Palm Desert Art of Food & Wine November 9 - 12, 2006

Tickets on sale for the inaugural Palm Desert
Art of Food & Wine Festival, November 9 - 12, 2006

Palm Desert, CA - Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Art of Food & Wine festival to be held November 9 - 12, 2006 in Palm Desert, California. Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa, in conjunction with the City of Palm Desert and Southern Wine and Spirits have teamed up to bring the best art, food, and wine together in a four-day festival. The long weekend is complemented by golf, music, and educational seminars and demonstrations.

"We are excited to be hosting an event of this caliber in our City, stated Palm Desert Mayor Jim Ferguson. "It's a perfect opportunity to showcase all the unique qualities of our resort destination. We look forward to this becoming a signature event and welcoming food and wine enthusiasts for years to come."

The event kicks off on Thursday evening with the dedication of the 2007/08 El Paseo Invitational Sculpture Exhibition, featuring 18 works of art lining the media of the famed El Paseo shopping district. A champagne and chocolate reception will follow the dedication.

The award-winning Desert Willow Golf Resort will be the playground for the Friday golf tournament, "Wining on the Golf Course", featuring wine, spirits, and culinary delights for sampling throughout the 18-holes. Those not interested in playing golf can partake in two, educational tasting seminars, followed by "The Wine BBQ," where chefs step out of the kitchen and get behind the grill.

Friday evening features music by the popular band, Pink Martini, at "Moonlight Marinade." The Desert Willow Golf Resort driving range will be transformed into an entertainment venue, including a concert, food, and wine under the stars.

On Saturday morning participants will enjoy two wine and cheese seminars, and later, Palm Desert's renowned shopping destination, El Paseo, becomes a lingering path of wine, art, and cocktails of the world at the "Pageant of the Casks." Enjoy guided art tours, fashion shows, and entertainment.

Food and wine aficionados will enjoy the ultimate experience at exclusive winemaker dinners on Saturday night. These intimate, limited seating dinners will be held at select Palm Desert venues.

The Art of Food & Wine weekend culminates at the Grand Tasting event on Sunday at the palatial grounds of Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa. The event showcases all participating wineries and restaurants and includes celebrity chef demonstrations.

Passports to luxury begin with a Wine Lovers Weekend Pass, with the option of adding golf, winery dinners, and other events. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ArtofFoodandWine.com. Proceeds from the event benefit culinary and hospitality management higher education in the Coachella Valley.
For more information, please call 800-873-2428.

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PALM DESERT ART OF FOOD & WINE FACT SHEET

Festival Overview:
Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa, in conjunction with the City of Palm Desert and Southern Wine and Spirits are pleased to announce its inaugural Art of Food & Wine festival. The four-day festival features cooking and tasting, golf and grilling, concert and cocktails, and art and outdoors, pairing all the best things in a picture-perfect setting.

Date: Thursday, November 9 - Sunday, November 12, 2006

Location: Throughout the City of Palm Desert including Desert
Springs JW Marriott
Resort & Spa, Desert Willow Golf Resort, and El Paseo shopping district.

Charity: Proceeds benefit the Culinary and Hospitability Management divisions of the University of California Riverside Palm Desert campus, California State of San Bernardino University Palm Desert campus, and College of the Desert.

Tickets & Information:
A passport to luxury begins with a Wine Lovers Weekend Pass ($650), with the option of adding golf, winemaker dinners, and other events. Tickets can be purchased at www.ArtofFoodandWine.com. For more information, please call 800-873-2428.

Festival Highlights:
Confirmed Chefs: Sean Woods, Executive Chef, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes; Oliver Reschreiter, Executive Chef at Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa; and Max McCalman, Dean of Curriculum at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center and Maitre Fromager.

Seminar Instructors: Charles Thomas Curtis, MW, Director of Wine and Spirits Education at Moet Hennessy USA, one of 22 Masters of Wine working in the US; David Nepove, Director of Mixology at Southern Wine & Spirits.

Educational Seminars: Topics include the taste and benefits of olive oil; the affects of wine when paired with various foods; the finer points of champagne and sparkling wines; and cheese and wine pairings. Friday November 10; Included in Weekend Pass. Saturday, November 11, $75 per person for two seminars.

Art: The weekend of events kicks off with the dedication of the 2007/08 El Paseo Invitational Sculpture Exhibition, featuring 18 works of art lining the median of the famed El Paseo shopping district. A champagne and chocolate reception will follow the dedication. Thursday, November 9, 6 p.m.; Included in Weekend Pass.

"Wining on the Golf Course: The award-winning Desert Willow Golf Resort will
be the playground for a California scramble golf tournament, featuring wine, spirits, and culinary delights for sampling throughout the 18-holes. Friday, November 10, 10 a.m.; $375 per person.

Wine BBQ: For those not interested in playing golf, enjoy an educational seminar and then partake in a spectacular lunch as the chefs step out of the kitchen and get behind the grill at Marriott Desert Springs. Wines will be paired with culinary delights. Friday, November 10, 1 p.m.; $40 per person.

"Moonlight Marinade" Concert: Features music by the popular band, Pink Martini, a 12-piece ensemble somewhere between a Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brasilian marching street band, and Japanese film noir. The driving range at Desert Willow Golf Resort will be transformed into an entertainment venue, with a concert, food, and wine under the stars. Friday, November 10, 6 p.m.; Included in Weekend Pass.

"Pageant of the Casks" on El Paseo: Palm Desert's renowned shopping destination, El Paseo, becomes a lingering path of wine, art, and cocktails of the world. Famed mixologist David Nepove will be shaking unique cocktails. Stroll the street and enjoy guided art tours, fashion shows, and entertainment. Saturday, November 11, 11 - 3 p.m.; Included in Weekend Pass.

Winemaker Dinners: Food and wine aficionados will enjoy the ultimate experience at exclusive winemaker dinners. These intimate, limited seating dinners will be held at select Palm Desert venues. Saturday, November 11, 6:30 p.m.; Prices range from $90 - $400 per person.

Grand Tasting: The Art of Food & Wine weekend culminates at the Grand Tasting event at the palatial grounds of Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa. The event showcases all participating wineries and restaurants and includes celebrity chef demonstrations. Sunday, November 12, 11 - 4 p.m.; Included in Weekend Pass.

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PINK MARTINI TO HEADLINE CONCERT
AT PALM DESERT'S ART OF FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL

Palm Desert, CA - Somewhere between a 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brasilian marching street band and Japanese film noir is the 12-piece Pink Martini. The independently successful 'little orchestra' will make their headline the concert at Palm Desert's Art of Food & Wine festival on Friday, November 10, at 6 p.m. at Desert Willow Golf Resort. Tickets exclusively available as part of a Wine Lovers Weekend Pass, $650. To purchase visit www.ArtofFoodandWine.com.

Pink Martini recently made their national television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and the ensemble's New Year's Eve Concert was broadcast live nationally by National Public Radio.

ABOUT PINK MARTINI
Part language lesson, part Hollywood musical, the Portland, Oregon-based Pink Martini was created in 1994 by Harvard graduate and classically trained pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale to play at political fundraisers for progressive causes. Their debut album, Sympathique, released on their own, single-band label, Heinz Records, has sold over 700,000 copies worldwide. Their highly- anticipated second album, Hang on Little Tomato, has continuously swept the retail charts, coming in at #1 on Amazon.com two weeks after its release in October 2004, has already sold 475,000 albums worldwide.

Pink Martini has performed its romantic, multi-lingual repertoire on concert stages, in smoky clubs and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Turkey, Taiwan, Lebanon and the United States, and sold out such venues as the Hollywood Bowl, Thtre du Chtelet in Paris and Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. Pink Martini's passionate, timeless music bridges the high- brow/pop-culture divide and draws a wildly diverse, international audience, ranging from stylish hipsters to blue-haired grandmothers.

"We're kind of like musical archaeologists, bringing melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together to create something which is modern," says Lauderdale. "It's like an urban musical travelogue....and I think as citizens of the world and in a sense as musical ambassadors for the United States, we must always strive to study the languages, customs, and histories of other countries." Pink Martini represents what is refreshing and new in pop music, respecting the traditions of classical, jazz and Latin, while inspiring a new amalgamation that is hypnotique, cinematic and, above all else, beautiful.

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For more information about Pink Martini tour dates and releases please visit
www.pinkmartini.com. Band photos are available at www.pinkmartini.com/pressphotos.

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Contact: Kristy Kneiding,
760-568-5240
kkneiding@ci.palm-desert.ca.us