First Ever Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival
"More than 100 celebrity chefs are expected to take part in demos, seminars, lunches, dinners and after-hours events, with tastings from more than 300 wineries," notes the Daily Dish. Among those already attached to the new event who work in Los Angeles include Nancy Silverton, Masaharu Morimoto, Sang Yoon, David Myers, Rory Hermann, Walter Manzke, Sherry Yard, Josiah Citrin, Ludo Lefebvre, and Wolfgang Puck. Puck, who has spent the last 30 years hosting one of the most illustrious local food events, the American Wine and Food Festival, just announced he will not return to the AWFF this year.
How got started
Kind of long story, started with pebble beach, started in 2008 because for 21 years masters of food and wine went on at park hyatte cliffs of pacific. That hyatt, they turned into timeshare. Timeshare dfivision not luxury marketing aevents. Robert Weakly, best friends, running master of food and wine, as food bev. Director of hotel, looking to do business together. Turning into tyimeshare, look to take it over. Had lots of conversations, hyatt didn't sell it to us, moved it to argentina. Doing our research, aspen and south beach. Here we were in calfi. With all great growing region. 2008, 2007 is when started company.
Pebble Beach food and wine. 650 attendees to 4000 first beach of pebble, 7000 for weekend. 2500 more than aspen. Heels of success of pebble. Lots of people want this kind of thing. Celebrity chefs plating in front of you. A gazillion diff wine,s andyone who pays can get in. Celeb cehfs for cookbooks, not cooking for you. Opp to expand on pebble. Kind of looking how is it that LA hasn't
Totally but it was a single evening event.
Was what was going on down here but it was one night. They raised 15 million for charity, which was great. But we wanted to do soemthin
First person we wanted to talk to was wp. He was a big fan, and really supportive. Why don't you let us take on the charigbale committemnt. We'll financially commit to raising the same, work together to do something goof for wheels on meals and also showcase Los Angels. So much has happened here, kfarm to table movement. If you ask wolfaanga talk to the mayor, all these other cities are looked at as culinary cities, but what a great opp to do something food and win bring best chefs in la nad round the country filled with 70 events. 136 rockstar chefs.
Godfathers like joe dish chall. Woflang, boulud, thomas keller is on the advisory board,. Not cooking anything this year, but he's been involve.d. We're really excited because froma culinary standpoint we'r edoing something that's never been done before.
Distinct culintreus, range from guy fierti brewbque to snata monica pier. I heart caviar and champagne. Depending on what you're into .
Restaurants that are never open for lunch. Malisse or wp 24 and have cool guest chefs
Increase awareness for meals on wheels, create an event that mayors office and governors office have gotten behind, good thing for jobs, tourism, economic development.
Creating great fun weekend,.
Uniqauely LA uniqluy hollywaood and using the se great entertainment programs. For so long they've want ed to
But in a way that's done right, I think that wha tphapeens. It can get overdone. Oh my god you're a chef, you can , we make them cook. We got Giada cooking! It's just like, most of the time you see those celebrities, they ;re signing autographs.Wi th us they're actually going to be cooking.
To be a200 wineries then have a concernt on opening night. It's another way to add an element and no better la.
WOLFGANG Now gone from awff
SPREAD OUT DIFFICULTY
LA Live one of our big host facilities, JW mariott ritz, nokia plaza, wine seiminars at JW martiot
Big marquee events it ound't just be downtown, that's why we have the clambake with colincion ont ehbeach, at santa montica, tribute to Daniel boulud at the montage, restaurants fo rth elunches. No matter where you are in the city there's something going on.
WHAT KIDN OF SPACES
WHAT EVENTS MOST EXCITED ABOU?
HEADLINE Events
Pinnacle lexis linve in the plaza, major act every year for concernt series with eating and drinking very sngature. Red carpet premier, one of those things, wehere there's a ton of Hollywood, have a few nibbles and for the consumer to have that cleebreity spotting. Very uniquely los angles. Pelple you see on tv, enjohing what you cam for the food and wine, quite unqieu.
The decadence
Frosh love from the roots
Decadaence deseert avger ouhhour party
Heat, all chefs doing the spiciest food. We're going to turn that into a bigger event, Thai , maxian you name it. So you can see all those hot and spcity.
The clambake with tom colicchio. Not a lot fo events.
Brew Bque, it's a beer event the craft beer movement is so much a party of food and beverage. So many brewers out there. Let's create something really customaized and really special.
COFOUNDER WITH WHO
SPONSORS
AMEX publishing is an amazing partner, involved with travel and leaiure and departures, lexus gramd tastomg really kicked off larger idea ofhow to do the grand tasting high end
WHAT OTHER STARS TO EXPECT
Mary j blige, morimoto holding mike, Robert downye jr. Emilio, jack black, Agassi with mina, celebs came out to show support, a handful of them are going to show up, where we don't have confirmation yet. Randy Jackson, seacrest shoing up paula, come out and support someone like randy, supercool guy, we've got eric stone street, Ludacris, so many great covnersations, and the demand has been really great. Golden globes, communication. Never had
Celebs into food and wine and they have all their chef buddies, where they hang out in their back room,s theis is where they go to hide or be seen. Expecting a good showing, it's going to be ckind of flun to see who shows up
BECOMING LIKE BOWLS
Something about the LA Food scene that more people should know
I think if you're not in la it's just that it's here. I've been living in la, I'm a northern California guy, I've fallen in love to the point I want to move. Jesus christ, la has so any amazing spots now. Chefs have so much acces to fresh produce, historyically may have made some chefs lazy, now it's game time. It y u ftalk ato local chefs more intense than ever before. Not just about that overpriced Italian restaurant where you spend $45 people are going to places like Animal. What's great about LA is the quality of food in such a great cool him envionmnetn probably turmps any place I've ever been.
Oversaturation now, I think it goes back to the line, there's always room for the very best. Why are you doing something like that. How can you grow from no one to 7500 attendees overnight. And it's because of what we put out there. People love having their
People that are into food want to eat it. I don't want to see Daniel boulud, he's s handsome guy. I want to eat his food. As festivals and people in the food and wine industry, as much as I want to see so many chefs showincaing talent, it's still about the food.
The charitable thing is really important really be a positive impact, the exonomic development is really important, right now potiive 5 million dollars 4.9 local research
Hotel rooms that get booked and money they spend while they're in town, dine la 6.3. it's coign to be a really
Festival cofounder David Bernahl
For pre fest interviews, as we chatted about last night, is it possible to have a handful of questions you email for us to get answered? A few talent for consideration:
Wolfgang Puck – host of charity auction and sunday brunch at Hotel Bel Air.
Guy Fieri – host of Brew and Bque at SM pier
Chris Cosentino / Sang Yoon – duo or separately. They are doing Meat in the Middle lunch and Sang is also hosting Bubbles and Beats (he is a crazy champagne expert and personal collector) and doing the Tribute to Daniel Boulud Dinner
Daniel Boulud – honoree of tribute dinner
Sherry Yard – host of Decadence
Nancy Silverton – hosting a lunch at Mozza