Wine, food, and fun flowed during the 2018 Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival presented by Serendipity. It was a beautiful blue sky, last day of summer, on Saturday, September 22, 2018 and Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut was buzzing with energy and excitement over the eighth year of the Greenwich WINE + Food Festival, and Luxury Experience was there to help celebrate!
Grab a glass and enjoy Greenwich WINE+ FOOD Festival 2018
Every year,the Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival brings together a plethora of wines, spirits, and beer, great food from area restaurants, and top talent from the culinary world to create a memorable day of festivities.
Choice of wines abound
For oenophiles, there was sparkling wine – cava, champagne, and prosecco, as well as white and red wines plentiful enough to tempt Bacchus. Spirits aficionados had the opportunity to taste a wide variety of bourbons, gins, rums, scotches, tequilas, vodkas, whiskeys, and many more. Beer lovers had their choice of Cidre and beer offerings from Stella Artois, as well as from Budweiser, Pacifico, and many more.
Spirits break at Woodford Reserve booth
For foodies, there were tastings as well as engaging, entertaining, and interesting programs and book signings by top culinary talent including: Adam Richman, Alex Guarnaschelli, Bill Taibe, Christian Petroni, Daniel Boulud, Dina Cheney, Jes Bengtson, Kara Newman, Kevin des Chenes, Lindsay Perkins, Scott Conant, and Serena Wolf.
Draw a cold glass of Stella Artois
Luxury Experience brings you some of the highlights from the 2018 Greenwich WINE + Food Festival.
On the Kitchen Stages presented by Aitoro – Chef Demos
As always, the Cooking Demos on the Kitchen Stages presented by Aitoro were a big draw as guests had the opportunity to get upclose to their favorite celebrity chefs and watch them in action including: Jes Bengtson, Serena Wolf, Adam Richman, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Bill Taibe.
A few of the Chef Demo Highlights:
Adam Richman – Garlic Shrimp and Honeydew Siracha Salsa Tacos
Adam Richman
Always irreverent, and downright funny, Adam Richman, whom many in the audience knew from his former television show, Man vs. Food, created Garlic Shrimp and Honeydew Siracha Salsa Tacos.
Watch the video – Adam Richman at Greenwich Wine + Food Festival 2018 – https://youtu.be/PnhCLSPyDy4
Read more in the Gastronomy section – Adam Richman at the 2018 Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival for his recipe for Garlic Shrimp and Honeydew Siracha Salsa Tacos .
Jes Bengtson – Falafel, Rice, and Vegetables with Tahini Dressing
Jes Bengtson
With 5 restaurants including Terrain’s Garden Café in Westport, Connecticut, (also restaurants in Devon and Glen Mills, PA,and Palo Alto and Walnut Creek, CA), Jes Bengtson is a proponent of utilizing farmers’ markets. Use what you can find seasonally. Her recipe included colorful autumn harvest vegetables -Brussels sprouts, yellow and purple cauliflower, kale, purple cabbage, sweet potatoes.
Chef Tip for Falafel: Add kale (or spinach or parsley or whatever you have) to the falafel.
Chef Tip for Using Kale: Soften kale a bit before using it. Put a little olive oil and salt on the raw kale and massage it in to soften it, bring out the nutrients, and make it easier to digest.
Tahini Dressing: Tahini, garlic, salt, siracha, lemon, some maple syrup (for the fall season), and water, rather than oil, to thin it down a bit.
Plating: Place rice in center of plate, add falafel ball, top with roasted vegetables, and drizzle with the Tahini Dressing.
Watch the video of Chef Jen Bengtson at Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival 2018 – https://youtu.be/M8na46fMxFU
Alex Guarnaschelli – Clams in a Puttanesca Sauce
Alex Guarnaschelli and Daniel Boulud
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, owner of Butter Restaurant in New York City, whom many attendees knew from her appearances on the television show, Chopped, engaged the audience and invited questions during her cooking demo for Clams in a Puttanesca Sauce. Attendees were delighted when Chef Daniel Boulud came by during the presentation to surprise Alex, as she had once worked for him.
Q& A: Do you add or not add sugar to tomato sauce? Alex adds sugar.
Q& A: How long do you cook pasta? Does it have to be cooked al dente? Chef replied, there are no pasta police, you are not going to be Chopped (her television show). She likes to cook pasta just a little undercooked and then finish it in the pasta sauce, however cook it to the texture you like. Pasta is super simple, don’t stress about it.
Q& A: Do you add olive oil to the boiling water for pasta? Do not add olive oil to the boiling pasta, add flake or sea salt to the water and stir the pasta works well to keep pasta from sticking, and at 125 calories for 1 tablespoon of olive oil, use the olive oil in the sauce, not the water.
Q& A: What is her favorite meal for a crowd? Large format food like Eggplant Parm or Lasagna, which allows her to spend more time with her guests and having fun, than spending the time in the kitchen when her guests are there.
Read more in the Gastronomy section – Alex Guarnaschelli at the 2018 Greenwich WINE + Food Festival, Greenwich, CT, USA for her recipe for Clams in a Puttanesca Sauce.
NuKitchens Celebrity Book Signings
Alex Guarnaschelli
The Home Cook, recipes to know by heart
Alex Guarnaschelli – The Home Cook, recipes to know by heart
Daniel Boulud
Daniel Boulud – Daniel, My French Cuisine
Dina Cheney and Kevin des Chenes
Dina Cheney – The New Milks, 100-Plus Dairy-Free Recipes for Making and Cooking with Soy, Nut, Seed, Grain and Coconut Milks
Kevin des Chenes – Beyond My Chef Coat, Cuisine & Cocktails with Chef Kev D
Serena Wolf – The Dude Diet
Serena Wolf – The Dude Diet
Celebrity Green Room presented by Ethan Allen:
Scott Conant
Watch the video of Chef Scott Conantat Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival 2018 – https://youtu.be/V9UVZutphgQ
Lindsay Perkins, Kevin des Chenes, and Samantha Benjamin
Lindsay Perkins, Kevin des Chenes, and Samantha Benjamin
Wine, Beer, Spirits, and Beverages
Guests were ableto keep well hydrated with tastings from a vast selection of waters, teas,sodas, wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails, and there was something to appeal toall palates.
Food Tasting Highlights
In addition to the free-flowing wine and spirits, there was food!
Tomatillo Taco Joint
CAVA – Mini Pitas with Braised Lamb, Cucumbers, Cabbage Slaw, with Roasted Red Pepper and Chickpea Dressing, Little Pub – Orange Ginger BBQ Pulled Pork, Saltbar, M & M Steaks Connecticut, Bobby V’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, Kow Cattle Company, The Ginger Man: Chicken Apple Sausage Crostini, Tomatillo Taco Joint: tacos, M&M Steaks Connecticut, Nonno’s Trattoria: Fig Crostini Topped with Ricotta Cheese and Prosciutto and gorgeous breads, The Lodge at Woodloch, Geronimo Tequila Bar & Southwest Grill, The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood, and Citarella – Joe’s Ceviche (recipe is inJoe Gurrera’s cookbook, Joe Knows Fish – Taking The Intimidation Out of Cooking Seafood by Joe Gurrera),to name but a few.
Citraella Little Pub
Saltbar M&M Steaks Connecticut
Dessert Tasting Highlights
A few of the many dessert samplings included: artistically decorated cakes from By The Way Bakery, from Empire City Casino: Cheesecake Shooters Flavored with Passion Fruit, Brownie Sandwich with Fudge, Pretzels, Oreo and Peanut Butter Cups, and Tropical Curry Cones with Coconut Cream, and from The Cakery: Mini-Cupcakes.
Empire City Casino Cheesecake
By The Way Bakery
Fun and Games, and Music, Too
Lawn games and just-for-fun gambling provided by Empire City Casino kept the fun going all day leading up to the culmination of the evening, music by Caroline Jones, Karen Zimmer, DJ Apri lLarken, The CCB Reggae All-Stars, and the grand finale, the Tim McGraw concert!
The Cakery
As the saying goes, "A good time was had by all." Until next year!
The 2018 GREENWICH WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL was another amazing year celebrating wine, food,music, friends and fun to benefit local charities, and we look forward toattending the 2019 GREENWICH WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL.
ABOUT THE 2018 GREENWICH WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL
"Greenwich Wine + Food Festival, located at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, CT, is a multi-day event celebrating this area’s rich culinary landscape and showcasing innovation in the food and beverage industries. Year-to-year, it will benefit multiple charitable organizations, including Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Greenwich Parks & Recreation Fund, and more."
Debra C. Argen and Scott Conant
For information on attending the Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival 2019 presented by Serendipity, please visit the website: www.SerendipitySocial.com/greenwich-wine-food/
Read more about the Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival in the Gastronomy section:
Read – Adam Richman at the 2018 Greenwich WINE + FOOD Festival
Read – Alex Guarnaschelli at the 2018 GreenwichWINE + Food Festival
Greenwich WINE+ FOOD Festival
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
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© October 2018. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
