James Beard News

The 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL has announced the full line-up for the January 17, 18 and 19, 2014event set to take place at venues along northwest Florida's scenic Highway 30A and the resort neighborhoods of South Walton. The 5th annual celebration will feature performances from such esteemed artists as Kristian Bush (Sugarland), Loudon Wainwright III, Ani DiFranco, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Richard Thompson, Shawn Mullins, John Oates, Jerry Douglas, Rusty Young (Poco), Jonathon Edwards, Jesse Harris, Craig Fuller (Pure Prairie League), John Gorka, Mary Gauthier, James McMurtry, Bob Schneider, Glenn Phillips Band, Matthew Sweet, Jeffrey Steele, Jim Lauderdale, Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers) and Tinsley Ellis.

Set in charming Walla Walla, in the heart of Washington wine country, the luxurious Marcus Whitman Hotel is the perfect backdrop for holiday celebrations. The historic Walla Walla landmark offers festive holiday activities in December with special rates in January to combat the post-holiday blues. The Marcus Whitman invites guests, visitors and locals alike to partake in the holiday festivities taking place on the property.

Celebrated chef, Todd English, never known to miss out on the culinary world's most important gatherings, will once again lend his time and talent to a prestigious foodie happening: The Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival taking place December 13-17.

The Washington Winter Show, a charity antiques show, is pleased to announce the theme for the 2014 show 'Southern Celebrations: Traditions Handed Down.' Stratford Hall, home of the Lees in Virginia, has created a loan exhibit that will provide a glimpse of customs that are evocative of life in the 1800's including items related to entertaining, style and family life.

Whether you are racing to the mall for some last minute shopping, attending a decadent holiday party or planning that perfect family feast, sticking to a sensible eating and exercise plan can be difficult during this time of year. Fortunately, California Almonds has teamed up with Alison Sweeney and a crew of fitness, nutrition and cooking experts to form The Life Squad - a group that offers relevant seasonal tips, creative solutions and tasty advice on how to stay healthy during the holidays and beyond, all featured in a new series of empowering videos that can be seen on Almonds.com/LifeSquad.

Chef Todd English will make his way to the lush vineyards of Napa Valley this weekend for his inaugural appearance at the third annual Flavor! Napa Valley being held November 20-24, 2013.

On December 3, 2013, the Pittsburgh-based Troy and Theodora Polamalu Foundation Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, will host a fundraising dinner featuring celebrity chef and television personality, Todd English, to benefit several causes that are dear to the hearts of Pittsburgh Steeler, Troy Polamalu and his wife, Theodora. Proceeds of the event will support the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, the FOCUSNA Back Pack Feeding program and the Fa'a American Samoa Camp.

This Thanksgiving, 17 of New York's most prolific influencers will each design a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind Dominique Ansel tulip Cronut box to be auctioned off, with all proceeds benefiting God's Love We Deliver to feed people in need. Participants designing the boxes include Heidi Klum, Jonathan Adler, Simon Doonan, Amanda Freitag, Sandra Lee, Christiane Lemiuex, Joan Rivers, Peter Som, David Stark, Vicente Wolf, and the Casts of Cinderella, First Date, Janis Joplin, Motown, Pippin and Rock of Ages. Each of the boxes will include two custom Cronuts created by Chef Ansel, filled with pumpkin cream and topped with 24K gold leaf. The tulip-shaped boxes and Cronuts will be auctioned off at www.biddingowl.com from November 18th to 26th, with bidding starting at $100. Each of the boxes and Cronuts will be delivered to winners on Thanksgiving morning (winners must be located in the NYC area). Find the Cronut Mission on Twitter at hashtag #thecronutmission.

JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes Orlando announces a very special Harvest Celebration at the resort's new on-site Whisper Creek Farm on Saturday, November 16. Guests and locals alike are invited to join in this first-of-its-kind dinner to celebrate the resort's 10th anniversary this year and its continued commitment to farm-to-fork dining. The Harvest Celebration menu will be led by Chef Melissa Kelly, a pioneer in sustainable cuisine, whose award-winning restaurant PRIMO at JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes was the inspiration behind Whisper Creek Farm.

The Marcus Whitman Hotel, a luxury and historic Walla Walla landmark and storied gathering place, will host its 13th annual Thanksgiving Harvest Buffet on November 28 where diners will enjoy a gorgeous buffet prepared by James Beard-recognized Chef Antonio Campolio. The buffet-style feast is sure to appease all palates as it encompasses assorted gourmet nibbles, entrees, desserts and more, priced between $12.95 29.95 per person.

Jarden Home Brands, makers of Ball brand home canning products, today announced the first-of-its-kind appliance revolutionizing the fresh preserving process, the Ball FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System. This unique countertop appliance takes the guesswork out of the home canning process and enables consumers to auto-preserve freshly made foods with the push of a button, using up to 30% less time, 60% less energy (enough to power more than 100 average American homes in a year) and 85% less water (enough for 14 average American homes in a year) when compared to traditional water bath canning methods.

Calling all lovers of literature, good food, and literature about good food, Pen Parentis has a wonderful Literary Salon planned for November, featuring four excellent food writers! Caroline M. Grant, co-editor of The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage: True Tales of Food, Family, and How We Learn to Eat, will read from her anthology, along with contributing food journalists Aleksandra Crapanzano and Edward Lewine.

Chef, restaurateur, author and entrepreneur Todd English will once again be joining Macy's Culinary Council -an exclusive team of the country's finest chefs who serve to inspire the way Macy's customers shop, cook and eat-this time at Macy's in Miami's Dadeland Mall. A four-time James Beard Award winner and inductee into the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America,' English has authored several critically acclaimed cookbooks including The Olives Table, The Figs Table, The Olives Dessert Table, and his most recent, Cooking in Everyday English, The ABC's of Great Flavor at Home. The celebrity chef operates 25 national and international restaurants and has also created the record-breaking houseware line, The Todd English Collection for QVC.

Whether reserving at a world-famous restaurant, shopping at an open-air market, or being wowed by street food specialties, our culinary experiences on the road are an integral part of travel. Food is discovery, but as Lonely Planet's new literary anthology, A Fork in the Road: Tales of Food, Pleasure & Discovery on the Road, demonstrates, it's also an emotional and transformative journey.

GLEE star Lea Michele will guest on the special Halloween episode of Bravo's TOP CHEF on Wednesday, October 30th. Get a sneak peek of the holiday broadcast below!

LAS VEGAS, NV - For the first time since its inception, the 59th General Assembly of French Master Chefs "Maitres Cuisiniers de France" will bring their worldwide meetings to the United States, March 5-9, 2014. The event will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the American and Canadian delegations and the U.S. Chapter of "l'Academie Culinaire De France" (ACF).

Alton Brown, Iron Chef host and renowned television personality, is taking his brand of quirky humor and culinary science on the road with the 'Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour.' Brown will appear at The Center for the Performing Arts tonight, OCTOBER 24, 2013, presented by Broadway San Jose - a Nederlander Presentation, in partnership with Team San Jose.

It was a busy New York City Wine & Food Festival for Chef Todd English as he made the rounds of the annual event this weekend. The festival, which ran from October 17-20, saw English take part in a charity ride benefiting the Food Bank of New York at Flywheel Flatiron, hosting Global Night Market at his Todd English Foodhall at The Plaza Hotel and attending an oyster, beer and bubbly bash at the Biergarten at The Standard, New York.

Following a successful launch in New York City on October 22-23, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) in partnership with chef and restaurateur, Jehangir Mehta, will continue to the second stop of the national GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Chef's Table Tour in Portland, Ore. on October 28-30.While in Portland, the GREAT Kitchens Chef's Table Tour will address the growing demand for gluten-free food items in restaurants and schools by partnering with local chefs and universities to educate foodservice professionals on safe gluten-free food preparation.

These days we are all doing a lot of writing, talking about and taking pictures of food. The question is, why? Food writer, restaurant critic and Top Chef Masters judge, Ruth Reichl will kick off the 2013/2014 season of The Cabin's Readings & Conversations series, tonight, October 16, at the Morrison Center.