Flavor! Napa Valley Announces Initial 2013 Festival Schedule and Chefs

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Jun 20, 2013, 05:06 ET

NAPA VALLEY, Calif., June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The third annual star-powered Flavor! Napa Valley wine and food festival will be held from November 20-24, 2013. This year, the five-day festival is adding new chefs, new sommeliers, new seminars and more hands-on workshops. It is a big year for Napa Valley wineries and a slew of milestone anniversaries will be celebrated with special events during the festival. As always, participating chefs must have a restaurant in the Napa Valley or be graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the beneficiary of the festival. Event tickets and ticket packages are set to go on sale in July, and will be available at flavornapavalley.com

The Chefs

Confirmed chefs joining the festivities this year for the first time include celebrated CIA alumni Todd English, a renowned chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur and television star; Roy Choi, who ignited the food truck craze in Los Angeles with his Kogi BBQ truck; as well as Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, whose latest New York restaurant Carbone is one of the hottest reservations in the city. Returning Napa Valley chefs include Michael Chiarello of Bottega Napa Valley and Coqueta San Francisco; Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood, the latest Napa Valley chef to be honored with a James Beard Award, and the recipient of 3 Michelin stars; Masaharu Morimoto of Morimoto Napa, Cindy Pawlcyn, who is celebrating 30 years of Mustards Grill; and Jeffrey Jake of Silverado Resort and Spa.

Celebrating Iconic Wineries

Several iconic wineries are participating in specially curated events in commemoration of milestone celebrations in 2013, including Cakebread Cellars (40^th anniversary); Chandon (40^th anniversary); Grgich Hills Estate (Mike Grgich's 90^th birthday); Joseph Phelps Vineyards (40^th anniversary); Louis M. Martini Winery (80^th anniversary); and Robert Mondavi Winery (Robert Mondavi's 100^th birthday tribute).

Special Events

A series of fan-favorite and new culinary demonstrations and lectures are in the works. The popular Terroir-to-Table^®: Farm, Cellar, Kitchen Experience workshop series is back for 2013, and has grown to sixteen workshops. Each experience will feature a hands-on farm, cellar, or kitchen-themed activity led by a principal from a famed Napa Valley food purveyor, restaurant or winery.

The festival's roster of wine events will include a guided tasting of wines featured at Premiere Napa Valley, hosted by wine writer and critic Alder Yarrow. During this only-in-Napa-Valley experience, guests will taste unique wines that have never been opened together for a public tasting. In addition, the Rutherford Appellation will be the focus of a distinctive tasting hosted by Quintessa and some of its neighbors.

This festival's centerpiece grand tasting event The Appellation Trail will make an encore performance at The CIA's Greystone Campus in St. Helena, and will feature nearly 100 wineries and 25 restaurants. Wineries will be pouring everything from the region's iconic Cabernet Sauvignon to more unique varieties, and restaurants will serve signature bites laden with seasonal flavors.

New Locations

The festival has expanded to include new venues throughout the region. Joining founding sponsor Silverado Resort and Spa and the CIA at Greystone will be Meritage Resort and Spa and the Hudson House at Beringer Vineyards. CIA and Beringer Vineyards will host culinary demonstrations with celebrity chefs. Silverado will host the prestigious Welcome Dinner, and the popular Terroir-to-Table Brunch event. Meritage will be the venue for the guest-favorite Dinner with Napa Valley Winemakers Presented by Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Spirits, as well as the annual Top Taster™ Blind Wine Tasting Competition Presented by Delta Air Lines with Master Sommelier and Napa Valley resident Andrea Robinson.

About Flavor! Napa Valley™
The five-day Flavor! Napa Valley™ Celebration of Wine, Food & Fun is an annual event featuring world-class Napa Valley wines alongside Napa Valley's master chefs and graduates of The Culinary Institute of America. Net proceeds from the event support programs and scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Campus in St. Helena. The event is hosted by founding sponsors Silverado Resort and Spa and Dolce Hotels and Resorts, in partnership with Visit Napa Valley, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and the Napa Valley Vintners, and is produced by Karlitz & Company. For more details on the festival, including where to stay, please visit flavornapavalley.com. Additionally, visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/FlavorNapaValley, and follow @FlavorNV on Twitter.