Several Winners of the TASTE AWARDS Pre-Announced

The TASTE AWARDS Committee and TasteTV are pleased to announce the Winners of this year’s non-Viewers Choice categories for the 5th Annual TASTE AWARDS.  
All Nominees and Winners were voted upon by the members of the Academy of Media Tastemakers. Honorees were selected by the TASTE AWARDS Committee. To view, go to www.TheTasteAwards.com.
In addition, Viewers Choice voting for selected categories continues through December 18. To vote, go to the site.  
Selected Award Winners were announced in a private reception on December 2nd in San Francisco sponsored by Kikkoman, with wine by Vie Winery, snacks from Olli Salumeria and Harvest Snaps, and food by Artesano and Bluestem Brasserie.
All winners will receive their awards on January 16th, 2014 at a Red Carpet Hollywood Awards celebration at the Egyptian Theatre (limited tickets available). Lifetime Achievement Awards and other Special Awards will also be presented to valuable contributors to the industry. Nominees, Honorees, Winners, and Media partners are invited. 
The TASTE AWARDS are the premier awards celebrating the year’s best in Food, Fashion, and Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, Online, and on Radio. The Awards have included appearances by stars, celebrities, producers and executives from networks and platforms such as the Food Network, the Style Network, Bravo, the Cooking Channel, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime, E! Entertainment Television, PBS, NBC, ABC, the CW, HGTV, the Travel Channel, HD Net, Hulu, YouTube, Sony Pictures, and more.

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Art.com Pop-up Shop with Nigel Barker and Bombay Sapphire

Art.com hosted an event by Fashion and Celebrity photographer, Nigel Barker and sponsored by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin at its new pop-up shop location in downtown San Francisco, near Union Square.
Nigel Barker shared the inspiration behind his Art.com photography collection during this intimate meet-and-greet, which included cocktails (see below for recipes).
Nigel Barker has been a creative force in the worlds of fashion, beauty and entertainment for the past 20 years. He is internationally renowned for his photography, and his career has been punctuated by an array of fascinating projects. Nigel’s work has included commercials, spokesperson roles, books, photograph exhibitions, international editorial assignments and the creation of his own show, The Shot on VH1. After 17 seasons as a judge on the hit show, America’s Next Top Model, Barker is now the host of the Oxygen Network’s The Face, alongside Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha. 
WHERE: Art.com Pop-up Shop
117 Post Street (at Kearny Street)
San Francisco, CA 94108 
Gin & Tonic Reimagined:
1 ½ parts Bombay Sapphire East
3 parts Fever-Tree tonic water
Lime slice
Lemongrass stalk
Basil
Black peppercorns
Build all with cubed ice in large, Spanish-style wine glass. Squeeze one lime slice and add garnishes as desired.
*This preparation prevents the tonic from overpowering the natural botanicals, bringing the flavors of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE East to the forefront. When using this method, one can choose to highlight any of the 12 botanicals already found in the gin.
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The Walking Vine, and Winter in Venice in Vegas

This lovely photo by TasteTV of “DiVine the Living Vine” (actually a ballet dance on stilts) was taken at a luncheon to celebrate the Winter in Venice culinary festival taking place in Las Vegas at the Venetian and Palazzo resorts.

The Venetian and The Palazzo® Las Vegas are home to Winter in Venice™, the third-annual celebration of the winter holiday season on the Las Vegas Strip, called “A Gift of the Venetian.” With 49 days of seasonal experiences throughout both resorts, Winter in Venice is the ultimate destination for a holiday getaway, running Nov. 18 through Jan. 5, 2014.

The schedule of Italian-inspired experiences will include a new nightly entertainment spectacle, whimsical character performances, a stunning 3D light projection show, a romantic skating rink, and an elaborate Winter in Venice fantasy scene in The Palazzo Waterfall Atrium and Gardens. New this year, there will also be several weekend events featuring world-class experiences for “foodies,” including the new La Cucina Italiana Food and Wine Festival (Dec. 5-8) and the Culinary Clash Weekend (Dec. 13-14). For more: http://bit.ly/WIV2013

Divine the Living Vine provided by Living World Entertainment

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Intro for “TASTEABLE: California” Episode 14

Intro for “TASTEABLE: California” Episode 14.

On this episode, the host of TASTEABLE: California takes viewers on a weekly tour of California food and wine creators and destinations. This episode includes recipe for oven roasted squid at Jackson’s Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa, cocktails at Bluestem Brasserie in San Francisco, a tour of JDV’s Citizen Hotel and Grange Restaurant in Sacramento, ChocolatRouge chocolate red wine, a taste of rose wine from Bluxome Street Winery, and a recipe for goat cheese stuffed pancetta wrapped dates at Bluestem Brasserie in San Francisco.

“TASTEABLE: California” is produced for and airs on KRCB public television, Ch. 22/722 on cable and dish), reaching over 2.5 million households in the San Francisco Bay Area from Santa Cruz to Napa/Sonoma, from San Francisco and Oakland to Livermore and Walnut Creek.


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Rack of Lamb with Couscous – Meritage Restaurant, Berkeley

Recently filmed recipe on TasteTV’s “TASTEABLE: California” public television series for delicious rack of lamb. 
This dish was created and prepared by Chef Scott Quinn of Meritage Restaurant in the venerable Claremont Hotel, Berkeley.

Gas Station Popup Restaurants

The Washington Post recently published an article by Astrid Riecken about the rise in quality dining establishments popping up at gas stations on the East Coast. The reasons are that the flow of people is constant, they are usually hungry, and the venue is pretty cheap to lease.
One blogger has taken this as a new hobby:

Al Hebert, a medical journalist who blogs at GasStationGourmet.com about his eating adventures, once ate Cornish hen prepared by a classically trained chef in a Chevron station. “The average person just fills up their tank, pays with a credit card and drives off,” Hebert said. “But if you just walk a few feet from the pump to the store, you might discover one of the best eating experiences of your life.”

Here is a Washington Post video about a food truck that not only is a popup at one gas station, but is planning on being a permanent fixture there and at gas stations across the region.

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