"food festivals" news and stories

There's no hunkering down for the winter for people who love food festivals. This month, you can catch strong libations, hot tamales, food fit for tony snowbirds, cookies worthy of a Christmas carol, and a New Year's Eve in a pickle.

Annual Holiday Ale Festival, Portland, Ore., Dec. 1-5: This sudsy soirée bills itself as the best beer-tasting event at which to cure the brrrs. With more than 50 beers offered this year -- among them Hopworks Urban Brewery Kentucky Christmas, a hometown strong ale -- things are sure to get merry around Pioneer Courthouse Square. On Sunday, Dec. 5, the 7th annual Beer and Brunch private event will include four exclusive brews not available during the rest of the festival.

Indio International Tamale Festival, Indio, Calif, Dec. 4-5: The tamale is a celebratory food, owing in part to its complicated production, one that families have mastered best. Since 1992, the city of Indio and its merchants have been feteing this Mexican food for feasts with a mariachi soundtrack. Make tracks for the best of the best tamales, an eating contest, folk dancers and carny attractions at what the Food Network calls one of the top-10 "All American Food Festivals."

Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival, Palm Beach, Fla., Dec. 7: South Florida residents and snowbirds aren't rubbing their beautiful climate in our faces They're just taking advantage of a good thing. This one-day event features participants and sponsors from the Sunshine State's favorite grocery, Publix; to the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach; Rocco's Tacos and Tequila Bar; and Four Roses bourbon as well as local celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein. Local master sommeliers, like Virginia Philip of The Breakers Palm Beach, will also be on hand for special presentations.

There's still plenty of time before turkey and stuffing is upon us. These are the days of food fests, from mac-and-cheese (above) to pork cracklins, of the venerable chili cook-off in Terlingua, Texas, and the over-the-top gingerbread house DIY face-off in North Carolina. Here are seven festivals you won't want to miss.

Denver International Wine Festival, Denver, Colo., Nov. 3-7: Colorado is much more than beer. Its about pinot and Burgundy as well. Denver Wine Week, the Mile High City's annual event, now in its sixth year, offers up more than 400 wines. The festival kicks off with an Iron Chef-style bout in which local chefs will go toque to toque pairing food and wine. The Grand Tasting of International Wines and Food on Friday will showcase wines from more than 100 wineries selected by the editors of Wine Country International magazine. The festival isn't exclusive to oenophiles, though. Craft beer and artisan spirits are also on the tasting menu.

Original Terlingua International Chili Championship Cook-Off, Terlingua, Tex., Nov. 4-6: In addition to one whopper of a 44th annual chili cook-off, there will also be contests for the best ribs, black-eyed peas, margarita, as well as the ugliest hat. In a party as big as Texas, you can also dance to live music, and cruise the arts and craft show.

Romanian Food Festival, Colleyville, Tex, Nov. 5-7: If you just happen to be in Texas for the Terlingua Chili Cook-off, head to the Dallas-Forth Worth area for what may be the delicious opposite of chili -- Romanian food. The fifth annual celebration is organized by the parishioners of St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church, and will feature traditional fare like ciorba (hearty soups), sarmale (cabbage rolls), and mamaliga (a cheesy polenta dish), as well as folk dancing, a show by Romanian singer George Rotaru and boxing. Let's hope the boxers leave the cabbage rolls alone before the match. As they say in Romania, "Pofta Buna!" Bon Appetit!

Unless you live in the South or in Southern California, temperatures are beginning to drop in spurts and stops. Whatever the temperature, whether the leaves are beginning to turn in your part of the country, celebrations of national and local foodways show no sign of slowing down, as can be seen by this month's selection of festivals.

Latin Food & Wine Festival, Orlando, Fla., Oct. 1-2: It's impossible to exaggerate the influence of Latin Americans and their foods in Florida. The long-time presence of Puerto Ricans, Cubans and a smattering of Brazilians has transformed the Sunshine State into what many consider a part of Latin American in and of itself. Recently, other Latin American populations have made Florida home, making culinary in-roads. It's no wonder, then, that this celebration of Latin American cuisine in Florida is a big hit with restaurants and locals. The event, sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and Walt Disney World Resort (the latter another cornerstone of Florida's identity), among many others, is split into two functions: Savor the Night and the Grand Tasting. Both will feature some of Florida's premiere Latin American restaurants showcasing their food and wine selections. However, Savor the Night will only seat 300 guests for a dinner, but the second night's event will offer one dollar tastings for all-comers.

Summer is winding down, but food festivals aren't. From in-season produce to competitive cooking and channeling of Orville Redenbacher, September is a boon for festival-goers nationwide.

Great Tomato Tasting, Sept. 1, Pittstown, N.J.: The Tomatina Festival in Spain, this is not. Held at Rutger University's Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Hunterdon County, this 20th-annual event will showcase more than 80 varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes,such as Brandywine and Lemon Cherry, as well as offer samples of sweet peppers, apples, cucumbers, herbs and peaches. In the Teaching Garden, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about insects beneficial to the garden, the farm's holly and blueberry breeding programs and much more for green thumbs. The reservations-required Discovery Tour will include a demonstration and tasting by Chef Christoper Albrecht of Eno Terra Restaurant. Those partaking in the tour will also get a goody bag of tomatoes and other produce.

Have you ever dreamed of partaking in a massive food fight? Sliding down 250,000 pounds of smashed tomatoes? Or even attempting to ski with watermelons attached to your feet?

Well, there's a festival for that. Food & Wine put together a list of thirteen of the countries most insane food gatherings.

Head over to Food & Wine for the entire list of, as well as photographs of the World's Weirdest Food Festivals.