LA Epicurean Festival gives Your Weight in Wine

LA Epicurean Festival 

By RobTaylor More than 800 guests populated the Third Annual Boutique Trade Show and Epicurean Festival hosted by the Club Culinaire of French Cuisine at the Hotel Sofitel Los Angeles.

Guests could view, taste and purchase more than 500 specialty products including cheeses and meats, wines and spirits, olive oils, organic chocolate , coffees, teas, meats and produce.  Many of these products, such as the handmade truffles, are hard to find and were offered to guests at a substantial discount.

There was a drawing for those who visited every booth, which, with more than 60 tasting stations each with multiple treats and drinks,  was a marathon accomplishment in itself.   The featured door prize was your weight in wine!  A human size balance scale was offset by cases of wine. The lucky winners received 6 to 7 cases of fine wine each!

Culinary students, pastry chefs, sous chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists competed for the coveted LA Epicurean Cup.  The chefs collected ten Festival products of their choice to create  cold appetizers while the sommeliers found wines in the show to pair with the appetizers. The mixologists were asked to concoct a tasty and artistic cocktail with five ingredients from the Festival.  The students competed for the best pizza with the theme summer time.

The pastry chefs brought to life delights from Michel Richard's dessert cookbook, Sweet Magic. Richard, of Citronelle was one  the judges, so he was well prepared know what they should taste like.

Other contest judges were Josiah Citrin of Melisse in Santa Monica; Franck Savoy, director of restaurants of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; Michel Cornu, culinary director of Raymond Vineyards in Napa Valley, Mark Mendoza, head sommelier-wine director at David Myers Group, and Sophie Gayot of GAYOT.com.

Chefs also gave hourly cooking demos., The well-known chefs included Keizo Ishiba of K-Zo Restaurant in Culver City; Jean Francois Meteigner of La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica; Sebastien Archambault of l'Epicerie in Culver City, and Sofitel's executive chef, Marius Blin.

SHOW EXHIBITORS Ayoa Inc Alloro Vineyards Arger-Martucci Wines Azukar Organics Bache Gabielsen Cognac Bakon USA Blue Star Foods Canihan Wines Canzona Vineyards Chateau d'Eclans Chefs' Toys Chefs' Warehouse Chesebro Wines Cole Bailey Cordon Wine Cucina della Cucina Cuvelier Los Andes Domaine de la Fouquette Echo Beverages Eco Products Ecospring Emil's Swiss Pastry Evolve Imaging Fabrique Delices Fresh and Wild Frontaura Y Victoria Gelati Celesti Goldberg&Solovy Green River Sake Hammersky Wines Hollywood & Wine In2Food International Marine Products Italia Wine Trader Jemrose Wines JF Courtier Joy Selection Kangen Water System La Passion des Terroirs LA Specialty Maison Jean-Baptiste Bejot Maitre Vignerons de St Tropez  Maple Leaf Farms Matfer Bourgeat USA Maximum Beverage Melissa's Produce Company Newport Meat The Organic Cellar Principe Food Prodigal Wines Regency Wines & Spirits Republica del Cacao Riazul Tequila Rougie USA Sadie Rose Stylish Mansion Sweet Temptations Tahitian Gold Terra Andina TruWines Vino-Direct Vinum Conservateur West Central Produce Westwood Wine White Toque William Wemyss Wines of Provence