Phoenix Cooks! Heats The Valley With Top Chefs

Fifty Famous Chefs In Arizona Provide Gourmet Meals and Lessons

Aug 24, 2009

The 5th annual Phoenix Cooks! is an event that not only provides the ultimate culinary and wine experience, but also benefits the Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Phoenix Cooks! 2009 has been a hit the past four years, so this year should be no exception. Especially since the even includes things that is has never before, such as new restaurant menus, the most famous up-and-coming Valley chefs, and cooking lessons using the newest techniques and ingredients on the market.

What To Expect From the Phoenix Cooks! Atmosphere

It doesn't matter if attendees are chefs, foodies, or even in the hospitality industry. This event is for anyone and everyone who loves delicious food, wine, beer, learning new things, shopping, and helping out local charities.

It is basically an interactive culinary experience, combining hands-on education, entertainment, and an array of prepared food and beverages from the best chefs, wine boutiques, and restaurants Arizona has to offer. The tickets are well worth it, at $75 in advance and $90 at the door, benefiting the Phoenix Children's Hospital while providing guests with the experience of a lifetime.

Walk around and check out the restaurant specialties from over fifty local restaurants and resorts, tasting food and ingredients. Or quench your thirst on the local wine boutiques, retailers and makers, selling their most popular vino, with in-depth information about the techniques. There will also be brewery and local spirit booths, all with samples.

For those who like to shop, there will be the top kitchen and food retailers in the country here, providing the most up-to-date equipment, from knives to glassware, to high-tech cooking gadgets.

There will be stages set up for various top chefs to compete against their differing styles and skills with mystery ingredients, while other chefs will provide cooking lessons to onlookers, such as healthy variations of your favorite foods, food and wine pairings, or food and beer pairings, to name a few. Those who want more in-depth lessons can register for more hands-on classes with the chefs.

A raffle will take place for attendees to have a chance at winning a wide range of impressive prizes, with all ticket bid profits going to Phoenix Children's Hospital, as well.

Famous Top Chefs And Restaurants Showcasing At Phoenix Cooks!

These chefs are providing their time and expertise to really showcase what they have to offer, and to battle against each other in good fun for the benefit of a charity and local curiosity. For example, on one stage, there will be Chef Eric Howson from the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale teaching audiences how to properly make gnocchi, those delicious potato dumplings. And on another stage, there will be True Foods Kitchen's Michael Stebner hosting a tasting, along with Food Network Star Robin Miller. Or venture over to the stage where Chef Jan D'Atri shows how to pair Alaskan Salmon with Alaska Beer, bringing the cuisine of the North Pole to the desert.

One of the newest additions to this year's Phoenix Cooks! is the Dine-Around, an experience where top chefs create a specialty menu combining the styles of all their restaurants, and let small groups travel in between booths tasting the food, wines and meeting other attendees. Meeting many of the top chefs is a common thing here, and this event is ideal for those who want to network in this industry.

Ticket, Date and Location Information for Phoenix Cooks!

Phoenix Cooks! takes place on Saturday, September 5, from 10 AM to 3 PM. The tickets can be purchased through the Phoenix Cooks! Web site. It is at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa on 6902 East Greenway Road in Scottsdale.

Check out other articles by Lauren Wise on cooking, food events and food trends.

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