Of the roughly 60 master chefs in the world, two will ply their considerable talents on Boca Grande for the seventh annual Gasparilla Inn & Club Food and Wine Weekend Jan. 11-13.
Executive Chef Peter Timmins, a master chef, and friends such as Chef John Folse from John Folse & Co. and certified Master Chef John Johnstone of Augusta National will combine with Robert Plesh, executive chef and manager of The Pink Elephant, and Pastry Chef Peter Wimmler from The Gasparilla Inn & Club to offer a premier food and wine experience.
"The Food and Wine Weekend is an extraordinary opportunity for people to learn the cooking techniques of world-class chefs and enjoy an unforgettable dining experience," said Timmins. "Our guests gain new appreciation for the culinary arts and wine making."
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Gasparilla Inn & Club Executive Chef Chef Peter Timmins
Timmins and Johnstone will each work on the Master Chef Dinner along with Wimmler.
The Food and Wine Weekend begins Friday with a welcome reception featuring dishes paired with wines chosen by the chefs. Guests will meet Timmins and all participating vintners.
Guests may attend culinary happenings throughout Saturday, including a wine tasting and a cooking demonstration with Folse, a renowned Cajun chef and restaurateur from Baton Rouge.
Fact Box
To Go
What: The Gasparilla Inn & Club's seventh annual Food and Wine Weekend
When: Jan. 11-13
Where: The Gasparilla Inn & Club
Why: Deluxe accommodations for two, special welcome reception and dinner, culinary demonstrations and wine tastings, two breakfasts, a special turndown amenity, final night reception and the Master Chef's Dinner.
Cost: Rates start at $580 per room per night based on double occupancy.
Contact: For reservations, call (800) 996-1913 or (941) 964-4500 or go to gasparillainn.com.
Wine & Food Weekend schedule
Friday, Jan. 11, 2013
Welcome Reception/Dinner and The Gulf Room Regional Wine and Food Tour, 6:30 p.m., featuring John Folse of John Folse and Co., Baton Rouge; John Johnstone, of Augusta National, Augusta; Pastry Chef Peter Wimmler of the Gasparilla Inn & Club; Chef Robert Plesh of the Pink Elephant, Boca Grande; and coffee from Stan's Coffee, Punta Gorda.
Saturday, Jan. 12
Culinary demonstration by Plesh, 11:30 a.m., Gasparilla inn & Club Main Dining room; Cajun cuisine by Folse, 1:30 p.m. at the Beach Club with tasting from Pahlmeyer Winery; 3 p.m. wine tasting in The Gulf Room; 6:30 p.m. wine reception, Sharp Room; 7:15 p.m. Master Chef's Dinner in Banyan Room featuring Timmins, Johnstone and Wimmler with pairings from Banfi Vintners.
Sunday, Jan. 13
Breakfast on own.
The Master Chef's Dinner draws attendees from around the world with each course prepared by a different chef and paired with wine from Banfi Vintners, which has ranked as North America's leading wine importer for more than three decades.
Banfi Vintners is the sole U.S. importer of the Mariani family's wine estates in Italy: Castello Banfi of Montalcino, Tuscany, and Vigne Regali Cellars of Strevi, Piedmont. Banfi also imports Bolla, Cecchi, Florio, Fontana Candida, Placido, Riunite, and Sartori from Italy, Concha y Toro and Emiliana from Chile, and Trivento from Argentina, Wisdom & Warter Sherries from Spain and Stone's Ginger wine from England.
Reservations for the weekend are recommended. A specially priced package is available for overnight guests Jan. 11-13, which includes deluxe accommodations for two, welcome reception and dinner, culinary demonstrations and wine tastings, two breakfasts, final night reception and the Master Chef's Dinner.
Rates start at $580 per room, per night based on double occupancy. A two-night minimum stay is required to attend the Master Chef's Dinner. For reservations, call (800) 996-1913 or (941) 964-4500 or go to gasparillainn.com.
Founded in 1913, The Gasparilla Inn & Club also offers golf on the Pete Dye-designed 18-hole championship course, world-class sport fishing in Gasparilla Island's surrounding waters, a large family pool next to the Gulf and croquet on a U.S. Croquet Association-certified lawn.
The 137-room Gasparilla Inn & Club, a member of Historic Hotels of America and listed on The National Register of Historic Places, is owned by the William Farish family.
