East Coast Food and Wine Festival, June 27 & 28

This just in from our friends at Slow Food Central New Jersey:

Tickets are now on sale on-line for the East Coast Food & Wine Festival, held June 27 & 28 at Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington, New Jersey. For the month of May, tickets on our website – www.slowfoodandwinefestival.com are just $30 for a one day pass, $50 for a two day pass. In June, these prices go up to $35 and $55. There are no added fees and you can print your tickets right at home. Pricing at the door the day of the event is $40 for a one day pass and $60 for a two day pass.

Tickets provide entry into the festival, into the multiple cooking demos and seminars, wine tasting, winery tours, parking, an engraved wine glass and more. A portion of the ticket price also goes to support Share Our Strength which works to eradicate childhood hunger. Food is available at a nominal fee.

The East Coast Food & Wine Festival features the best restaurants and the most celebrated professional wineries of the area. Attendees can sample dishes prepared with the season’s locally grown vegetables, fruits, seafood, chicken, meats and more dished up by some of the most exciting chefs in the State. Participating restaurants include Brother’s Moon, Hopewell; Catherine Lombardi, New Brunswick; High Street Grill, Mt Holly; Nomad Pizza, Hopewell; Stage Left, New Brunswick; Tre Piani, Princeton and more.

In addition, professional wineries from the State will be offering samples of hundreds of wines grown and produced nearby.

A popular feature of the Slow Food and Wine Festival is the Farmer’s Market, where attendees can purchase locally made cheeses, salami, organic produce, breads, honey, meats, seafood, gelato, flowers and much more -– all grown and/or produced in the Garden State -- to enjoy at the festival or to take home with them.

This year’s event includes nationally known chefs and wine experts including Michael Colameco, host of Colameco’s Food Show on PBS and Food Talk on WOR radio, author of the soon-to-be-released Food Lovers Guide to New York City; and teacher of Cooking 101 at the International Culinary Center in New York City. Michael will be speaking on Saturday as well as serving as Master of Ceremonies for the Cooking Demo & Seminar Tent that day.

Also on Saturday, Maureen Petrosky, wine expert on NBC’s TODAY Show, wine writer for New Jersey Life and author of the Wine Club will be speaking in the Wine Seminar tent. Attendees can also purchase her book at the event and have it signed.

On Sunday, George Taber, author of Judgment of Paris, will be on hand to discuss his book. George, who was a Paris-based reporter for Time magazine, was the only reporter present in 1976 at the blind wine tasting that set the wine world on its heels. In this Paris-based tasting, California wines beat the French wines, putting California wines on the map and changing the wine world forever. His book is now being made into a movie. Copies of his book will also be available at the festival.

Cooking demos will also be offered on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Kerry Dunnington, author of This Book Cooks, will be hosting a cooking demo as well as making copies of her book available for purchase. Additional speakers and chefs will be announced in the near future.

More information on this fun and informative weekend can be found at www.slowfoodandwinefestival.com. Here you can find information on lodging – including advance pricing, tickets, participating wineries and restaurants, seminar schedules and more.