Food Network’s annual Wine and Food Festival will be coming to New York City from September 29 to October 2. This festival is in its fourth year, and has been widely successful in the past. The culinary festival is presented by “Food & Wine,” and will be showcasing some of the most popular chefs in the culinary industry.

The Wine and Food Festival is sure to bring big name celebrity chefs and food lovers alike to an array of events across New York City. The weekend will be full of discussions and cooking demonstrations for all those who love to cook and eat delicious food. The Wine and Food Festival is hosted by the Food Bank of New York City, and aims to reduce hunger throughout the city.

Share Our Strength is another organization that is working with the festival with the purpose of ending childhood hunger. This popular food festival brings together celebrated chefs and lovers of the culinary industry to give back to charities. All of the money made throughout the weekend-long festival will go to the Food Bank of New York City and Share Our Strength.

Practically all of Food Network’s beloved stars will be on hand for the 2011 Wine and Food Festival. Television personalities in attendance will include Sunny Anderson, host of “Cooking for Real,” and Anne Burrell, host of “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.”

Italian chef and Emmy Award winner Giada De Laurentiis will be at the festival, as well as everyone’s favorite southern comfort cook, Paula Deen. Sandra Lee, Bobby Flay, and Pat and Gina Neely, also Food Network celebrities, will also be at the festival. Dozens of food-centered events will be taking place over the course of the weekend.

Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse will be hosting “Chelsea Market After Dark” on September 29. Also on September 29, Anne Burrell will be hosting an event entitled “Rock & Bowl.” October 1 is when people can enjoy sushi and karaoke with Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto.

There are events based on almost every culinary aspect, including everything from seafood to meatballs and burgers. There are also events for children that encourage youngsters to get involved with cooking. Tickets for these events have to be purchased beforehand, and many star studded events are already sold out. Events hosted by famous chef Jacques Pepin and actress Whoopi Goldberg are among the events that are already filled up.

While many of the events are pricey, there are some free events throughout the city that food lovers can participate in without breaking the bank. Chef Eric Ripert, widely known for his restaurant Le Bernardin, will be on hand at the Standard Hotel on September 30 to play a round of 21 Questions, where he will answer questions from the audience.

On October 1, Food Network personalities including Paula Deen, Alton Brown, and Robert Irvine will be in attendance at the Illy Park Book Signing. It is a great chance for fans to meet some of their favorite celebrity chefs.

The 2011 Wine and Food Festival will be a highlight in the culinary world. Attendees can choose from a large selection of events that showcases all aspects of cooking. With a large attendance from chefs and celebrities, the start studded festival will bring excitement through the love of food.
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New York City has joined in dining from food trucks as the popularity of the dining style has skyrocketed across many cosmopolitan cities.

Food truck festivals have sprouted up across New York City over the weekend of August 20th and 21st, bringing tasty treats to Manhattan and Brooklyn. Specialty food trucks serving anything from kimchee tacos to lobster have ushered in a new wave of fast food. They are generating loyal customers with hearty appetites.

More than 30 food trucks gathered in the heart of South Street Seaport on August 20th to share their individual cuisine. With the appropriately named PARKED festival, food trucks lined Water Street and Fulton Street as customers sampled an array of food.

The trucks were open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., which gave people plenty of time to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere of hopping from one food truck to another. Each truck provided customers with their regular menu, along with $5 and $8 meal options specifically for the festival.

The PARKED festival started just four years ago with a handful of food trucks gathering together to share a love of the culinary art. It has now expanded to a much larger festival, showcasing cuisine from around the world.

A crowd favorite at the festival was Korilla Korean taco truck, which serves the familiarity of Korean barbeque in new forms. Making tacos, burritos, and chosun bowls, people stood in long lines to taste some food from this Korean food truck. The popularity of the Korilla Korean taco truck has landed it on the second season of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race,” where eight food trucks compete for a prize of $100,000.

Jumping over towards Middle Eastern cuisine, the Taim food truck cooked up their signature falafel sandwiches, along with hummus, Israeli salad and a wide selection of homemade drinks and smoothies. This Middle Eastern truck is an extension of Taim’s permanent location in the West Village, where lines are always equally long.

The popular falafel and the chef behind the creation, Einat Admony, have appeared on Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” generating buzz for the cuisine.

Yet another food truck that has had Food Network exposure is Wafels & Dinges, a Belgian waffle truck that is known throughout New York City. Customers can choose between the Brussels Wafel or liege wafel, and add toppings, which are called dinges. Nutella, Belgian chocolate, and walnuts are just some options for the tasty wafels.

Wafels & Dinges also has a distinct barbeque pulled pork wafel, and their signature “de Throwdown wafel” which was highlighted on an episode of Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.”

Other food trucks that participated in the PARKED festival included Coolhaus Ice Cream with thick ice cream sandwiches, Kelvin Natural Slush Co, serving up shaved ice, and Red Hook Lobster Pound.  Consumers were also able to enjoy dishes from Mexicue Food Truck, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the Treats Truck, and Schnitzel and Things, among many others.

Along with the large selection of food, the PARKED festival also offered live music on a a main stage in South Street Seaport. Diners were able to listen to music from Two Man Gentleman Band, Soul 2 Seoul, Anais Mitchell, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, and Mikey Palms. A beer garden was created for the day as well.

Face painting was available for children, while cooking demonstrations were open for adults. The event offered plenty of free options for anyone wanting to spend some time outdoors.

Just over the bridge in Brooklyn, food trucks gathered once again on August 21st in Grand Army Plaza. The Prospect Park Alliance hosted the Food Truck Rally, which happens every third Sunday from June to October. Many of the same food trucks showed up at the Food Truck Rally and were met with equal enthusiasm from Brooklyn patrons.

Diners were able to eat grilled cheese sandwiches from Gorilla Cheese NYC, dumplings from Rickshaw Dumpling Truck and drink coffee from Mud Truck, along with other cuisines. Many chose to bring their meals into Prospect Park, just steps away from the Food Truck Rally.

The popularity of food trucks has become a staple in the New York City dining experience. Festivals like PARKED and the Food Truck Rally showcased these favorite meals on wheels throughout the weekend.

Image Courtesy of  bernardoh

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