Emeril Lagasse coming to Fork, Cork & Style

Oct 01, 2010

Renowned chef Emeril Lagasse plans to cook up a storm at this weekend's Fork, Cork & Style at Arlington Park.

Lagasse, host of several shows on the Food Network, cookbook author and correspondent for ABC's "Good Morning America," will host a live cooking demonstration along with finalists from Bravo's "Top Chef" television series at a festival featuring a premiere wine tasting of 250 elite brands. Brian Malarkey, the California Restaurant Association's Chef of the Year, owner of San Diego's Searsucker restaurant and finalist for "Top Chef Miami," will also demonstrate his favorite recipes along with Eli Kirshtein, finalist on "Top Chef Vegas" and Casey Thompson, another "Top Chef Miami" contestant who serves as a culinary ambassador for the San Francisco Bay area.

Chef Emeril Lagasse will be one of several guest chefs at the Fork, Cork and Style event at Arlington Park Oct. 2. 

Tastings will be available from an array of popular regional restaurants including Chicago's Billy Goat Tavern and Grill, popular for its "cheezborgers"; Cicero's Albano's Pizzeria, popular for its football-sized pizza puff; Buffalo's Anchor Bar, known for its Buffalo chicken wings; West Virginia's Hillbilly Hot Dogs, popular for its 15-inch Home Wrecker hot dog piled high with tasty condiments; St. Louis's Ted Drewes, known for its frozen custards; Memphis' Central BBQ ribs and pulled pork to South Philadelphia's Tony Luke's, known for its cheesesteak.

Binny's Beverage Depot will present high-end vintners and tastings of more than 250 wines from premiere wine regions like Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Washington State, Rioja, Sonoma Valley, Champagne and many more.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, at Arlington Park. A limited number of $200 VIP tickets will be available to include an exclusive meet and greet with Lagasse and the other celebrity chefs, reserved seating at the cooking demo stage, first-class access to the wine tasting and VIP parking.

For a complete list of the participating national and local restaurants, including many from the Travel Channel's official list of "101 Best Places to Chow Down," visit www.forkcorkandstyle.com/fcs/restaurants

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 at Arlington Park Racetrack, 2200 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights. $35 for general admission; $70 to include wine tastings. Tickets available at the door. Visit www.forkcorkandstyle.com.