Celebrity Chefs Update - Nigella Lawson

The Chicago Tribune reports that Nigella Lawson, star of "Nigella Bites" on the Food Network and author of "How to Be A Domestic Goddess," is going to be at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago in November to titillate the locals, as well as promote her new Food Network show called "Nigella Express."

Though she doesn't officially qualify for the TasteTV list of Sexy Chefs, or even Sexy Dishes, she does qualify as "a very appealing Chef," which is our version of second place.

In case anyone is wondering, to be fair, we are not comparing her to well-known female celebs listed as Sexy such as Vanessa Hudgens, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Amanda Beard, Tila Tequila, or even Jessica Alba. TasteTV has its own standards, which our TasteMakers Social Club helps produce.

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Dark Restaurants: The New in Eating without Light

Unlike some world travelers, we at TasteTV had never heard of these dark restaurants before, but it sounded like a great idea for a TasteTV dining and tasting event. If anyone else thinks this is a good idea, just post a comment. (do it with the light on, of course)

"The first dark restaurant in Asia is officially opened on the 23 December 2006. This restaurant, located in Beijing, China, has its interior painted completely in black. Customers are greeted by a brightly lit entrance hall and will be escorted by waiters wearing night vision goggles into the pitch dark dining room to help them find their seats. Flashlights, mobile phones and even luminous watches are prohibited while in this area.

The meal will be taken in this environment with the complete loss of vision. By starving one’s sense, your other senses are stimulated to full alert – all so the theory goes – and your food will taste like it’s never tasted before. In case you are wondering about the washrooms, they are all brightly lit.



The dark restaurants are initially a project of the Blind-Liecht (Swiss German for blind-light) foundation. The foundation works to create employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired people. Their first venture, the blindekuh in Zurich, opened in 1999 and is claimed to be the world's first dark restaurant. Since then, the restaurant concept has been subsequently replicated elsewhere, including Paris, Berlin, London and multiple cities in Canada, United States, Russia and Australia. The one located in Beijing, China is the latest addition."Via Spluch

Not quite...San Francisco is the latest addition, with TasteTV's SF DARK - Dark Dining (www.SFDark.com)

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TasteTV Announces Dark Dining in San Francisco

DARK Dining in San Francisco by TasteTV and Million Dollar Dinner takes you into another realm of dining, one where all of your senses are expanded and focus on the food, the taste, the sound, the company and more...because you are dining completely in the dark.

Dark dining is not low light dining, it is no light dining! TasteTV's food, wine and lifestyle editors have tracked this growing culinary experience across the globe and are now bringing it to Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. During the evening, for two entire hours, guests will eat, drink, talk, and enjoy entertainment in complete and total darkness. The flavors and textures of thir food will take on an entirely new dimension, as will the quality of their conversation (or perhaps of their dates).

The launch chef for these events is Chef Lisa Hines, owner of the Bella Cucina Cafe, and associated with Bravo's Top Chef program.

A TasteTV Dark Dining Dinner experience includes:

• A delicious Three-course meal
• Wine carefully paired to go with your meal
• Some of the best dinner companions you can imagine
• TasteTV TasteMaker status for you and your food, wine & restaurant loving friends
• Entertainment in the form of music, spoken word, and more
  

DARK Dining SF will take place in September on Friday evenings at 8pm, in San Francisco. Location information, and reservations, menu, and the chef's bio, can be found at the Dark Dining SF site, http://www.SFDark.com. For information about TasteTV's San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, go to http://www.SFChocolateSalon.com.

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Jason Priestley and 90210 Wine Tasting?

Amy Rosen of the National Post in Canada reported:

Jason Priestley and Terry David Mulligan do some swishing and swilling at various wine regions as co-hosts of Hollywood and Vines, a new show on StarTV. The Barenaked Ladies' Steven Page is a Canadian oenophile who owns a piece of Canada's Vines magazine. A handful of Canadian celebs are dipping into the wine business. It all raises the question: Is this a recipe for deliciousness or are they corking disaster? Amy Rosen investigates

Jason Priestley's involvment in such a wine show is confirmed by Celeb Talk, Wine Expression, and TV Guides. The website for the program, which airs apparently now on the Travel Channel or Star-TV - maybe - is here www.hollywoodandvinestv.com

By the way, Wine Expressions has their own version of this type of show, which you can see here.



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TasteTV at TasteTV.com

technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food,
Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking,
Jason Priestley,
Chef, ITV

TasteTV SF Chocolate Salon 2007 Awards Announced

image courtesy of the Daily Feed

TasteTV Salon welcomed over 2,000 Chocolate Aficionados

For Immediate Release

San Francisco -- July 18, 2007 -- The San Francisco International CHOCOLATE SALON today announces the 2007 Award Winners of its Chocolate Tasting Panel. The Salon, sponsored by TasteTV and TasteTV.com, welcomed over 2,000 chocolate aficionados, fanatics, buyers and journalists who enjoyed 27 of the finest artisan and premium chocolatiers, in addition to wine, beverages, and Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur.

Because of the success of the first San Francisco International CHOCOLATE SALON, TasteTV also announces that it will be sponsoring the Salon again next year in July 2008, as well as in Los Angeles in October 2007. In addition, it will be launching an annual series of publications known as The Chocolate Guides, showcasing the chocolate makers, chocolatiers, bakeries and matching wines of four North American regions. The first Chocolate Guide, the Western Edition, is scheduled for publication in Fall 2007.

The Chocolate Tasting Panel presented awards in categories such as Best Dark Chocolate, Top Artisan Chocolatier, Most Artistic Chocolate Designs, Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience, Best Organic Products, and Best Comfort Chocolates. Winners include Amano Artisan Chocolate, Charles Chocolates, L'Artisan du Chocolat, XOX Truffles, Poco Dolce and The Xocolate Bar. To see the full list of awards, go to http://www.SFChocolateSalon.com

Organic and Fair trade chocolates were well represented at the Salon, and speakers included chocolate perfumer Yosh Han, blogger Emily Stone of Chocolate in Context, Global Exchange's Adrienne Fitch-Frankel and conceptual chocolate artist April Banks, Seneca Klassen of the Bittersweet Chocolate Cafe, food writer GraceAnn Walden, and New York's Reverend R. M. Peluso, who demonstrated how to use chocolate in spiritual meditation.

For more information about the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, go to http://www.SFChocolateSalon.com.

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Mod-Mex Cuisine

Greetings to all! Hope you are enjoying your summer! I truly am happiest this time of year because of all the glorious produce. At it's peak, just right for the picking the fruits and vegetables available right now blows my mind! Sweet and succulent corn, bright and juicy berries in shades of pink to purple, funky shaped and aromatic heirloom tomatoes, fragrant peaches, plums and nectarines, I am in heaven!

Last night I taught a class at Sur La Table, in San Francisco. My "Fiesta Mexicana" menu featured farm fresh produce, jazzed up with vibrant herbs and fiery peppers. It was muy sabroso! The class was a hit, the students loved making sopes stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and queso fresco, garnished with petite pink radish and avocado. We shucked corn and made delicate flans topped with poblano puree. Crunchy jicama was tossed with tart grapefruit and crispy cucumbers to create a cool summer salad. Plump sea scallops, lime juice and mango were delicious in our ceviche served in tortilla bowls.

The hit of the night was the meat! A tender tri-tip steak dusted with ancho powder, cinnamon and cocoa, then pan roasted to a perfect medium-rare. Smokey, sweet and slightly spicy, the steak was served with red onion jam and a creamy coleslaw spiked with chipotle adobo and pineapple juice. Ay caramaba...I'm hungry! The night came to a sweet ending with peaches and ginger flambeed with brandy and served with freshly made churros and vanilla ice cream.

This weekend I am catering an event in Sonoma. It will be a picnic in the park, featuring my "Mod-Mex" cuisine. I have submitted my audition video to The Food Network for season 4 of "The Next Food Network Star". Check it out on my MySpace page, leave a comment, I would appreciate your support! I would love to bring my flavors to TV!
Until next time, enjoy the bounty of the season, have fun grillin' and take it easy with a cool cocktail!
Adios!

Alex
The Food Diva



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International Chocolate Salon Welcomes Celebrity Panelists

More news about TasteTV's San Francisco International Chocolate Salon:

The San Francisco International CHOCOLATE SALON, July 14 and 15, 2007, announces a delicious lineup of speakers and members of its Chocolate Tasting Panel, including celebrity chocolate perfume maker Yosh Han. TasteTV also announces that Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur wil be a major sponsor of the Ten Days of Bay Area-wide chocolate events culminating with the two-day Chocolate Salon at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Conference Center.

Panelists for the International Chocolate Salon include celebrity chocolate perfume maker Yosh Han and dozens of others. July 14 & 15 at Fort Mason Conference Center in San Francisco.

During the week leading up to the International Chocolate Salon, Bloomingdale's San Francisco will present daily chocolate recipe demonstrations in its kitchen by chocolatiers XOX Truffles, Coco Delice, Cosmic Chocolates, and Coco-luxe Confections, as well as by chefs Eddie Blyden, Ryan Scott of Myth Cafe, and Murielle Roux of Absinthe Brasserie. In addition, Vermeer will be sponsoring "Chocolate Specials" on dishes, drinks, and desserts at local restaurants, bars and clubs.

Salon sponsor Vermeer produces the only chocolate liqueur made with real Dutch chocolate, and must be considered a leader in the pursuit of pure indulgence. Maurice Kanbar, the man behind the renowned SKYY vodka brand, took 4 years to source the chocolate to accompany his vision. When he eventually came across a creamery making the finest real Dutch chocolate in the Netherlands, Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur was born.

The San Francisco International CHOCOLATE SALON takes place on Bastille Day Weekend, July 14 and 15, 2007 at the Fort Mason Conference Center in San Francisco. Chocolate aficionados, fanatics, buyers and journalists will experience the finest in artisan, gourmet & premium chocolate in one of the world's great culinary metropolitan areas.

International Chocolate Salon participants include NEWTREE Gourmet Belgian Chocolate, Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Chocolates, Theo Chocolate, San Francisco Chocolate Factory, XOX Truffles, Grand Avenue Chocolates, MarieBelle Fine Treats and Chocolates, DeBrito Chocolate Factory, The TeaRoom Chocolate Truffles, Terra Nostra Organic Chocolate, Gelato Classico, Coco Délice Fine Chocolates, Serendipity Chocolates, L'Artisan du chocolat, Poco Dolce, Cosmic Chocolate, Coco-luxe Confections, Saratoga Chocolates, Charles Chocolates, Rushburn Toffee Company, Couture Chocolates by Ginger Elizabeth, Amano Artisan Chocolate, The Xocholate Bar, Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur, Quady Winery, Silkwood Wines, Four Vines Winery, Steele Wines, Sol Rouge Winery, C'est Tres Chic Chocolate Molds, Trader Joe's, Izze Beverage Company, Le Creuset, Swissmar, Putumayo World Music, Chocolate Television and TasteTV.

The Salon will also include a Chocolate Awards Tasting Panel, speakers, and demonstrations, and donates a portion of proceeds to local non-profits. Panelists and speakers include Yosh Han, Rob Valencia, Seneca Klassen , GraceAnne Walden, Emily Stone, Pam Elder, Leslie Harlib, Joan Steuer, Karletta Moniz, Herschell Taghap, Carolyn Byrnes, A.K. Crump, and Jose-Gaspar Vibal.

The San Francisco International CHOCOLATE SALON is July 14 & 15, 2007, Fort Mason Conference Center, San Francisco. Tickets $20 for adults, $10 for children 6-12, under 6 free. Saturday July 14th, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m, Sunday July 15th, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For Advance Ticket purchases, Salon information, or for the Menu of events and specials for the Bay Area Ten Days of Chocolate, go to http://www.SFChocolateSalon.com.

Salon sponsor TasteTV is the leading New Media food, wine and lifestyle network, covering delicious topics ranging from restaurants, food, and wine to chocolate, cooking, fashion, and style. Its videos can be seen online at http://www.TasteTV.com, ChocolateTelevision.com, BlogCritics.org, on TiVO, Comcast On Demand, and on over 80 television stations nationwide.

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