” dishes that are sure to delight your taste buds. Don’t miss this eye-opening evening filled with delectable food and great friends!
Event Details: April 6, 2013 7PM Cask and Larder 565 West Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park, Florida, 32789
Single ticket price: $150** Couple ticket price: $250**

A Taste of Movie Magic with Francine Segan

TV personality, film buff, food historian, and cookbook author Francine Segan dishes out a taste of sweet and savory movie magic with history lessons from her book Movie Menus and film clips of favorite food scenes, all part of a lively discussion at Enzian. Get a peek at foodie film moments in classics such as Big Night, Babette’s Feast, Animal House, and Five Easy Pieces. During the presentation, you can order from a special menu inspired by movie quotes as well as partake in some complimentary tastings.  Win prizes in a movie trivia contest that tests your foodie film knowledge! Top it all off with a special book signing at Enzian’s Eden Bar.
Event Details:
Saturday, April 6, 2013
4:30-6PM
General admission is $10 and includes complimentary tastings.
Book signing to follow the presentation.
Books will be available for purchase.

Books & Cooks - An Evening Celebrating Homegrown Talent

Books & Cooks - An Evening Celebrating Homegrown Talent

STAR PANEL

CHEF NORMAN VAN AKEN co-author with son Justin of his latest book My Key West Kitchen JAMES & JULIE PETRAKIS owners of the Ravenous Pig and the brand new Cask & Larder HEATHER McPHERSON co-author with Pam Brandon and Katie Farmand of Field to Feast EILEEN DASPIN author of The Manhattan Diet: Lose Weight While Living a Fabulous Life EMILY ELLYN the retro rad television chef from Food Network Star

EVENT DETAILS	TICKETS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012 Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center 1050 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park 6-9 PM Feast on a lively panel discussion moderated by renowned novelist Bob Morris and accompanied by Cask & Larder craft brews, signature cocktails and fine wine. Then stroll and dine from fan-favorite food trucks. 9 PM After-Party at the Ravenous Pig FOOD TRUCKS PROVIDED BY THE FOOD TRUCK BAZAAR	$10 GENERAL ADMISSION or $75 GENERAL ADMISSION PLUS THE AFTER-PARTY AT THE RAVENOUS PIG ADD $25 TO EITHER TICKET OPTION FOR RESERVED SEATING TO PURCHASE TICKETS CALL THE LIBRARY AT 407.623.3277 OR Click here to buy now!

The Ravenous Pig Cookbook: Seasons of Florida

The Ravenous Pig: Seasons of Florida

The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park is arguably the best restaurant in Orlando and now owners James and Julie Petrakis are pleased to announce their cookbook The Ravenous Pig: Seasons of Florida.  The 256 page cookbook has more than 100 photographs and tips on everything from fileting fish to roasting mushrooms.  The book shares the secrets behind our most popular dishes, including Gruyere Biscuits, Shrimp & Grits and our sinful Pig Tails, to seasonal favorites such as Southern Oysters Rockefeller and Roasted Red Snapper with Black-Eyed Pea & Hominy Stew.   The book also contains recipes for hand-crafted cocktails, such as the Bacon Old-Fashioned and the Umatilla Smash.  The release coincides with their 5 year anniversary on October 3rd and we will be celebrating all week!

Join the Party! 

On Sunday, September 30th they are hosting a Release Party from 5pm to 7pm.  Tickets are $50 for two people and include hors d'oeuvres from recipes in the book, cocktails, wine and beer plus one signed first-edition copy. Tickets can be purchased at The Ravenous Pig.  

Want to order your cookbook early?

The Ravenous Pig: Seasons of Florida is available for pre-sale* exclusively at The Ravenous Pig and its-soon to be open-sister restaurant, Cask & Larder.  It is also available online at www.theravenouspig.com.

 *All pre-sale orders will be available for pick-up on October 2nd.  Online orders for shipping will be processed on October 3rd and shipped on October 4th.

Ravenous Pig is located at:

1234 North Orange Avenue  Winter Park, FL 32789

(407) 628-2333

Bacon Off Orlando 2012

Yesterday we attended the Bacon Off event at the East End Market on Corrine Drive. It was a bit pricey but well worth it, lots of delicious food, great music, beer and people.

It was C&S Brisket Bus vs. Big Wheel Truck to see who could make the best combination of items on one plate using bacon.

The competition plate from Big Wheel was Creamy Bacon Polenta with Big Wheel Provisions Bacon lardon & redeye gravy, Local Berkshire Brown Sugar Bacon, Big Wheel Bacon Dip

The competition plate from C&S Brisket bus was Root Beer marinated pork belly bacon, Bacon Cured Chicken Wing, Bacon Spoon Bread, Bacon Maple Compound Butter, House Made Bacon Jam, Crostini, Arugula, Tomato

Also on hand was Batter Bowl truck serving up bacon brownies!

Here are the pictures

Caja China for cooking the pigs

Delicious Crispy Pork Skins

Pulled Pork

Big Wheel Competition Menu

Big Wheel Competition Plate

C&S Brisket Bus Competition Menu

C&S Brisket Bus Competition Plate

Trophies and Dishes

Saturday Evening Celebrity Chef Feast at Luma as part of the Florida Film Festival 2012

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a special event at Luma. The Saturday Evening Celebrity Chef Feast at Luma as part of the Florida Film Festival 2012.

"Ever wonder what happens when great chefs cook for one another? Find out at this one-time-only gathering of gastronomical geniuses. Brandon McGlamery, the visionary who created LUMA ON PARK and PRATO, hosts an intimate five-course dinner in his private dining room."

It was held in the private dining room/cellar downstairs in Luma Winter Park. It was a wonderful experience with great conversations, drinks and food. My favorite course was the onion & cauliflower soup with excellent fried onions and olive cream, and the buttery crust of the Gruyère tart. Some of the other attendees raved about the ceviche and the veal sweetbread pot pie.

Chef Brandon and his team prepared all the dishes and the celebrity chefs listed below dined with us.

Frog song farms onion & cauliflower soup
Gruyère tart, pickled-fried onion, olive cream

Yellowfin tuna & red snapper ceviche
rabbit run farms tomato, lemon verbena compressed melon, serrano, hazelnut

spring ramp gnocchetti sardi
Georgia royal red shrimp, guanciale pangrattato, Cortez bottarga

local African pompano
roasted mushrooms, asparagus, eggplant agrodolce, stinging nettle broth

ribeye of wagyu beef
veal sweetbread-beef cheek pot pie, pea shoot purée, golden raisin jam

yogurt panna cotta
king farm blueberries, Thai basil-lime sorbet, cornmeal crumble

Chef bios:

•  

• Brandon McGlamery, Executive Chef at LUMA on Park and Prato, is a graduate of California Culinary Academy and has gained an array of international culinary experiences during his tenure at some of the most prestigious restaurants across the nation. McGlamery has held positions at Stars Restaurant, French Laundry, and Chez Panisse in California; the Ritz-Carlton in Naples; Guy Savoy in Paris; and Bacchanalia in Atlanta. His passion for creating fresh, original, and inspiring cuisine is apparent in every dish he presents at both LUMA and his new restaurant PRATO. McGlamery is dedicated to supporting local farmers, purveyors, and sustainable products. He most recently received an award from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for his support of finding sustainable choices in seafood.

•  

• Jeff Potter

  A science and food geek, Jeff Potter is the author of Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food, which the Washington Post called “one of the most useful books on understanding cooking.” He has appeared on NPR, The Today Show, CNN International, Food Network, and the Cooking Channel. Jeff has been featured on television newscasts and radio shows throughout the country, spoken at science festivals both in the United States and overseas, and is a trustee and spokesperson for Awesome Food, part of the Awesome Foundation.
  
  
  
• 

  Chad J. Galiano

  Chad J. Galiano, Chef de Cuisine at Trump International Beach Resort Miami, birth in the culturally rich rural bayou areas of south Louisiana, Bayou Lafourche (which is French for “the fork”), instilled in him—along with a southern/cajun philosophy—an appreciation for all things edible. Seeking to learn more, Chad moved up to Rhode Island to attend Johnson & Wales University and earn a degree in Culinary Arts, followed by a brief return to New Orleans and a longer sojourn to Santa Fe to gain experience with American Southwestern cuisine and a position as sous chef at the St. Francis Hotel where he found an outlet to experiment with new ideas. Chad eventually moved back to New Orleans, continued to work in grand hotels, and married a Taiwanese woman, Shiau-Ming, gaining exposure to an entirely new food culture. Following Hurricane Katrina, Chef Chad was contacted his old friend, Kurtis Jantz, the Executive Chef of the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami, and gained the position of Chef de Cuisine. Chefs Galiano and Jantz felt the synergisitic ambition to boost their food knowledge further and create a contemporary environment for learning. It was during this time that Chad created the blog, Chadzilla (http://chadzilla.typepad.com).
  
  
  
• 

  Martha Hall Foose

  Martha Hall Foose is a daughter of the Mississippi Delta. She apprenticed at California’s famed La Brea Bakery and trained at a world-class French pastry school before opening Bottletree Bakery in Oxford, Mississippi. She has also served as a food editor for Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks and the Food Professionals Network in Minneapolis. After all these accomplishments, she returned home to Pluto, her family’s plantation. She has since received the James Beard Award for American Cooking and Southern Independent Bookseller’s Award for her first book Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook, which tells the history of the Mississippi Delta and details Foose’s personal journey through life. Martha recently released her new book A Southerly Course: Traveling Foodways Close to Home, her second collection of recipes and vivid stories.
  
  
  
• 

  Gui Alinat

  Gui Alinat is an ACF Certified Executive Chef, food writer, and a culinary instructor at the
  Art Institute and the Jacobson Culinary Arts Academy in Tampa Bay. His first book, The Chef’s Répertoire has won a Cordon d’Or International Culinary Award for Best Culinary Literature. He has since published Molecular Cuisine: Twenty Techniques, Forty Recipes and is working on his third culinary book. Born, raised and classically trained as a chef in France, he traveled extensively, working in restaurants around the world to finally settle in Florida. In Tampa Bay, he has catered high-end private events with his own company for the last 12 years. With an exclusive client base, and media recognition, his team became a recognized force in the Tampa Bay culinary scene. Gui regularly contributes to the St. Petersburg Times food section and Creative Loafing’s
  
  
  
• 

  Marcel Vigneron

  Dedicated to gastronomy and honing his skills as a chef, Marcel Vigneron lives to express creativity, personality, and passion through his own style of cuisine, coined “Modern Global.” With his new company, Modern Global Tasting, Marcel brings the future of gastronomy to any themed party, event, or venue. The notorious chef has tantalized audiences with Syfy Network’s Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen and infamous appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars. At an age when most chefs are just beginning, Marcel has traveled and cooked throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States in search of both gastronomic experience and world knowledge. After attending the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York, Marcel served as Sous Chef to Dwayne Lipuma at the school’s award-winning Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici. He has also worked around the globe with world-renowned chefs, including Joël Robuchon, Michael Mina, and José Andrés.