Spanish Holiday Table

Monday, Nov 19th, 2012 7pm New York, NY

No discussion of the South's booming food scene is complete without mentioning Cúrate, the spirited Asheville-based tapas bar that's helmed by a married couple who also happen to be alumni of El Bulli. Join us for a taste of the team's interpretation of classic Spanish holiday fare.

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James Beard Foundation

THIRSTY MONK WANDERS TO SPAIN

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Asheville, NC

Quench your thirst and wanderlust!

A fun-filled exploration of Spanish beer, Belgian Trappist Ales, and Tapas. We'll begin at 6pm with Spanish beer and hors d'oeuvres upstairs in thesoon-to-be-open top floor of Thirsty Monk downtown — and then wander over to Cúrate for Trappist & Tapas — four courses of Belgian Trappist Ales specifically paired with Tapas. Join the fun!

Seating limited to 32 people.

All-Inclusive: all hors d'oeuvres, tapas, beer, tax and gratuity included!

Tickets are $95

For Additional Information & Tickets Please Visit

THIRSTY MONK WANDERS TO SPAIN

Join Executive Chef and Co-owner of Cúrate tapas bar, Asheville, NC.

Semi-finalist for the prestigous 2012 James Beard "Rising Star Chef" and winner of the 2011 WNC "Top Chef" and "Best Restaurant" on Sunday, May 13th at the Beef Tasting Trail at 1pm until 5:00 pm.

Taste the spectacular flavors of Spain!

Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, co-owners of Corporate Community Outsourcing, a consulting firm that helps corporations and nonprofits maximize their community impact, have each had a life-long love of all things culinary. And in later years (let’s say after achieving legal drinking age), a love for all things wine, beer and cocktail.

In 2006, their passion for community intersected their culinary passions when FOOD & WINE engaged the duo to design a national charitable campaign to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the magazine’s FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen. The result was the creation of the Grow for Good campaign and several visits to the Classic in Aspen to manage the program.

After each Aspen visit, the pair would ask the same questions: “Why doesn’t Atlanta have a festival?” and “Wouldn’t it be great to showcase the food and beverage traditions of our region – the entire Southern region?”

But it wasn’t just the image of celebrating the best of Southern food and drink that got the two thinking; it was also the notion they could take the best elements of other national festivals, build upon them and then infuse a spirit of honoring the regional food traditions that got them excited. The idea that they could do their part to preserve a piece Southern culture for the community and their children was what sealed the deal.

So was born the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, a weekend like no other that brings together leaders of their craft – barbecue pit masters, award-winning chefs and mixologists, Master Sommeliers, fry cooks and local growers – in the spirit of celebrating the deep food and beverage traditions of the South.

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Atlanta Food & Wine Festival

Unparalleled event by combining local and national culinary talent coupled with award winning wineries.

Our Goal: To raise funds and awareness that will benefit the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston SC.

Mission Statement:
To create an unparalleled event by combining local and national culinary talent coupled with award winning wineries. The staff of local volunteers, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, & The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort will provide an unforgettable culinary experience through genuine Southern Hospitality in a unique and natural setting.

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Gourmet & Grapes

Gourmet & Grapes, Participating Chef’s for Friday & Saturday Nights:

McCrady's ~ Executive Chef Sean Brock
Winner of the "Next Great Chef" episode of the Food Network Challenge. Chef twice cooked for the James Beard Foundation.

Cúrate ~ Executive Chef/Co-Owner Katie Button
Since opening Cúrate, Chef continues her culinary education taking a few weeks each year to travel, learn and seek inspiration from renowned chefs all over the world.

Stars ~ Chef Nathan Thurston Nathan
Thurston, Chef of Stars, is a graduate of the highly acclaimed Johnson & Wales University with degrees in business and culinary arts.

Robert Wysong, Director of Restaurants & Culinary Operations Calls on the philosophy of “agriculture, season and social customs in agreement to guide the culinary and beverage experience.

More than 150 restaurants throughout the Western North Carolina area will donate 25%-110% of their proceeds to Food & Friends.

Reservation for 10,000, please, for WNCAP’s largest fundraiser!

You are cordially invited to join your friends, clients, family and co-workers on Thursday, April 26, 2012, for the 10th annual Dining Out For Life® benefit to support the mission of the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP). This year’s event is well under way and we again look for your continued support. Our needs are greater than ever this year with a reduction in federal funding, and an increasing number of clients who need our help. Over 100 of the finest restaurants in WNC will generously agreed to donate 20% of their gross sales on April 26th to enable us to meet these challenges in a struggling economy. You can do your part by simply dining out for breakfast, lunch or dinner or all three. And we remind you to visit our DOFL restaurants all year round and thank them for their kind support. Please check back often for an updated list of restaurants.

Thanks to all of our restaurants, sponsors and diners for making last year’s Dining Out For Life® benefit another success story. Over $138,000 was raised to support the mission of WNCAP and thanks to our generous sponsors, only 5.1% of that total went to cover expenses. Through the efforts of so many giving individuals and businesses, much needed AIDS awareness and education has been provided throughout WNC, while providing case-managed care to those whose lives have already been affected by HIV/AIDS. Our sincere thanks to them and to our 240 Ambassadors/volunteers for their incredible efforts. We couldn’t have done it without you!

If you would like to be a part of this year’s benefit as an Ambassador, please visit www.wncap.org Volunteering has never been so much fun! Mark your calendars! Thursday, April 26, 2012

For Additional Information Please Visit:

www.wncap.org

Date & time:

Saturday, March 24th, with welcome & foraging beginning at 3pm, cocktails at 6pm with dinner immediately following.

Location & address:

The Garden Cabin and Lower Gladfelter Cafe at Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson College Rd, Swannanoa, NC 28778

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

This spring, Asheville’s Katie Button, Executive Chef and co-owner of Cúrate bar de tapas in downtown Asheville (fresh from an internship at Noma, currently touted as the world’s best restaurant) and Gunnar Karl Gíslason, Executive Chef and owner of the restaurant Dill in Reykjavik who introduced New Nordic cooking to his nation, will host a unique dinner on the grounds of Warren Wilson College to explore one of the hottest trends in the culinary world, The New Nordic Kitchen.

The day will begin with a foraging expedition with Gunnar and Katie around the WWC organic garden and farm and its surrounding forest and fields, accompanied by ethnobotanist Jay Bost, a Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at WWC. They will discuss the contemporary Nordic kitchen and illustrate how its tenants can be applied to any region of the world embracing the principles of sustainability, naturalism and locally sourced products.

Co-sponsored by Warren Wilson College, the hosts are grateful to The Seasonal School of Culinary Arts, based on the WWC campus, and The Asheville Wine and Food Festival for helping to bring this event to the college. A presentation of historic Warren Wilson College will be offered to all dinner ticket holders at 5:00pm, meeting at the Garden Cabin.

For those guests staying for dinner, hors d’oeurves will follow the tour, including specialty cocktails crafted from the birch liqueur distilled and bottled on-site at Dill. The evening will culminate in a festive dinner celebrating the ingredients and techniques unique to Nordic cooking and will include products from the event’s generous sponsors including artisanal beer from Riverbend Malt House, wine from Haw River Wine Man, and sweet rye bread baked using the heat of Asheville’s hot springs from Farm & Sparrow Bakery. The extraordinary night will culminate with a toast of ice cold Icelandic Brennevin, a caraway spiked schnapps embodying the spirit of Nordic cuisine.

Additional Details

There are only a limited number of tickets available for the foraging expedition and participants are asked to bring clothing and footwear appropriate for muddy trails with an extra outfit and shoes to change into for the dinner.

The foraging expedition, campus tour and dinner will take place rain or shine and all ticket sales are final.

Parking is limited on campus for all venues; if possible, please use Asheville bus line or carpool to the college.

Tickets Now on Sale