NEW YORK CITY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL U.S.A. Born in 2007 as a onenighter called SWEET, the following year, founder and festival director Lee Brian Schrager took the event to the next level, launching what is now the New York City Wine and Food Festival, routinely acclaimed as one of the country’s most successful food festivals. For four days each autumn/fall, culinary giants,
celebrity chefs, mixologists, vintners and foodies from around the globe unite to eat, drink and end world hunger, with 100% of the proceeds - upwards of USD 1 million per festival - going to hunger relief organisation Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Now in its 11th year, NYCWFF offers a diverse range of dishes and culinary experiences across a broad range of price points across New York City, including intimate dinners with world-renowned chefs, late night parties, hands-on classes, educational
WEXFORD FESTIVAL OPERA
in the southeastern corner of the island. All operas are performed at The National Opera House, Ireland’s first custom-built opera house. This year’s festival includes the European premiere of Dinner at Eight, which will be attended by its composer William Bolcom and librettist Mark Campbell who will give a talk about their journey in creating this opera, which was originally commissioned by Minnesota Opera. The festival will also feature a special double bill of Franco Leoni’s L’oracolo and Umberto Giordano’s Mala vita on five dates. 19 October - 4 November 2018 www.wexfordopera.com
IRELAND Since the first Festival of Music and the Arts took place in October 1951, Wexford Festival Opera has grown into one of the world’s leading opera festivals. For 67 years the festival has breathed new life into forgotten or neglected operatic masterpieces, establishing a reputation for high-quality productions that every year bring thousands of opera lovers flocking from all over the world to the beautiful harbour town of Wexford,
SALON DU CHOCOLAT FRANCE The 24th outing of the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate will be held in the heart of the French capital at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center, which provides acres of space to host hundreds of international chocolatiers. Visitors have a unique opportunity to discover and taste chocolate products found nowhere else, courtesy of more than 500 chocolatiers and confectioners hailing 18 The Cultured Traveller Sep-Nov 2018
seminars, coveted wine tastings and more, providing passionate gourmands with something for every palate. 11–14 October 2018 www.nycwff.org
from 60 countries, including more than 200 of the world’s greatest pastry chefs and cocoa experts. The highlight of the festival is undoubtedly The Chocolate Fashion Show on 30th October, when a number of duos of chocolatiers and fashion designers showcase an incredible collection of couture outfits made entirely out of chocolate, including creations by Maxence Barbot for l’Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris and talented young French designer Julien Bonnet. 31 October – 4 November 2018 www.salonduchocolat.fr