March is one day away, and it's time to look at the most notable food & drink events going on in the coming month and a bit beyond that. The docket includes the next three stops of a ten-city pork-centric cooking competition (Cochon 555), a two-week food and beverage festival in Australia (Melbourne Food and Wine), one of the best chefs' congresses in Europe (Omnivore Paris), a weekend of events in Cancun bringing together talents from Mexico and around the world (Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine and Food Festival), and a charity event in San Francisco featuring some of that city's best culinary talents (Taste of the Nation). To the full list:
BB&T Charleston Wine & Food
When: March 1 - March 3, 2013
Where: Charleston, South Carolina
What: A food weekend intensely focused on local flavors, traditions, and chefs. There's an even more extensive schedule this year, featuring everything from cocktail demos, fine wine tastings, bourbon luncheons, and a dinner collaboration between Sean Brock, Daniel Patterson, and Ben Shewry.
Melbourne Food and Wine
When: March 1 - 17, 2013
Where: Melbourne, Australia
What: For their 21st year, Melbourne Food and Wine have organized a monster of a festival: 17 days of tastings, master classes, and parties all across Victoria. Draws include the "Master Class," a congress of sorts in which Sean Brock, Magnus Nilsson, Ed Kenney, Enrique Olvera, Virgilio Martinez, Dan Lepard, and Ben Shewry will make presentations.
Cochon 555
When: Vail (3/10), Seattle (3/17), Boston (3/24)
Where: Portland and Boston
What: The porcine competition will have ten events in ten different cities to determine the ten chefs that will square off at the Grand Cochon — the finale — at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado. After knocking down NYC and ATL in February, it's time to make stops in Vail, Seattle, and Boston.
The Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine and Food Festival 2013
When: March 14-17, 2013
Where: Cancun, Mexico
What: Enrique Olvera and Massimo Bottura are the guests of honor at this Cancun festival which seems to nicely blend beachy leisure with serious cooking. Stay at a resort, get some color, and try food from Mexican heavy-hitters (Elena Reygadas, Javier Plascencia_ and international chefs (Fernando Trocca, Marc Vetri, Mark Ladner). The headlining event is a gala dinner in honor of Olvera.
Omnivore Paris
When: March 17-19, 2013
Where: Paris, France
What: Omnivore, the alternative gastronomic publication and event organizer, returns to Paris with one of its most impressive demo lineups yet: Yannick Alleno, Carlo Mirarchi, Danny Bowien, Thierry Marx, Oriol Castro, Adeline Grattard, Pierre Hermé, and Pierre-Sang Boyer are but a few of the names that will present at the congress. At night, there will be collaborative dinners happening throughout the city, including one at Reno with chefs Mirarchi and Giovanni Passerini.
MAD Mondays
When: March 18, 2013
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
What: Noma chef René Redzepi just started hosting a series of roundtable discussions about food and creativity, taking place once a month on a Monday. For the March edition, Christian Puglisi, Soren Wiuff, Thomas Harttung, and several other thinkers and others will take on the question "Who will feed us?" These talks will be more intimate than the summer symposium after which they are named. The principal symposium will enter its third year this August, with a lineup put together in collaboration with the folks at Lucky Peach and Momofuku.
Village Voice's Choice Eats
When: March 19, 2013
Where: New York, NY
What: A massive tasting event held at the Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side. Over fifty restaurants from the New York area will serve bites and drinks — the list is curated by the Village Voice's food critics and writers.
Taste of the Nation
When: March 21, 2013
Where: San Francisco, CA
What: The March stop of Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation provides you the opportunity to eat food from some of the best restaurants in San Francisco — State Bird Provisions, Slanted Door, Quince and Cotogna among them — while helping to fight childhood hunger in the United States.
Foodfest
When: March 22, 2013
Where: New Orleans, LA
What: A one-day event showcasing the regional specialties from around the country. This isn't food from celebrity chefs or high-end restaurants. It's the stuff you'll find at humble and beloved restaurants around the US. Among the places on hand this year are Hominy Grill, Gus's Fried Chicken, Acme Oyster House, and Abbott's Frozen Custard.
Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert
When: March 22-24, 2013
Where: Palm Springs, California
What: It's not exactly Coachella, but it seems like a nice time: a festival from Food & Wine, which features personalities like Martin Yan, Bradley Ogden, and Sara Moulton, as well as booze from noted local wineries.
Looking Ahead:
Pebble Beach Food & Wine
When: April 4 - April 7, 2013
Where: Pebble Beach, CA
What: This production from Food & Wine includes a dinner with Guy Fieri and an omakase lunch with chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Roy Yamaguchi. But if you want to really go Pebble Beach, see the the Founders Dinner, which "requires each diner to bring two 750 mL bottles or a single magnum (1.5mL) of wine valued over $5000 from an exceptional vintage."
Vegas Uncork'd
When: May 9 - May 12, 2013
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
What: Bon Appétit Magazine's annual vegas fête returns with the reliably fun grand poolside tasting, a brunch and cooking demo hosted by French culinary giant Joel Robuchon, and a lunch presided over by Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Something missing? Email it in and we'll add to the roster.
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