Duke Spirits Tastings (Photo Credit Pencilbox Studios)
This weekend, Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4, the Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival will take place featuring celebrity chefs and unlimited wine, cocktails and bites prepared by some of the best chefs in the area. Chefs making appearances include friend of the LA Beat, Brian Huskey, Brooke Williamson, my celebrity chef crush Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, and Shirley Chung. Some of the restaurants representing are Red O, Fig & Olive, Twenty Eight, Tamarind of London, Slapfish, The Winery, and Driftwood Kitchen.
Friday night from 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. there is a special launch party and charity event to benefit Project Hope Alliance. The opening night party will be held at Oak Grill & Aqua Lounge in the Island Hotel and will feature a cocktail party, a specialty menu prepared by Oak Grill Executive Chef Marc Johnson, live music, a silent auction, and special appearances from the festival’s lineup of celebrity chefs.
Saturday and Sunday, the festivities run from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.at the Newport Beach Civic Center (100 Civic Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660). Enjoy cooking demos, mixology courses, wine seminars, two Grand Tasting Pavilions with tastings from top restaurants, 200 high-end, boutique and cult wines, handcrafted cocktails, beer tastings, as well as live jazz. At platinum sponsor Celebrity Cruises’ booth you can enter to win a seven-day Alaskan cruise for two. I have taken an Alaskan cruise, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make sure to enter.
Entry into Friday night’s launch party $150, General admission for Saturday or Sunday are $150 and VIP tickets for either day are $225. Proceeds benefit Project Hope Alliance. Get your tickets here.
