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Island to host the world?s hottest chefs

Your taste buds will thank you in November when the Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival comes to town.An impressive list of celebrity chefs will grace the shores of Bermuda for the second Culinary Arts Festival.The list includes: Aaron Sanchez of Paladar, in New York City; Cornelius Gallagher, of Oceana, in New York City; Mark Militello, of Mark?s CityPlace, in West Palm Beach, Florida; Susur Lee, of Susur Restaurant, in Toronto; Tom Colicchio, of Gramercy Tavern and Craft Restaurants, in New York City; Tom Valenti, of Cesca and Quest Restaurants in New York City; Jack McDavid, of Jack?s Firehouse in Philadelphia; Ashbell McElveen of Ashbell?s in London; and finally patissiers and chocolatiers, Dominique and Cindy Duby.

Your taste buds will thank you in November when the Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival comes to town.

An impressive list of celebrity chefs will grace the shores of Bermuda for the second Culinary Arts Festival.

The list includes: Aaron Sanchez of Paladar, in New York City; Cornelius Gallagher, of Oceana, in New York City; Mark Militello, of Mark?s CityPlace, in West Palm Beach, Florida; Susur Lee, of Susur Restaurant, in Toronto; Tom Colicchio, of Gramercy Tavern and Craft Restaurants, in New York City; Tom Valenti, of Cesca and Quest Restaurants in New York City; Jack McDavid, of Jack?s Firehouse in Philadelphia; Ashbell McElveen of Ashbell?s in London; and finally patissiers and chocolatiers, Dominique and Cindy Duby.

To pass on their knowledge of wine, Joshua Wesson and Anthony Giglio, will be offering wine seminars.

Food and Wine magazine?s editor in chief, Dana Cowin will be on board at the festival to judge the junior (apprenticeship) competition.

The festival will be held from November 11-16 at various locations including restaurants, private homes around the Island.

The first festival was held in 2002, but was cancelled last year due to Hurricane Fabian.

?The Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival was developed to encourage visitors to travel to Bermuda and in only a short period of time it has demonstrated its success in this regard,? said Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown.

The festival will include cooking demonstrations, wine and gourmet food tasting, seminars conducted by celebrity chefs (international and Bermudian), live entertainment, tours around the Island.

Bermuda?s juniors and apprentice chefs, will be competing in a hors d? oeuvres competition on November 12. The winner will receive an opportunity to travel to Chicago to compete in the National Restaurant Association?s Junior Culinary Competition.

For some local flare, the festival will have an Outerbridge?s and Gosling?s Fish Chowder Challenge, open to both amateur cooks and professional chefs. A panel of local chefs will judge the chowder competition and judges for the junior competition will be comprised of local and celebrity chefs, Dana Cowin (editor in chief of Food & Wine magazine), and possibly professional judges from the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

The judges from ACF are not confirmed yet, said event producer Graham Redford.

There will be a cook-off between local chefs for the title of Bermuda?s Chef of the Year and the winner will receive a weeklong trip for two with all expenses paid to the greatest present day chefs competition, the Bocuse d?Or in Lyon, France, according to a press release.

Mr. Redford said for the Bermuda?s Chef of the Year Competition he expects about 20 to 30 entries. The competition is open to any professional chef, he added.

Also included in the five-day festival is the People?s Choice Challenge which will run from October 22 through November 11. Local restaurants, who chose to participate, will feature a four or more course prix-fixe menu designed by their chef, including wine selections.

Customers will fill out a ballot to vote on the taste, presentation, value, service, and food and wine paring. The ballots will be collected and calculated and the winners will be given awards during the Gala Dinner on November 14.

The festival will be advertised in Food & Wine magazine.

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