Local chefs from some of the region’s best restaurants. Food producers. A few celebrity chefs.
This is going to be a good weekend for foodies in Gig Harbor.
The first Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival starts at noon Saturday at the future site of the Harbor History Museum.
“The festival concept is based on making a food and wine experience: education, food, wine. The idea was to create something similar to what occurs at Aspen or Newport, amazing festivals in fabulous places,” said Steve Lynn of the Water to Wine store and Morso Wine Bar. Lynn is one of the organizers of the event, which is presented by the Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association. Money raised will support both.
The event will host a tasting tent with more than 35 wineries, local restaurants and food businesses. Wine seminars and cooking demonstrations will be offered; an auction with dining packages and insider experiences also will take place.
Organizers of the first-time event have signed up Fabio Viviana, the chef from season 5 of the television show “Top Chef.”
Viviana will compete against Gig Harbor chef Craig Haslebacher in a live cook-off. Haslebacher is a chef at Mallard’s Landing retirement community in Gig Harbor and also the chef who defeated Bobby Flay on the Food Network show “Iron Chef America” in December 2009. He’s a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu at the Western Culinary Institute and previously worked as the banquet head at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The cook-off begins at 4:30 p.m.
Here are other happenings:
A few of the food and wine demonstrations: A salmon filleting demonstration by Anthony’s Restaurant; a talk about inexpensive wines by Diana Becks of The Wine Studio; a lecture about malt from Silver City Brewery; eating healthful workshop with Gig Harbor cookbook author and nutrition expert Joe Piscatella; a seminar on Croatian winemaking by Joe Serka; a history of Washington wines from Doug McCrea of McCrea Cellars.
Chef cooking demonstrations: chef Thad Lyman of Brix 25, chef Dustin Joseph of Chambers Bay Grill, chef Tin Nguyen of Clearwater Casino Resort, “Top Chef” contestant Fabio Viviani, and chef Craig Haslebacher of The Lodge at Mallard’s Landing.
Sue Kidd, The News Tribune
Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival
When: Saturday
Where: The grounds of the not-yet-open Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor
Tickets: $75
Info: www.harborwineandfoodfest.com or 253-858-6722
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