Yonkers, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/26/2014 --MasterChef Season 5 Contestant Christine Silverstein and has been added to the roster at this year’s Southern Westchester (SOWE) Food and Wine Festival. Silverstein joins celebrity Chefs Graham Elliot, Rocco DiSpirito, Sam Talbot, Franklin Becker, Fox 5’s Rosanna Scotto and the Scotto Family (Marion, Elaina, Rosanna, and Tony, Jr.) and other top notable chefs who will be cooking and competing at the SOWE Festivities which will be taking place beginning September 19th through the 21st.

Hosted by the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce and The Village of Mamaroneck, the SOWE 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. Westchester County-based Silverstein, a favorite early in the Season wowed Chefs Gordon Ramsey, Graham Elliot and restaurateur Joe Bastianich with her signature dishes which included her tasty dishes like her rosemary-infused olive oil cake, herbed veal meatloaf, wild mushroom handmade caramelle pasta and her pork belly wrapped monkfish on green apple risotto to name a few.

“I am extremely proud to be part of SOWE this year because an important part of the SOWE Food and Wine Festival is their mission to give back to the local community- which is so important to me. The SOWE Food & Wine Festival has become a premier culinary celebration showcasing immense the talents of renowned restaurants, wineries, pit masters, cheese mongers, breweries, specialty culinary providers, spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. It is quite an honor to join top talent including my mentor, Graham Elliot,” says Silverstein.

A recipe Christine loves sharing for quick end-of-summer meals is her "Go-To" rub. “It’s been a hit in my own home when I use it on our favorite teams and fish recipes before they hit the grill,” says Silverstein.

Christine Silverstein's Go-To Dry Rub

1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Celery Seed
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
6 tbsp Paprika
4 tbsp Salt
2 tbsp Pepper
1 tbsp turmeric
Combine all ingredients. Use on your favorite meat or on shrimp. Serve with a salad for a quick, weekday meal.

About Christine Silverstein
(http://www.christinesilverstein.com/)Made in Italy, born and raised in New York, Season 5 MasterChef contestant and home grown chef, Christine (Berni) Silverstein learned very early on in life the power that cooking held; encouraging loved ones to come together around the same table and share their experiences with one another. From the time she started walking, Christine worked as a sous chef in the well-known Ferrari and Berni Family kitchens in Queens, NY. This is where she learned that some of the best cooking doesn't need to happen in a restaurant, but in the heart of the home – the kitchen. With a mindful culinary approach focused on creating modern “hearty but healthy” versions of Italian dishes inflected with seasonality, Christine encourages home cooks to hone in on their ability to create great restaurant quality meals. Currently residing in Westchester County, Christine’s food philosophy is: eat what’s in season and always explore.

About SOWE Food & Wine Festival
(http://www.Sowefwf.com) Join us at the SOWE Food & Wine Festival, September 19 – 21, 2014. Pamper your palate and quench your thirst throughout the weekend’s festivities, showcasing gourmet food samplings from hundreds of Southern Westchester’s top restaurants, caterers, bakeries, and pit masters, plus more than 300 award winning wines and craft beers from around the world. Attendees will also experience celebrity-chef cooking demonstrations, product displays, book signings, live music, children’s activities, and more! Baumer Ventures, Inc. (BVI, Inc.) is producing the festival, hosted by the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Mamaroneck. This year’s beneficiaries include: Why Hunger, 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.