Late April Provides Some Terrific Close-to-Home Opportunities

Want to rub elbows with the culinary world's biggest names? Late April provides some terrific close-to-home opportunities:

The Pebble Beach Food & Wine extravaganza April 28-May 1 will bring together the legends of the business, the newest stars in the firmament and the Bay Area's finest -- Jacques Pepin, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Trotter, Nancy Silverton, Christopher Kostow, Michael Chiarello, Gary Danko, Emily Luchetti, plus dozens more -- for seminars, dinners, tastings, demos, even golf.

Highlights include a tribute to chef Tom Colicchio; a "Sustainable Delicacies from the Sea" dinner in conjunction with the Monterey Bay Aquarium; a pairing of Texas cuisine and Australian wines; and a weekend-long Grand Tasting tent. 

And, if you want to see how heated the competition gets on the links, Michael Symon, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Sherry Yard, Ming Tsai and others will tee off after a breakfast of lobster rolls and champagne.

Tickets, details: www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com.

Noted New York chef Suvir Saran -- a "Top Chef Masters" contender -- will make a visit to the South Bay to throw his support behind the April 28-29 "Dining Out for Life" events that raise funds to combat AIDS. Saran is executive chef at Devi, the only Indian restaurant in the United States to have earned a Michelin star.He will pop in on some restaurants participating April 28, then make two appearances April 29. The first is a 12:30 p.m. talk and healthy cooking demo with chef Joyce Goldstein at the Health Trust's Food Basket in San Jose (reservations: jonb@healthtrust.org). At 7 p.m. he will appear at the India Community Center in Milpitas for a conversation with FoodGal blogger Carolyn Jung, book signing and Saran-inspired hors d'oeuvres. For tickets, $55, go to www.indiacc.org.
And, if you're the winning bidder, Chef Saran will cook a meal for eight at your home. The auction runs through May 5.
Find a list of April 28 fundraiser restaurants at www.healthtrust.org/diningoutforlife.