Cary Pollak for Whisk and Quill
November 5, 2014
On November 8th and 9th the MetroCooking Show will make its ninth appearance in the nation’s capitol at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and each year it has outdone itself. Last year over 200 vendors displayed and sold their wares at the show. This weekend the number of specialty food exhibitors will exceed 300, offering everything from cookies and scones from A Bit More Sweets and Specialties to coffee products from the Zen Den. An exciting new development this year is the debut of natural and organic foods at the Natural Foods Pavilion.
Guy Fieri
Marketplace General Admission is good for one day and allows access to the Tasting & Entertaining Workshop Area, as well as cooking demonstrations on the James Beard Stage and the Exhibitor Marketplace. For an additional fee celebrity chefs will be demonstrating their culinary talents on the Celebrity Stage. Check out Guy Fieri host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives who will appear on stage Saturday and Bobby Flay of Food Network and the Cooking Channel who has some surprises for his fans on Sunday. Both will be preparing a few of their favorite dishes.
Bobby Flay
Throughout the day professional instructors from the renowned cooking school of L’Academie de Cuisine will hold classes on holiday dishes, hors d’oeuvres, knife skills, cake decorating and more, and demonstrations on the James Beard Cooking Stage will feature eleven notable local chefs including Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve, Vikram Sunderam of Rasika, Bertrand Chemel of 2941 and Luigi Diotaiuti of Al Tiramisu. Tasting and Entertaining Area workshops will focus on Turkish and Italian cuisines, nutrition, cocktails, spices, gluten-free desserts and more.
On Sunday from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) will host the Grand Tasting Pavilion to present samples of specialties from over 50 of Washington’s most distinguished chefs and restaurants. The ticket for this event includes complimentary Marketplace General Admission valid on Sunday only.
There is plenty to see – – and buy. So bring along your Christmas shopping list and get cookin’!
Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9th at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC. 20001
Saturday from 10 – 6 pm and Sunday from 10 – 5pm
General Admission – $20.00 in advance; $24.50 at the door.
Children ages 4 to 12 – $10.00 in advance; $13.50 at the door, Children under 4 free.
Tickets to celebrity theater performances, cooking classes and the Grand Tasting Pavilion are sold separately. For more information visit www.MetroCookingDC.com