The holidays are well in the past by now, meaning it's time to ramp everything back up on the food and drink events circuit. February and March have a lot to offer, starting with Northern Europe's largest food festival (Copenhagen Cooking) and ending with a food conference celebrating women and food from the folks behind Cherry Bombe magazine (Jubilee). Mexico also gets some serious attention over the next couple months with two new Mesamérica events going down in Mexico City (Mesa Maco) and San Miguel de Allende (Mesa Abierta). Celebrity chefs are going to take over South Beach yet again at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, while West Coast chefs are convening in Portland for Chef's Week PDX. Here now, the full list of events:
Copenhagen Cooking
When: February 1 — February 28, 2014
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
What: This food festival, billed as the largest in Northern Europe, returns in 2014 to focus on themes like "Taste of Emotions," "Seasonally Nordic," and sustainability. The program includes dinners paired with opera music and fairy tales, a cruise via covered canal boat to various Copenhagen restaurants (including Verandah at the new Standard complex), and more.
Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience
When: February 2 — February 5, 2014
Where: Courmayeur, Italy
What: British chef Heston Blumenthal will host this culinary event at Italy's famed Courmayeur ski resort in early February. He'll be bringing fellow chefs Sat Bains and Marcus Wareing over as well to prepare three-course apres-ski dinners for guests at these mountain restaurants.
Culinary Action! Forum
When: February 3 — February 4, 2014
Where: San Sebastian
What: San Sebastián's Basque Culinary Center is hosting its Culinary Action! Forum this February to serve as an idea generator for entrepreneurs in the food world. Mugaritz chef Andoni Luis Aduriz is among the speakers for the event lineup that includes workshops and small groups on food trends and business models.
Culinary Technology: A FAD or the FUTURE?
When: February 4, 2014
Where: New York, NY
What: In what the International Culinary Center promises to be a "lively debate," Esquire's John Mariani will square off against The Daily Meal's Colman Andrews on that old topic of whether culinary technology is "a fad or the future." For those who are riveted by these types of debates but can't get to New York, the event will also be livestreamed on the ICC's website.
Bocuse d'Or Team USA Meet and Greet
When: February 5, 2014
Where: New York, NY
What: The legendary Thomas Keller will introduce 2015 Bocuse d'Or Team USA competitors Philip Tessier and Skylar Stover at this event in New York City. Tickets are $125, and there will be catering provided by Keller's Per Se. Chefs and members of the Team USA coaching staff Gavin Kaysen and Grant Achatz will also be on hand.
Mesa Maco
When: February 5 — February 9, 2014
Where: Mexico City, Mexico
What: The first event in this year's three-prong Mesamérica celebration, Mesa Maco is a pop-up restaurant to be helmed by Mexico City chefs Edgar Nunez, Daniel Olvadia, and Sonia Arias. This pop-up is also in collaboration with Zona MACO, Latin America's annual contemporary art festival, which takes place during these same five days with exhibitions across the city.
Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef Gala and Toques & Tonic
When: February 6 — February 7, 2014
Where: Boston, MA
What: Chef Barbara Lynch is hosting two major fundraising events in February, starting with the Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef Gala on February 6 in which she will cook a five-course dinner with the likes of Daniel Boulud and Gary Danko. Then, on February 7, a Toques & Tonic event will feature tastings from chefs such as David Chang, Suzanne Goin, Paul Kahan, Jamie Bissonnette, and more, to benefit the Barbara Lynch Foundation.
Chef's Week PDX
When: February 6 — February 9, 2014
Where: Portland, OR
What: Portland is welcoming big-name chefs from across the West Coast for its first-ever Chef's Week PDX. Visiting chefs such as Seattle's Matt Dillon and LA's Craig Thornton will pair up with local Portland chefs for collaborative dinners that center on themes like "Hearth" or "West Coast Modern."
Celebrity Chef Tour
When: February 6, 2014
Where: Chicago, IL
What: The Celebrity Chef Tour carries on this month with a stop at Balena in Chicago featuring a solid lineup of chefs. Jonathan Waxman, Gerard Craft, Andrew Carmellini, Chris Cosentino, and Sarah Koechling will join host chef Chris Pandel in this dinner. Later in the month, another crew of chefs will take on Birmingham, Michigan's Rugby Grille.
Berlinale
When: February 9 — February 14, 2014
Where: Berlin, Germany
What: The 64th annual Berlinale film festival will feature a Culinary Cinema component, screening 15 films that relate to food and the environment. Franc Aleu's documentary about El Celler de Can Roca's culinary opera El Somni will premiere at the festival, with the Roca brothers themselves preparing a meal to follow the screening. Berlin's own Tim Raue will also be involved with a post-screening meal.
Cochon 555
When: February 9 - April 27, 2014
Where: Various locations.
What: Traveling pork orgy Cochon 555 already kicked off this year's tour in New York City, and now it continues its route around America to crown more Princes and Princesses of Pork. Next up is the Miami stop on February 9, followed by Los Angeles on February 23 and Napa on March 2.
Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival
When: February 13 — February 15, 2014
Where: Washington, DC
What: This is the 15th year for Washington, DC's International Wine & Food Festival, which is more about tastings and pairings than it is about celebrity chef events. But beyond the main tasting events, there also will be classes on craft cocktails, New Zealand wine and more.
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
When: February 20 — February 23, 2014
Where: Miami, FL
What: The annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival returns yet again this year with a lineup of TV chefs such as Anne Burrell, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence, Rachael Ray, Aarón Sánchez, Michael Symon, and more. In addition to tastings, seminars, and dinners, there's going to be a José Andrés-hosted celebrity chef golf tournament, a Spotted Pig 10-year anniversary dinner, and, of course, the burger bash.
Montreal En Lumiere
When: February 20 — March 2, 2014
Where: Montreal, QC
What: Montreal En Lumiere returns for its 15th year of celebrating arts, culture, and wintertime in Quebec. Gastronomy is an important part of this festival, with nine series of events celebrating Montreal's culinary landscape, including one that pairs Montreal chefs up with other local notables. They'll also be welcoming a roster of international chefs that includes Belgium's Kobe Desramaults.
NYC Beer Week
When: February 21 — March 2, 2014
Where: New York, NY
What: NYC Beer Week returns under the direction of the New York City Brewers Guild. It kicks off with an opening night bash at Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall full of brews from the likes of Brooklyn Brewery, Eataly Birreria, Sixpoint, 21st Amendment, Goose Island, Victory, and more.
Fight MSA
When: February 27, 2014
Where: Las Vegas, NV
What: Chef Kerry Simon is hosting a celebrity chef-studded charity event to raise awareness for multiple system atrophy. Among the chefs in this lineup are Daniel Boulud, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Rick Moonen, while Slash, Alice Cooper, Sammy Hager and more will be on hand to entertain.
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
When: February 28 — March 16, 2014
Where: Melbourne, Australia
What: Water is the theme of this year's Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, which is made up of more than 200 events throughout 17 days. Events include a "Water Masterclass" that involves Quay chef Peter Gilmore taking guests out to the coastline to learn about oysters and mussels from a seafood farmer, practice fly fishing, smoke some fish, and enjoy a four-course lunch.
Looking Ahead:
Cook It Raw: The Unbearable Importance of Soil
When: March 3, 2014
Where: Pocantico Hills, NY
What: Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns is hosting this fundraiser for Cook It Raw, in which chefs including Bjorn Frantzen, Amanda Cohen, Dominique Crenn, Albert Adria, April Bloomfield, and Sean Brock will team up on a seated dinner. The evening also includes an exclusive preview of Perennial Plate's documentary from Cook It Raw Charleston.
Charleston Wine + Food
When: March 6 — March 9, 2014
Where: Charleston, SC
What: A huge lineup of chefs from around the country are headed to Charleston for its Wine + Food festival this year, including Andy Ticer, Ashley Christenson, Chris Shepherd, Colby Garrelts, Frank Stitt, Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, Jonathan Sawyer, Marco Canora, Michael Anthony, Mike Solomonov, Tory McPhail, and more. In addition to the tastings, expect lots of dinners, demonstrations, parties, and more.
Women Chefs and Restaurateurs National Conference
When: March 9 — March 11, 2014
Where: Chicago, IL
What: The Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization is hosting its 21st annual conference in Chicago this year, with a theme that focuses on the "Art of Keeping it Green: Environmentally and Financially." There will be panels, breakout sessions, classes, tours, and more, featuring the likes of Barbara Lynch, Paul Virant, Hedy Goldsmith, Stephanie Izard, Ileana Regan, Christina Tosi, and more.
Food on Film
When: March 12 — July 9, 2014
Where: Toronto, Canada
What: The Toronto International Film Festival is bringing back its monthly "Food on Film" series in which chefs and food experts come in to talk about their favorite food movies. Lucky Peach's Peter Meehan will discuss Chungking Express on March 12, with future editions featuring Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Booker and Dax's Dave Arnold on Soylent Green.
Mesa Abierta
When: March 20 — March 23, 2014
Where: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
What: The second of three Mesamérica events this year, Mesa Abierta will move the festivities to San Miguel de Allende for a four-day celebration that includes outdoor picnics and dinners in the city's finest restaurants. The lineup of chefs includes Rick Bayless, Benito Molina, Ricardo Munoz Aurita, Mauro Colagreco, and more.
All-Star Chef Classic
When: March 21 — March 23, 2014
Where: Los Angeles, CA
What: Los Angeles is about to get a brand new food fesitval this Spring with the arrival of the All-Star Chef Classic. Chefs such as Roy Choi, Nancy Silverton, Nancy Oakes, Alain Passard, Wylie Dufresne, and Dominique Crenn will be cooking together at a festival which also features a "Restaurant Stadium" where fans can get close to the action.
Pigs and Pinot
When: March 21 — March 22, 2014
Where: Healdsburg, CA
What: Chef Charlie Palmer is hosting his ninth annual Pigs and Pinot celebration at Healdsburg's Dry Creek Kitchen. Chefs Bryan Voltaggio, Amanda Freitag, Frank Crispo, and more will be taking part in the gala dinner, and there will also be a thing called the "Tournament of the Pig."
Food + Wine Festival Palm Desert
When: March 21 — March 23, 2014
Where: Palm Desert, CA
What: Chefs Roy Choi, Ari Taymor, Brooke Williamson, Matthew Accarrino and more are headed out to Palm Desert for this three-day festival that includes tastings, demos, and a four-course luncheon prepared by James Beard nominees.
Jubilee
When: March 30, 2014
Where: New York, NY
What: Biannual food magazine Cherry Bombe announced last month that their first-ever food conference will take place in New York City on March 9, 2014. Named Jubilee, the conference will follow in the magazine's mission to "celebrate women and food."
Something missing? Email it in and we'll add to the roster.
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