The weekend of September 21 & 22, 2013 brings fun for foodies and fans from Dallas and beyond when Metro Cooking Dallas returns to The Dallas Convention Center for its second year. This year’s extravaganza brings renowned television chefs, hundreds of specialty food exhibitors, cooking demonstrations and workshops. And new this year is the Grand Tasting Pavilion where dozens of local restaurants and chefs will share samples of their signature fare.
Those who purchase a one-day theater pass have the opportunity to see a rotating roster of television chefs including "The
Chew"’s Jason Roberts; actress Debi Mazur (of "Entourage") and her husband Gabriele Corcos from the Cooking Channel’s "Extra Virgin"
; Paula Deen, who will be joined on stage by her son, Bobby Deen whose show "Not My Mama’s Meals"
is seen on both the Cooking Channel and the Food Network
; the "Grill Sergeant" Brad Turner and the Food Network’s "Extreme Chef" Terry French. Bobby Deen will also host
The Bobby Deen BBQ & Photo Op on
Saturday, September 22 where attendees will enjoy recipes selected by Bobby and have their photo taken with him. Paula will swing by the BBQ for a quick "hey, y'all" as well.
More personalities are conducting a variety of workshops over the weekend including "Date Night Dinner Dishes" by Rocky Fino; "Terrific Truffles!" by Sue Williams; "Impress Your Guests" by Valerie Rice; "The Healing Diet" by Nancy Addison; "Single Serving!" by Evelyn Williams and more. Tasting and entertaining workshops taught by industry experts will expose guests to delightful and unique specialty foods and entertaining ideas.
Amidst the live discussions and demonstrations with chefs and the rest of the impressive list of participants will be a labyrinth of vendor booths in the MarketPlace featuring samples and wares from more than 150 exhibitors. Local and international specialty foods and food-related products will be for sale throughout the weekend.
Debuting this year will be the Grand Tasting Pavilion, where attendees can sample favorites from a wide variety of Dallas area restaurants, chefs, caterers, food trucks and specialty manufacturers. The Pavilion will be open on Sunday from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. and this ticket also includes complimentary MarketPlace general admission (open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.).
General Admission tickets are $24.50, children ages 4-12 are $12.50 and children ages 4 and younger are free. General Admission tickets allow entrance to demonstrations, entertaining presentations and vendor booths on the exhibit hall floor. Additional tickets are required for special events such as a VIP meet-and-greets with TV chefs, the one-day theater pass and entry to special lectures by the headliners (ticket prices range from $63-$400).
For a full listing of events and tickets, click here.
Story and photos courtesy of Sabra Girard