A famous New England chef whose cooking has been compared to a blossoming hothouse orchid will be the celebrity chef at the Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival this year.

"We're exceptionally pleased to have such a world renowned chef as Jody Adams joining us this year," said Graham Redford, Festival organiser and managing director of Total Marketing & Communication Ltd. "She has won many distinctions and awards including a four-star rating (the highest possible) from the Boston Globe" .

Ms Adams has helped to open trendy bars and restaurants all over Massachusetts including blu and Rialto in Boston and Noir, a 1940s themed bar, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She recently released her first cookbook, with Harper Collins publishers, 'In the hands of a Chef, Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant'. It includes mouthwatering recipes like, 'grilled pineapple with rum, lime-ginger syrup and ice cream', 'salmon with walnuts and dried cranberries' and 'squash blossoms stuffed with herbed cheese in fritter batter'.

In her book, Ms Adams encourages home cooks to challenge themselves and cook a little outside of their comfort zones. Her cookbook has won many accolades including the James Beard award.

Ms Adam's career was born when she was an anthropology student at Brown University in Rhode Island. She took a part-time job working with food writer and teacher, Nancy Verde Barr who was writing an Italian immigrant cookbook 'We called it Macaroni'. The experience helped Ms Adams to realise it wasn't anthropology she should be studying.

She began making a name for herself in 1983 when she worked at Seasons restaurant in Boston under chef Lydia Shire. Three years later, at Hamersley's Bistro, she became Gordon Hamersley's sous chef. She moved to Michela's in 1990, and was executive chef there until 1994. While at Michela's, Ms Adams became known for her carefully researched regional menus that combined New England ingredients with Italian culinary traditions.

Today, Ms Adams consults for other establishments on dining concepts and operations.

She will be one of four top-class international chefs working with local chefs Jean-Claude Garzia from The Lemon Tree and Serge Botelli from La Coquille who will be preparing a culinary masterpiece at the Festival's gala dinner to be held on November 14 at the Fairmont Southampton hosted by three-time Academy Award nominated actress Sigourney Weaver.

"Not only are we fortunate enough to have Sigourney Weaver hosting this special event but this dinner will be the piece de resistance of the Festival as diners will taste course after course from the amazing line-up of chefs, one delicious flavour after another," said Mr. Redford. "All of the celebrity chefs will be explaining their signature dishes and wine expert Joshua Wesson will be presenting some fantastic wines especially paired for each course courtesy of Goslings. This will be without doubt the highlight of the festival and it should not be missed."

Prior to the gala dinner there will be a private reception and silent auction with the proceeds going to the Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival Scholarship, which has been set up to assist Bermudian culinary students wishing to further their education overseas.

Tickets for the gala dinner are available through the Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival website: www.bermudaculinaryarts.com or by calling 295-2508.