Women power peaking at 10th annual wine & food fest

The New York City Wine and Food Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this month — and a slew of female celebrity chefs like Rachael Ray are slated to spice up the proceedings.

“The food world has taken some crazy turns in the last 10 years,” Ray told Side Dish. “Whether it’s Alex Guarnaschelli, Anne Burrell or Daniela Soto-Innes in New York, Stephanie Izard in Chicago, or Suzanne Goin in Los Angeles, they’re all doing their thing.”

Guarnaschelli, who has a new book out this week called “The Home Cook,” says it hasn’t been an easy climb.

“I entered this business knowing that there were more men than women,” Guarnaschelli said. “But I have worked every day with the hope and assumption that gender can be eclipsed by hard work. Shuck the oysters. Julienne those carrots until they’re perfect. And the rest will follow suit.”

The festival, which launched as a one-night dessert fest, now features more than 80 events over a four-day sprawl from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15. Events include actress Kristin Chenoweth hosting Broadway Tastes, while funny lady Whoopi Goldberg hosts a fried chicken dinner fete at Sylvia’s, the iconic Harlem hotspot.

Bryant Park Hotel, at 40 West 40th St., is launching a new Moroccan-style lounge, Célon, a desert oasis in the basement of the landmarked American Radiator Building. The space inside the famed Art Deco tower was designed by ICRAVE and features an Instagram-worthy image giving the illusion of dunes in the Moroccan desert. The 2,300-squarefoot space will have 110 seats.

Elizabeth’s Neighborhood Table at 680 Columbus Ave. has closed. But there is a silver lining for the beloved spot, which served locally sourced, sustainable comfort food behind a white picket fence and a porch swing. Elizabeth’s popular weekend brunch will be offered next door at Nat and Elizabeth Milners’ other hotspot, Gabriela’s Restaurant & Tequila Bar. “Our Mexican neighbors are saving the American restaurant,” Liz Milner quipped.