COST: $35-$300

EVENT DETAILS:

Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits and the Abilities Foundation, the 2nd Annual Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival, will be held May 15-17th, 2008 at the beautiful Don CeSar Beach Resort, a Loews hotel, on St. Pete Beach. Featuring noted winemakers, premier wines, local and internationally acclaimed chefs, this festival brings international recognition to the gastronomic culinary scene in the Central Florida/Tampa Bay area.

Premier events start on Thursday, May 15 -- Party for the Senses, and concert featuring acclaimed artists Sergio Mendes and Simone

On Friday, May 16, a Titanium Chef Competition, features surprise ingredients and two Iron Clad Chefs that face off in a dueling, gastronomic battle. Past Titanium chefs have been Celebrity Chef’s hosts seen on Food Network, winning Iron Chef contestants and Internationally known chefs that have become a household name. These competitors are no stranger to the art of surprise but, and will wow audience members with a new twist on a very secret ingredient! Our guest panel of judges tries each challenger's menu creations to determine who is champion. This year we welcome Actress Loraine Bracco, perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the HBO hit The Sopranos, as one of the guest judges and will be showcasing her new line of Bracco wines at the Fest.

On Saturday, May 17 there is a Black Tie Gala Dinner, wine seminars and a fabulous Grand Tasting on the beautiful white sand beach at the Don CeSar. For ticket information, visit our website, www.unleashyourpalate.com

WEBSITE: www.unleashyourpalate.com...