Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City Announces Paula Deen to Headline Upcoming 2010 Food Network Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City has announced that Paula Deen, host of Food Network's "Paula's Best Dishes," has joined a team of prestigious chefs from around the country to host the second annual Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. The four-day festival is a partnership between Harrah's Entertainment, Food Network and Conde Nast Traveler and will be held at all four Atlantic City properties, including Harrah's Resort, Caesars, Showboat & Bally's, from July 29 to August 1, 2010.  

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100622/NY24957 )

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Paula Deen's southern flair has graced the homes of people across the country through her Food Network show and series of cookbooks, including Paula Deen and Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, The Lady and Sons Too and The Lady and Sons Just Desserts. She began her business with a small catering company in Savannah, Ga., called The Bag Lady and in 1990 opened her critically-acclaimed restaurant The Lady and Sons.

Showcasing an array of national and local culinary talent including Guy Fieri, Sandra Lee, Sunny Anderson, Pat & Gina Neely, Ted Allen, Claire Robinson, Melissa d'Arabian, Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli, the festival will include more than 40 lavish events including cooking demonstrations, wine and spirits seminars and walk-around tasting events. Tickets for Paula Deen's events will go on sale this coming Saturday June 26th.  She will headline the following events on Sunday, August 1:

• Paula's Boardwalk Party: Nothing says "Summer on the Shore" like a great big party on the Boardwalk, and Food Network's ebullient Paula Deen knows the recipe for the perfect party: fabulous food, luscious libations and sun, sand and surf! Try some of Paula's favorite summer recipes as well as the delicious dishes of Bally's own chefs between noon and 3 p.m. at Bally's Dennis Courtyard.

• Chefs on Stage: Paula takes the stage at Caesars Circus Maximus Theater from 5 – 6 p.m. for an exciting culinary demonstration. She will join her fans immediately following the exhibition for a book signing and photo opp from 6 – 7 p.m.

"Paula Deen is the perfect addition to our talented line up of chefs for this year's Food and Wine Festival," said Don Marrandino, President Eastern Division Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. "We are so thrilled she is participating in the festival and I know her events will be big weekend highlights."

Conde Nast Traveler joins the team as the media sponsor hosting a special Conde Nast Traveler's Taste the World: Grapes & Global Tapas. At the event, the internationally renowned travel publication will showcase editor's picks and select chefs from their annual "Hot List" issue.

Food Network, now distributed to over 90 million cable subscriber households, connects viewers to the power and joy of food, and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring and empowering through its talent and expertise.  Conde Nast Traveler has long been considered the foremost expert in global travel and hospitality journalism. Their partnerships with Atlantic City further represent Harrah's Entertainment's commitment to providing one-of-a-kind signature events in Atlantic City showcasing the highest caliber talent while promoting the city as a unique and appealing destination.

Tickets for the Food Network Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival are available starting at only $30.  Tickets are now on-sale and can be purchased online at www.acfoodandwine.com or by calling Ticketmaster.

About Harrah's Entertainment

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment through operating subsidiaries. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casino resorts on four continents The company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker. On January 28, 2008, Harrah's Entertainment was acquired by affiliates of private-equity firms TPG Capital and Apollo Global Management.

About Food Network

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring and empowering through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and averages more than 9 million unique web users monthly. In its first year Food Network Magazine doubled its rate base and passed the one million circulation mark. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24 hour networks in Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive, which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and Cooking Channel, is the manager and general partner.

SOURCE Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City