Pensacola Beach Chamber Announces 2016 Taste of the Beach Lineup featuring Pensacola’s Celebrity Chefs

Celebrating local cuisine through cooking demonstrations, sample tastings and chef contests in September

By Katie King – katie@ewbullock.com

June, 2016 –Pensacola, Fl—Pensacola’s Celebrity Chefs will spice up the food and crowds at Pensacola Beach’s biggest culinary event in September. The 9th Annual Taste of the Beach will take place Friday evening, Sept. 23, with a VIP dinner, and continue all day Saturday, Sept. 24, with cooking demonstrations, chef challenges, sample tastings and a live concert.

The Pensacola Celebrity Chefs include Dan Dunn of H2O at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse, Jim Shirley of The Fish House, Gus Silivos of Skopelos at New World and Frank Taylor of Global Grill. The chefs regularly represent and promote Pensacola cuisine on a national stage.

Presented by the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, Taste of the Beach is Pensacola Beach’s annual foodie festival that celebrates the beach’s talented chefs and their unique coastal cuisine.

“As a coastal community, our beaches and local cuisine create a lasting impression,” said Nicole Stacey, President of the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce. “This is an opportunity to celebrate the innovative souls creating those treasured culinary memories, the people behind the scenes — our chefs,” she furthered.

The party gets started Friday night with a special, ticketed VIP event at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Hotel at 6 p.m. Guests will sample signature Taste of the Beach cocktails and enjoy specially-created hors d’oeuvres before a beginning a formal five-course “Chef Celebration Meal” and on-stage cooking demonstration presented by six Pensacola Beach chefs. Tickets are $65 each and can be purchased on the Taste of the Beach website. Limited tickets are available.
Taste of the Beach opens on Saturday at 11 a.m. with 22 beach restaurants showcasing their signature dishes for $5 each. The festival, which is centered around the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach, amps up the entertainment with chef demonstrations, cooking competitions and live music.

The Chef’s Challenge starts at 11 a.m. in front of the Gulfside Pavilion Stage. The cooking contest pits six Pensacola Beach and two Downtown Pensacola chefs against each other for the chance to win a cash prize, a trophy and bragging rights for a year.

New this year, Taste of the Beach will present a Team Cook Off at noon. Local celebrities, beach businesses and civic organizations will be invited to compete against each other using surprise ingredients.

The Pensacola Celebrity Chefs will take the stage at 1 p.m. to present simultaneous live cooking demonstrations, emceed by Cat Country radio personality Brent Lane. Following the demonstrations, festival-goers with pre-purchased wristbands can sample the chefs’ creations. A limited number of wristbands are available for $20 at www.tasteofpensacolabeach.com. Immediately following will be a Q-and-A session and meet-and-greet.

The Lectrik Mullet band will entertain the crowd with cover tunes for all ages starting at 3 p.m. Musician Tim Spencer will perform from 5 to 7 p.m.

Also from 5 to 7 p.m., festival-goers can sample more than nearly two dozen beers from six different breweries. Wristbands can be purchased on the website for $12.

Tagged as “The World’s Greatest ‘80’s Experience,” glam-rock cover band, The Molly Ringwalds, return this year to close out the festival, once again, with a free concert at 7 p.m.

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