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Food, Planting Share Spotlight at Taste of Spring Festival

CHICAGO (May 14, 1997) ------ City dwellers who crave good food and want
expert advice on summer planting will relish The Taste of Spring
Festival being held 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, June 1 ------ rain or
shine (tenting and indoor space available)------ at Galleria Marchetti,
825 W. Erie St., Chicago.

This second annual food and gardening event, sponsored by The American
Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF) and the Women's Board of Ravinia
Festival (WBRF), is
held outdoors under tents and launches the summer growing season.

Some three dozen Midwest purveyors of fresh-from-the-farm produce, herbs
and handmade cheeses, plus beers, wines and specialty foods will offer
products for free sampling and for sale.  Other giveaways include seed
packets from Shepherd's Garden Seeds, educational materials, and fresh
country bread from the Corner Bakery.

A highlight of the day is the grazing-style lunch prepared by 10
outstanding Midwest chefs cooking dishes that spotlight spring bounty:
	Paul Tanaglia of Courtrights in Willow Springs: sweet lump crab
		quesadillas with roasted corn/pepper relish
	Jim Howard of The Wayside Manor in Crete: roasted pheasant with
		Cumberland sauce
	Dave Keith of Atlas Pasta in Madison, Wisc.: Neuske bacon and goat
		cheese mini BLTs
	Greg Lutes of The Checkerberry Inn in Goshen, Ind.: ragout of Michigan
		morels on a polenta/quinoa cake
	Rhys Lewis of The Immigrant Room in Kohler, Wisc.: marscapone marsala
		cantellini with strawberry-infused syrup and ginger ice cream
	Kent Buell of LaSalle Grill in South Bend, Ind.: grilled Indiana
		duckling with organic spring vegetable stir fry
	Paul Short of The Sandhill Inn in Merrimac, Wisc.: Southwestern-style
		ostrich in savory tuile cups
	Wave Kasprzak of The Dining Room at 209 Main in Monticello, Wisc.:
		smoked confit of lamb on mixed greens with pickled garlic
		 and olive oil
	Odessa Piper of L'Etoile in Madison, Wisc.: strawberries dipped in
		cultured organic Devonshire cream
	David Koelling of Biloxi Grill in Wauconda: Maytag blue cheese with
		toasted pecans and warm peach chutney.

For urban gardeners and amateur chefs, there will be classes in
planting and serving fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers
indigenous to the Midwest.  Heirloom vegetables and herbs, a hot
gardening trend, will get special emphasis in programs and displays on
preserving and planting seeds, and on growing heirloom tomatoes,
eggplant and peppers in containers and small spaces.

There also will be a colorful array of plants and flowers for sale.  And
the Chicago Botanic Garden's "Plant Doctor" will be available all
afternoon to answer questions.

Children's activities include cooking and planting classes that combine
nutritious ingredients with fun-filled, hands-on learning.
Proceeds from the Taste of Spring Festival, which is partially
underwritten by the Dairy Council of Wisconsin and the Cooking &
Hospitality Institute of Chicago, are used for educational programs
sponsored by the American Institute of Wine & Food and the Women's Board
of Ravinia Festival.  AIWF is dedicated to advancing the understanding,
appreciation and quality of food and drink through education and social
exchange.  The WBRF supports one of the nation's oldest performing arts
festivals.

Cost of the event is $25 per person, which includes lunch prepared by
the guest chefs, all classes and tastings of purveyor's products.
Children 10 and under will be admitted free.  Valet parking is available
at the entry.  Advance ticket purchase is recommended. To order tickets 
in advance using Visa, MasterCard or Diner's Club, call 312/977-4468. 
Tickets will be held at the door.

For further info contact Mara Whitney at maraw@fs-gate.uchicago.edu