The Alternative Press

SUMMIT, NJ – The wine may play a starring role in the upcoming Summit Wine and Food Festival, but thanks to many talented chefs, it’s sharing the spotlight with the food.

A number of chefs from throughout the country, all highly acclaimed, will participate in the festival’s various activities during the festival.

Chef Douglas Rodriguez will participate in the International Gala Tasting on Friday, Sept. 21 from 7-10 p.m. at the Grand Summit, and at the VIP Gala Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 6:30-10:30 p.m., also at the Grand Summit.

Rodriguez is chef/owner of Alma De Cuba in Philadelphia; Deseo in Arizona, De Rodriguez Cuba in Miami Beach, and Ola at Sanctuary in Florida. Renowned as the Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, he has been a contestant on Top Chef Masters and has numerous cookbooks to his credit.  

Chef Craig Shelton will participate in the VIP Gala Dinner on Saturday. Shelton, the chef at Skylark on the Hudson in Jersey City, spent nearly 20 years at The Ryland Inn in Whitehouse, where he established his leadership of the “farm-to-table” movement in America, put the state on the national culinary map, and provided training for many top chefs today.

Chef Richard Sandoval will appear at the culinary presentation “Anglo-Latino Cooking” on Sunday, Sept. 23 from 4-5 p.m. at Twin Maples House, 214 Springfield Avenue. A native of Mexico City, Sandoval is the chef/owner of five restaurants in New York, including Pampano, Maya, Four at Yotel, La Biblioteca, and Zengo, which is also in Washington DC and Colorado.

Chef Peter Turso, owner of Ursino in Union, will participate in the Sommelier Competition Lunch on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Grand Summit. Turso’s restaurant focuses on eclectic, American vegetarian cuisine, with a farm-to-table focus.

Chef James Laird, chef/owner of Serenade in Chatham, will participate in the International Gala Tasting on Friday, Sept. 21 from 7-10 p.m. at the Grand Summit. A New Jersey native, Laird has been named by the New York Times as "one of the best classically trained chefs in New Jersey," and New Jersey Monthly magazine has consistently rated Serenade among "the best of the best."

Chef Maricel Presilla, chef/owner of Cucharamama and Zafra, both in Hoboken, will present “Discover the World of Peppers” on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Grand Summit, and the Latino Night Gala Tasting, also on Saturday, from 7-10 p.m. at the Grand Summit. Presilla is a culinary historian specializing in the foods of Latin America and Spain. She holds a doctorate in medieval Spanish history from New York University and has received formal training in cultural anthropology.

For More Information, tickets and a list of other participating chefs, visit the Summit Wine & Food Festival’s website.