Richard Blais slated for Wine & Food Experience
The celebrity chef for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Wine & Food Experience on Sept. 22 will be Richard Blais.
Blais, 2010 winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef All Stars,” is chef-owner of Juniper & Ivy and Crack Shack in San Diego and Flip Burger Boutiques in the Southeast. He also owns and operates Trail Blais culinary company, and he is a recurring judge on “Top Chef” and “Master Chef.”
Teaming up with his wife, Jazmin, he also produces free weekly podcasts. “Starving for Attention with Richard Blais” goes behind the scenes during his travels at food fests and other events, each exploring a different facet of the culinary industry and giving listeners an inside peek into an array of chefs’ kitchens. His latest cookbook is “So Good: 100 Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017).
At Wine & Food Blais will do a cooking demonstration and sign cookbooks for select ticketholders.
The revamped annual food and beverage extravaganza will offer a more upscale experience this year. The one-day-only event will be held outdoors for the first time, at the Reed Street Yards Park across the river from the Harley-Davidson Museum.
Three levels of tickets are available. Tickets to the Grand Tasting from 1 to 4 p.m. are $70 in advance, $85 at the door.
The Grand Tasting includes unlimited sampling foods prepared by local chefs, chef demonstrations, seminars and panels, and tasting of fine wines and craft beers. Only top Milwaukee-area restaurants, taken from dining critic Carol Deptolla’s annual list of best restaurants, are being invited to participate.
A VIP Grand Tasting ticket costs $100 ($115 at the door) and includes one hour early admission and access to a separate VIP lounge, featuring premium wines and hors d’oeuvres.
A third option, the Chef’s Package at $150, includes all of that plus a meet and greet and autograph signing with Blais.
Tickets can be purchased now at wineandfood. jsonline.com.
Restaurants signed on to participate so far include Bacchus, Lake Park Bistro, Mr. B's Steak, Ristorante Bartolotta, Harbor House, I.d., Le Reve, Third Coast Provisions, Tess, Pastiche, Iron Horse/Smythe, Jake's Restaurant and Goodkind. Oberweiss Dairy is also a participant.
For more information, visit wineandfood.jsonline.
com/talent/. The event will be held rain or shine.