Food & Wine Festival, saw Jacques Pepin, Guy Fieri and Ingri Hoffmann

[larry_stewart]

So from a previous thread, I couldnt make up my mind weather to do the Foxwoods or Newport Food and Wine Festival, since they were the same weekend. Both had chefs I wanted to see. Being that they are only about an hour from each other, I decided to go to the Foxwoods show on Saturday ( today) and the Newport show on Sunday.

In the morning we saw Jacques Pepin cook for an hour. He was great. He made Lobster rolls, Scallops with shitaki mushrooms, A savory cheese cake on an arugula salad and a cream cheese/ dried fruit thing. Afterwards, we got on line to have our book signed. I told him that seeing him was my birthday present ( which it was) and he wrote happy birthday in my book, and posed for a pic ( which ill post when i get back to new york) We then tasted some food and wine. On our way down to the tasting room, we passed Masaharu Morimoto on the escalator ( he had just finished his book signing which we didnt attend. Being a vegetarian, we were limited, but made the best out of the tasting with the deserts But we did have some eggplant rollatini, grilled corn, mango and plum salad, basil/ ricotta filled bread and some gourmet ice cream. It was like on big cocktail party. After filling up on food, back to the cooking demonstrations where we saw Ingrid Hoffmann cook Tomatillo Shrimp with coconut rice. And by far, the most crowded event at this show was Guy Fieri, who made Hong kong Noodles with vegetables and chicken. I originally wasnt a big fan, but after seeing him, he does have a great personality and puts on quite a show. he played the audience and camera really well.

 

[larry_stewart]

Ill post more from the newport show tomorrow , back to the casino to see if i can pay for my trip

 

[GB]

That sounds like a great time Larry!

 

[larry_stewart]

it was, and it is. cant wait until tomorrow Maryanne Esposito will be in Newport. Ive always loved her PBS show, cant wait to see her cook in person.

 

[quicksilver]

Oh good for you. Lucky you! Oh & HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
I love the pics, too. Thanks for posting. I would have eaten myself sick.

 

[Andy M.]

I am severely jealous! JP is my all time favorite teacher/chef!

 

[luvs]

glad your day went well!!! great you met them!!

when i met a famous chef he was so arrogant i wanted to leave.

 

[Dave Hutchins]

Ive heard thar JP can be a bit full of himself.

 

[ChefJune]

Ive heard thar JP can be a bit full of himself.

You heard wrong! Perhaps the person who said that took his extreme knowledge of his subject, which he is always eager to share, as conceit? I've known Jacques Pépin for 20 years, and he has always been just a regular guy. As well as one of the best dancers I know!

 

[larry_stewart]

Actually, all three Jacques, Ingrid and Guy were all very down to earth. All joking, being live, all made mistakes, and all joked about making mistakes. I preferred the Live aspect of it then the over produced and edited version. Because we all forget to do things, or ad things or burn things which happened all during yesterdays shows. JP forgot to throw the bread in the food processor to make bread crumbs before the other ingredients, so he did it by hand ( no big deal) then he admitted he forgot to put blue cheese in the savory cheese cake , and he also was eating and snacking on everything, and i mean verything that fell out of the pan as he cooked. He cut open the Boston lettuce, and when the center part fell out, he dipped it in salt and ate it. As he squeezed the lobster roll together, the lobster fell out and he ate it, and he continued to talk as he chewed. He was snacking on crumbs off the counter.....These are things they may have edited out, but were great seeing live. Direct interaction from the crowed ( people just calling out questions at will,and being answered too).

Ingrid's performance was a little strange, because each of the chefs had two culinary assistants during their performance ( Guy had his personal assistant helping him, the others seemed to be provided by the show). Ingrid basically talked, told stories and instructed the assistants what to do. She practically didnt cook at all. The assistants did everything, which i thought was kinda strange. And about her mistake's , she made a cocktail, and when she shook it up, it " exploded " all over her, and she laughed it off. Guy played a practical joke on her by leaving a hand written message for her in the refrigerator, that she noticed only when she opened it up ( it was poster size). So she retaliated by secretly filling one of the peppers he would use with pink M&M's ( Guy was on immediately after her)

Guy burned the noodles ( pretty bad I must say, but nothing we all wouldnt have done or still do ) and basically, the show must go on. As much as I love the food network and PBS shows on tv, live shows were 10X better. And im not just talking about seeing them live in their studio ( although i never did that), but actually live demonstrations where u take the predicted, well planned aspect out of it, and its just them , the food and the audience. Here u can se if they really shine or not, without their whole crew to back them up. They all did, and Ill definitely go again next year. Gy definitely was the one who had the "celebrity vibe" being there with his own assistant, publicist and the rest , but it was still kinda cool ( his wifes family is from providence RI so she and his inlaws were there too).

Alot of fun, highly recommended..

More on Newports version later

 

[LadyCook61]

it was, and it is. cant wait until tomorrow Maryanne Esposito will be in Newport. Ive always loved her PBS show, cant wait to see her cook in person.

oh I watch MaryAnn every Saturday. Enjoy your day.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

looks liek a good time.

I like Luvs met a few famous chefs. actualyl quite a few.

Some that I liked were just total _____

but then the ones that I thought were going to be the ____ were actually really cool.

I metEric Ripert and I was totoaly star stuck. I couldnt undr a word. Im not a fan of him but respect the man and he was lauhging and joking and was having a blast talking to Piard and a few other people drinking wine with out a care in the world.

I still dont like reipert and a few of his opions about being a great chef but he still is impressive.

 

[ironchef]

looks liek a good time.

I like Luvs met a few famous chefs. actualyl quite a few.

Some that I liked were just total _____

but then the ones that I thought were going to be the ____ were actually really cool.

I metEric Ripert and I was totoaly star stuck. I couldnt undr a word. Im not a fan of him but respect the man and he was lauhging and joking and was having a blast talking to Piard and a few other people drinking wine with out a care in the world.

I still dont like reipert and a few of his opions about being a great chef but he still is impressive.

Eric Ripert. Nice.

The most famous chef that I "met" was Thomas Keller. It was at a charity event in Los Angeles when I was cooking at the Four Seasons. One of our dishes was seared scallops with a truffle-parsnip puree and morel mushrooms. as I was plating, I heard a voice say "Nice color on the scallops." I looked up and Thomas Keller was there. I didn't even know what to say at first. I was like, "Ummm. Uh. Thanks."

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

wow Keller. thats awesome. and a complment on you.

I met them at a charity event. There were 66 Chefs and I was in culinary school and volunteering and stuff.

Me and 2 people got the honor of going to each chef and having hem sign a program whcih owuld be auctioned off.

here it is.

Tony Aiazzi</STRONG />– Executive Chef, Aureole
Christian Albin – Executive Chef, The Four Seasons
Julian Alonzo – Executive Chef, Brasserie 8 1/2
Dan Barber – Chef and Owner, Blue Hill
Franklin Becker – Executive Chef, Brasserie
Brian Bistrong – Chef, The Harrison
Jimmy Botsacos – Executive Chef and Owner, Molyvos
Terrance Brennan – Chef/Proprietor, Picholine & Artisanal Premium Cheese Center
Joey Campanaro – Chef and Owner, Little Owl
Andrew Carmellini – Chef and Owner, A Voce
David Carmichael – Pastry Chef, Gilt </STRONG /></SPAN /></STRONG /></SPAN />
Cesare Casella – Chef and Owner, Maremma
Cory Colton – Executive Pastry Chef, Quality Meats
Franck Deletrain – Executive Chef, Café Centro
Karen DeMasco – Pastry Chef, Craft
Shaun Doty – Executive Chef and Owner, Shaun's
Wylie Dufresne – Executive Chef and Owner, WD-50
Larry Forgione – Executive Chef and Co-owner, An American Place
Michael Gabriel – Pastry Chef, Sea Grill
Shea Gallante – Executive Chef, Cru
Jose Garces – Chef and Co-owner, Tinto
Michael Ginor – President, Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Will Goldfarb – Chef and Owner,Room 4 Dessert
Alexandra Guarnaschelli – Executive Chef, Butter
Craig Hopson – Executive Chef,One if By Land, Two if By Sea
Martin Howard – Pastry Chef,Brasserie 8 1/2
Nicole Kaplan – Pastry Chef, Del Posto Ristorante
Craig Koketsu – Executive Chef, Park Avenue Summer
Michael Laiskonis – Pastry Chef, Le Bernardin
Ken Larsen – Pastry Chef, Brasserie
Christopher Lee – Executive Chef, Gilt
John Lee – Pastry Chef, Marseilles
Patrick Lemble – Pastry Chef, The Four Seasons
Paul Liebrandt – Executive Chef and Owner, Restaurant Liebrandt
Scott Lindquist – Executive Chef, Dos Caminos
Waldy Malouf – Chef and Owner, Beacon
Sam Mason – Pastry Chef, Tailor
James McDevitt – Executive Chef, Four Food Studio
George Mendes – Chef
Fred Mero – Chef de Cuisine, The Four Seasons
Tory Miller – Executive Chef, L'Etoile
Seamus Mullen – Executive Chef, Boqueria and Suba
Michel Nischan – Executive Chef and Owner, Dressing Room - A Homegrown Restaurant
Pichet Ong – Chef and Owner, P*Ong
Ken Oringer – Executive Chef and Owner, Clio
Francois Payard – Chef and Owner, Payard
Zakary Pelaccio – Executive Chef and Owner, Fatty Crab
Michael Psilakis – Chef and Co-Owner, Anthos
Deborah Racicot – Pastry Chef, Gotham Bar and Grill
Eric Ripert – Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Le Bernardin
April Robinson – Pastry Chef, A Voce
Aaron Sanchez – Chef and Co-Owner, Centrico
Guenter Seeger - Chef
Ivy Stark – Executive Chef, Amalia
Noriyuki Sugie – Executive Chef, Asiate
Lon Symensma – Executive Chef, Buddakan
Bradford Thompson – Chef
Toshio Tomita – Head Sushi Chef, Nobu
Sue Torres – Chef and Owner, Sueños
David Waltuck – Executive Chef and Owner, Chanterelle
Damon Wise – Corporate Executive Chef, Craft
Eric Woods – Executive Chef, Blue Fin
Geoffrey Zakarian – Executive Chef and Owner, Town

 

[ironchef]

Nice list. I met James McDevitt. He used to have a restaurant in Napa called Budo, but it didn't last very long. He was a F&W Best New Chef in I think 2000.

 

[larry_stewart]

Me and Maryanne at the Newport show.

The Newport show was ok, but do to crappy weather, and it being held outside in tents, it was muddy, humid .....not sure I'd return to the Newport show, unless someone I liked was doing a cooking demonstration. Had a great time at the Foxwoods show.