Results tagged “atlanticcityfoodandwinefestival”

Of all the chefs we met at last weekend's Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival, Guy Fieri seemed most like he belonged in New Jersey—even though he's a California boy. Personable, at ease in his surroundings, and completely un-self-conscious (unless you're trying to capture him mid-"Hunch," as you'll see below), Guy's exactly what you'd expect him to be if you're a fan of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. And above all, he's funny. Before we got our chance to chat with him, he taunted the husband one of the event's hostesses for allowing his wife to drive a minivan before insisting that she yodel his introduction. We didn't even get five minutes of Guy's time, but we got at least ten minutes worth of interview material with this fast-talking winner of the second season of The Next Food Network Star. And, as you'll see at the bottom of the interview, he said we can buy him a sandwich sometime. We fully intend to follow through.

In person, Ted Allen is pretty much exactly what you'd expect, only not quite as tall. He's friendly; he's charismatic; he's a little geeky (we shared iPhone tips); and he's very giving of his time to fans and press alike (admittedly, we're a little of both). We met him at the beginning of the California Wine Tour event this past weekend's Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival, and while the event's lack of well-versed vintners left something to be desired, our brief time with Ted didn't. We only got a few questions in, but the time was completely ours—and now, we're sharing it with you.

              

[Author's Note: This is a fairly lengthy post, much longer than what we usually do here at Phillyist. Our apologies! But the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival included many noteworthy events, and we felt it proper to give each its due.]

Atlantic City

The recent onslaught of celebrity chef- and restaurateur-helmed dining establishments in casinos could run the risk of turning Atlantic City into a Vegas-style cheese-fest (next stop: Celine Dion!), or it could help turn the town into a dining mecca. Here pulling for the latter situation are our pals at the Atlantic City Harrah's Casino Hotels, who this weekend bring us the awesomely star-full (if your stars are on the Food Network) Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival.