This year’s Public Tasting introduces the debut of the San Francisco Chronicle Kitchen, a series of live demonstrations from three gifted cooks who are staff writers and columnists. Throughout the afternoon, Lynne Char Bennett, Tara Duggan, and Marlena Spieler will appear onstage, demonstrating their dishes, paired with a few of the Competition’s Sweepstakes award winners.

Lynne Char Bennett, who will appear from 2:15 – 2:45pm, is renowned for the recipes she creates specifically to accompany various wines; these recipes appear weekly in her “Pairings” column. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, she is a member of the Association of Food Journalists. In 2003, she was the co-recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Newspaper Series.

From 3:15 – 3:45pm, Tara Duggan will take the stage to display her talents. A Food and Wine feature writer and author of the bi-weekly “Working Cook” column, Tara is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the California Culinary Academy, where she honed her signature style of quick-cooked meals made from fresh, seasonal ingredients. She won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2002.

Inspiring and internationally renowned cook Marlena Spieler will close the San Francisco Chronicle Kitchen demonstration, showing off her skills from 4:15 – 4:45pm. Author of over 50 books on a wide array of topics and in many different languages, Marlena is an avid traveler, and shares her latest discoveries of foods and techniques with her readers in her “Roving Feast” column. Both her books and column have been short-listed for three James Beard Foundation Awards and two Guild of Food Writers Awards for Broadcaster of the Year, and she is the winner of two Association of Food Journalist Awards.

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is proud to include the participation of these exceptional individuals in the 2008 Public Tasting, and invites you to witness their expertise in action at the San Francisco Chronicle Kitchen chef demonstration. Copies of their recipes - selected to enhance the relationship between fine food and wine - will be available after each demonstration.

The 2008 Public Tasting offers limited attendance and sells out annually, so for advance ticket purchase, additional details, and a complete list of vendors who will be sampling at the event, visit www.winejudging.com.

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