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.
# # #
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.
# # #
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.
# # #
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