Tickets On Sale June 15th for the 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival Presented by Food & Wine and Travel+Leisure Magazines

Mark Your Calendars for Thursday, October 8th – Sunday, October 11th

NEW YORK, June 4 /PRNewswire/ — Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, in collaboration with Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, is pleased to announce tickets will go on sale June 15th, 2009 for the second annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine and Travel+Leisure magazines.

Taking place this Columbus Day weekend, all the proceeds from the Festival will again benefit the hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength. “After a record-breaking year at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, we are excited to return to New York City with a one-of-a-kind program,” says Schrager. “In these hard times, hunger-relief organizations need our help even more and these two valuable organizations excel at putting these proceeds to good use. We are honored to be working with them to bring awareness to this issue and help families in need.”

Guests will be delighted to savor the selection of exciting new events that have been added for the 2009 Festival. The fresh program begins on Thursday, October 8th with Bacon, Bourbon and the Blues hosted by Thrillist with the following innovative programming continuing throughout the weekend:

• Beloved and controversial New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni will hold a culinary discussion to share insights from the field and discuss the highly anticipated release of his book “Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater” (Penguin, 2009)
• An unprecedented dinner series in conjunction with the James Beard House will include:
  • The intersection between food and fashion will be examined at the highly anticipated dinner hosted by fashion designer Zac Posen with Giada De Laurentiis (Giada at Home) and Marcus Samuelsson
  • 2009 James Beard Award “Best Chef New York City” Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern hosting an Oktoberfest Dinner
  • An unprecedented dinner with Alain Ducasse and his chefs who will cook in the Beard House kitchen for the first time
  • A decadent Jacques Torres & Friends Chocolate Brunch
• TimesTalks presented by New York Times will feature a new line-up of discussions with Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Anthony Bourdain
• The Festival’s interactive wine and spirits seminars and cocktail clinics will return, taking place at Festival headquarters, The Standard, New York with new headliners like Kevin Zraly, Tony Abou-Ganim, Andrea Robinson, Anthony Giglio and Josh Wesson
• Not-to-be-missed wine seminars at the Astor Center, featuring in-depth discussions with brand aficionados including Boisset, Perrier-Jouet Fleur led by Agnes Laplanche, and Chateau de Beaucastel led by fifth generation owner and winemaker Marc Perrin
• Delta presents Dim Sum & Disco Brunch hosted by Ming Tsai, featuring talent such as Shang’s Susur Lee and Chinatown Brasserie’s Joe Ng at China Grill
• An all-day affair Flavors of the Farm: A Day with Stone Barns Center and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
• Hill Country will play host to the queen of Southern cuisine and her friends as Paula Deen hosts Down South Up North with boys Bobby and Jamie Deen; featuring the latest creations from the Lee Bros., along with Art Smith, Chris Lily and Katie Lee Joel
• Closing out the weekend is an unprecedented tribute to Little Italy’s most iconic dish the “meatball”, with Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis at la venue at the Waterfront

Returning Festival favorites include the kick-off event Chelsea Market After Dark presented by Food Network and hosted by Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and Sandra Lee (Sandra’s Money Saving Meals); the Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by Allen Brothers hosted by Rachael Ray held under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO; the chic neighborhood-wide tasting Meatpacking Uncorked; RED hosted by Tom Colicchio with Paul Bartolotta; the celebration of sugary delicacies known as Godiva Chocolatier presents SWEET sponsored by Perrier-Jouet, hosted by Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes); and the unparalleled tasting of food, wine and spirits found in the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite at Pier 54 in Hudson River Park.

Get your tickets before the 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival is sold out! Ticket information and the full line-up of new and returning events can be found at www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com, or by calling 866.696.2933.

About the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival

The 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival is produced by Karlitz & Company and Southern Wine & Spirits of New York. All proceeds of the Festival benefit the community based programs: Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength.

About The Food Bank For New York City

The Food Bank For New York City recognizes 26 years as the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty throughout the five boroughs. Through its network of more than 1,000 food assistance programs, the Food Bank provides 300,000 free meals a day to New Yorkers in need. In addition, the Food Bank continues to mobilize its efforts to end hunger and increase access to affordable, nutritious food for low-income New Yorkers through direct services, benefits access, and nutrition education. For additional information, go to foodbanknyc.org.

About Share Our Strength(R)

Share Our Strength(R) is the leading national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger and ensure they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation(R), the nation’s premier culinary benefit; Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale(R), a national grassroots effort; Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit(R), a touring dinner series; Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out(R), a week-long program involving thousands of restaurants nationwide; and Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline(R), a cooking-based nutrition education program. Visit Strength.org.

SOURCE Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival