Celebrity Chefs to Duke it out at Food and Wine Festival in September

The SOWE Food & Wine Festival is a unique culinary celebration showcasing the talents of renowned restaurants, wineries, pit masters, cheese mongers, breweries, specialty culinary providers, spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. The events will take place in Mamaroneck on Saturday September 20th from 11 to 5 pm and in Scarsdale Village on Sunday September 21 from 11 am to 5 pm.

Hosted by the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce and The Village of Mamaroneck, the Festival brings community together through food, wine, and beverage sampling, while generating awareness and raising funds to fight hunger, obesity and malnutrition. This fun-filled weekend also includes music concerts, book signings, cooking demos and even activities for kids.

SOWE 2014 will feature a variety of activities:

Friday, September 19, 2014: SOWE "Best Chef Battle" at Pepe Infiniti in White Plains from 7 pm to 10 pm

Saturday, September 20, 2014: SOWE Grand Culinary Village, featuring Healthy Eating/Healthy Living Pavilion, demonstration by pastry chef Jaques Torres, BBQ/Grilling Expo, Concert, Kids's Zone, & Food Truck Parade at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck from 11 am to 5 pm

Sunday, September 21, 2014 : SOWE Grand Tasting Village, featuring Healthy Eating/Healthy Living Pavilion, Music, and Kid's Zone, in the Village of Scarsdale (Chase Rd., Spencer Pl., Harwood Court, Boniface Circle & Woodland Rd.) from 11 am to 5 pm

A partial roster of celebrity chefs participating in this year's festival includes: Dan Amatuzzi, Wine Director, Eataly, NYC (named a "30 under 30 to Watch" by Forbes), and Nick Coleman, Oleologist (olive oil specialist), Eataly (NYC). They will be conducting a wine and olive oil demonstration. Also, attendees can view culinary demonstrations from Franklin Becker; Kamal Grant, Owner and Chef of Sublime Doughnuts, Atlanta; Joe (JJ) Johnson, Chef of The Cecil in Harlem, NYC (named a "30 under 30 to Watch" by Forbes); Nisa Lee; Rafael Palomino and Dave DiBari. Look for some of your favorite personalities to be added to the schedule at a later date.

SOWE introduces its lineup of renowned chefs, from across the country, for a chef face off: Chef Graham Elliot joins SOWE from Chicago, IL and brings a unique dining experience for all. Elliot, a cultured chef who has traveled the globe, as well as all fifty states, combines fine dining and exceptional creativity to all of his meals. Chef Elliot was named one of Food & Wine Magazine's "Best New Chefs" in 2004 and was featured on Crain's Chicago Business list of "40 Under Forty." His restaurant in Chicago, Graham Elliot Bistro, has captivated not only the city, but President Obama, who recently dined at the restaurant for an intimate birthday dinner. Elliot will face off with Rocco DiSpirito in SOWE's Chef Battle. Rocco DiSpirito is an award-winning chef and author of ten highly acclaimed cookbooks, including his newest #1 New York Times best seller The Pound A Day Diet and bestselling series Now Eat This! The Scotto Family (Marion, Elaina, Rosanna, and Tony, Jr.) will be judging the SOWE Best Chef Battle on September 19th.

SOWE will be hosting a chocolate lovers demonstration by Jacques Torres on Saturday, September 20th in Mamaroneck: For chocolate lovers, pastry chef Jacques Torres will be featuring his notorious, indulgent chocolate treats. His chocolate delicacies combine all natural ingredients, as well as traditional French techniques, to deliver the tastiest sensation. In 1986, Torres became the youngest pastry chef to receive the elite Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France) medal in pastry.

A sampling of restaurants partaking in SOWE 2014 includes: 8 North Broadway, 808 Bistro, Restaurant 42, ABC Cakes, An American Bistro, Artuso Pastry, Benjamin Steakhouse, BLT, Chutney Masala, Crabtree's Kittle House, Pinch, Dolphin, Enrico's Pastry Shop, Gaucho Grill, Havana Central Ridge Hill, Imagine Candy, Le Jardin Du Roi, Le Moulin, Longford's Ice Cream, Lu Lu's, Massa, Melting Pot, Palominos, Bistro Latino, Sonora, Parkway, Pete's Saloon, Pizza & Brew, Savona, Serafina, The Sneaky Chef, The Cookery's Dough Nation, Thyme, ZaZa's, Chef Johnson, and Dan Rooneys. Restaurants will be added daily, so please check out our website for updates.

SOWE provides live music including acts from: Gary U.S. Bonds, an American rock and roll rhythm and blues singer; Marshall Crenshaw, an American Top 40 singer; The Ramps; and Gill Parris, a Grammy-nominated rock, blues, jazz and pop guitarist.

An important part of the SOWE Food and Wine Festival is giving back to the local community. This year's beneficiaries include: WhyHunger, Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corp., Food Bank for Westchester, Greyston Foundation, and others. SOWE is also excited to partner this year with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the world's premier culinary college, which will be providing cooking demonstrations and tasty samples from their world famous restaurants.