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LES KINCAID - CRN HOST & LAS VEGAS CHEF

Les Kincaid has appeared on various network and local television shows where he shares useful tips for viewers and hosts alike!  A special, interactive dinner or meeting like no other where everyone gets involved, has fun, and learns about wine and food.  He is also the host of his nationally syndicated wine radio show “Wines Du Jour” for well over ten years.  His comfort on stage and in front of the camera draws audiences and classes in and keeps them laughing while they learn.  Clubs and organizations that need a wine speaker call Les because he appeals to all audiences, whether fellow wine connoisseurs or complete novices!

Chef Les Kincaid writes for magazines about food and wine.  He shares his expertise on a broad range of topics for everyone with his knowledge and tips on everything from groups, clubs to corporate wine tasting events.  Perhaps the single most important quality that Les shares his belief that it’s not only the food on the table that makes the meal, it’s the people who join around the table who bring the meal to life.

Check out the possibility of upgrading your scheduled meeting to feature Les and soak in some of his knowledge about both food and wine.  Email at:  les@leskincaid.com or call 702-871-5145.


RICK MAYNARD - DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS - KFC

LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 12, 2013 – It was difficult for chicken fans to find authentic bite-sized chicken made for grown-ups until last summer when KFC introduced Original Recipe Bites – big bite-sized pieces made with 100 percent breast meat and freshly prepared every day using the Colonel’s Original Recipe of 11 herbs and spices. This week KFC introduces a match made in heaven, pairing its modern grown-up Bites with a classic grown-up sauce: Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy.

“When we introduced Original Recipe Bites last year, KFC set the standard for what bite-sized chicken should be,” said Jason Marker, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC US. “Pairing Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy is not only an homage to Colonel Sanders and the high standards he put on gravy taste, it’s also a direct response to the thousands of ‘fanatics’ that rave about our gravy every day.”

Almost immediately upon its introduction, Original Recipe Bites became a chicken cult phenomenon and a hot item on KFC menus from coast to coast.  In fact, KFC has sold more than 300 million Original Recipe Bites since launching the product in July of last year. This positive response came with only one request: fans asked for another delectable dipping sauce for KFC’s Original Recipe Bites. It didn’t take long for KFC to decide that its world famous gravy was the perfect pairing.
The chefs in the KFC test kitchen expect gravy to be a popular dipping sauce for Bites, since it is served hot and features the signature flavor fans rave about. In addition, sauce lovers have other dipping options at KFC, including Creamy Buffalo (which debuted in 2012), Honey BBQ, Ranch and Honey Mustard.

Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy are available in a six-piece combo for only $3.99. Also available is the KFC Eight-Piece Meal, which includes eight pieces of chicken, two large sides and four biscuits for just $15.99. Visit www.KFC.com for more information. (Both promotions available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Tax extra).

The Influence of KFC Gravy Fanatics

The very first gravy “fanatic” at KFC was the Colonel himself.  In the early days of his franchise, Colonel Sanders was known to always carry a silver spoon in his jacket pocket to exclusively taste test gravy at hundreds of restaurants across the country. The spirit of his gravy fandom lives on today; it is embodied by the more than 300,000 fans of KFC gravy on a (non-KFC sponsored) Facebook community page and by the dozens of tweets about KFC gravy posted every day to Twitter. These fans are both loyal and creative about their love for gravy. They suggest new ways for KFC to serve gravy and often express disbelief in anyone who does not share in their fanaticism.
This KFC Gravy loyalty was the inspiration behind the Original Recipe Bites with Dipping Gravy marriage. Today, KFC is helping continue the social movement by engaging gravy lovers with a number of activations, including a call to action to get consumers to join “the gravy train,” and a dedicated hashtag – #withgravy – that will allow consumers to share their love of gravy and celebrate this perfect pairing.

 KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Strips with home-style sides, Hot Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches. There are more than 17,000 KFC outlets in more than 115 countries and territories around the world. Each week, more than 13 million people visit a KFC restaurant in the United States. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM.) For more information, visitwww.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc_colonel).

Pomar Junction Wine Report - Dana Merrill (Owner)

The Merrill Family’s agricultural heritage and grape growing history dates back at least 8 generations on California’s Central Coast. A former family ranch still is home to a grape arbor planted in the 19th century. Today Dana and Marsha Merrill and son Matthew farm the vineyards, while Matthew's winemaking is complemented by winemaker par excellent, Jim Shumate.

After nearly 30 years of growing grapes for many of the finest wineries in California, ranging from ultra premium small producers to the largest international brands, the  Merrill’s decided to produce their own wines.  In addition to the family estate, the finest blocks of grapes from Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties are selected from vineyards managed by a sister firm, Mesa Vineyard Management, Inc. All wines produced are exclusively farmed by the Merrills who believe that control from planting and pruning through harvest, fementation and cellaring is critical for success. It also ensure a uniform dedication to Sustainability, which led our recent Certification to the  SIP program within the Central Coast Vineyard Team.

The family believes in community and industry involvement. Dana Merrill was the first San Luis Obispo County Chair of the California Assn of Winegrape Growers,  a charter member of the pioneering vineyard Sustainability group, the Central Coast Vineyard Team and is a past two term Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.


Barrie Lynn - The Cheese Impresario

Here we are going to talk about all kinds of cheeses from all around the world. We will learn together and I will help you bring the world of cheese closer to your heart and learn the great enjoyment that it can bring to you, your family, and your guests.

I am the cheese columnist forThe Beverly Hills Timesand write the monthly "Cheese Matters" column that covers all things cheesy. I will keep you posted on events that I will be covering and other cheese events in your local area. Stay tuned for the next up coming event!

Frank Pellegrino - Owner of Rao's

Frank Pellegrino is owner of Rao's, the East Harlem Italian eatery that is virtually impossible to get into. He's something of an actor, too. Rao's was founded in 1896 on the corner of East 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue by Charles Rao. It's been there every since, although these days the man in charge is Rao's great-nephew, Frank Pellegrino. Despite its age and its not-so-savory location in East Harlem, a reservation at Rao's remains one of the toughest gets in town. The ten small tables are "owned" by regular patrons such as Woody Allen, Tony Bennett, Al D'Amato, Michael Douglas, Rob Reiner, Ron Perelman, Donny Deutsch, and Bo Dietl: show up with an insider and you can expect Frankie to be friendly and chatty (and possibly offer up a bottle of anisette on the house). Appear sansreservation and you'll face a decidedly colder reception. If you can't snag a table at the original, though, you can always head to Las Vegas, where a Rao's now resides within Caesar's Palace. Or you could just stay home, too: Rao's now produces a line rather tasty marinara sauces.

Pellegrino had a recurring role on The Sopranos as FBI agent Frank Cubitoso. He's also had parts in a number of movies and TV shows, including jailbird Johnny Dio in the Martin Scorsese/Nick Pileggi film Goodfellas, and as a detective on the Fox show New York Undercover. [Image via Getty]

TROY ROBERTS - CBS 48 HOURS

48 HOURS - "Ambushed" Saturday, March 16, 2013 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT)  It was Donna Velasquez’s first case as a detective.  In 2003 the Pembroke Pines police department was initiating a cold case missing person unit and Velasquez, a 40-year-old road patrol officer, was going to lead it.  The oldest case was the unsolved disappearance of David Jackson -- missing for more than 15 years.   Jackson was a 24-year-old divorced father when he went out for cigarettes one night in June 1988 and never returned.  Detective Velasquez didn’t know how she would find David all these years later.  She posted a missing persons poster on her office wall and had an artist draw a picture of what Jackson may look like now.  But beyond that, as Velasquez admits to correspondent Troy Roberts, she had no idea where to start.  And then a 19 year old boy wandered into her office. 

John Henry Wolfe, 19 at the time, was part of the Police Explorers program.  There was nothing John liked better than hanging around detectives.  One day, he hoped to be a police officer too.  One evening he saw the missing person’s poster on Detective Velasquez’s wall.   John Wolfe couldn’t stop staring.  David Jackson, he told her, was his father.  For years John, who had been adopted by his step father Michael Wolfe, told Detective Velasquez he wondered what became of his biological father but never got any good answers from his mother.  Detective Velasquez would spend the next several years trying to prove John’s mother Barbara, John’s grandfather Harry, and his step father Michael Wolfe, murdered David so that Barbara wouldn’t have to share custody with him.   Barbara was beautiful, soft-spoken – hard to believe she could mastermind a murder.  Wolfe and Barbara had divorced and he was on his 7th wife and she was on her 4th husband.  And then Detective Velasquez got lucky again– Wolfe’s ex-wives revealed that when he drank he’d reveal details about murdering David with Barbara’s help.  Wolfe was convicted.  Within days he confessed to the murder and implicated Barbara.  But Barbara isn’t behind bars.  That’s where the aspiring teen detective, John, comes in.  Troy Roberts has the story about how John would eventually help investigators crack the case.


Tom Silberkleit - Publisher Wine House Press

TOM SILBERKLEIT is the award-winning editor and publisher for Wine House Press in Sonoma, California. His books have been featured in USA Today, People, and on Good Morning America.

Tom Silberkleit of Wine House Press in Sonoma is the Publisher of The California Director of Fine Wineries which recently released the 4th edition focusing on destination wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino and the brand new Central Coast edition devoted to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles. With each edition update, Silberkleit aims to present wineries that standout due to their architecture, gardens, museum-quality art exhibits, gourmet experiences, wine tours and tastings, combined with exemplary wines. Find thoughtful ideas for holiday destinations and contact information for each wineries cited.



Brand Ambassador Tim Herlihy - Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey 

As far as whiskey experts go, they don’t come more Irish True than Tullamore Dew Brand Ambassador Tim Herlihy.  From his humble beginnings in the small farming town of Termonfeckin in Ireland’s County Louth, to his work as the North American representative for one of Ireland’s most beloved and storied products, Tim’s life and career have been marked by the kind of passion, warmth and love of whiskey that typifies the Irish True character.  His current role as Tullamore Dew Brand Ambassador sees him bringing his career to a new level, as he travels the country, educating, entertaining and sharing his passion for the most Irish True of Whiskeys.

STEVE EVANS - "THE MOVIE GUY"

GREAT MOVIES OPENING THIS WEEKEND AND BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS AND HOPES. FIND OUT WHAT MOVIES ARE WORTH YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. GET SET FOR THE WEEKEND.

Anna Boiardi’s Former model Candice Kumai - Stiletto Chef

We’re serving up a guest list of some of the HOTTEST movers and shakers in the NYC food/restaurant industry and nightlife/party scene, who’ll share fresh and innovative cooking ideas and tips and reveal industry secrets on how to plan/host a small, elegant gathering or throw a slammin’ party/event!  PLUS, get the lowdown on what really goes on behind-the-scenes in restaurants. SIZZLING HOTCHEFS/COOKBOOK AUTHORS & TASTEMAKERS GIVE YOU THE DISH with tips on how to plan an intimate gathering or a buzz-worthy party!

Anna Boiardi’s family name is prominent in every American supermarket.  The granddaughter and niece of the founders of the Chef Boyardee company (that’s her uncle on the can!) is not only a brand ambassador,  she is also a cookbook author, renowned hostess and teacher through her Cucina Academy classes.  While born in Italy, she attended the University of Denver and lived and  Former model Candice Kumai –known as the “Stiletto Chef” --was a “cheftestant” on Top Chef and hosted several TV shows including Home Made Simple and CookYourself Thin. Currently, she is a judge on Iron Chef America. The author of several best-selling cookbooks, she is an advocate of healthy eating and believes we can do this by literally thinking ‘outside the box’—putting that packaged food down and rediscovering real food.


Deputy Mike Ascolese - Tip- A Cop   

On Thursday, March 14, 2013 Deputy Mike Ascolese is participating in Tip-A-Cop at the Hamburger Hamlet in Sherman Oaks (4419 Van Nuys Bl. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403). The waiters for the evening will be Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs, raising money from customer tips to give to the Special Olympics! Deputy Mike Ascolese has been coordinating this event for eight years.


Margaret Jeffares - Founder of Good Food Ireland

Good Food Ireland™ is the only brand standard for food experience in the island of Ireland, putting Irish ingredient led cuisine at every point from farm to table. Founded in 2006 by Margaret Jeffares, Good Food Ireland™ has pioneered the link between the agri-food and tourism sectors by bridging the gap between Irish food produce, to an authentic Irish cuisine. Today it has some 600 Approved Providers; Ireland’s top restaurants and cafes, culinary accommodation, food shops, pubs and bars, cookery schools and food producers.

Good Food Ireland™ provides visitors with an authentic food experience that is unrivalled in Ireland and demonstrates how Irish food is entwined in our culture, our heritage and our people. It is the Number 1 food experience resource for domestic and global visitors.

Tim Reuling  -  Reuling Vineyard  

The Reuling wines are officially shipping on April 1st, and the first offering letter goes out any day. Now is the time to get on the list for this wine—the vineyard has gone into Peter Michael and Aubert in the past, and every vintage was scored from 92-99 points by Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.  Reuling Vineyard—a new winery which is about to launch its first Pinot this April. 

At its core, the story of Reuling Vineyard is a love story 60 years in the making. Tim and Jackie Reuling, Midwesterners by birth, first met at pre-school in Morton, Illinois and dated in junior high school. They parted ways for college, with Jackie attending the University of Iowa to study special education and psychology, and Tim attending Colorado College and then Virginia for his MBA.
A serendipitous reconnection in 1978 while both Jackie and Tim were back in Illinois visiting their families re-kindled an old romance, resulting in their marriage the following year.

As they made their first home together in Tucson, Arizona, Jackie delved into her life-long passion for cooking. She received a culinary diploma, worked in catering, and owned a restaurant with partners. While in Tucson, Tim was active with real estate syndications and in time moved to pension fund management. The two shared a love of travel and would regularly take trips to Latin America and Europe.

It was, in fact, one of their trips, to a culinary course in Provence, France that would inspire the Reulings to move to California. Encouraged by the slow food culture of France, Jackie realized that her dream of having a large garden, surrounded by a beautiful countryside, farmers markets and an artist community, could all be a reality in Sonoma County. Her parents had retired nearby, and it was the perfect place to raise the couple’s young children, Josh and Whitney.

The two moved to Sonoma County in 1990, and in 1998, purchased the property in Forestville that is now home to Reuling Vineyard.

Jackie and Tim’s partnership is at the root of Reuling Vineyard. Committed to creating a thriving vineyard on the 16-acre property, where they also live, Jackie and Tim worked to restore and revitalize the soil. The two started with a neglected apple orchard and, through the use of historic clones and organic farming methods, transformed it into one of Sonoma’s great vineyard sites.
Today, Jackie attends to the farm animals, her garden, and manages the farming plan. Her large organic garden provides inspiration for her culinary endeavors and provides produce for Food for Thought, the Sonoma County AIDS food bank. Whether painting in her studio or cooking in her professionally designed kitchen, she expresses herself through a broad palate. The art and relics in her home chronicle a lifetime of travel and exploration, and her love for life leaves an impression with anyone who enters her home.

Tim shares Jackie’s sense of adventure, and is an avid fly-fisher and outdoorsman. His years of business experience prepared him well for shouldering the risk and responsibilities of developing and managing a world-class vineyard. Tim carefully monitors the vineyard on a daily basis, which is an important aspect of organic farming.

The Reulings sought out select clones, and from the outset, believed the vineyard held great promise—the soil, the gentle north/south exposure, and its climate. Over the past ten years, the fruit from Reuling Vineyard has produced some of the most critically-acclaimed Chardonnays and Pinots in the country by Aubert and Peter Michael.

The Reuling’s commitment to the vineyard is steadfast. Jackie and Tim have raised their own children on the property, along with a few pigs, sheep, and more produce than they could ever imagine consuming. When searching for their winemaker, Matt Taylor was the perfect fit. Matt understands that the entire vineyard is a living organism and works with organic farming methods to ensure the vineyards’ health.

Jackie and Tim feel their greatest accomplishment in life is to have parented two young people who are happy, healthy, and contributing to life, and who want to share in Reuling Vineyard and the winery. Josh is a juvenile public defender in Boston and will be married in the vineyard in 2013. Whitney has followed her mother’s passion for food and community and is Program Manager for The Sylvia Center, a NYC food education non-profit


LARRY LIPSON  -  COSTA RICA

LIVE FROM THE LIPSON INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED WINE STUDIES, LARRY OFFERS HIS WEEKLY REPORT ON FOOD & WINE. THE FORMER FOOD WRITER FOR TH DAILY NEWS (50 YEARS) HE PROVIDES WEEKLY UPDATE OF HIS LIKES & DISLIKES.


JULIE WEBSTER - EVENTS MANAGER FOR ACKERMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS

Our Napa story started with our wedding in April 1989 when we were married at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford. As we looked out over the beautiful, romantic vineyard countryside, we fell in love – not just with each other but also with the beauty of the area. At that very moment, we vowed that, someday, we would find a way to live in the Napa Valley. That day came just five years later, in 1994, when Bob was looking to purchase a horse as a gift for Lauren, an avid rider. It just so happened that the horse he found was located on a beautiful 16-acre vineyard property in the eastern hills of southern Napa (now known as Coombsville) that happened to also be for sale. Karma being what it is, Bob bought the house and vineyard and the horse became part of the deal – at that moment, our dream of living in the Napa Valley became a reality.

We have learned a lot about grape growing since we bought the property that fortuitous year of 1994. We spent the first two or three years just getting to know the vineyard and what it needed to thrive. We learned that living on a vineyard meant workers coming and going at all hours of the day (and sometimes at night). We learned to mend fences to keep marauding deer at bay or, at times, how to herd them off the property via a posse of ATVs. We walked the vineyard to check irrigation lines, straighten posts or sample the fruit as harvest got closer. Our vineyard lifestyle took some adjustments, but each step was a new discovery and a deepening passion for the winemaking process that grew with each season.

Over time, as we learned what the vineyard needed, we began to fine-tune it through new trellising, pruning, and replanting. We replanted the entire vineyard with a drought-resistant rootstock and changed the trellis system to open the canopy, exposing the fruit to more sunlight in our more temperate region of Napa. We began to farm sustainably, using cover crops and compost, while also installing hawk boxes to keep rodents out. Eventually, we started farming organically and became a California Certified Organic Farm (CCOF) – a label we are very proud of.

Initially, we sold most of our grapes to local wineries and kept enough to make a couple barrels of wine (named “Stonehaven”) for ourselves, family, friends and a few of our favorite restaurants. Finally, after nine years of learning our vineyard’s attributes, we decided to produce our first commercial vintage – a decision made easier by the feedback we received from various vintner friends who simultaneously said “it was time.” Our first release was our 2003 vintage of 100% cabernet sauvignon in October of 2007. Since then, we have continued the tradition of releasing each new vintage every October.

As we learned about our vineyard over time, we also learned about the style of wine it likes to produce -- balanced, smooth, deep berry flavors with a hint of spice and lower alcohol levels (13.2% to 14.5%) that blends well with food -- not competing with it. After more than 18 years of producing wines from our corner of Napa Valley, we know our wines can be enjoyed now or fifteen years from now – they only get better with age.

CARLA & PETER BOWERS -  PANACHE  PARTNERS

Napa Valley produces only four percent of California’s wine but that four percent is deliciously impressive enough to garner the region recognition as a world winemaking capital. The 240-page hardcover publication Napa Valley Iconic Wineries (Panache Partners, December 2012, distributed by Independent Publishers Group) offers an inside look at this vibrant wine scene. The cherished stories and progressive ideas of nearly 40 wineries are presented through eloquent profiles, scenic color photographs, and professionally produced video presentations by local winemakers. Published by Brian Carabet and John Shand, the book is Panache’s ninth title on wine and the inaugural edition of a series slated for international expansion.

Napa Valley Iconic Wineries includes a foreword by celebrity chef Michael Chiarello, a locally based, nationally recognized television host, who has a deep love of good food, fine wine, and Napa Valley’s alluring lifestyle. Cakebread Cellars, Caymus Vineyards, Chappellet Vineyard & Winery, Gargiulo Vineyards, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Rombauer Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, Staglin Family Vineyard, and Vineyard 29 and are among the featured wineries.

Within the book, award-winning vintners tell of their fascinating winemaking techniques, chefs share their recommendations for pairing food and wine, and grape growers reveal what inspires them about Napa’s unique terroir. While exploring wineries throughout the 15 verdant regions of Napa Valley, you will see how complexities of soil, methods of bottling, and winemaking philosophies intermingle to create cabernet sauvignons, merlots, zinfandels, chardonnays, syrahs, and many more wines of inimitable quality.

Showcasing signature wines created by a wide variety of establishments, from historic vineyards that helped shape the region to budding boutique wineries, the beautiful Panache book Napa Valley Iconic Wineries presents a singular portrait of Napa’s unparalleled wines. Pioneering an industry and turning dreams into reality, the featured grape growers and winemakers have rightfully earned their reputation for bold, brave, and unique approaches to winemaking. With more than 300 color photos, nearly 40 insightful winery profiles, and dozens of videos accessible from most mobile devices through QR codes, the book is ideal for novices and aficionados alike. It is intended for those planning a trip to Napa Valley and a general audience fascinated by the imagination of California’s finest winemakers.


KEN NICHOLAS AND RAJ PATEL – GM AND OWNER OF PATEL WINERY       

Our limited production of PATEL wines are allocated and sold first to those on our mailing list, followed by selected fine wine retailers around the US as well as several distinguished restaurants. Our mailing list continues to grow by word of mouth endorsements from our loyal clients. We will release our 2010 Red Wine  and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon for sale on March 1st, 2013. Mailing List clients can log on to our secure web site to purchase your allocation after release date. If you would like to add your name to our mailing list, please visit our "Mailing List" page and provide the requested information. Each mailing list client is ranked on the date of your first request to be added to our mailing list.  Please note, we only send a few emails each year reminding our clients when your allocation is available for purchase and when the wine ships. Once again, thank you for your continued enthusiastic support of our wines. Our goal is simple: strive to produce the best wines from Napa Valley's finest vineyards.