Culinary Groupies Assemble

Food Network and its 24/7 programming of food porn has given chefs a rock-star status they've never enjoyed before -- and the men and women behind the line have garnered some fanfare in the process. Whether you're a groupie or a "band-aide" or you just want to rub elbows, your opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the best local and national chefs is here beginning this Friday and running through Tuesday at the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival. This year's lineup includes a number of new events, such as Kids Kitchen at the Four Seasons, hosted by Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar in New York and Robert Irvine of Restaurant: Impossible; Sustain by the Ordinary at PB Catch, a popup of the famed Charleston restaurant owned by James Beard Award winner Mike Lata; chef afterparties; a Savannah-themed dinner at the Breakers Resort dubbed "An Evening in the Garden of Good and Evil," and more. The festival also features an array of new chefs and talent, such as Ted Allen of Chopped, celebrity chef Todd English, Hedy Goldsmith of Michael's Genuine, Timon Balloo of Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill, François Payard, and many others. Tickets cost $45 per person to $595 per person for a package. The Grand Tasting takes place Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at 150 Worth Ave. in Palm Beach. Visit pbfoodwinefest.com.
Fri., Dec. 13, 11-2 a.m.; Sat., Dec. 14, 9-2 a.m.; Sun., Dec. 15, 12-9:30 p.m.; Mon., Dec. 16, 12-10 p.m.; Tue., Dec. 17, 6-9 p.m., 2013