Fresno, California – Simon Majumdar, world-renowned author, broadcaster and Food Network personality, will attend the Fresno Food Expo this July as a special guest to discover and highlight the innovative and diverse food and beverage products from Central California’s San Joaquin Valley, including Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare counties.
Majumdar’s passion for food has taken him to all fifty states and dozens of countries around the world. He has written three books including “Eat My Globe,” “Eating for Britain,” and his latest, “Fed, White and Blue,” which catalogues his journey to American citizenship. He also is a well-recognized personality on the Food Network, regularly appearing on shows such as “Iron Chef America,” “The Next Iron Chef,” The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Extreme Chef” and “Beat Bobby Flay.” Majumdar also appeared as an expert commentator on National Geographic's major series “EAT: The Story of Food.” Although this is not Simon’s first visit to Central California, it was the success of the Fresno Food Expo that piqued his interest in the region prior to his first visit in September of 2015.
“My mantra is ‘Go everywhere. Eat everything.’ During my last book tour, it was the smaller towns and cities that provided the highlights and often the best things to eat,” said Majumdar. “These towns and cities are often overlooked, sometimes unloved and rarely mentioned when articles are written about America's food revolution. I believe this region is a perfect example of that.”
To help set the stage for Majumdar’s attendance, the Fresno Food Expo will host a new culinary portion as part of the Public Event on July 28, inviting restaurants from the Central California San Joaquin Valley to help deliver a food tasting experience truly reflective of the region. Participating restaurants will be tasked with creating an appetizer that integrates at least two locally sourced products from food or beverage producers exhibiting at the Expo.
The idea behind the new culinary aspect is to connect food growers and manufacturers from the eight-county region with restaurateurs who can bring the foods of our region to life.
To further shed light on participating restaurateurs, the Fresno Food Expo will host five awards as part of the evening celebration, three of which will be judged by Simon himself. Awards will recognize restaurateurs in categories such as Best Integration of Expo Products, Best Food & Drink Pairing, Most Creative, Valley’s Voice and The Buzz.
Restaurateurs from the eight-county Central California region are invited to apply to participate in the Fresno Food Expo’s Public Event, and can download the application and participation requirements at http://www.fresnofoodexpo.com/registration/public-tickets. Applications are due no later than June 3, 2016.
In addition, the Fresno Food Expo will be inviting adult beverage companies from our eight-county region to participate in the Public Event free of charge to compliment the evening’s food tasting event.
In addition to Majumdar’s participation in the Public Event, he also will be side-by-side with regional, national and international buyers, as well as local growers, producers and restaurateurs as they participate in a number of events surrounding the 2016 Fresno Food Expo July 27-28, including:
- Site Tours: Majumdar will join buyers on grower and manufacturer site tours that provide a rare inside look at some of the region’s largest companies as they experience how products are made first-hand.
- Pairings: Fresno Food Expo’s official opening reception is an exclusive event for pre-registered buyers and sponsors of the Expo. Pairings will feature live cooking stations, where the region’s leading food producers and manufacturers will be paired with some of the region’s most well-known chefs as they prepare innovative, new menu offerings from local products that can only be found on the Fresno Food Expo show floor.
- Business-to-Business: Unlike any other trade show, the Fresno Food Expo offers the opportunity for local, regional, national and international buyers to connect with the Presidents and CEOs behind some of the nation’s largest food industry companies. During this business-to-business portion of the show, Majumdar will join buyers in exploring products in every category and learn one-on-one from budding food entrepreneurs who migrate to the region.
“The Fresno Food Expo is a celebration of all things food and the experience food inspires,” said David Nalchajian, General Manager of the Fresno Food Expo. “We look forward to having Simon join in our celebration, and believe his passion for food and our region will put a much deserved spotlight on the food and beverage producers who dedicate their lives to creating quality, superior products, while also attracting even more national and international foodservice and retail buyers who seek out the diverse range of products we have to offer.”
Within the last year alone, the region has seen visits from Guy Fieri, host of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives” (Stockton, Modesto and Bakersfield); Alton Brown, host of Food Network’s “Good Eats” (Fresno); Fabio Viviani, fan-favorite and contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” (Fresno); Bobby Flay, American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality (Fresno); Noah Cappe, host of Food Network’s “Carnival Eats” (Turlock); Anthony Lamas, Valley-native and winner of Food Network’s “Extreme Chef” (Visalia), Cheryl Forberg, best-selling author, award-winning chef and nutritionist for ABC’s The Biggest Loser (Visalia).
Registration is currently open for buyers and exhibitors who are interested in attending the Expo, as well as restaurants that are interested in participating in the new culinary aspect of the Public Event. More than 150 exhibitors and 950 key pre-qualified international and domestic buyers are expected to participate. Noted buyers already registered for the 2016 Fresno Food Expo include Whole Foods, Vallarta Supermarkets, Save Mart Supermarkets, Food 4 Less, Tony’s Fine Foods, JD Food, Saladino’s Foodservice and more. Additional information is available at www.FresnoFoodExpo.com. Ticket sales to the Public Event filled with sampling and discovery will go on sale May 23.
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About Fresno Food Expo
Originally developed as an economic development initiative by the City of Fresno in 2011, the Expo has since emerged as the nation’s only exclusively regional food show bringing together growers, processors, manufacturers and industry service providers with buyers from around the world. Since its debut, the Expo has brought heightened awareness to the region’s food production industry as new, innovative businesses emerge and industry collaborations form as a direct result of the show. The Expo has introduced 226 different food and beverage companies to new customers and hosted 1,825 different qualified buyers, including over 100 strategically recruited international buyers.
Source: Fresno Food Expo