Tulalip, Washington – A year in the making, the Taste of Tulalip is an award-winning food and wine aficionado event coming this November 11th and 12th, and it’s bringing together wineries from Washington, Napa, and Italy under one grand venue.
PHOTO: Snippets from last year’s Taste of Tulalip event. This annual event brings together an unforgettable array of wines, food, and celebrities.
Not ones to rest on their laurels of past successes, Executive Chef Perry Mascitti and Sommelier Tommy Thompson have spent the past year preparing an amazing line-up of national and local celebrities for this top event that has become a favorite among Northwest wine & food fans. This year, returning and new attendees will find many new wonderful surprises await them.
Joining the two hosts will be Top Chef Contender and ABC television host Carla Hall, author/wine consultant and television phenomena “Thirsty Girl” Leslie Sbrocco, and nationally acclaimed libation expert Kathy Casey.
The two-day event begins with a Friday night reception and Celebration Dinner, followed by a private VIP after-party in the Mpulse Lounge. The multi-course paired dinner will be emceed by Leslie Sbrocco and is priced at $150. All of the weekend’s wine offerings will be available in limited quantities for purchase in the Taste of Tulalip retail wine shop.
Saturday’s highlight is the Grand Taste, a four-hour tasting event featuring lavish food stations as well as over 100 wines from Washington State, California and Italy. It is priced at just $65 and includes a Rock’n Roll Cooking Challenge done “Iron Chef” style with celebrity judges looking for the best from both local and Tulalip chefs, and sommelier teams.
“All Access” pass holders ($195) will enjoy early entrance to the Grand Taste; a VIP Seminar featuring a cooking demo, table talk and a Q&A session with Carla Hall; and Kathy Casey’s private Magnum Party where they’ll be treated to high level wine and food pairing. For tickets and more information go to www.tasteoftulalip.com.
Here’s a taste of the food & wine celebrities starring at this event:
Tommy Thompson: Tulalip sommelier and wine buyer Tommy Thompson is always first in line to uncork the latest and greatest boutique wine finds. He has carefully selected over 100 Washington, California and Italian wines for the wine event of the year, as recognized by the Washington Wine Commission. Thompson keeps adding breadth to Tulalip’s extensive cellar, garnering Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence – one of only 16 in the State for 2011.
Executive Chef Perry Mascitti: Executive Chef Perry is the master man behind the pan! He oversees five dining venues, in-room meals for the four-star hotel and catering for the entire resort casino. His creativity shines along with that of his culinary team at the multi-course Celebration Dinner, the nibbles of endless proportions at the Grand Taste, and he is the maestro of the Rock and Roll Challenge.
Carla Hall: Honorary Taste of Tulalip Chef Carla Hall sends a “hootie hoo” to everyone, her well known catch phrase, along with a philosophy of always cooking with love. Hall’s best known as a competitor on Bravo’s Top Chef and the owner of Alchemy, an artisan cookie company. She will be co-hosting a new ABC lifestyle series, The Chew, with Mario Batali and Michael Symon this fall.
Leslie Sbrocco: Host emcee Leslie Sbrocco – “ Head Thirsty Girl” is the host of the PBS series Check Please! for which she has won a coveted James Beard Award, two Tasty Awards, and three Emmy’s. Sbrocco is also a featured judge on PBS’s The Winemakers and a regular guest on ABC’s Today Show, where her humor and passion resonates. Her motto is “Life. Drink it up”.
Kathy Casey: Kathy Casey has been “shaking-up” the food and wine world for years with her creative dishes and savvy libations. As she knows her way around the kitchen, she also has a way with a pen having authored nine books, a Seattle Times column for twelve years, and appeared in numerous national publications and television shows. Kathy doesn’t mix words, only cocktails.