Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Michelin Starred, James Beard Award Winning Chef Daniel Boulud Joins Lineup at This Year's Greenwich Wine + Food Festival

The Greenwich Wine + Food Festival presented by PepsiCo will welcome Daniel Boulud to this year’s festival, as well as returning chefs Adam Richman and Mary Giuliani, who will join previously announced chefs Scott Conant and Alex Guarnaschelli. The 2018 event takes place September 21-22 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich.


Boulud is a worldwide culinary icon, known best for his Michelin-starred restaurant, DANIEL in New York, as well as 19 renowned eateries across the globe, from Miami to Singapore. The French chef and restaurateur, a six-time recipient of the “Best Chefs in America” accolade from the James Beard Foundation, will be honored and dine with guests on Saturday night at the Platinum VIP On-Stage & Lawn Dinner, a separate ticketed event. He will also meet and greet festival-goers during a book signing on Saturday. 

“It is an honor to welcome Chef Boulud to our event for the first time this year,” said Suni Unger, founder and CEO of Unger Media, the parent company behind Greenwich Wine + Food and Serendipity. “With his restaurant DANIEL marking 25 fantastic years, we are happy to be able to join in the celebration. In addition, Chef Boulud reflects the charitable focus of the Festival through his work with various causes, including Ment’or, which is inspiring the next generation of culinary talent.”

The lineup of celebrity chefs continues to grow. Festival favorite Adam Richman, beloved for his Travel Channel series “Man v. Food,” will return to lead a culinary demonstration, mingle with guests at a book signing and host the ever-popular Burger Battle. He’ll be joined by celebrity caterer and author Mary Giuliani, executive chef and author Kevin Des Chenes, and celebrated chef and educator Lindsay Perkins.

“We are thrilled to announce this strong lineup of award-winning chefs. Their passion for their craft shows in everything they do at the festival, from culinary demonstrations to interacting with foodie guests,” added Unger. 

The 2018 Most Innovative Chefs, who will be announced in the coming weeks, and the Festival Ambassador Chefs, who have lent not only their culinary talent but also their enthusiasm for food to the Festival over the years, will provide their gourmet cuisine at the Opening Night Master Chef Wine Dinner, which will honor Alex Guarnaschelli for her innovation and substantial contributions to the culinary world, and welcome Scott Conant and Richman as special guests. Ambassador Chefs will also prepare an exceptional dinner for VIP ticket holders on Saturday.

This year’s Ambassador Chefs include:
  • Mogan Anthony (Village Social) (Friday)
  • Jes Bengtson (Terrain Cafe) (Saturday)
  • Carlos Baez (The Spread / El Segundo) (Saturday)
  • Arturo Franco Camacho (Shell & Bones Oyster Bar / Geronimo Tequila Bar & Southwest Grill) (Saturday)
  • Rui Correia (Douro) (Friday)
  • Stavros Karipides (Famous Greek Kitchen) (Saturday)
  • Geoff Lazlo (Geoff Lazlo Catering) (Saturday)
  • Stephen Lewandowski (Harlan Social / Harlan Publick) (Saturday)
  • Lisa & Steve Maronian (Sweet Lisa's Exquisite Cakes) (Friday)
  • Nick Martschenko (South End / South End Uncorked) (Friday)
  • Mike Pietrafeso (Ada's Kitchen & Coffee / Roost) (Saturday)
  • Debra Ponzek (Aux Delices) (Friday)
  • Brian Reilly (Mecha Noodle Bar) (Saturday)
  • Robin Selden (Marcia Selden Catering) (Friday)
  • Brad Spence (Amis Trattoria) (Saturday)
  • Matt Storch (Match / Match Burger Lobster / nom-eez) (Friday)
  • Bill Taibe (The Whelk / Kawa Ni / Jesup Hall) (Saturday)
  • Luke Venner (Elm) (Friday)
  • Ian Vest (Back 40 Kitchen / Mill Street Bar and Table) (Friday)

Tickets for the Festival All Weekend Pass ($625/ticket) are available today via www.greenwichwineandfood.com or by calling 203.588.1363 (additional tickets including Opening Night Master Chef Wine Dinner, Saturday All Day Pass-General & VIP will be available in the coming weeks). The festival weekend will be held rain or shine, and anyone under 21, including infants or strollers, will not be admitted. Animals are also not permitted.

ABOUT GREENWICH WINE + FOOD
Greenwich Wine + Food celebrates community, charity, food, beverage and more in the Connecticut and New York area with multiple events throughout the year, including theGreenwich Wine + Food Festival presented by PepsiCo, the Serendipity Golf Classic presented by Pure Leaf Iced Tea, and the Serendipity Fun Run presented by Aquafina. The 2018 beneficiaries include the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Town of Greenwich Parks & Recreation Foundation and Ment’or. Greenwich Wine + Food is a part of Unger Media. For more information, visit www.greenwichwineandfood.com.

ABOUT THE GREENWICH 2018 WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL
The Greenwich 2018 Wine + Food Festival presented by PepsiCo is a multi-day event celebrating the area’s rich culinary landscape and showcasing innovation in the food and beverage industries. It will benefit multiple charitable organizations including the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the Town of Greenwich Parks & Recreation Foundation and Ment’or. Sponsors to date include 90+ Cellars, Alfa Romeo, Budweiser, Coldwell Banker, Don Julio, Empire City Casino, Filippo Berio, Hospital For Special Surgery, Hotel Zero Degrees, Ketel One, Kim Crawford, Lifewtr, Meiomi, NuKitchens, Pepsi Zero, PepsiCo, Pure Leaf Iced Tea, Rudy’s Limousine Service, Ruffino, Serendipity, Stamford Marriott, Stella Artois, Unger Media, Westy Self Storage and Whole Foods.*  For more information, visit www.greenwichwineandfood.com.

Press Contact:
Shelley Kapitulik
Splash PR for Greenwich Wine + Food

203.898.1501

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Easy and Healthy Pasta Salad with Shrimp

This is one of my favorite recipes for feeding a crowd. It's light and healthy, but totally filling and crowd-pleasing. The only time consuming element is all the chopping...but once that's done, you pretty much just toss it all in the pan and let the flavors combine! It's an astonishingly forgiving recipe; you really don't have to measure anything...just eyeball it or adjust based on your personal preferences.

Cavatappi with Shrimp, Veggies, and Bacon 


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb Cavatappi
  • 1/4 lb shrimp, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cup baby peas
  • 1/8 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes 3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 TBS capers, rinsed and minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, diced
  • Freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil to taste
  • Approx. 1/4 cup olive oil 
  1. Boil water for your pasta, which you'll add at the end.
  2. Pour some of the olive oil into a medium saucepan and heat until shimmering over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the chopped onion and saute till slightly transparent, then turn up the heat and let the edges get a little brown.
  4. Add the peas, give them a stir.
  5. Now is a good time to add your seasonings; just keep sprinkling and tasting till it tastes right to you! I usually use half a teaspoon pepper flakes, a teaspoon each of oregano and basil, and several generous turns of the pepper grinder.
  6. Now throw in the artichoke hearts, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon. Stir it all together, add some more oil if needed (remember, you'll be adding pasta so it will "use up" a lot of the oil as it gets coated).
  7. Make sure the heat isn't too high; you don't want the bottom to burn. If it starts to stick or look like it might burn, just splash some white wine in the pan to deglaze it (and then pour yourself a glass!)
  8. Now you can cook your pasta; I let it boil for 7 minutes, cook longer if you don't like it al dente.
  9. Lastly, add the bacon, shrimp, fresh cherry tomatoes, and garlic. These don't need to cook much, so by the time the pasta is done they'll be fine.
  10. Drain the pasta, add it to the pan, and stir it all around! Drizzle a little more olive oil if needed (if you're feeling indulgent, white truffle oil REALLY pops the flavors). 
 You're done! It'll serve at least 4 people, especially with a salad and bread. Enjoy in good health and good company.