May 16—19 in the Crescent City

What began as a small, intimate, one-day gathering of wineries and chefs twenty years ago has grown into a grand celebration of wine and food that attracts more than 10,000 people each year. The twentieth anniversary of the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience will feature Wine Dinners hosted by more than thirty New Orleans area restaurants; Vinola, NOWFE's premium tasting event; the Royal Street Stroll—NOWFE's signature event—a definitive evening event set in the heart of the French Quarter; and culinary seminars that fill the days and nights with sublime ways to wine and dine. The weekend culminates Friday and Saturday in true grand fashion, with some 175 wineries showcasing over 1000 wines and 75 chefs serving culinary delights from our region. In addition, new for this 20th Anniversary celebration will be an international cake competition and tasting on Friday.

The week-long series of activities includes:

• Vintner Dinners on Wednesday May 16: The city’s best restaurants—some of which are already sold out—collaborate with wineries to present multi-course dinners with wines to match. Winery principals—frequently the winemakers themselves—present the wines. 7 pm. $75–$150 per person.
• VINOLA! on Thursday May 17: A premium tasting event during which two hundred enthusiasts get to mingle with forty notable winemakers while sampling elite wines from around the world. Live auction to follow immediately. 2 pm–4 pm at Harrah's. $150 per person.
• Royal Street Stroll on Thursday May 17: A very well supplied progressive wine-tasting event during which participants stroll the length of Royal Street, sampling wines and hors d’oeuvres in art galleries and antiques shops. 5:30 pm–8:30 pm. $75 in advance; $90 on site.
• The Big Gateaux Show on Friday May 18: Invited pastry chefs will create their own signature version of a burlesque-themed anniversary cake to be paired with Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte at the “Big Gateaux Show.” Hosted by Top Chef Just Desserts' Johnny Iuzzini & Sucre’s Tariq Hanna, the festivities will feature Trixi Minx & the Beauties from Burlesque Ballroom. Each chef will be assisted by a local culinary student to create a spectacularly designed cake, to be displayed and tasted at a festive after-party following the Friday Night Grand Tasting. 8:30 pm–11 pm. $75.
• Grand Tastings on Friday and Saturday May 18 & 19: Foodies and wine connoisseurs flock to the New Orleans Convention Center to explore extensive offerings from New Orleans’ chefs, paired with one thousand vintages from around the world. There are chefs’ demonstrations and a wine auction, too. $89 in advance; $100 on site.

For more information and a complete program visit nowfe.com.

Joe Maynard, Criollo's Chef de Cuisine

A bold new restaurant celebrates the cuisines of New Orleans' diverse cultures

Joe Maynard’s enthusiasm is contagious as he leans forward into our conversation.

“It’s very exciting to know that somebody is growing peas for me.”

Maynard is talking about his plan to work with local farmers, and the arrangement for them to grow produce specifically for the menu items he has in mind for the upcoming season at Criollo, the restaurant for which he is Chef de Cuisine, opening in the Monteleone at the end of this month. For a chef who prizes fresh ingredients, you can understand how peas grown locally just for him could indeed be exciting.

“I want to see the local farmers survive because their products are beautiful and unique,” he adds.

A Miami native and former New Orleans resident, Maynard began cooking at a young age. With a culinary degree from the Southeast Institute of Culinary Arts in St. Augustine, Florida, he has worked his way up in the industry from an executive sous chef at several different restaurants, including the Windsor Court in New Orleans and the Delano Hotel in Miami, to the executive chef at Asia de Cuba in the Mondrian Hotel, one of Miami’s newest luxury hotels.

Now he's enthusiastically back in New Orleans to launch a bold new restaurant with old roots. Among the various definitions of Criollo, which shares a linguistic history akin to Creole, is “locally born,” a definition that Maynard celebrates not just with locally sourced foods, but with dishes that celebrate the diverse cultures that have blended together to create what is “local” for New Orleans.

“I could go down the list—there are about twelve nationalities that are part of New Orleans history,” says Maynard of his personal research. “I think it’s a wonderful way to go all the way back and represent the food coming out of the restaurant.”

And it appears that the celebratory nature of this new restaurant will go well beyond the food.

“The spaces allow you to have fun here. Every table is a chefs table. I’ve never worked with a kitchen this open.,” says Maynard of a unique kitchen design that allows every patron a full view of their meal in progress. Not just the patrons, he adds. “You can stand on the street and look down my line.”

“I think here I’m especially lucky in that I have the Carousel,” he continues, explaining that an evening can start there, flow right into the restaurant for dinner; then continue on afterward back to a beautiful new lounge that adjoins the Carousel, that will feature big name local entertainers.

"It's a complete evening in one stop,” says Maynard, with a smile that suggests he’s very happy indeed with the prospect of what’s to come.

May 2012. Freret Street Food Frenzy: A once dismal corridor is now a major dining destination.

April 2012. Regina Charboneau’s cuisine for the American Queen riverboat will feature some of Mark Twain’s favorites as well as fresh twists on Southern classics.