"Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village" news and stories

The Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village is the "meat and potatoes" of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. It is an opportunity for people to sample mass quantities of gourmet snacks, sip a wide variety of libations and mingle with fellow foodies. It is truly a village, with tents stretching along the beach with interactive stations for KitchenAid, Moet & Chandon, Diageo, Evian, American Express and Home Shopping Network.

Adding to the excitement of the Grand Tasting Village are the hourly chef demonstrations. Everyone from Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray to Sandra Lee and Ming Tsai prepared their food live in front of their fans. The sights, sounds and smells of these toques cooking was better than watching any TV show.

We were able to spend some time with Top Chef hottie Fabio Viviani at the Bertolli olive oil booth. The season five contestant is the new spokesperson for Bertolli, and was on-site to prepare three of his tasty recipes. Each dish utilized the flavor profiles of Bertolli's three olive oils, Classico, Extra Virgin and Extra Light. First was Fabio's orecchiette pasta with rapini and sausage. This ear-shaped pasta was flavored with rapini, ground sausage, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, pecorino cheese and Classico olive oil. Lighter was his sea bass with spinach pesto and mango salad. Fittingly, he added Extra Virgin olive to the mix. Lastly, there was a lamb loin over salad with Extra Light olive oil.

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