The next Bermuda Gourmet Getaway (BGG) weekend will take place February 28-March 3rd, 2008.

Event organiser Michelle Halpin of Total Marketing & Communications, announced yesterday that the event has been moved from its former date in late October "to offer a fun-filled event for locals in the Spring and to attract more tourists to the Island during the off-season".

BGG will offer a five-day fun-filled event.

Many of the events will be the held in the Viking Village, located at the Fairmont Southampton, where attendees can watch live overseas celebrity and local chef cooking demonstrations as well as sample a variety of food and wine while their children are entertained in the Kids Village.

Also back this year will be the highly popular Champagne Brunch on Tom Wadson's Organic Farm, highlighting the relationship between locals chefs and farmers.

Grillin' & Chillin' will again be held at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo. And, Chef and Winemaker Dinners, where the international celebrity chefs pair with local chefs to create an exquisite meal at some of Bermuda's top restaurants, will also take place over the five-day food fest. In addition to these events, Bermuda's top chefs will compete in the 'Iron Chef' style Escoffier Competition with the finals held at the Viking Village. This year they will also compete in an Iron Man Team Challenge. Bermuad Gourmet Getaway will close with a Prizegiving and Golf Tournament at Riddell's Bay Golf and Country Club. All of the events will showcase local expertise at all levels and allow attendees to get up-close-and-personal with some of the most celebrated chefs in the industry. "We are extremely fortunate to be able to present Rahman (Rock) Harper as the event host," said Mrs. Halpin. "Rock, who was one of the Celebrity Chefs in the 2005 BGG, is perhaps best known as this year's winner of the ever-popular FOX TV series, 'Hell's Kitchen', produced by Gordon Ramsay. Rock will be joined by four other international celebrity chefs as well as some of Bermuda's finest local chefs. "We are also extremely happy to announce that the ever-popular Viking Village, presented by Bermuda Gas and Viking Equipment, will be held at the Fairmont Southampton. This village will consist of kitchen studios custom designed by Design Associates; local and international food product samplings; and over 30 vineyards, offering over 150 different wines for people to sample. In addition, international wine experts will be on hand to conduct wine seminars and share their expertise on the fascinating subject of wines." Another change this year will be the way the battle for the Escoffier Cup is conducted. "The four semi-finalists will battle against each other side by side 'Iron Chef' style' for the prestigious title of Bermuda's Best Chef 2008," Mrs. Halpin said. Building up to the event, a number of preliminary culinary competitions will be held. The People's Choice Challenge, a culinary competition between some of the Island's best restaurants, will take place at a number of restaurants. Patrons of the participating restaurants will become judges for the evening when they choose from the exquisite People's Choice Menu. Meanwhile, the Escoffier Cup, draws out the finest chefs in Bermuda each year to compete every Thursday evening from January 24 through February 14 to determine the Island's best chef. The finals will be held at the Viking Village. The Iron Man Challenge, a culinary competition between two teams of three chefs adorned in coloured Chef Revival jackets who will compete in a "mystery box" format for a one-hour duration creating both a savoury and sweet dish from the ingredients available. The competing teams will have only one hour's notice of the mystery box given to them. The competition will take place on Saturday, March 1 at the Viking Village. This year's Fish Chowder Competition will be held at the first ever 'BermudaFest' on Friday, February 29. The winner of each qualifier will compete in the finals to be held in the Village. "This is an amazing opportunity for all Bermudians to come out and support this home-grown event, taste some delicious food prepared by both Bermuda's and the world's best chefs and sample the largest selection of wines ever presented in one location in Bermuda," Mrs. Halpin added. Tickets will go on sale on December 3, just in time for Christmas for that special foodie in your life. For more information please contact Michelle Halpin, on 278-8895 or at michelle[AT]totalgroup.bm.