Life is Beautiful Festival Announces Culinary Experiences & New Chefs
Two-Day Festival of World Class Music, Food, Art & Learning in Downtown Las Vegas includes
“Grills & Guitars” by Blue Ribbon Restaurants, “The Culinary Village”, and “The Alchemy Garden”
New Chef Additions include Nancy Silverton; Headlining Chefs include: Bruce & Eric Bromberg, Jonathan Waxman, Hubert Keller, Aaron Sanchez, Cat Cora, Rick Moonen, Scott Conant, Tom Colicchio, Michael Symon
Friday, October 25th – Sunday, October 27th, 2013
Life is Beautiful (L.I.B.) Festival announces the lineup of culinary programming and experiences for the inaugural festival taking place Saturday, October 26th and Sunday, October 27th, 2013, with a kickoff event the evening of Friday, October 25th. With more than 60 chefs and restaurants, 24 wineries and 24 breweries participating in the culinary part of the festival alone, L.I.B. presents its attendees with a full-scale food festival experience and expects to draw tens of thousands of people to Downtown Las Vegas. The culinary programming includes experiences that are included in the price of a general-admission festival ticket, such as The Culinary Village, The Alchemy Garden & Chefs on Stage, as well as unique ticketed events that do not require a festival ticket like the Grills & Guitars kick-off party hosted by Blue Ribbon Restaurants and the Take a Stand charity soiree; an eight-course dinner hosted by Elizabeth Blau & Hubert Keller benefitting Three Square Food Bank and Communities in Schools.
The creative direction of the food festival portion of Life is Beautiful Festival was shaped by a culinary advisory board of 12 top chefs chaired by Bruce Bromberg of Blue Ribbon Restaurants. The food festival will be anchored by The Culinary Village a Moroccan-style bazaar featuring stations manned by more than 60 well-known chefs. Within The Village, guests can enjoy an entertaining and informative series of chef demonstrations (Chefs on Stage), culinary affairs, intimate meals and a beer, wine and spirits garden (The Alchemy Garden). All experiences within the food and wine program will allow attendees the opportunity to engage with these talented chefs up-close and gain insight into their creative process in the kitchen and beyond.
“The food experiences of Life is Beautiful Festival were carefully designed to be interactive, innovative and unexpected,” says Jolene Mannina, Head of Culinary Arts for the festival. “Working with the vision of our Culinary Advisory Board of 12 world-renowned Chefs, we’ve created an approach that we feel will set us apart from other food festivals, giving both our patrons and chefs a chance to enjoy something new, fresh and, of course, delicious.”
The current chef lineup features: Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg, Scott Conant, Jonathan Waxman, Hubert Keller, Cat Cora, Michael Mina, Chris Cosentino, Rick Moonen, Kim Canteenwalla, Jet Tila, Donald Link, Tom Colicchio, Michael Symon, Aaron Sanchez, David Burke, Charlie Palmer, Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Paul Bartolotta, David Myers, Todd English, Kerry Simon, Carla Pellegrino, André Rochat, Sven Mede, Marcel Vigneron, Mike Minor, Megan Romano, Elias Cairo, Josh Graves, Jason Tuley, Rebecca Wilcomb, Ben Hammond, Grant MacPherson, Michael Kornick, Natalie Young, Dan Coughlin, Sean Kinoshita, Massimiliano Campanari, Carlos Buscaglia, Vinod Ahuja, Manuel Hinojosa.
New Chefs / Mixologists Added to the lineup: Nancy Silverton, Akira Back, Richard Camarota, Frank Goriceta, Carlos Guia, Joseph Leibowitz, Hiew Gun Khong, Nina Manchev, Tony Abou-Ganim, Drew Levinson, Andrew Pollard, Eric Swanson, Kent Bearden, Thomas Burke, Michael Shetler, Kevin Vanegas, Jack Kramer, and Mike Tadich.
Tickets for the Life is Beautiful Festival Culinary Programs go on sale July 19, 2013 at www.lifeisbeautifulfestival.com
Life Is Beautiful Festival – Culinary Experiences Premier Sponsor: Whole Foods Market
– The Culinary Village: Located in the heart of the festival and home to the world’s best chefs and restaurants, The Culinary Village is where the aromas of earth’s four corners collide. Over 50 restaurants will partake in this bazaar of epicurean delight that takes festival food options to a whole new level.
Restaurants: Blue Ribbon Restaurant, Honey Salt, Fleur, Strip Steak, Wolfgang Puck, Nobu Hard Rock, DMK Burger Bar, Due Forni, Yellowtail, Kumi, D.O.C.G, Herbsaint, LAVO, TAO, Bratalian Neapolitan Cantina, EAT, Chocolate & Spice, Origin India, Barbuto, rm Seafood, Kuma Snow Cream, Curbside Cafe, LBS Burger, Smokin Bros BBQ, Sin City Hot Dogs, Forte European Tapas & Bistro and more.
Price: General Admission or VIP festival ticket required, a la carte selection
Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 26th & 27th
Time: Saturday, 1:00pm – 12:00am Midnight; Sunday, 12:00pm – 11:00pm
– The Alchemy Gardens Presented by Wirtz Beverage: Craft brewers, wine makers and distillers will pour a-la-carte libations at this garden, overflowing with liquid creativity. Enthusiasts can also choose to purchase additional tickets to meet and mingle with master brewers, wine makers and distillers over flight tastings.
Price: General Admission or VIP festival ticket required a la carte Beer, Wine, Spirits and Sake; must be 21 or over.
Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 26th & 27th
Time: Saturday, 1:00pm – 12:00am Midnight; Sunday, 12:00pm – 11:00pm
– Flights Tastings (In The Alchemy Gardens): For a better understanding of the passion and history poured into each glass, additional tickets may be purchased for tastings with master brewers, wine makers and distillers.
Price: $40 for 9 tastings, General Admission or VIP festival ticket required
Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 26th & 27th
Time: Saturday, 1:00pm – 12:00am Midnight; Sunday, 12:00pm – 11:00pm
– Chefs on Stage Presented by Sub-Zero Wolf & Whole Foods Market: Over two days, 20 of the most highly regarded chefs in the industry give attendees a chance to get up close and personal as they showcase their skills live on a Sub-Zero Wolf stage located in a climate-controlled tent. These demonstrations will tantalize taste buds and teach viewers how to create the same experience at home.
Chefs: Bruce and Eric Bromberg, Scott Conant, Jet Tila, Jonathan Waxman, Cat Cora, Chris Cosentino, Rick Moonen, Aaron Sanchez, Hubert Keller, Kerry Simon, Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Mike Minor, Donald Link, Grant MacPherson, Carla Pellegrino, Jason Tuley, David Myers, Elias Caro, Josh Graves,Todd English
Location: The Culinary Village
Price: Free Event with Festival General Admission or VIP ticket
Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 26th & 27th
Time: Saturday, 1:45pm – 9:00pm; Sunday, 12:45pm – 8:00pm
– Take A Stand: Elizabeth Blau and Hubert Keller will host the Life is Beautiful grand opening soiree to benefit Three Square Food Bank and Communities in Schools. Showcasing the mystery and wonderment of Old Vegas at its finest, this charity dinner will feature eight award-winning chefs serving eight courses in various styles throughout the night paired with priceless wines and crafted cocktails by Wirtz Beverage mixologists and sommeliers.
Chefs: Hubert Keller, Michael Mina, Todd English, Akira Back, Paul Bartolotta, Grant MacPherson, Charlie Palmer, Megan Romano
Location: Secret Downtown Location to be revealed upon purchase confirmation
Price: $5,000
(1) VIP two-day festival ticket included
(1) Grills & Guitars ticket included
Seats: 40 (must be 21 or over)
Date: Friday, October 25th
Time: 7pm – 10pm
– Grills & Guitars: Start the festival weekend with 15 well-known chefs, gourmet comfort food and live music. A twist on the traditional backyard barbecue, the festival kick-off party will pair beer, wine and cocktails with flamed-kissed fare that will satisfy all the senses.
Chefs: Bruce & Eric Bromberg, Jonathan Waxman, Cat Cora, Tom Colicchio, Michael Symon, Nancy Silverton, Jet Tila, Scott Conant, Kim Canteenwalla, Aaron Sanchez, Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Rick Moonen & David Myers
Price: $175, VIP $225 *Does not require purchase of a festival ticket. Must be 21 or over.
Date: Friday, October 25th
Time: 8pm VIP, 9pm – Midnight
– Culinary Crawl: This three-hour dining tour is designed to introduce palates to a variety of tastes. Guests will be escorted to three different venues, each with a different chef host who has customized a unique experience that pairs their creative dishes with specially selected drinks provided by Wirtz Beverage Group.
Saturday
Chefs & Locations:
- “Pig & Whiskey” hosted by Kim Canteenwalla and Sven Mede at The Flame Steakhouse
- “From Korea to Japan”, hosted by Akira Back at Park on Fremont
- “Amaro & Amare”, hosted by Richard Camarota & Megan Romano at EAT
Price: $130 – Single pass to the Culinary Crawl, GA or VIP festival ticket required for purchase
$290 – Includes a two (2) day General Admission festival ticket
Date: Saturday, October 26th
Time: 5pm – 8pm
Sunday
Chefs & Locations:
- “Rare & Rosso” Jonathan Waxman & Nancy Silverton at EAT
- “Tongue & Cheek” Rick Moonen at Le Thai
- “Bones & Brews” Iron chef Cat Cora & Jason Tuley at Park on Fremont
Price: $130 – Single pass to the Culinary Crawl, GA or VIP festival ticket required for purchase
$290 – Includes a two (2) day General Admission festival ticket
Date: Sunday, October 27th
Time: 5pm – 8pm
***Chef and event details subject to change.
Regular Two-Day General Admission & VIP Tickets for the 2013 Life is Beautiful Festival are available for purchase at www.lifeisbeautifulfestival.com
General Admission Tickets:
- Regular Two-Day GA: $159.50
VIP Tickets:
- TWO-DAY VIP Ticket: $349.50
- VIP tickets include: Exclusive VIP lounge with shade, lounge seating, activities and more; Viewing Areas at Main Stages; VIP restroom facilities; Access to special VIP food concessions; Access to special VIP beer, wine and spirits concessions; Commemorative Poster and more!
Life is Beautiful Sponsors
Sponsors of the inaugural Life is Beautiful Festival include Wirtz Beverage Group, Heineken, Zappos, Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas Review Journal, Red Bull, Esquire, Whole Foods Market, Caesars Entertainment, and many more. *Sponsors listed are current as of release date.
L.I.B. is being developed by Aurelian Marketing Group in partnership with Another Planet Entertainment, MAKTUB Marketing and Downtown Project. Visit www.lifeisbeautifulfestival.com and sign up to receive information updates via email. Connect with the Life is Beautiful team socially at Facebook.com/LIBFestival and Twitter.com/LifeIsBeautiful.