Date
|
Time
|
Description
|
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
11:00 AM |
Virginia Wine Expo opens exclusively for the Trade and the Press. |
 |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM |
Book signing with author Ellen Crosby. |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
11:30 AM |
Juan Pujol from Torres Winery. |
Marketing Old World Style Virginia Wine in the New World
|
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
12:15 PM |
Keynote Speaker Bruce Schoenfeld, Wine and Spirits Editor of Travel & Leisure Magazine. |
Wine as Narrative: The Allure of Emerging Wine Regions
|
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
1:00 PM |
Grand Tasting Commences / Open to General Public. |
 |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
2:00 PM |
Virginia Lottery Chef Demonstration Stage Opens. |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM |
Chef Jannequin Bennett from Ellwood Thompsons. |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM |
Bob Talcott from Can-Can Restaurant. |
Tasting Wine Made Fun and Easy!
|
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
Chef Jay McManus from Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
5:00 PM |
Grand Drawings Announced, including a Men's Cartier Roadster Timepiece (Retail Value: $5,300). |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
5:00 PM |
Andy Reagan, at Jefferson Vineyard |
The Wine Making Process
|
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM |
Chef John Maxwell from J. Sargeant Reynolds, School of Culinary Arts, Tourism and Hospitality. |
Sustainable Virginia Cuisine
|
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
6:00 PM |
Wine Sales for On-Site Consumption End. |
| Saturday - February 16th, 2008 |
7:00 PM |
Virginia Wine Expo Closes for the Evening. |
Date
|
Time
|
Description
|
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
12:00 PM |
Virginia Wine Expo opens exclusively for the Trade and the Press. |
|
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
1:00 PM |
Grand Tasting Commences / Open to General Public. |
|
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
2:00 PM |
Virginia Lottery Chef Demonstration Stage Opens. |
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM |
Chef Bill Foster from Zed Café. |
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM |
Author/sommelier Jason Tesauro demonstrates the flamboyant art of sabrage (beheading bottles of bubbly with a saber) and the delicate task of decanting. |
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
Frits Huntjens from 1 North Belmont. |
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
5:00 PM |
Grand Drawings Announced, including a One-Night Stay and Champagne Brunch for Two at the Luxurious Jefferson Hotel. |
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
5:00 PM |
Wine Sales for On-Site Consumption End. |
| Sunday - February 17th, 2008 |
6:00 PM |
Virginia Wine Expo Closes (See you in 2009!). |
Check back soon for a complete listing of seminar topics, chef demonstrations and other “not to miss” happenings at this year’s event.
Jannequin Bennett
Jannequin Bennett recently became the Executive Chef of Ellwood's Kitchens. Ellwood Thompson's Local Market features prepared foods for healthful eating including vegan, vegetarian, raw and gluten-free dishes. The store strives to use local, organic ingredients of the season. Previously Chef Bennett was Executive Chef and General Manager at TJ's Restaurant in the Jefferson Hotel for nine years.
Before coming to Richmond, Chef Bennett honed her culinary skills in New York, working in restaurants from SoHo to the Upper East Side. She also worked at some of the best restaurants in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her book, Very Vegetarian, was published in November 2001. Very Vegetarian is presented by Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic Gold Medalist and endorsed by the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine. It features basic nutrition information and over 300 vegan recipes. A second edition with updated nutritional information, titled The Complete Vegan Kitchen, was published in July 2007.
Recently Chef Bennett was featured in Style Weekly's "Purveyors of Taste: The people who shaped 25 years of Richmond dining." She is also featured in the January 2008 Richmond Magazine's "Recipes for Success: Local women Chefs share their heart-healthy tips." In January 2007, Chef Bennett was featured in V Magazine and the Flair section of the Richmond-Times Dispatch. Her Peanut Blossom recipe, was featured in the last issue of Richmond Magazine Home.
Vegetarian Times highlighted Chef Bennett in its December 2002 issue and she was included in the December 2003 issue of Vegetarian Voice. Some of her recipes can be found in the 17th Street Farmer’s Market Tomato Cookbook, Best of the World II from the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, Restaurant Favorites at Home published by Cook’s Magazine, Masterpieces: A Celebration of Food and Art in Virginia published by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Chef Bennett is the 2003 Stars of the Industry Award from the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association of Virginia and the 2001 recipient of the Restaurant Manager of the Year Award from the Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism. She participates in a wide variety of charity events including National Ovarian Cancer Alliance Turn Up the Heat, Eyes on Richmond, the SPCA Fur Ball, the March of Dimes Signature Chef’s Auction and the MDA Lock-up. She serves on the Executive Board of the Positive Vibe Café in addition to teaching in the Basic Food Service Skills program.
Ellen Crosby
Ellen Crosby writes a best-selling series of mysteries set in Virginia wine country featuring amateur sleuth and winemaker Lucie Montgomery. Her third book,
The Bordeaux Betrayal (Scribner) will be available in August.
She is also the author of two other wine country mysteries,
The Merlot Murders and
The Chardonnay Charade and a standalone,
Moscow Nights, which was published in the UK. Previously she worked as a freelance reporter for The Washington Post, Moscow correspondent for ABC News Radio, and as an economist at the U.S. Senate. For more information visit
www.ellencrosby.com.
Bill Foster
Biography coming soon...
Frits Huntjens
Frits Huntjens is best known for his career as an hotelier and hospitality business executive. However, unbeknownst to most, his true passion is the culinary arts. At the age of twelve, Frits’ parents opened their first French restaurant in the south of the Netherlands. Like so many children growing up in a restaurant, he quickly learned the “art” of washing dishes and peeling potatoes among other “fun” chores that the chefs, including his father delegated to young Huntjens. While apprenticing, Huntjens had the opportunity to work under Chef Couturier, a former Sous Chef to the Czar of Russia. Chef Huntjens graduated from the National Culinary Apprentice Program (the Netherlands).
As aide de cuisine at “Chateau Gors op Leeuw” in Belgium, Chef Huntjens worked under the tutelage of Paul van Vliet, who was considered at the time to be one of the most talented chefs in the country. At “La Cigogne d’Alsace” in Antwerp (1 star, Michelin Guide) Chef Huntjens worked as Garde Manger. Returning as Sous Chef to his parents’ new French restaurant in an old French chalet once owned by the Honorable Schimmelpennick, formerly the Dutch prime minister. At 21, Chef Huntjens took over as Executive Chef. The restaurant quickly received an excellent reputation - four forks & spoons in the Michelin Guide, one step removed from a star. Upon the sale of the restaurant, Huntjens decided to study at the Hotel School in Ostende, Belgium.
In 1976, Chef Huntjens had the honor to be the youngest member inducted into Chaine des Rotisseurs (U.K.), an international fraternity of gastronomy. In London, Chef Huntjens managed the Marriott Marble Arch, featuring a small intimate French restaurant “La Biblioteque”. As an hotelier, Huntjens has often been recognized for the successes in his hotels and most notably for the excellence in the food and beverage departments. At the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort (Lexington, Kentucky), his team was awarded “the best food and beverage department in Marriott Resorts.” The Mansion Restaurant, under Chef Huntjens’ leadership, received the only AAA Four Diamond award in the state of Kentucky.
Huntjens moved to Richmond, Virginia to open the Marriott as General Manager, and worked concurrently at the Richmond Convention Center. He then had the opportunity to consult on and re-open the Convention Center, as well. Additional consulting clients have included Colonial Downs and the Sayers Group.
October 2004, Chef Huntjens opened 1 North Belmont Restaurant, an intimate restaurant serving classic French cuisine in an unpretentious, yet professional style. The restaurant was awarded AAA Four Diamond Award for 2006 and 2007, one of 739 in the United States.
John Maxwell
John Maxwell, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), Certified Culinary Educator (CCE) and member of the American Academy of Chefs (AAC) is one of Richmond's highest profile chefs. From his earliest training in clubs, hotels, and restaurants, Chef Maxwell established a reputation for having a solid foundation in classical cuisine. As executive chef for his family's restaurant and jazz club in the late 70's, Maxwell established himself as a leading innovator in the local culinary scene. Chef Maxwell's resume includes executive chef positions at 5 Diamond hotels, Fortune 500 corporations, and the area's prestige catering companies. Chef Maxwell’s Restaurant in Richmond set a standard for excellence recognized by food critics and diners alike.
As instructor of Culinary Arts at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Chef Maxwell is devoting an increasing amount of his energies in teaching the next generation of chefs. His knowledge of Southern Cooking and specifically Virginia Cuisine has led to his work with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as a traveling ambassador and teacher. He has visited Europe, Latin America, and Asia teaching professional chefs the details of Southern Cooking. His seminars on Virginia Cuisine have been presented to the American Culinary Federation’s Conferences, Savor Virginia events, and in projects sponsored by the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA)
John Maxwell, CEC, CCE, AAC serves as the host of Chef Maxwell's Kitchen, a cooking program televised in more than 80 markets throughout the US. His cooking skills highlight a segment of the Farm Bureau program “Down Home Virginia” and are featured in many videos on You Tube and elsewhere.
Jay McManus
Jay McManus is not a native of Virginia, yet calls Virginia home. Growing up, Jay had the opportunity to see the world as an Army brat. His passion for food and wine was cultivated by the countries and regions native cuisines. The tutelage of a talented chef, his mother, brought all of his culinary traditions to bear in the kitchen. His career in culinary pursuits congealed while interning with many talented chefs on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
His mentorship with Billy Short of Osprey Island Grille proved the turning point towards his culinary career. After college, he traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona to work at Beaver Creek Brewery and learned the essence of using fresh and seasonal ingredients for simple yet bold fare that would become his mantra in the kitchen. He continued his career in New Zealand and Antarctica before coming to reside in Virginia. He worked as dinner chef for Richard Carr of Berrett’s Restaurant in Williamsburg.
He worked under David Harmond during the short lived, yet stellar run of Granite on Grove in Richmond. Prior to joining Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Jay served as the Special Events Chef at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Jay has been the Chef Partner at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar for over four years and continues to express his talents with his signature Chef’s selections. He hand cuts all of the Prime Beef daily to provide the best steaks avialable.
Andy Reagan
Biography coming soon...
Bruce Schoenfeld
Bruce Schoenfeld has doggedly built a career as one of America’s finest wine writers despite his staunch refusal to hunt for baroque flavors or aromas in his glasses of wine, or to grade them with numerical scores. A former contributing editor for Wine Spectator, he now serves as the wine and spirits editor of Travel & Leisure. Through the years, he has written about wine for Gourmet, Food & Wine, Departures, Cigar Aficionado, Saveur, The New York Times, Money, and many other national and international publications.
Beyond that, he has scattered his talents among various passions, authoring books on bullfighting and women’s tennis while contributing to sports and lifestyle magazines and writing the occasional television documentary. A 1982 graduate of Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and Language, he lives in Colorado with his wife and two sons, and amuses himself by playing basketball and drinking Barolo.
Jason Tesauro
Barboursville Vineyards Marketing Director Jason Tesauro passed the level I Master Sommelier exam in 2007. He's coauthor of The MODERN GENTLEMAN: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy & Vice, and the wine & spirits columnist for Richmond magazine.