Labor Day Weekend festival to feature a variety of ‘foodie’ events

Traverse City, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/22/2014 --Tickets are on sale now for Traverse City’s signature “foodie” event, the Taste of Traverse City Festival, to be held throughout the Traverse City area from Friday, Aug. 29 through Sunday, Aug. 31. This ‘foodies fantasyland’ weekend is presented by the non-profit organization Connect in the Kitchen, which recognizes and promotes those who are doing innovative and inspiring things with food & beverages.

Kicking off the foodie fun this Labor Day weekend is the Downtown Grub Crawl, Friday, August 29th. The event, which runs from 6-9pm, is a ‘sip, sample & shop’ tour of Downtown Traverse City celebrating the many booming epicurean and shopping destinations the Downtown area has to offer. Each participant will receive a ‘Grub Crawl Survival Kit’ and can choose to stroll or shuttle to the many participating businesses and restaurants.

Next on the tasty schedule is the Taste of Traverse City held Saturday, August 30th from noon-6pm at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Guests will be inspired by this epicurean wonderland of culinary samplings, chef demonstrations, seminars, wine, beer and spirit tastings, shopping, entertainment and more. Also featured is the “Pizza Throwdown” to crown the area’s best pizza. Guests who purchase tickets by July 31st will be entered into a drawing for the chance to win a seat on the Pizza Throwdown judging panel!

In addition to the line up of unique foodie experiences at the Taste of Traverse City is 'Dining in the Dark' – an event that only a select group of individuals will be able to purchase tickets for and experience at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. After being blindfolded, which heightens the other senses, you will be lead through a rarely experienced culinary adventure including three exceptional mini courses and a beverage held on Saturday at 2 pm - seating is extremely limited.

The 'Presidential peak' of this culinary weekend will be the White House Dinner featuring former White House Executive Chef, Walter Scheib on Saturday, Aug. 30 from 6:30-9:00pm. Presented by The Peninsula Group at Morgan Stanley, this once in a lifetime experience will be held at the beautiful Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Former White House Executive Chef and Iron Chef winner Walter Scheib will serve up his brand of innovative cuisine from his 11 years at the White House serving the First Family as well as world leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Lady Diana Spencer, and Boris Yeltsin.

The Taste of Traverse City White House Dinner features four delectable courses, wine by Verterra Vineyards, entertaining and often humorous personal and professional anecdotes from his time as a White House insider, and an autographed cookbook.

This delicious Labor Day Weekend will conclude with The Best of the Brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hagerty Center in Downtown Traverse City. Unique teams of chefs will compete to create a perfectly paired and presented brunch station. Guests have an opportunity to sample all of the stations and vote for their personal favorite. Additionally, all guests of the ‘Best of the Brunch’ will be able to visit the outrageous gourmet Bloody Mary Bar.

To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit http://www.tasteoftraversecity.com or call (231)714-4646.

Editor’s Note: Festival Organizers and Chef Walter Scheib are available for interviews. High-resolution photos are available upon request.

Relevant links and sites:
http://www.tasteoftraversecity.com
http://www.grandtraverseresort.com