Food Fest Season! The 411 + Ticket Deals

It's the latter half of summer, which signals the start of a specific season for food and drink enthusiasts in the city: Food Festival Season! (So excited!)

Today marks the kickoff of the first of the highest profile festivals; check out the 411 and how to score ticket deals for each below! Have a blast and maybe I'll run into you at one of these events :)

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Los Angeles Food & Wine

What: Four day, "epicurean extravaganza" that draws some of the top chefs and stars to events from cooking demos, tastings, book signings, seminars to live entertainment and more, all over the city.  Now in its third year!

When: August 22-25, 2013

Where: Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downtown LA (see website for details)

How much: $50 and up for individual events; $150 for Lexus Grand Tastings GA / $195 for VIP (see website for details)

[Deal alert: Lexus owners get 15% off tickets to the event - see Lexus offer page for details]

Anticipated drool-factor?: 100% with the Food & Wine connection, an All-star lineup of chefs/ stars from and visiting LA will be in abundance, from the Thomas Keller, to Grant Achatz to Scott Conant to Charles Phan & David Myers.  Food Network fans can also get their fill of Giada de Laurentis and Curtis Stone in multiple events.

The Lexus Grand Tastings especially are always fun, AYCE and drink extravaganzas, and there are specialty themed events to appeal to your interests whether it's food, wine or cocktails.

Check out my recaps of events from previous years: Lexus Grand Tasting 2011 and Lexus Grand Tasting 2012 + Richard Blaise Cooking Demo

Also: the live auction will benefit Share Our Strength in their efforts to end childhood hunger.

Event website: lafw.com
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Los Angeles Times The Taste

What: Three day series of events celebrating food and drink, in that quintessential Hollywood backlot venue at Paramount.

When: August 30-September 1, 2013 (Labor Day weekend!)

Where: Paramount Pictures Studios 5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

How much: $65 for most events if you purchase by August 29 ($85 and up thereafter - see website for details).  Opening night event $125. 

[Deal alert: 

• LA Times members save 20% off tickets via this link here.  
• Everyone else: buy a ticket at $55 from LivingSocial for any single event on Saturday or Sunday (save $10 off early bird price! deal ends 8/23) OR get your tickets by 8/29 to get the early bird rate of $65 for most events  ]

Anticipated drool-factor?: 100% great staycation option for Labor Day weekend, and very affordable as food fests go. It's fun to be on the backlot of an iconic working Hollywood studio, and you know Pulitzer prize winning food critic "The J Gold" will have the best curated collection of Flavors of LA in one evening (Sat 8/31 7:30-11:30pm), and you'll have a mind-blowing experience as always with cocktail chef Matt Biancaniello in the event he is co-hosting, Cocktail Confidential (Sun 9/1 7:30-11:30pm)! My recaps of events from past years here, here and here.

Event website: events.latimes.com/taste


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