It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! The 4th Annual LA Food and Wine Festival! Thursday and Friday’s Lineup

August 21-24 the LA Food and Wine Festival (LAFW) returns to LA, spanning four cities with nearly 30 special events! Tickets for most events range between $50 and $250. Not bad for some of the best food you will ever eat in your life. In fact, it is probably better food than most people will ever eat. Fittingly, one of the charities benefitting from ticket sales is the Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry campaign, which strives to end childhood hunger. The other charity is The Berkley Foundation, a non-profit organization and the philanthropic arm of Coastal Luxury Management (CLM), which raises funds for and distributes grants to organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, Voices for Children, and Make-a-Wish.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21st

Chef Scott Conant’s Perfect Hamachi from LAFW 2011

The festival kicks off on Thursday the 21st and it is all about Michelin-starred chef, Graham Elliot, who you may know from “Masterchef.” From 5:30pm-6:30pm he will perform a cooking demonstration with pourings from Roederer Champagne. After which, he will host The Ultimate Bites of LA Hosted by Chase Sapphire from 7pm-10pm. Of course we are most excited about seeing our hometown heroes, including Chefs Celestino Drago, Ben Ford, Antonia Lofaso, Ray Garcia, Eric Greenspan, Jessica Koslow, David Lefevre, and Ricardo Zarate. Favorite restaurants Bestia, Faith & Flower, Water Grill, STK Los Angeles, and Bon Appetit’s 2013 Best New Restaurant, Alma, will represent.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22nd

Friday you must choose between seven amazing lunchtime events. Sadly, the Osteria Mozza event is sold out. Happily, that’s the only one that is sold out. We recommend Hinoki and the Bird with Chef Kuniko Yagi and guest Chef Charles Phan of the Slanted Door in San Francisco. The luncheon begins with champagne and passed hors d’oeuvres followed by “a four-course meal with hand-selected, artisanal wines.” We are also tempted by the Scarpetta lunch with Chef Scott Conant and Celebrity Guest Chef Graham Elliot.  Lunch at Scarpetta will also feature a reception followed by a four-course meal. Other lunches include luminaries Michelle Bernstein, Sven Mede, Elizabeth Falkner, Walter Manzke, Michael Hung, and Dominique Crenn. Friday evening features two events. If you have expensive taste, the I Heart Champagne & Caviar hosted by Chef Sang Yoon of Father’s Office and Lukshon is right up your alley. From 6:30pm – 8:30pm the rooftop of L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills will transform into a wonderland of bubbles, with practically every notable champagne from the Champagne region to wash down all of that caviar.

We are excited about the Asian Night Market hosted by Iron Chef Morimoto which runs from 7pm – 10pm. Chefs from around the country will create an interpretation of a traditional street food laden night market. Inspired by Asian ingredients, they will present both traditional favorites and modern takes on the classics. Locals include Chefs Thi Tran of Starry Kitchen,  Jet Tila of Pakpao, Tin Vuong of Little Sister, Brock Kleweno of Yamashiro and Chris Oh of Seoul Sausage. They will be joined by esteemed colleagues Charles Phan of Slanted Door, Michael Ginor of Lola and Michelle Lee of Restaurant 1833 to name a few.  “Along with tastings of street food from over 25 participating restaurants and eateries, admission includes custom cocktails, sake, shochu, beer and free-flowing wine.” A VIP ticket gives you early entry and an exclusive cooking demo by Chef Morimoto.  Buy your tickets now!