Martha Stewart and Ruth Reichl Join Jacques Pépin, Hugh Acheson, Richard Blais, Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall, Marcus Samuelsson, Gail Simmons, and Andrew Zimmern Headline the 2019 FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, June 14 - 16, 2019

ASPEN, Colo. and NEW YORK, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, FOOD & WINE returns to the mountains of Colorado for the 37^th annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen June 14 -16. FOOD & WINE's signature event transforms Aspen for three incredible days of cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and panel discussions by world-class chefs and wine experts. The full schedule for the three-day event is available online here.

The weekend, hailed by USA Today as 'America's Most Exclusive Food Festival' and The New York Times as the 'granddaddy of them all', will include more than 80 seminars, talks, and tastings hosted by Hugh Acheson, Richard Blais, Justin Chapple, Anthony Giglio, Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall, Ray Isle, Stephanie Izard, JJ Johnson, Hunter Lewis, Tim Love, Mark Oldman, Jacques Pépin, Leslie Sbrocco, Marcus Samuelsson, Gail Simmons, Jonathan Waxman, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Andrew Zimmern. This will mark the first year that both Martha Stewart and Ruth Reichl have appeared at the event.

"Everything we create in the first half of the year builds towards the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen. We bring our storytelling to life and our community together at this epic event—including appearances by the 2019 class of Best New Chefs and Best New Restaurants. Most importantly, the weekend is an incredible opportunity for our audience to rub elbows with the most dynamic food and drink minds in America," says Lewis. "The FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen also gives chefs and small business owners a time to connect with their peers, relax, and come home brimming with new ideas."

Other new additions to the weekend include:

• Three one-of-kind Saturday night chef dinners including Andrew Carmellini & Kate Williams at the Hotel Jerome, Barbuto Pop-Up featuring Jonathan Waxman at The Little Nell and a Mentorship Dinner featuring Rick Bayless & Jason Vincent at the St. Regis. Tickets are $250.
• Last Call, presented by American Express, a late-night party featuring Geoffrey Zakarian.
• First-time participant Martha Stewart will present a cooking demo on summer entertaining and host a book signing.
• Ruth Reichl will participate in a discussion, focused on her career and her newest book, Save Me the Plums.

Additional highlights of the weekend include:

• 80+ cooking, wine and cocktail seminars on topics trending in the culinary world, including: Summer Herbs: Maximizing Flavor with Alex Guarnaschelli, Mad Genius Tips: Weeknight Entertaining with Justin Chapple, Red Wines of Bourdeaux with Kevin Zraly, Wines for Quadrillionaires with Mark Oldman, Burger Bonanza with Ray Isle, and World's Greatest Craft Beers with Andy Chabot and Roy Milner.
• The famed Grand Tasting Pavilion, an unparalleled epicurean adventure with nearly 200 brands.
• Attendees will have the opportunity to sample dishes from the FOOD & WINE 2019 Best New Restaurants featured in the July issue at the Farewell Feast event on Sunday. Tickets are $150.
• The 30^th annual American Express Restaurant Trade Program, which combines the best and brightest minds in the business on industry challenges.
• 2019 FOOD & WINE Best New Chefs tastings in the Grand Tasting Pavilion.
• Celebrity Chef Charity 5K race along the Rio Grande River on Friday morning.

Tickets for the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen were $1,600 before March 1, 2019 and $1,700 after. The FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen proudly supports The Jacques Pépin Foundation and Wholesome Wave, through ticket sales and additional events like the Celebrity Chef Charity 5K.

2019 FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen sponsors are American Express, KitchenAid, LeCreuset, Lexus, Patrón Tequila, Peroni, S.Pellegrino/Acqua Panna, and Wines From Spain.

Follow the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen on Facebook or #fwclassic for more on the weekend.

About FOOD & WINE
FOOD & WINE is the ultimate authority on the best of what's new in food, drink, travel, design and entertaining. FOOD & WINE has an extensive social media following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Snapchat. FOOD & WINE includes a monthly magazine in print and digital; a website, foodandwine.com; a books division; plus newsletters, clubs, events, dinnerware, cookware and more. At FOOD & WINE, we inspire and empower our wine and food obsessed community to eat, drink, entertain, and travel better—every day and everywhere.

­­­­About the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen
The FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen is the epicurean brand's signature event, bringing together the world's foremost authorities on wine and food at over 80 cooking demonstrations and wine seminars. In addition, over 200 wines and luxury lifestyle brands gather together in the Grand Tasting Pavilion, the epicenter of the event, to feature and sample their newest products.  Simultaneously, American Express will host its 30^th annual Restaurant Trade Program, a unique educational and networking event developed for the professionals who shape the world of hospitality. With planning a year in advance, FOOD & WINE identifies the hottest culinary talent and trends and uses its industry connections to bring an all-star line-up and program to the FOOD & WINE Classic every year. 

SOURCE Meredith