24 February 2020 Tickets on Sale for NJ Wine & Food Festival

Tickets on Sale for NJ Wine & Food Festival

February 24, 2020 By

The 12th annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort returns May 1-3 and tickets are now on sale for all events!

Photo Credit: Rob Yaskovic

About the Festival

The Festival is a celebration of some of the world’s best wines and food from around the nation with events designed to allow food & wine lovers to meet and mingle with chefs and winemakers. The weekend’s events include the signature Grand Tasting, a luxurious Wine Cellar dinner featuring wines from renowned winery Chateau Latour, the Top Chefs & Top Wines dinner, plus many exciting seminars with chefs, distillers and winemakers.

Charity Partner Info

The Festival’s charity partner and beneficiary is the Blind Ambition Coalition, a New Jersey-based organization whose mission is to promote a higher quality of life to individuals with disabilities by providing social networking opportunities, creating disability awareness, and establishing a strong community of disabled and non-disabled support.

Wine Cellar by Crystal Springs Resort

Schedule of Events:

Friday May 1

7pm Fire in the Garden, a dinner in the resort’s outdoor Chef’s Garden restaurant featuring Crystal Springs Executive Chef Aishling Stevens and Chef James Gop of Heirloom Fire, $150 (tax & gratuity additional)

8pm Top Chefs & Top Wines, a dinner featuring three cheftestants from Bravo TV’s Top Chef – Eric Adjepong, Jos Sasto and David Viana, along with the culinary team of 4-star Restaurant Latour, $295 (tax & gratuity additional)

8pm Wine Cellar dinner with Frederic Engerer, CEO of Artemis Wines & the legendary Chateau Latour winery in Bordeaux, France, $495 (tax and gratuity additional)

Saturday May 2

9am – 4pm Seminars and tasting featuring a who’s who of the wine and spirits world including Gaja Winery, Veuve Clicquot, Duckhorn, Cantine Bertani, Hendrick’s Gin, Johnnie Walker, Hennessy Cognac and more. A full list can be found here: https://njwinefoodfest.com/events/categories/2020/seminars-cooking-demos-more/ ($30 – $150)

7pm The Grand Tasting (6:30pm VIP) features 40 restaurants from New York City and New Jersey with top wineries and distilleries. The event features two VIP sections with Champagne and premium wines as well as dishes from NYC hotspots Del Posto, Manhatta, Freemans, Bluebird London NYC, Batard along with Felina, Vesta Chocolate and Restaurant Latour. The regular Grand Tasting continues to showcase New Jersey’s best including Café Chameleon, Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, Faubourg, Brick Farm Tavern, Halifax, Fascino, Viaggio, South + Pine, Ani Ramen, Il Nido, Bell Market and more (Grand Tasting $125: VIP $300 early bird & $325 after March 5)

10pm Biosphere After Party with DJ, open bar, live entertainment and more ($150)

Sunday May 3

10am Champagne Brunch featuring Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Champagne and a buffet of fresh baked goods, eggs and more brunch treats, $50 (tax & gratuity additional).

More information on the 12th annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival: www.njwinefoodfest.com and Crystal Springs Resort: www.crystalgolfresort.com.

Cheers,

Veronique

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6 April 2017 2017 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival Recap

2017 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival Recap

April 6, 2017 By

The 9th annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort that took place last week is officially over. Renowned Chef Daniel Boulud was the Guest of Honor and proceeds benefited Ment’or, a leading nonprofit organization devoted to inspiring culinary excellence in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine in America.

About Friday

Friday night was a food and Krug extravaganza with a cellar dinner by Chef Boulud and his team and a Top Chefs & Top Wines Dinner featuring three chefs from the season of Bravo’s Top Chef that just concluded: Katsuji Tanabe, Silvia Barban and Casey Thompson. Those three popular chefs cooked alongside uber talented Chef Martyna Krowicka of Restaurant Latour and Pastry Chef Miro Uskokovic of Gramercy Tavern. The feedback about both dinners is out of this world with people who attended raving about it.

About Saturday Afternoon

Saturday was fun-filled with various classes and demos. I attended, as a guest of the festival, the Daniel Boulud Foie Gras Challenge where five NJ chefs competes to produce a foie gras dish worthy of Chef Boulud’s approval. The aromas that greeted me as I entered the room were intoxicating and five busy chefs and their teams were busy concocting praise-worthy dishes for judge, Chef Boulud.

After walking around for a few minutes to take in the sights of each participant’s table, I was approached by festival organizers along with Chef Boulud himself to co-judge the event. What? Me? Chef Boulud himself actually asked me – what a thrill! I joined Chef Boulud and a volunteer judge, Meghan Walker, at the judges table to sample dishes from five talented chefs: Ehnren Ryan of Common Lot, Francesco Palmieri of Calandra’s Il Vecchio Café, David Viana of Heirloom Kitchen, Mike Carrino of Pig & Prince and Matt Laurich and the kitchen staff at Crystal Springs.

While all the dishes were creative and delicious, there could only be one winner: Mike Carrino of Pig and Prince with his take on a French traditional foie presentation and a pour of 1941 Courvoisier. 

About Saturday Night

I’ve always been very vocal about what an amazing festival this is and beyond what others in the area can produce. One of the reasons I feel that way if the Grand Tasting on Saturday night.

Some of my favorite bites of the evening (I liked MANY others and didn’t visit all the tables):

Porcelet Head Taco – Felton

David Felton – Natirar/Ninety Acres: Porcelet Head & Shoulder Taco.

Greg Vassos – Brick Farm Tavern: Beef Tartare.

Chris Siversen – Maritime Parc: Octopus a la Plancha.

Phil Deffina – Char Steakhouse: Prime Dry-Aged Strip Steak.

JR Belt – Stage Left: Pork Belly Terrine.

David Viana – Heirloom Kitchen: Octopus Bolognese with Masa Harina.

Josh Bernstein – Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas: Pasta with Preserved Lemon, Fennel and Shrimp.

Rob Ubhaus – Redux: Venison Carpaccio with Shaved Foie Gras.

Leia Gaccione – South + Pine: Burrata with Roasted Baby Carrots, Sunflower Sprouts and black pepper+cardamom vin.

About Sunday

This was the first time I attended the famous Champagne Brunch as part of the festival. Wow, just wow. Chef Anthony Bucco and his talented team pulled no punches with this spread. As soon as we sat down, we were greeted by the always-lovely Sommelier, Susanne Lerescu with a choice of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label or Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne. Ruinart it was for me and my guest. The room, which held the Grand Tasting the evening before, was completely transformed into a beautiful room with various buffet stations and brunch drinks bar. A lot of hard work went into transforming that room from what it was the previous night. While the options were plentiful, we enjoyed the raw/seafood station, the wild mushroom eggs, the breakfast sandwich station and the carving station. The R&B singer was outstanding and entertaining, nice choice.   

I know I’ve written about this in all my yearly recaps of this Crystal Springs event but it’s a must-attend for any wine and food aficionado in the NJ/NY area. Nobody does it better in a more gorgeous setting.

To stay abreast of events at Crystal Springs Resort, sign up for its newsletter or like its Facebook page.

Cheers,

Veronique

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9th Annual Crystal Springs New Jersey Wine & Food Festival

February 2, 2017 By

Grand Tasting - Photo by Crystal Springs

Grand Tasting – Photo by Crystal Springs

Tickets are now on sale for the 9th annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort, taking place March 31 – April 2. This year, we are excited to announce that one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, Daniel Boulud, will be the Guest of Honor. Proceeds benefit Ment’or, a leading nonprofit organization devoted to inspiring culinary excellence in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine in America. 

Weekend Happenings

Friday March 31

SOLD OUT!!! 8PM – Chef Daniel Boulud is an industry legend, with 14 restaurants around the world and numerous James Beard awards to his credit. Daniel and his team will be cooking in the Wine Cellar for what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience rare vintage wines from the cellar. The dinner includes a Krug Champagne reception with dishes by Crystal Springs Resort Executive Chef Anthony Bucco ($1,000 plus tax and gratuity).

SOLD OUT!!! 8PM – Top Chefs & Top Wines Dinner featuring three chefs from the current season of Bravo’s Top Chef: Katsuji Tanabe, Silvia Barban and Casey Thompson, alongside Chef Martyna Krowicka of Restaurant Latour and Pastry Chef Miro Uskokovic of Gramercy Tavern. ($225 plus tax & gratuity). 

Saturday April 1

10AM – Perfectly Paired Pastries with Chef Jessie Dardar of Le Petit Temptation Dessert Truck ($35).

11AM – A Conversation & Book Signing with Guest of Honor Daniel Boulud – Enjoy a glass of Champagne as Daniel reminisces about his career and signs copies of his cookbooks. ($50, including a copy of either My Best: Daniel Boulud or DANIEL: My French Cuisine).

11:30AM – 1PM – Marketplace Lunch

12PM – The Art of Fresh Pasta with Chef Silvia Barban (Top Chef Season 14) and Aishling Stevens (Crystal Springs), featuring winemaker Ryan Rech of Beringer ($50).

SOLD OUT!!! 1PM – A Taste of Mexico with Chef Katsuji Tanabe (Top Chef Season 14) and Chef Martyna Krowicka (Restaurant Latour) – refined Mexican dishes with beers and spirits from Mexico ($40).

2PM – Create your own Red Blend with Rodney Strong winemaker Justin Seidenfeld ($35).

2PM – Daniel Boulud Foie Gras Challenge – 4 NJ chefs will compete to produce the winning dish as judged by Chef Boulud ($60).

3PM – An Afternoon in Provence – kick off the spring rosé wine season and enjoy Daniel Boulud’s custom smoked salmon, caviar and more ($45).

3PM – Punch Party – learn how to make the perfect party punch and try punches from top NJ bartenders ($35).

3PM – Secrets of the Crystal Springs Wine Cellar with Wine Director Robby Younes – Robby will open rare wines from the award-winning cellar ($150).

4PM – 7X Ranch: The Perfection of Beef – join Chef Anthony Bucco for a discussion of the prized 7X beef and tasting of this rare delicacy ($45).

4PM – Craft Whiskey Spotlight: Widow Jane Distillery – tastings of this award-winning spirit ($40).

7PM – 10PM; Early VIP admission at 6:30PM – The Grand Tasting returns with 30 top NJ and NYC chefs and winemakers from around the world. The VIP experience will feature Daniel Boulud and 5 acclaimed restaurants ($135 regular, $295 VIP). 

10PM – Meet the Chefs & Winemakers After Party guests can party into the night with a DJ, dancing, open bars and more ($150).

Sunday April 2

10AM – 1PM – Champagne Brunch featuring a sumptuous brunch buffet and free flowing Champagne, the perfect capper to the weekend!

Tickets can be purchased at www.njwinefoodfest.com. Rooms can be booked at 855-415-2776.

Hope to see you there!

Veronique    

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26 March 2015 Garden State Chef Throwdown at NJ Wine & Food Festival

Garden State Chef Throwdown at NJ Wine & Food Festival

March 26, 2015 By

John Greeley - photo credit Robert Yaskovic

John Greeley – photo credit Robert Yaskovic

This past weekend, I was pleased to have been invited to attend the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival’s first ever Garden State Chef Throwdown. This entertaining, interactive event took inspiration from today’s popular food competition shows for a friendly chef challenge to see who could make the most delicious beef dish.

Bryan Gregg - photo credit Robert Yaskovic

Bryan Gregg – photo credit Robert Yaskovic

 

 

The participants included three of New Jersey’s top chefs, Bryan Gregg of Escape, who made Pave of Beef with huitlacoche, mushroom, Carolina gold rice porridge, Francesco Palmieri of The Orange Squirrel who presented a slow-braised Black Angus Short Rib “Chipped Beef” Slider on sesame brioche with beef marrow mayonnaise and John Greeley of Crystal Springs serving Smoked Brisket with shrimp grits & chimichurri. The chefs’ dishes weren’t known until the competition took place and each dish had to be completed in front of the audience in twenty minutes.

Francesco Palmieri - photo credit Robert Yaskovic

Francesco Palmieri – photo credit Robert Yaskovic

After the audience votes were tallied, the winner of the Throwdown was Crystal Springs Executive Chef Greeley with his Smoked Brisket with Shrimp Grits & Chimichurri. Even with fresh snow outside, Chef Greeley had dared the cold to fire up the smoker in the outdoor Chef’s Garden restaurant to make his brisket.

The event sold out quickly and was a very popular session with the audience and will return at the 2016 NJ Wine & Food Festival.

To be ‘in-the-know’ about the 2016 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival, please visit: www.njwinefoodfest.com

Cheers,

Veronique 

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20 March 2014 Celebrity Chefs Announced for New Jersey Wine & Food Festival

Celebrity Chefs Announced for New Jersey Wine & Food Festival

March 20, 2014 By

Grand Tasting - Photo by Crystal Springs

Grand Tasting – Photo by Crystal Springs

A lineup of all-star chefs, including Guest of Honor Chef David Bouley (Bouley & Brushstroke, NYC), Michael Solomonov (Zahav, Philadelphia), Shirley Chung (Finalist Top Chef Season 11), Galen Zamarra (mas & mas la grillade, NYC), Ghaya Oliveira (Executive Pastry Chef, Daniel, NYC), Saul Bolton (Saul Restaurant, NYC), George Mendes (Aldea, NYC), David Santos (Louro, NYC) will be among the chefs cooking at the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs March 28 – March 30.

 

Saturday March 29 Featured Events (Complete list at www.thecrystalspringsresort.com)

The Battle of NJ Sous Chefs: NJ Sous Chefs from Chakra, Pig & Prince, Morris Tap & Grill, Giovanni’s Bistro and Restaurant Latour will battle it out in a Top Chef-like challenge. Guests will sample their dishes paired with wines. Panel of judges led by Chef David Bouley will name the winner. ($45)

Local Craft Cocktails: Mixologist Christopher James of The Ryland Inn will showcase some of the Northeast’s best small batch spirits such as NJ’s Laird’s Apple Jack, Brooklyn Gin, Bootlegger Vodka and Widow Jane Bourbon (NY) in creative cocktails. ($40)

The Art of Blending Bourbon: Distiller Wes Henderson will lead a tasting where attendees will make their own Angel’s Envy bourbon blend. ($40)

Bubble-Q: In the spirit of spring, James Beard Award-winning Sommelier Belinda Chang will lead a seminar pairing Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot Champagnes with barbecue. ($45)

Photo by Geoff Mottram

Photo by Geoff Mottram

The Grand Tasting: 30 restaurants and over 100 wines! New Jersey’s culinary stars with participating restaurants including Ninety Acres at Natirar, Restaurant Latour, Maritime Parc, CulinAriane, The Frog and The Peach, The Orange Squirrel, Boulevard Five 72, Agricola, Blue Morel, The Bernards Inn, Fascino, Escape, The Strip House, Axia Taverna, Ho Ho Kus Inn & Tavern, Pig & Prince and more. Wineries and Champagne houses participating in the Festival include Krug, Ornellaia, Stag’s Leap, Dom Perignon, Caymus, Belle Glos, Penfolds, Bruno Giacosa, Taken Wine Company and more. ($125/$250 VIP)

Sunday March 30

11am – 2pm     Champagne Brunch A lavish, decadent brunch buffet accompanied by Ruinart Champagnes ($60).

Additional details can be found at www.thecrystalspringsresort.com.   

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5 February 2014 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

February 5, 2014 By

Photo Credit - Crystal Springs Resort

Photo Credit – Crystal Springs Resort

Tickets are now available for the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort being held from March 28th through March 30th. New York acclaimed and James Beard Award winning chef David Bouley is this year’s Guest of Honor.

The three-day event is a celebration of the world’s best wines and renowned local and national chefs, benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The weekend’s events (see full list below) are designed to allow food and wine lovers to meet and mingle with chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and fellow wine aficionados.

Tickets are now available at http://www.njwinefoodfest.com

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