| TED KRUCKEL 10.14.09 12:33 PM |
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Food Network's Festival Stretches Its Scope (and My Belt)
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 | Guy Fieri, up to his usual theatrical antics, at the New York City Wine & Food Festival
Photo: Courtesy of the New York City Wine & Food Festival |
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FROM NEW YORK
If there is one thing that really struck me about the second annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, sponsored by Food & Wine and Travel & Leisure, it was the sheer size and diversity of it all.
Last week, I wrote about the plethora of food festivals happening this month in New York, most of which have no problem filling kitchens, dining rooms, stores, and other venues with paying, eager eaters. Yet at the same time, the industry’s oldest and most prestigious magazine, Gourmet, up and folded, and downtown, perennially top-rated Chanterelle closed its doors.
But at the New York City Wine & Food Festival this past weekend, it was as if those closings happened on an altogether different planet. The four-day affair kicked off with “Celebration,” a V.I.P. event on Thursday at the Food Network studio. There were so many celebrity chefs that festival founder Lee Schrager found himself in trouble when, during his speech, he began thanking present network personalities Alton Brown, Guy Fieri, and Sandra Lee, and suddenly a bunch of others started shouting out their own names. Lee wisely widened his thanks to “everyone at the Food Network, including the security guard, who five years later still doesn’t recognize me.”
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RELATED TOPICS
New York City Wine & Food Festival |
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| NEWS 02.27.09 11:37 AM |
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In the News: Batali Offends South Beach, Media Weighs In on Northern Trust Scandal
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Batali’s SoBe Snafu: Chef Mario Batali didn’t make any new friends at Miami’s annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival last week. During a $1,000-a-plate dinner, he reportedly swore quite a bit, shocking guests like King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. Festival founder Lee Schrager wouldn’t comment on whether Batali would be asked to return next year or to the festival’s New York counterpart in October. [NY Post]
Criticism of Northern Trust Mounts: The media seems about as pleased with Northern Trust Corp. throwing bailout money toward sponsorships as Congress is. In an op-ed yesterday, Maureen Dowd echoed the sentiments from President Obama’s Tuesday speech, saying now isn’t the time for companies to spend public investments on sponsorships or events. [NYT]
Marketing Needs to Survive in Hard Times: Not everyone is criticizing Northern Trust Corp. for its recent golf tournament. Golf Digest published a retaliatory op-ed Thursday, claiming that for businesses to survive the recession, they must continue with marketing plans. “They have to keep their name out there,” wrote Ron Sirak. “They have to maintain contacts with important clients. The trick is to do this marketing in a financially efficient way.” [Golf Digest]
—Alesandra Dubin & Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
P.G.A., Northern Trust, Mario Batali, Lee Schrager, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, New York City Wine & Food Festival |
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| BEST OF 2008 11.24.08 8:00 AM |
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Food Chain
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 | Lee Brian Schrager
Photo: Seth Browarnik |
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Lee Brian Schrager, director of special events and media relations at Southern Wine & Spirits, is the founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which in February drew more than 40,000 attendees and 100 chefs, and raised more than $1.7 million for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University. This fall he launched the New York City Wine & Food Festival, which put 18,000 tickets on sale for more than 50 events at more than 10 different sites over Columbus Day weekend (October 9 to October 12), with proceeds going to the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength.
What was the biggest challenge?
Just finding the locations probably took us one year—getting the right backdrop is very, very important, as it’s what makes South Beach. I see the meatpacking district as the nucleus of the [New York] festival. We wanted the festival to be grassroots, local, and to make the meatpacking district come alive that weekend. It’s important to know that we’re not bringing South Beach to New York; we’re not looking to replicate or duplicate what we do down there … and we’re not taking anything for granted. We’re building the events around the venues, not the other way around.
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RELATED TOPICS
New York City Wine & Food Festival, Southern Wine & Spirits, South Beach Wine & Food Festival |
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| EVENT REPORT 10.13.08 1:53 PM |
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Wine & Food Fest Mixes Edible and Musical Offerings
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 | The New York City Wine & Food Festival's Meatpacking Uncorked
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
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FROM NEW YORK
The first New York City Wine & Food Festival this weekend filled the meatpacking district—and some other areas—with celebrated chefs and foodies for a four-day celebration of all things culinary. Led by Lee Schrager, director of special events for Southern Wine & Spirits and founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, this Northeast series was produced by Karlitz & Company and benefited the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength.
Covering a variety of topics, the weekend-long fair included more than 70 individual seminars, panel discussions, food demonstrations, cooking classes, and large-scale tasting parties. And even with food squarely center stage, the biggest events of the festival—Burger Bash, Sweet, Chelsea Market After Dark, and Midnight Music and Munchies—also provided musical entertainment, from DJs and roaming performers in elaborate costumes to a coffee psychic and an appearance from Tom Colicchio singing and strumming a guitar.
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RELATED TOPICS
New York City Wine & Food Festival, Southern Wine & Spirits, Food Network, Food & Wine Magazine, Travel & Leisure magazine, Share Our Strength, Food Bank of New York, MGM Grand at Foxwoods, DailyCandy, Ferrero, Perrier, Absolut, Target |
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