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The Palm Springs Food & Wine Festival, the largest international food and wine event of its kind in Southern CA, is proud to welcome a growing list of celebrity chefs to its roster.
“Working each year with amazing, talented and world renown chef’s is a great privilege,” said Festival Executive Producer Jeff Hocker, known for his long expertise in event production and the culinary arts. “Each of our chefs have excelled in the culinary world and have built enterprises that span the country and international cuisine landscape.”
Iconic culinarian, author, and entrepreneur Susan Feniger may be best known for her Modern Mexican concept, Border Grill restaurants, trucks, and catering, which she runs with her business partner of more than 40 years, Mary Sue Milliken. Now with locations in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Border Grill continues to serve street food-inspired regional Mexican cuisine with a commitment to sustainability and the best quality ingredients.
In 2018, Feniger and Milliken debuted BBQ Mexicana, a fast casual eatery now with four locations in Las Vegas; in late 2019 the chefs opened Socalo, a California canteen and Mexican Pub serving seasonal SoCal Mexican fare in Santa Monica; and most recently the duo launched Pacha Mamas, featuring seared skewers a la plancha and freshly composed ceviches, at Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena. Later this year, the duo will open two new restaurants, a fifth BBQ Mexicana location in Las Vegas plus a new restaurant at Living Out, an LGBTQ+ active senior community in Palm Springs, called Alice B.
Nik Sharma is a culinary powerhouse—multi-award-winning, James Beard finalist, and bestselling author of Season, The Flavor Equation, and Veg-table. Known for his irresistible fusion of food science and soul, Nik transforms every recipe into an unforgettable story.
A former molecular biologist turned flavor architect, he brings a brilliant, curious mind to the kitchen, where taste isn’t just a sense, it’s a science. Nik is the creator of the award-winning blog Nik Sharma Cooks (formerly A Brown Table) and Editor in Residence at America’s Test Kitchen.
His evocative writing and photography have lit up the pages of The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and beyond. Based in Los Angeles, Nik can usually be found experimenting with spices, chasing the perfect light, or plotting his next delicious idea.
Cameroon-born actor, singer-songwriter, and chef, Andy Allo, is a dynamic talent making waves across film, music, and culinary arts.
Known for her starring role in Amazon Prime Video’s Upload and as Lt. Wendy Seager on NBC’s Chicago Fire, Andy’s diverse career includes touring with Prince’s New Power Generation, chart-topping music releases, and acclaimed performances in Pitch Perfect 3, Black Lightning, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Beyond entertainment, she is redefining Cameroonian fine dining through her culinary venture, Aköne. A true multi-hyphenate, Andy continues to break boundaries and forge her own path.
You may recognize Chef Joe Sasto from his appearance on “Chef Grudge Match,” his win on The Food Network’s “Chopped”, and his time competing on NBC’s Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars. He was recently recognized by The Food Network for their first ever “Hot List” of 2022. Sasto has become very popular via the social media landscape, with over 20-million “likes” and countless viral videos. Sasto is a re-occurring judge, host, and chef personality across Food Network, and an All-Star competitor for shows such as Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, and Guy’s Grocery Games.
Chef Joe has also developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line with well-known knife maker and blacksmith Doghouse Forge. Sasto recently launched a puffed pasta snack, entitled TANTOS, which is set to hit the market in 2023. Chef Sasto is also currently writing his first cookbook.
“Participating in the Palm Springs Food & Wine Festival is an honor,” says Sasto. “I look forward to sharing my passion for food with festival-goers.”
Celebrated chef, Elizabeth Falkner was born in San Francisco, grew up in Los Angeles and worked her way up in San Francisco’s top kitchens before opening her first restaurant, Citizen Cake in 1997. A decade later, she opened four more restaurants in San Francisco and New York. Today, she does recipe development and consults on numerous products and brands. She loves to teach about the importance of creativity in cooking, is an inspiring public speaker and has cooked and spoken all over the United States and in Asia and Europe. Falkner’s style of cuisine is globally inspired and she cooks both savory and sweet, traditional and modern.
She is an advocate for people and chefs to think more like athletes and “stay fit to cook.” She played league soccer for 28 years, and has studied Jungshin and Iadō—both are forms of sword fighting fitness and martial arts. She also practices yoga on a regular basis, does cross fit, plays tennis, half marathon runner and the NY Marathon in 2016, and lots of cycling including ChefsCycle, a 300 mile cycling fundraiser for No Kid Hungry.
Cooking competitions are a favorite “sport” for Chef Falkner. She has competed and judged for the last 15 years on many of the television cooking competition programs including Tournament of Champions (3rd season airs end of February 2022), Iron Chef, Next Iron Chef, Top Chef Masters and more for Food Network, Cooking Channel, Bravo and NBC, as well as made appearances on many other shows. She is often featured in food and lifestyle magazines, has received multiple awards and was nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef (2005).
The Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival would not be possible without the support of City of Palm Springs, All-Clad, US Foods, Beck Development, Stella Artois, Maker’s Mark, Prime Time Produce, Stolzle Lausitz, Chill Bar Palm Springs and Reforma, Town Real Estate and Stars Travel, Sun Community Federal Credit Union, AAA, Costco Wholesale, Palm Springs Disposal, Gravitas Wine Company, Ingleside Estate and Avalon Palm Springs, Bright Event Rentals, Mike Thompson RV Super Stores and so many more.
Media Partners for the Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival include: Los Angeles Magazine, Locale Magazine, KCBS 740 AM, KESQ News Channel 3, MeTV Radio 103.1 FM, KGAY 106.5 FM and 92.1 FM, Gay Desert Guide, Desert Charities News, CV Independent, Desert Sun, Marker Broadcasting, Alpha Media, The Standard Magazine, Desert Business Association, Visit Palm Springs, Visit Greater Palm Springs and more to be announced soon.
For more information and tickets, visit www.PalmSpringsFoodandWine.org
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