Where do I even start?  What an AMAZING event that I am truly honored to have been a part.  Ceasars Entertainment Proudly presented the 4th annual Food Network Food and Wine Festival in Atlantic City, NJ.  Thursday the 26th was the launch party for the Food and Wine Festival.  The event took place at the pool after dark at Harrah’s where Anne Burrell and Andrew Zimmeran kicked off the party. 

Friday the 27th was the day that I arrived.  I Picked up my credetials (which the crew from DKU Public Relations were super nice and helpful from the beginning) and headed over to get the shuttle to Bally’s Casino.  That is where the Grand Market and Italian Village were taking place.   Along the way I came across a couple that were not too pleased with the whole experience, that they were having.  They bought a package through ticketmaster.  They figured that when they got there they would have been given all their tickets, but that was not the case.  They had to wait for every event and so on.  I really hope that they ended up having a good time after all their issues. 

On the other hand I was headed over to Ballys with my friend on the shuttle.  When we got there we were given our wine glasses and were ready to start sampling some delicious food and wine.  SO many amazing vendors stood out more than others, and a certain wine vendor (I won’t mention who) really needs to get a grip and not be soooooo snobby. 

The Perfect Party Plate was a vendor that stood out to me.  What cool plates to have for a party.  The plate holds your wine glass so you can enjoy your food, and you don’t have to worry about holding everything.  The plates are very affordable too.  Visit http://danisasellers.com/the-perfect-party-plate to take a look. 

Next was One Hot Mama’s Bar*B*Que Grill.  Chef Orchid Paulmeier was there prepping samples, and all I can say is “what a sweetheart”.  The woman was super friendly and one thing she knows is how to make BBQ sauce.  WOW is all I can say.  For some of you who don’t know, she was one of the contestants for Food Network’s Star show. Visit One Hot Mama’s website http://onehotmamas.com . 

Another vendor was Greenwheat Freekeh.  Move over quinoa grain because Freekeh has so much nutritional value its crazy.  You can make salads out of it as well as breakfast.  This is a must try grain.  Visit them at www.freekehlicious.com . 

Lastly, was INDULGE dark chocolate.  I’m a huge fan of chocolate.   This dark chocolate from the 65 to the 75% was so delish.  It wasn’t bitter.  I will be reviewing this product on a different post and telling you a little more about it and all its benefits.  Visit them at www.ArribaNoir.com . 

The market had so much to offer and so much to try it was amazing.  I also had the pleasure of seeing and meeting Justin Antiorio, chef personality & season 10 contestant from Hell’s Kitchen.  He was such a nice guy.  He really loves what he does and shows passion to it.  I got to watch him cook something up for everyone.  He made a pretzel crab cake which was pretty darn good.

The following day, Saturday July 28th, was surreal to me.  I got to sit down at a round table interview with Robert Irvine (Dinner Impossible), but I had only caught the last 10 mins of it.  He is all about nutrition and eating healthy.  He’s very laid back and so in love with his new wife. 

Next was Anne Burrell (Worst Cooks in America).  What can I say?  She is one cool chick that knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go get it and speak her mind.  She said, “When fame starts to hit, you just have to stay grounded and know your limitations.”  She also added that “it’s an honor when people come up to me and say they love her cooking.”  She loves her cocktails (not beer), but mostly loves her cooking and hosting.  Anne is down to earth funny, so much so that I literally started choking from laughing in the interview.  

Finally I had the pleasure of listening and meeting Buddy Valestro (Cake Boss).  He is such a passionate guy who loves his family and his fans.  Like he said, “I put a 100% into every project that I come across, and if I’m here in this interview you have my full on attention.”  He loves helping others, and is planning on opening up a bakery in Atlantic City in the near future.  I could keep going and going with these interviews but I’ll just keep it short and sweet.

That night I headed over to the Sunset Sliders, Sushi & Sparkles at the pool deck of Caesars.  Talk about feeling on top of the world.  The view was out of this world gorgeous.  The drinks were flowing and the sliders and sushi were absolutely amazing.  Sliders were juicy and filled with flavor, while the sushi was fresh and left your taste buds wanting more.  After there I headed over to Sweet and Stylish with my friend.  This was all about desserts, chocolate and a Fashion show from BEBE.  The desserts were so beautiful that you didn’t even want to touch them, so that not to disturb the works of art.  There were chocolates that the fillings would just flow out with sweetness.  I think by the end of making my rounds in trying almost all the desserts, I literally had a sugar rush and my taste buds were overwhelmed but in a GOOD way.   The fashion show was fun.  The DJ was playing some great music and as my friend I were standing there, behind us was Anne Burrell.  She was giving her all to her fans with taking pictures and autographs.  I got the pleasure of talking one on one with her and sharing lots of laughs.  

Two of the people that were also at Atlantic City food and wine festival that I did not have the pleasure of meeting but hope to one day would be Paula Deen and Tyler Florence.   All in and all I can’t wait to attend this event next year and if you were ever thinking of going to something like this, I would say don’t miss the opportunity.

** Sorry about some pictures being blurry, but click on any of them from the gallery to enlarge.**