2009 HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

September 12th & 13th, 2009

Dutchess County Fairgrounds - Rhinebeck, NY

Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest is a celebration of wine, food, music and fun all set within the beauty of the Hudson Valley. The Fest offers the opportunity to sample hundreds of wines from all over New York and the World, taste culinary delicacies from the Valley's best restaurants and caterers, learn the secrets of celebrity chefs and wine experts, as well as shop for gourmet specialty foods, fine crafts and listen to live music.

During the Fest weekend you can sample special dishes in the Gourmet Food Showcase and take part in lots of free cooking demonstrations and wine seminars. You can also enjoy live music and other special performances while relaxing in our Music Tent.

Wine Education Seminars
Educate your mind, nose and palate at the free wine education seminars that take place throughout the Wine & Food Fest weekend. Join regionally and nationally recognized wine authorities for free wine education. You'll learn about choosing, serving, tasting and storing wine as well as other fun wine facts.

Michael Green
Michael Green is Gourmet's wine & spirits consultant and has worked in the wine and spirits trade in the capacities of educator, marketer, importer, writer, consultant, and retailer for more than 20 years. He is a frequent guest on the Food Network and has made numerous appearances on CNN, CBS Marketwatch, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, Clear Channel and the Fine Living Channel.

Michael is the wine editor for Trump Magazine and sprig.com—a partnership of Newsweek and Washington Post interactive. He has been profiled in many national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fortune, and Business Week. His company, the Liquid Assets Consulting Group, uses wine and food as a tool to create strategic initiatives and marketing solutions for a wide range of Fortune 500 and luxury goods clients. Michael is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, the New York Association of Cooking Teachers, and is on the Boards of Share Our Strength and the American Institute of Wine and Food. He is a proud graduate of New York's High School of Performing Arts and is a Phi Beta Kappa Graduate of the University of Virginia. Michael is a passionate and enthusiastic advocate for the wine and spirits industry and presents at conferences, wine and food festivals, and charity auctions around the world. He is also the creator and co-writer of Wine Lovers, the world's first interactive wine tasting musical, which will begin a national tour in 2009. He contributed wine notes to Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, which was nominated for a James Beard award.

Schedule
All Wine Tasting Seminars will be held in Building D

Saturday
12:00PM-12:45PM - Michael Green, Seminar TBD3:30PM-4:15PM - Michael Green, East Meets West

Sunday
3:00PM-3:45PM - Guest Speaker, Wine Seminar

Cooking Demonstrations
Learn the cooking secrets of your favorite regional chefs. Attend one or all of the fabulous free cooking demonstrations throughout the Fest weekend. Our guest chefs own some of the Hudson Valley's finest restaurants, have cooking shows on the Food Network, PBS and have published cookbooks.

Chef Vincent Tropepe
Chef Vincent Tropepe is a renowned chef from Brooklyn, New York. He studied Culinary and Pastry Arts and Restaurant Management at the Art Institute of New York . Upon graduating from his class, Chef Tropepe was hired as a line cook at a popular Bensonhurts Brooklyn restaurant. It was here that Chef Tropepe proved himself with his understanding of fine food, food trends and the restaurant industry. He exceeded all expectations of the owner and quickly rose to the top as an executive chef at the young age of 20 years old.

Chef Tropepe has served as a personal chef for Michael Bolton and a business chef for such names as former first lady Hilary Clinton, former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, baseball legend Phil Rizzutto and hip hop producer P. Diddy and more.

Jennifer Day

As Gourmet's chef de cuisine, Jennifer Day has spent the past eight years working side- by-side with Gourmet executive chef Sara Moulton. In this role, Jennifer plans menus for Gourmet Private Dining Room events, lunches, and dinners; sources ingredients; finds new purveyors; manages the kitchen staff; and assists in cooking classes for clients. Additionally, she is responsible for much of the testing, development, and adaptation of recipes and programming for special advertising sections and Gourmet signature events, such as The Gourmet Institute. She also tests recipes for epicurious.com. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, in Sydney, Australia, Jennifer is also the proud owner of Zest Caterers.

Schedule
All Cooking Demonstrations will be held in Building DCooking stage provided by Carl Scheidel Co. & Viking

Saturday
1:00PM-1:45PM - Chef Vincent Tropepe, Pan Seared Halibut with Mashed Potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus and pineapple salsa Stuffed figs with gorgonzola dolce with prosciutto de parma2:00PM-2:45PM - Jennifer Day, Cooking Demonstration with Kashi4:30PM-5:15PM - Jennifer Day, Cooking Demonstration with Spice Islands

Sunday
12:00PM-12:45PM - Chef Vincent Tropepe, Puff Pastry Gallette with Fried Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Pesto Pasta with White Clam Sauce,Pita stuffed eggplant salad with sesame garlic fried rice1:30PM-2:15PM - Jennifer Day, Cooking Demonstration TBD