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Nationally-Syndicated PBS Chef Eric Villegas to Appear at Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival at DeVos Place

ShowSpan Inc., has announced that Chef Eric Villegas, star of the nationally-broadcast PBS show “Fork in the Road” and author of a newly-released cookbook of the same name, will be one of the Guest Chefs at the Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival, November 21-23. The culinary celebration kicks off the 2008 holiday season in the elegance of the 40,000-square foot Steelcase Ballroom inside the DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids.

Award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality Eric Villegas has done more than any other culinarian to introduce the country to the regional and local foods of his beloved Michigan and the Great Lakes. He will prepare “Great Lakes Gumbo with Michigan White Shrimp & Smoked Whitefish” at 3pm on Saturday, November 22 on the Meijer Food Stage.

The Michigan-born chef embarked on his culinary career after studying liberal arts at Michigan State University. Moving to Paris, France, he attended Anne Willan’s LaVarenne Ecole de Cuisine and Steven Spurrier’s Academie du Vin. After which he gained a wide range of practical experience in the classic restaurant kitchens of France’s gastronomic capital, Lyon. After two years abroad, Chef Villegas returned to the States to continue his studies at the New England Culinary Institute, where he specialized in the service aspect of hospitality, running the school’s flagship dining room.

From 1987 to 2007, Chef Villegas owned and operated two of Mid-Michigan’s most unique award-winning regional restaurants. Restaurant Villegas and Dusty’s Wine Bar where working closely with local farmers and ranchers he developed his now highly-recognized contemporary Midwestern style.

Since debuting on Michigan public television in 2001 with his show “Fork in the Road with Eric Villegas,” he has been tirelessly seeking out the artisan growers, farmers and ranchers who continuously produce top-quality foods for the American table. “Fork” also brings recipes, cooking tips and culinary history based on the Great Lakes food scene.

Originally airing weekly on PBS in his home state of Michigan, as well as Canada, his efforts brought the chef two regional EMMY Awards. In late 2007, “Fork” began national distribution via NETA on PBS, offering his unique take on regional and sustainable Michigan agriculture and cuisine to the rest of the country.

The long-awaited companion cookbook hit store shelves in 2007 and immediately garnered attention as a Michigan’s “Notable Book of the Year.” The Library of Michigan, which sponsors the annual recognition program, then sent Chef Villegas on the road to libraries to share his cooking knowledge and charismatic personality with residents around the state. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the show and Chef Villegas will be on hand at scheduled times to autograph those copies.

Villegas keeps a busy schedule with no sign of slowing down. A frequent contributor to “Morning Edition” with Scott Pohl on WKAR public radio and “The Big Show” with Michael Patrick Shiels on WJIM and throughout the state, the chef keeps his culinary schedule busy by shooting new episodes of “Fork,” offering cooking demonstrations, attending book signings and making public appearances throughout the Great Lakes State and the rest of the country.

While he oversees many projects, each is infused with his culinary passion all the while reminding everyone watching, reading or listening to “think global, but buy and eat local.”

Chef Villegas joins other esteemed leaders from the culinary world – including Angus Campbell & Robert Garlough of the Secchia Institute of Culinary Arts at Grand Rapids Community College – who will host seminars, demonstrations and workshops throughout the three-day festival. The “Cooking Stage,” sponsored by Meijer, will showcase 45-minute food seminars, while 15-minute workshops offer morsels of information about foods and related items. A “Wine, Beer & Spirits Stage” will also host programming throughout the weekend.

Chefs from the area’s top restaurants, including Tre Cugini, six-one-six, Cygnus, Louis Benton and The Monkey Bar inside The BOB, will prepare and serve small-plate samples of their culinary specialties all weekend. The 1913 Room and Bar Divani will offer special “Pairings,” serving up gourmet multi-course meals, each paired with carefully-selected wines, served on-site in a casual “bar top” setting. Reservations are required, at $25 per person. To date, more than 100 wineries, breweries and even distillers of fine spirits from around the world are committed to pouring samples of more than 500 products during the festival, which is expected to be the largest of its kind in Michigan.

Admission to the Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival is $15 per person and includes a sampling glass, official show program published by Grand Rapids Magazine and a list detailing all of the wines, beers, spirits and foods available for sampling. Tasting tickets are available, in 50‍¢ denominations, for purchase once inside the show. Admission tickets may be purchased in advance, through Ticketmaster, online at www.GRWineFestival.com or during the event at either the Lyon Street or Monroe Avenue DeVos Place box offices. Attendees must be at least 21 years of age to enter.

The Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival is presented by the Grand Rapids Convention and Arena Authority and is one of 17 consumer expositions produced by ShowSpan, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1945, ShowSpan – a John D. Loeks, Jr., Company – has grown to be one of the largest producers of consumer shows in the Midwest.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival
Friday, Nov. 21 (2-9pm) | Saturday, Nov. 22 (Noon-10pm) | Sunday, Nov. 23 (Noon-5pm)
www.GRWineFestival.com

 

Contact

Nom: Dianna Stampfler
E-mail : dianna@promotemichigan.com
Web : http://www.GRWineFestival.com
Société : Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival
Adresse :  - Grand Rapids
Pays : UNITED STATES
Téléphone : +1 269-330-4228
 

 


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