Flavor! Napa Valley Announces 2012 Dates

The inaugural 2011 Flavor! Napa Valley attracted approximately 3,000 food and wine enthusiasts to enjoy the best of the Napa Valley's gastronomical prowess over three days. “We developed Flavor! Napa Valley to help encourage food and wine lovers to take a fresh look at the Napa Valley as the top gastronomic destination,” Michael Chiarello of Bottega Napa Valley restaurant says of the festival. “As both a chef and vintner, I'm incredibly proud of the program we were able to bring together and I am thrilled to be a part of the 2012 celebration.”

In addition to successfully showcasing the passion for quality shared by the region's winemakers, chefs and artisanal food producers, $60,000 was raised to support the scholarship program at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, Flavor! Napa Valley's beneficiary.

“I am proud that our cumulative efforts for Flavor! Napa Valley successfully raised $60,000 for deserving CIA students in its initial year,” comments French Laundry's Thomas Keller, who also serves on the board of the CIA. “As an advocate for the continued evolution and improvement of our profession, this worthwhile event will help pave the way for many aspiring young chefs in obtaining a culinary education, one that will allow them to have a firm grasp of the fundamentals--and hopefully provide a head start in their career.”

Silverado Resort and Spa will again host some of Flavor! Napa Valley's core food and wine events, and a variety of expert-led seminars and tastings will also be held at the historic Greystone campus of The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. Two full days of hands-on experiences will be hosted at local vineyards, wineries, restaurants, farms and artisanal food purveyors, allowing attendees to fully engage in some of the elements that make the Napa Valley legendary. All of Flavor! Napa Valley's programming will once again be produced by Karlitz & Company.

“We are so pleased with the caliber of the 2011 festival,” adds John Evans, General Manager of founding-sponsor Silverado Resort and Spa. “With the announcement of the 2012 dates and the addition of two days of activities, we are signaling our commitment to provide our guests and attendees with a wonderfully unique experience that can only be found in Napa Valley, California.”

"We were delighted to be involved in the inaugural Flavor! Napa Valley. We are looking forward to continuing our region's legacy of gracious hospitality by inviting guests into our homes, vineyards, and kitchens to get their hands into the soil and share winemaking and culinary experiences that can only be found in the Napa Valley," says Garen and Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard.

To receive event and ticketing updates, please join the festival's e-mail list at www.flavornapavalley.com.