ART FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Festival of Arts plans ‘food fight’

The Festival of Arts and Laguna Culinary Arts will present two Food Fight -- Culinary Competitions and Demonstrations on the festival grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Saturday at noon.

Similar to the top-rated show “Iron Chef America” on the Food Channel, the Festival will have two individual cooking stations set up in the center of their grounds.

These stations will include a vast array of food and spices, as well as a complete line of cooking equipment.

Guest chefs Matthew Sisson, chef de Cuisine of The Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel, and Lewis Butler, executive chef of The Surf & Sand Resort and Spa of Laguna Beach, will be given a food challenge with the task of incorporating a “surprise” ingredient that must be used in each dish.

Food Fight will be hosted by chef Laurent Brazier of Laguna Culinary Arts.

Event judges include celebrity chef Marcel Vigneron, fan favorite and runner-up on season two of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef”. He currently holds the title of master chef at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in Las Vegas.

Marcel will be joined by Zov Karamardian of Zov’s Bistro, Bakery and Café and Mark Jacobi of Sundried Tomato Café. Judges will evaluate each team’s final dishes and choose the winning chef.

Food Fight is free with Festival of Arts general admission. Festival admission prices are $7 for general admission, and $4 for seniors and students.

Children 12 and under are free, as are Laguna Beach residents. All general admission tickets to The Festival of Arts -- California’s Premier Fine Art Exhibition are season passes.

For more information, call (949) 494-1145 or visit www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org.

Sawdust readies its annual auction

The Sawdust’s Benevolence Fund Art Auction will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 5.

Hundreds of pieces will be up for bid at the live auction at the Sawdust Art Festival grounds, 935 Laguna Canyon Road.

Proceeds go to the Sawdust’s Artists’ Benevolence Fund, which helps all Laguna Beach artists in times of need.

Laguna Beach residents are admitted to the auction for free with Laguna Beach ID at the ticket window.

The Sawdust Art Festival features 200 Laguna Beach artists and craftspeople exhibiting, selling and demonstrating their work.

Highlights include art activities for children and adults, live music on three stages, three cafés and the Sawdust Saloon, all set on three acres in Laguna Canyon.

The festival is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day through Sept. 2. For more information, visit www.sawdustartfestival.orgor call (949) 494-3030.

Jazzy weekend at Art-A-Fair

The Art-A-Fair, 777 Laguna Canyon Road, features live music every weekend on its Piazza Venezia stage at the front of the grounds.

Lagunans with I.D. are admitted free every day of the week. Every Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m., DJ Inniss will spin Latin grooves while impromptu salsa dancing happens. In conjunction, Tivoli Too will offer margaritas in the Gazebo.

Swingsensation will perform Dixieland jazz from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, followed by Heart & Soul’s Motown sounds from 6 to 10 p.m.

Jazz Attack will perform from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, followed by Rideshare’s smooth jazz from 4 to 7 p.m.

Free art workshops are also taught by artists every day between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Art-A-Fair is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information, visit www.art-a-fair.comor call (949) 494-4514.