Unprecedented Epicurean Extravaganza “Los Angeles Times And Food & Wine’s THE TASTE” Set To Take Over Los Angeles September 2-5, 2011
<i> City-wide Event Brings Together the World’s Leading Culinary Talent and the Dynamic Dining Scene of Southern California Including Giada De Laurentiis, Scott Conant, Art Smith, Ludo Lefebvre, Michael Voltaggio, Claire Robinson, Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos</i>
LOS ANGELES — The inaugural Los Angeles Times and Food & Wine's THE TASTE is set to bring together last year's most successful Southern California gastronomic events and the creators behind them. "Food & Wine presents: Taste of Beverly Hills" and "Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food & Wine" hosted thousands of discerning foodies, who will now be able to enjoy this extraordinary four-day celebration of all things epicurean.
The Times is joining with Taste of Beverly Hills' producers, Best Events, to create an unparalleled experience that will span up to nine signature events across Los Angeles, from Beverly Hills to Hollywood to Downtown. THE TASTE will feature the nation's foremost culinary talent, a carefully curated list of L.A.'s best restaurants, and notable personalities, all converging for a festival expected to attract more than 20,000 guests throughout the course of Labor Day weekend, September 2-5, 2011. The four-day schedule will ensure an exciting and inspiring lineup of star-studded events from day until late into the evening.
"L.A. is primed for a food and wine event of this caliber--one that highlights the breadth of experiences available here, and rivals those in New York, South Beach, and Aspen," said Anna Magzanyan, The Times Vice President, Advertiser Marketing and Events. "Combining The Times unmatched ability to bring all corners of Southern California together with this town's passion for flavorful discovery is going to make THE TASTE an annual, must-not-miss."
The city will come alive as THE TASTE delivers a range of explosive culinary events, including restaurant tastings, cooking demonstrations, Grand Tastings, wine seminars and mixology performances, all highlighting the world's most renowned celebrity chefs and personalities. Celebrity guests and top music artists will also be on hand along with appearances by Giada De Laurentiis, Scott Conant, Art Smith, Ludo Lefebvre, Michael Voltaggio, Claire Robinson, Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos.
"Burgers & Beer" and "Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar" will be held in Beverly Hills and kick off the weekend's signature events. And two still top-secret bashes will close down one of the most iconic and famed streets in the world, Rodeo Drive. The festivities will continue in legendary Hollywood with signature activations that will include "The Art of Mixing" and "Taco Tequila Tryst": guests rendezvous with the finest master mixologists, winemakers, sommeliers and distillers, paired with show-stopping cocktail performances and top DJs. Centered in Downtown on Sunday night, historic Broadway will be transformed for an unforgettable evening of food and film with "Food Noir." And culminating on Labor Day itself, one of the most celebrated stars in the culinary world, Giada De Laurentiis, will host the biggest and most anticipated picnic and BBQ of the year in Beverly Hills, "Picnic in the Hills." A host of fun and creative, kid-focused events will also take place throughout the afternoon.
On hand to ensure the finest variety of wine and spirits will be offered is exclusive provider Southern Wine & Spirits of California. Vice President of Corporate Communications and National Events for Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Lee Brian Schrager, will serve as a special advisor to THE TASTE, bringing his expertise as the founder and director of the enormously successful Food Network South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals to the endeavor. In addition, Food & Wine — with its long history of celebrating the work of both established and emerging chefs — will serve as title sponsor.
"Los Angeles has a thriving culinary culture and it's exciting to see that celebrated on a scale that has never been done before in the city," says Schrager. "Southern Wine & Spirits is proud to be a part of the Festival's growth and to help raise funds for great beneficiaries."
In addition to title sponsor Food & Wine, sponsors include Southern Wine & Spirits of California, Infiniti, Belvedere, and Peroni. Tickets will go on sale to the general public just after Memorial Day weekend on June 1, 2011.
A portion of the ticket sales will benefit Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona, Share Our Strength, Los Angeles Times Family Fund's Summer Camp Campaign, Beverly Hills Education Fund, and Los Angeles Conservancy.
For more information, including programming and event updates and tickets, please visit www.latimes.com/THETASTE and follow us at Facebook.com/LATimesEvents and Twitter: @LATimesEvents.
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About Best Events:
Best Events is a full-service event production company created by Jeffrey Best to design, produce and create unique event environments that are at the intersection of commerce and art. For over 20 years, Best Events has been known to produce some of the most high profile events in the entertainment, corporate and fashion arenas.
About the Los Angeles Times Media Group:
The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates include the Los Angeles Times (https://latimes.com), The Envelope (https://theenvelope.com), Times Community Newspapers (https://www.latimes.com/about/mediagroup/portfolio/#timescommunitynews), Brand X (https://thisisbrandx.com), LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine (https://latimesmagazine.com) and Hoy Los Angeles (https://vivelohoy.com) and reaches approximately 5.2 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News as well as Tribune Direct's west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting.
The flagship Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a readership of 1.9 million Monday through Saturday and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 8 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.5 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 129 years. Additional information is available at https://latimes.com/aboutus.
About Food & Wine:
FOOD & WINE is the modern, stylish, trend-spotting, talent-seeking epicurean brand. Created by American Express Publishing, the luxury-lifestyle authority, FOOD & WINE includes a monthly magazine with a circulation of 925,000, a books division and the website foodandwine.com, with updates on Twitter (@fandw) and Facebook.
Contacts:
Vanessa Kanegai| WAGSTAFF WORLDWIDE| 323.871.1151 | vanessa@wagstaffworldwide.com
Kelsey Beniasch| WAGSTAFF WORLDWIDE| 323.871.1151 | kelsey@wagstaffworldwide.com
Nancy Sullivan| Los Angeles Times | 213.237.6160 |nancy.sullivan@latimes.com
Cathy Williams| Los Angeles Times | 213.237.5058 |cathy.williams@latimes.com
The Times is joining with Taste of Beverly Hills' producers, Best Events, to create an unparalleled experience that will span up to nine signature events across Los Angeles, from Beverly Hills to Hollywood to Downtown. THE TASTE will feature the nation's foremost culinary talent, a carefully curated list of L.A.'s best restaurants, and notable personalities, all converging for a festival expected to attract more than 20,000 guests throughout the course of Labor Day weekend, September 2-5, 2011. The four-day schedule will ensure an exciting and inspiring lineup of star-studded events from day until late into the evening.
"L.A. is primed for a food and wine event of this caliber--one that highlights the breadth of experiences available here, and rivals those in New York, South Beach, and Aspen," said Anna Magzanyan, The Times Vice President, Advertiser Marketing and Events. "Combining The Times unmatched ability to bring all corners of Southern California together with this town's passion for flavorful discovery is going to make THE TASTE an annual, must-not-miss."
The city will come alive as THE TASTE delivers a range of explosive culinary events, including restaurant tastings, cooking demonstrations, Grand Tastings, wine seminars and mixology performances, all highlighting the world's most renowned celebrity chefs and personalities. Celebrity guests and top music artists will also be on hand along with appearances by Giada De Laurentiis, Scott Conant, Art Smith, Ludo Lefebvre, Michael Voltaggio, Claire Robinson, Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos.
"Burgers & Beer" and "Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar" will be held in Beverly Hills and kick off the weekend's signature events. And two still top-secret bashes will close down one of the most iconic and famed streets in the world, Rodeo Drive. The festivities will continue in legendary Hollywood with signature activations that will include "The Art of Mixing" and "Taco Tequila Tryst": guests rendezvous with the finest master mixologists, winemakers, sommeliers and distillers, paired with show-stopping cocktail performances and top DJs. Centered in Downtown on Sunday night, historic Broadway will be transformed for an unforgettable evening of food and film with "Food Noir." And culminating on Labor Day itself, one of the most celebrated stars in the culinary world, Giada De Laurentiis, will host the biggest and most anticipated picnic and BBQ of the year in Beverly Hills, "Picnic in the Hills." A host of fun and creative, kid-focused events will also take place throughout the afternoon.
On hand to ensure the finest variety of wine and spirits will be offered is exclusive provider Southern Wine & Spirits of California. Vice President of Corporate Communications and National Events for Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Lee Brian Schrager, will serve as a special advisor to THE TASTE, bringing his expertise as the founder and director of the enormously successful Food Network South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals to the endeavor. In addition, Food & Wine — with its long history of celebrating the work of both established and emerging chefs — will serve as title sponsor.
"Los Angeles has a thriving culinary culture and it's exciting to see that celebrated on a scale that has never been done before in the city," says Schrager. "Southern Wine & Spirits is proud to be a part of the Festival's growth and to help raise funds for great beneficiaries."
In addition to title sponsor Food & Wine, sponsors include Southern Wine & Spirits of California, Infiniti, Belvedere, and Peroni. Tickets will go on sale to the general public just after Memorial Day weekend on June 1, 2011.
A portion of the ticket sales will benefit Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona, Share Our Strength, Los Angeles Times Family Fund's Summer Camp Campaign, Beverly Hills Education Fund, and Los Angeles Conservancy.
For more information, including programming and event updates and tickets, please visit www.latimes.com/THETASTE and follow us at Facebook.com/LATimesEvents and Twitter: @LATimesEvents.
About Best Events:
Best Events is a full-service event production company created by Jeffrey Best to design, produce and create unique event environments that are at the intersection of commerce and art. For over 20 years, Best Events has been known to produce some of the most high profile events in the entertainment, corporate and fashion arenas.
About the Los Angeles Times Media Group:
The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates include the Los Angeles Times (https://latimes.com), The Envelope (https://theenvelope.com), Times Community Newspapers (https://www.latimes.com/about/mediagroup/portfolio/#timescommunitynews), Brand X (https://thisisbrandx.com), LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine (https://latimesmagazine.com) and Hoy Los Angeles (https://vivelohoy.com) and reaches approximately 5.2 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News as well as Tribune Direct's west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting.
The flagship Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a readership of 1.9 million Monday through Saturday and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 8 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.5 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 129 years. Additional information is available at https://latimes.com/aboutus.
About Food & Wine:
FOOD & WINE is the modern, stylish, trend-spotting, talent-seeking epicurean brand. Created by American Express Publishing, the luxury-lifestyle authority, FOOD & WINE includes a monthly magazine with a circulation of 925,000, a books division and the website foodandwine.com, with updates on Twitter (@fandw) and Facebook.
Contacts:
Vanessa Kanegai| WAGSTAFF WORLDWIDE| 323.871.1151 | vanessa@wagstaffworldwide.com
Kelsey Beniasch| WAGSTAFF WORLDWIDE| 323.871.1151 | kelsey@wagstaffworldwide.com
Nancy Sullivan| Los Angeles Times | 213.237.6160 |nancy.sullivan@latimes.com
Cathy Williams| Los Angeles Times | 213.237.5058 |cathy.williams@latimes.com