9th Annual Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival is Going Hog Wild!

BETHLEHEM, PA (03/23/2018) Bethlehem, PA - March 23, 2018 - An exciting new element has been added to the fine wine and delicious food that guests have come to expect from the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival. For its 9th year, the festival is going hog wild with the delicious addition of the Pork Tasting Adventure! Sponsored by Clemens Food Group, the theme room will feature tasty treats made with specially selected Clemens pork products, paired with regional craft beers. Entry into the Pork Tasting Adventure room is included in the festival's general ticket price.

In addition, superstar Chef Emeril Lagasse is returning to this year's Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival, June 1-3, an event that organizers anticipate will be the biggest and best in the franchise's nine-year history.

Hosted by Sands Bethlehem in partnership with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, the festival features multiple restaurants, vineyards and distilleries that offer up delicious and generous tastes of their wares throughout the Sands Event Center. More than 50 wines from around the world will be available for guests to sample. Tickets can be purchased at lehighvalleyfoodandwine.com.

The event's Grand Tasting will run Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3 from 1 -4 p.m. Chef Emeril will kick off the festival on Friday, June 1, with a cooking demonstration. A new ticket option will allow guests the opportunity to purchase early access VIP tickets and gain entrance to the festival at noon. Guests will enjoy plates from Chef Emeril's most popular eateries as well as the region's most prestigious restaurants along with an impressive array of fine wines from around the world.

Participating restaurants to date are: 1774 Grille & Tap, Aman's Bistro, Amy's Creative Cakes, Aunt Wendy's Kiffles, Brock Catering, Buddy V's Ristorante, Bam! Burgers and More, Carlo's Bake Shop, Chocolate Works, Corked, Emeril's Chop House, Emeril's Fish House, Hampton Winds, Hellertown Bakery, Jacquie's Pastry Café, Mitzi's Table, My Tequila House, Paxos Restaurants: blue grillhouse, Melt, Top Cut, and Torre; Sodexo, Spinnerstown Hotel, The Dime, and Two Rivers Brewing Company.

Each day of the festival will also feature the area's top chefs leading cooking demonstrations, wine seminars highlighting notable experts and live music. New events for 2018 are still being planned. Check lehighvalleyfoodandwine.com for updates, new restaurants and more, or follow Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival on Facebook or @LVFoodWineFest on Twitter.

Enter the Food and Wine Getaway Contest for a chance to win an overnight stay at the beautiful Sands hotel, two grand tasting tickets to the Food and Wine Festival, and a gift certificate for one of the Sands restaurants. Go to http://lehighvalleyfoodandwine.com for contest details and to enter.

Tickets for each day of the Grand Tasting are $85 for advance purchase, or $100 the day of the event. VIP access tickets are $100 for advance purchase and include early entry before general public tickets as well as access to the Champagne and Spirits Room. VIP tickets cost $115 the day of event. Tickets can be purchased at lehighvalleyfoodandwine.com or at the Sands Event Center box office. Each attendee will receive a souvenir wine glass.

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older. Tickets for Friday's Chef Emeril Lagasse cooking demonstration are $75. Sponsorship proceeds benefit scholarships for Northampton Community College students. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and can be found at lehighvalleyfoodandwine.com.

About the Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival
The Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival has grown from its humble beginnings as a one-day tented event to a full-weekend experience. The largest event of its kind in the region, the festival showcases cuisine from the area's top restaurants and wine from around the world to thousands of guests over two days. Hosted by Northampton Community College and Sands Bethlehem, the festival began in 2010 to provide hands-on experience to Northampton's Culinary and Hospitality Management students, raise funds for the NCC Foundation, and celebrate the tantalizing dining experiences available in the Lehigh Valley.

About Northampton Community College
With an enduring commitment to the regional community it serves and a focus on student success, Northampton Community College has developed a reputation as an institution of extraordinary distinction, earning accolades at the state and national levels for innovative programs, outstanding faculty and impressive student achievements. It counts among its successful alumni a 4-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an Academy Award winning director as well as a host of CEOs, presidents, and leaders of business and industry. Today, Northampton Community College has locations in Bethlehem, Southside Bethlehem, Easton and Monroe County, serving more than 30,000 students each year from 53 counties, 48 countries and 25 states.

About Sands Bethlehem
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened May of 2009 in Eastern Pennsylvania. It is situated on the site of the historic Bethlehem Steel plant and located approximately 60 minutes from Philadelphia and the northern New Jersey suburbs and 90 minutes from New York City. Sands Bethlehem offers over 3,000 state-of the-art slot machines and over 200 table games including a 30 table poker room, as well as a 282-room hotel and over 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Culinary offerings include Buddy V's Ristorante, of TLC's Cake Boss, and three signature restaurants from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse - Emeril's Chop House, Burgers And More by Emeril and Emeril's Fish House. The casino also features Chopstick Asian Cuisine, Steelworks Buffet & Grill, Croissanterie and the varied offerings and cuisines of The Market Gourmet Express. It is also home to the Coil Bar and Molten Lounge, which features live entertainment 7 nights a week. The Outlets at Sands Bethlehem launched at the property in November 2011. The Sands Bethlehem Event Center, which opened at the property in May 2012 and includes over 14,000 sq. ft. of flexible multipurpose space, accommodates meetings, conventions and a variety of entertainment events.

Posted Friday March 23, 2018 at 11:50 am by Northampton Community College
Last Updated Friday March 23, 2018 at 11:50 am