Press Room

I left Monday morning with a full stomach and the memory of one the greatest food and wine festivals I’ve ever attended, and that’s saying a lot, considering SF Chefs is only three years young. I will be writing about the restaurants I dined at in a future issue, but in the meantime let me remind everyone who has not dined around San Francisco that the city has a style all its own when it comes to cooking, and the restaurants are as good as you will find anywhere else in the country.

Things are really sizzling up at the SF Chefs 2011 as chefs Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake and Orson and Chris Consentino of Incanto team up against Russell Jackson of Lafitte and Atelier Crenn's Dominique Crenn for best dish using Illy coffee and a surprise market basket from the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. The winning duo will receive $20,000 to donate to the charity of their choice, while the runners-up will receive $5,000 to donate. Don't miss out this 4 p.m. cook-off at the Westin St. Frances, and purchase your tickets here. 335 Powell St. (at Geary)

San Francisco food festival SF Chefs is in full effect! Yesterday I attended an interesting panel discussion in which many of the Bay Area's most successful restaurateurs talked about what it's like to open an eatery. It was fascinating to learn the things that a restaurateur has to consider. It's not just about finding the right chef; everything from the location to the lease of the building matters. If you've dreamed of opening a restaurant, read on to see what you should think about before you make the investment.

Friday-Sunday, Various Locations, San Francisco

The upscale mega-foodfest SF Chefs has been going all week but things really ramp up this weekend. Events include panel discussions with food industry veterans, tastings of pork and gin, and boozy late-night after-parties. Events culminate with a grand tasting on Sunday afternoon in Union Square. Full schedule of events here.

Head to the Westin St Francis this Sunday to learn how to make (and sample) breakfast/lunch hybrid cocktails from both Cantina and Elixir's bartenders, including a Pisco Sour, a Ramos Gin Fizz, a classic Milk Punch, and a Bloody garnished with a pickle and "thick cut bacon", also what Kyra Sedgwick says when examining the meat Kevin brings home from the butcher shop.

Think of it as Iron Chef San Francisco if you will; four chefs competing in teams of two, a list of secret ingredients, a live audience and $20,000 going to the winner’s charity. That what lies ahead for the participants in the Illy Chef Challenge on Saturday, just one event in the weeklong SF Chefs 2011.

SF Chefs, the week-long celebration of San Francisco food and drink, has taken up residence again in Union Square. The white tent draped over an entire city block won't officially open until Friday night, but then there will be plenty of cocktail-related events in bars and restaurants. To plan accordingly, here's our guide for classes and demos in and around the tasting tent.

SF Chefs 2011 has begun! SF Chefs is San Francisco’s yearly food, wine and spirits festival. The event features famous chefs, mixologists, demonstrations, classes, parties, and of course, grand tastings. I first learned about SF Chefs last year during my first week in San Francisco. What a great welcome to a new city! I didn’t have the chance to attend but am hoping to hit up some of the festivities this year. The heart of SF Chefs takes place in Union Square where the main events and grand tastings take place.

Saturday, August 6

Things are really sizzling up at the SF Chefs 2011 as chefs Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake and Orson and Chris Consentino of Incanto team up against Russell Jackson of Lafitte and Atelier Crenn's Dominique Crenn for best dish using Illy coffee and a surprise market basket from the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. The winning duo will receive $20,000 to donate to the charity of their choice, while the runners-up will receive $5,000 to donate. Don't miss out this 4 p.m. cook-off at the Westin St. Frances, and purchase your tickets here. 335 Powell St. (at Geary)

Well, the massive SF Chefs tent is up in Union Square, which offers a whole other level of glamping. Do you have tickets to some of the events? The grand tastings feature an impressive lineup of local talent—and let’s just say I hope you didn’t drive, because the cocktails and wines available at each event mean business.

Dozens of restaurants are participating in this promotion, taking place from now until August 7. Take advantage of two-course, $20 lunches and three-course, $35 dinners at choice spots, including One Market and Ragazza.

The city's biggest foodievent is upon us this week, and it's called S.F. Chefs. For the uninitiated, it's a big, week-long series of parties and seminars and stuff, all centered around two nights in the Grand Tasting tent in Union Square.

It’s SF Chefs, year three. I’ve covered the last two years here and in my Guardian column. For those of you who have not yet been, this has really become San Francisco’s biggest food/drink showcase (our “food & wine classic”, if you will), utilizing much of the Bay Area’s best talent.

Russell Jackson’s creative wheels are turning. He is brainstorming for a menu for which he has no ingredients — at least, not yet.

Lafitte’s owner and executive chef will have to wait until 4 p.m. Saturday to find out, when he will pair with chef Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn against Incanto’s Chris Cosentino and Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake in the Illy Chefs Challenge at the Westin St. Francis.

If you and your foodie friends find yourselves in San Francisco today through Sunday, you'd be wise to participate in SF Chefs Restaurant Week, billed as "the third annual premier food, wine and spirits" experience. The action will be on Union Square and inside the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

11:05 AM: Edible Escapes has been on the air for 13 weeks now – that’s a quarter of a year in the Radio business – and Ken and Anthony have interviewed some big name guest like Gavin Newsom, Hubert Keller, Charles Phan of the Slanted Door, Sammy Hagar, Charlie Trotter and who can forget Bo from Bo’s Barbecue & Catering in Lafayette!

Thirteen weeks ago, Edible Escapes was honored to have as our very first guest, Gene Burns from KGO Radio’s Dining Around.

SF Chefs week of events has begun. These events are the annual grand celebration of San Francisco food and beverage culture. Who attends SF Chefs? Chefs, Winemakers, Brewmasters, Distillers, Master Mixologists, Food Designers,Sommeliers,TV Celebrities from Top Chef and Iron Chef, Cookbook Authors, Butchers, Bakers, Gastrophiles and Epicureans like you. Do not wait to buy your tickets…these events sell out quickly!

Can't believe it's already been a couple years since the inaugural SF Chefs Festival launched in San Francisco's Union Square. With the Bay Area being a celebrated international dining-destination, this event was long overdue... and an immediate success.

On a March night in San Francisco, in Benu’s minimalist cloistered dining room, a server dressed in black approaches a couple of diners seated at the cloth-free tables. Removing the cloche from a delicate porcelain ensemble custom-designed by Korean-based manufacturer KwangJuYo, she presents them with faux “shark’s fin” soup, part of chef/owner Corey Lee’s $160 12-course tasting menu.

In just a matter of days, Union Square in San Francisco will be a hubbub of gastronomical delight. From grand tastings to decadent parties, seminars to cooking battles, demonstrations and restaurant week, SF Chefs 2011 will have something for everyone.

The first time I attended SF Chefs was back in 2009, when Foodbuzz sent me with a press pass to cover and recap the Friday Night Opening Reception. Bluntly, it was amazing. It was the first event I went to where I was standing next to Thomas Keller and smiling and nodding to food legends like Hubert Keller, Joanne Weir, and Tyler Florence. The food was amazing and the whole thing was just so much fun.

SF Chefs year three starts this Monday, an event that has become San Francisco's biggest food and drink showcase - our "food and wine classic", if you will - utilizing much of the Bay Area's best talent.

I'm giving a talk geared toward restaurant owners at next week's SF Chefs Food Wine next week, along with H. of Elixir and Duggan of Cantina.

Top chefs of San Francisco will serve bites of their food and hobnob with the public at the annual SF Chefs festival in Union Square on Aug. 1-7, 2011. Packed with cooking demonstrations, classes and tastings of food as well as wine, beer and spirits, SF Chefs is one of splashiest events of the Bay Area foodie year.

The San Francisco restaurant world is readying for its close-up. From August 5–7, more than 100 chefs, vintners, mixologists and other culinarians will converge on Union Square (tented for the occasion) to show what makes this city’s food scene so great.

Liam Mayclem counts down to SF CHEFS 2011 and is in the kitchen for tasty talk with the Bay Area’s top culinary stars: Chefs Dominique Crenn, Charles Phan, Roland Passot and many more.

Today, July 27

The city's newest tavern Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen opens in the former Ponzu restaurant. The old-timey menu includes fish 'n' chips in a polenta crust and Shepard’s pie made with minced lamb and baked in a white cheddar potato crust.

San Francisco-area food enthusiasts are gearing up for SF Chefs 2011, a week of events celebrating Northern California tastes and tastemakers.

Guests can purchase package or single-event tickets for the August 1-7 happenings, which include classes, cooking demonstrations, panels, tastings and parties held in Union Square and around the city.

Start clearing your schedule now ‘cause ~SF CHEFS 2011~ is almost here, and there are quite a few must-attend events. For the third year, the SF Chefs food, wine, and spirits festival is taking over Union Square from August 1st through the 7th, with all kinds of events (classes, demos, parties, tastings, you name it) at participating restaurants and at the Westin St. Francis, and culminating with the Grand Tasting Tent from Friday August 5th-Sunday August 7th.

Need to give a jolt of excitement for your taste buds? Take part in SF Chefs Restaurant Week from August 1-7, 2011. San Francisco’s Union Square will be teeming with fine dining on a budget as restaurants participating in Restaurant Weeks will be offering 2-course lunches for $20 and/or 3-course dinners for $35.

August is around the corner, which means that the food community in the Bay Area is gearing up for another round of exciting food events. There always seems to be something delicious going on this time of year. From August 1 -7, San Francisco will be abuzz with SF Chefs 2011, and this year’s event promises to be as enticing as ever. If you will be in town during this time, be sure to check it out — there are so many delicious opportunities to taste, toast, and mingle with some of the hottest names in the culinary world. You can read about my experiences at the Grand Tasting and one of the seminars last year.

As part of the upcoming SF Chefs 2011 (think of it as homecoming week for San Francisco food culture and all the nonsense that comes with it, featuring a prom night-ish bash in Union Square), Foodie Chap and Eye On the Bay host Liam Mayclem will host a class teaching you how to make the perfect meat and booze setting, artisan-style.

Healthy eating, "women warriors," chef's family meals and tastes from dozens of top Bay Area restaurants are all on tap for the third annual SF Chefs extravaganza, Aug. 5-7, in Union Square.

Though for me there isn't a more irritating term than the gastronomous self-identification of being a "foodie," lovers of all things gloriously comestible best not miss out on SF Chefs. Taking over Union Square and beyond for a full week in the beginning of August, this is culinary indulgence at its finest where the brightest chefs and mixologists from around the city converge for a celebration of piquant, artisanal cuisine.

Experience SF Chefs 2011, one of San Francisco’s biggest food, wine and spirits festivals, in Union Square and various locations throughout the city August 1 - 7. This festival celebrates the unique flavors of Northern California with opportunities to meet master chefs, mixologists and winemakers.

SF Chefs 2011 takes place August 1-7 in San Francisco's Union Square and downtown. There's an ambitious schedule of preview events, demos, tastings, and parties featuring local and international chefs speaking, sampling, and - in the case of our own Hubert Keller - even DJing.

Mark your calendars, foodies! The big, week-long culinary event S.F. Chefs is kicking off August 1. To help streamline your agenda during the food bash, which will go down in and around Union Square, The Feast put together this handy-dandy roundup of the best of the best - our favorite of which has to be the food battle between chefs from Atelier Crenn, Citizen Cake, Incanto, and Lafitte.

The Bay Area is finally seeing 75+ degree weather, and both locals and tourists are out in full force, soaking up some much-needed vitamin D. Dolores Park is packed from corner to corner, the bubble tea shops have lines out the door, and street food vendors are crowding the alleyways and sidewalks.

SF Chefs, the second annual jam-packed week of wine, spirits and food, comes to Union Square in downtown San Francisco with a number of events taking place August 1-7.

Warning: You only have a couple more weeks to buy your tickets (and in my case, crash diet, so I'll be guilt-free while I eat to my lil' heart's content) and join San Francisco's shining culinary stars (a marvelous mixture of Michelin and rising stars) under the humongous tented pavilion at Union Square for three glorious gourmet days, August 5 – 7.

The time to celebrate the bountifulness of California’s food, wine and spirits is almost here and you definitely don’t want to miss out. Last year’s event was an overwhelming success and SF Chefs 2011 promises to be even better!

The premier food, wine, and spirits festival, SF Chefs, is returning August 1 – 7, 2011 to San Francisco’s historic Union Square. This annual gourmet culinary event promotes local restaurants and chefs and offers classes for industry professionals. After all, San Francisco is the epicenter for the slow food movement.

Chef Anthony Strong of Locanda, also one of the Sprouts instructors, is teaming up with Charles Phan of the Slanted Door for an East/West tutorial on Italian and Asian noodle-making. Using farm-fresh eggs and wheat ground on location, these culinary titans will have you cranking out restaurant-quality pasta faster than you can say McNaughton

Leading up to SF Chefs week in August, CUESA is presenting a series of ~PREVIEW TO SF CHEFS~ events this month at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Markets with host Liam Mayclem (Eye on the Bay on CBS5 and Foodie Chap on KCBS)

The time to celebrate the bountifulness of California’s food, wine and spirits at SF Chefs 2011 is almost here. Get warmed up for the grand tasting tent in early August by attending Preview Events throughout the month of July.

The best of San Francisco food and wine is celebrated with tastings, cooking classes and elegant parties.

This has become the centerpiece fest of the year for local chefs and bartenders, and is a rollicking good time.

San Francisco has always been a trendsetter for gourmet food and wine, and the epicenter for foodies is SF Chefs.

The Grand Tasting Tent engulfs Union Square, providing room for some 200 restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries to wine and dine eager food lovers.

Those that love to taste test will rejoice during this foodie's paradise of culinary stars sharing their latest bites. Best of all, the goal for 2011's event is tons of taste with zero waste.

Join in the fun at SF Chefs 2011, the third annual food, wine, and spirits festival held in the heart of San Francisco. Mingle with winemakers, master chefs, and more industry experts to learn about and celebrate the unique flavors of Northern California.

Despite a cool California summer, it was roasting (and baking and poaching) in San Francisco this month as the city played host to SF Chefs 2010, a week-long food-and-wine event that featured seminars, classes and walk-around tastings.

San Francisco's answer to Aspen's Food & Wine spectacular went down last weekend, and it's really one of the only events in town where the whole food and beverage industry comes together to celebrate itself, and to make everyone in attendance very full and very drunk.

Another year of the SF Chefs fest is in the books, and the recaps are in on this Monday morning.

Behold a special report from the Eater paparrazzi, who were on the front lines at the SF Chefs event in Union Square this past weekend, eating Chris Cosentino's hoof-and-head terrine, learning how to make martinis with Plymouth gin ambassador Simon Ford and snapping shots of Michael Bauer, like we do.

Didn’t make it to the SF Chefs 2010 extravaganza this past weekend at Union Square in San Francisco? No fear. Here’s a glimpse of the opening festivities last Friday night, which featured a slew of chefs, mixologists and vintners doling out gourmet goodies under a billowing white tent on the square.

Blogs, Tweets, Yelp write-ups, email newsletters, check-ins on Foursquare-- the new social-media options may be the shiniest, coolest toys on the block right now, as evidenced by the full house attending The Future of Food Media, one of several industry seminars presented as part of SF Chefs 2010.

Today's SF Chefs Grand Tasting event included our favorite newlyweds, Brett and Elan Emerson's wood oven roasted corn, bacon, Manchego and chanterelles on house made crackers: were crisp-based, savory 'spressions of their craveable, Contigo cuisine.

THIS NEEDS TO BE AN EMBEDDED VIDEO

When the SF Chefs opening night wraps up on Friday (yes, on the 13th!), the evening is still far from being done.

In a city that revolves around all things culinary, creating a standout wine, food and spirits event seems a tall order.

Are you ready for another stellar year on Union Square at the SF CHEFS 2010 EVENT?