(PRWEB) December 12, 2011
The 12th annual St. Croix Food & Wine Experience (April 17 – 22, 2012) is proud to announce the participation of an award-winning group of celebrity chefs including Sue Zemanick, Merlin Verrier, Roberto Trevino, Ana Sortun, Orlando Santos, Evelyn Paul, Howie Kleinberg, Eric Greenspan and Govind Armstrong. This sun-soaked celebration brings together local chefs, celebrity chefs, distinguished winemakers and wineries, for five days of culinary bliss in paradise. Events include wine dinners, a fun-filled competition between celebrity and island chefs, cooking classes for kids, an oceanfront food and wine tasting event, wine seminars and more. A complete list of events is available at http://www.stcroixfoodandwine.com/events.
Ticket prices range from $ 50 per person for a single event to $ 5,000 for an all-access VIP sponsor pass for two guests. To purchase tickets to the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, or for information on events, guest chefs and sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.StCroixFoodandWine.com or call 340-773-9898. Tickets to A Taste of St. Croix, held on Thursday night, go one sale in March. All other tickets are available for purchase in advance. Funds raised from the events support the St. Croix Foundation and other non-profit and educational organizations.
The 2012 Celebrity Guest Chefs include:
Govind Armstrong (Los Angeles) ? Govind Armstrong made his mark with his Table 8 and 8oz Burger Bar restaurants in Los Angeles and Miami. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters and in Bon Appetit, Gourmet, O Magazine, and People?s 50 Most Beautiful People issue. He authored ?Small Bites, Big Nights: Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions and Lavish Parties,? is a consultant chef to Air New Zealand, on Macy?s culinary council, and a guest chef for cruise lines. He is expanding 8oz Burger nationwide and developing Post & Beam in Los Angeles.
Eric Greenspan (Los Angeles) ? Eric Greenspan is the chef and owner of The Foundry and The Roof in Los Angeles, California. Greenspan, co-host of A&E?s ?Fix This Kitchen?, has been featured on several television shows such as ?Best Thing I Ever Ate?, ?The Traveler?s Guide to Life?, was a contestant on Food Network?s reality culinary competition series ?The Next Iron Chef? and triumphed against Bobby Flay on ?Iron Chef America?. Eric has also served as a guest judge or consultant on ?Bar Rescue?, ?Hell?s Kitchen?, ?Extreme Chef? and ?Jamie Oliver?s Food Revolution?. Eric graduated with a Diplomme de Cuisine Superior in 1998 from Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He has worked with David Bouley, Rocco Despirito, and Alain Ducasse, and Ferran Adria.
Howie Kleinberg (Miami) ? Known for his star turn on Bravo?s Miami season of Top Chef, Howie Kleinberg is the owner and chef of Bulldog Barbecue and Bulldog Burger in Miami. Kleinberg?s culinary education started at Johnson & Wales University and he has worked with award-winning chefs such as Mark Militello at Mark?s South Beach, Tim Andriola at Timo, E. Michael Reidt at Wish and Michael Bloise at Tantra, and as part of the The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne?s opening team. Kleinberg has participated in the annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival since 2007.
Evelyn Paul (Atlanta) ? Born on St. Lucia, Evelyn Paul relocated to the USA to attend the Peter Kump Culinary Arts School. While in NYC, she worked at cutting-edge restaurants including Match, Indochine and Thom. She returned to the Caribbean as the full-time private chef in the US Virgin Islands. She has trained with notable chefs including Douglas Rodriguez, Gary Robbins and Jonathan Eisman. She has appeared on CBS Atlanta, Fox TV Atlanta and in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jezebel, Daily Candy, The Atlantan and more.
Orlando Santos (Pittsburgh) – Born on St. Croix and a graduate of the St. Croix Educational Complex, Orlando trained in the classical and contemporary art of pastries and artisanal chocolates at Johnson & Wales. He is on the upcoming season of Top Chef Just Desserts and was on Food Network Challenge: Sugar Destinations. He is on the USVI team that will compete in the Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2012. He is the owner and Pastry Chef of Orlando?s Chocolate Treasures in Pittsburgh, PA, where he lives.
Ana Sortun (Boston) ? James Beard winner and owner of Oleana in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ana Sortun has been called one of the country?s ?best creative fusion practitioners.? Sortun?s cookbook, SPICE; Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, was nominated for Best Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation and is a best seller according to the Boston Globe and LA Times. Ana competed on Top Chef Masters and has participated in the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience in 2011 and 2012.
Roberto Trevi