Very Fabulous Food Show

Mission Impossible? You have 23 family members and friends coming to your house for Thanksgiving dinner. Ay Carumba! What are you going to cook? To get great ideas, visit the Fabulous Food Show and see how the experts create delicious seasonal feasts. Mission Impossible now becomes Mission Sensational.

This premier Northeast Ohio culinary event, the fourth annual Fabulous Food Show, is opening at the I-X Center on Friday, November 13, and runs through Sunday, November 15. With over 200 specialty food vendors offering scrumptious taste samplings of chocolate, pasta and marinara sauce, fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, cookies, sausage, seasonings, and more – you won't leave hungry. Kitchen whizzes will demonstrate how to use their tools and utensils, pots and pans, and slicers and dicers to transform the food into sensational dishes.

Nationally famous (Food Network and beyond) chefs Sandra Lee, Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, and Cleveland's own, Michael Symon, headline the cooking presentations at the Main Kitchen Theatre throughout the weekend. The Food Show ticket also includes seating to see your favorite celebrity chef and also allows attendees to see other celebrity chefs on the day of the visit -- on a first-come, first-served basis.

To help people prepare for the holidays, local chefs will also be at the Show chopping, mixing, and sautéing while they talk about their culinary creations. Anna Kim, executive chef of the Sans Souci restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel described her plans for a cooking demonstration at the Show. "I want to inspire home cooks to vary away from the traditional Thanksgiving menu. I will be preparing turkey breast roulade and brioche stuffing with sun-dried cherries and toasted chestnuts. And for dessert, a holiday trifle with pistachios and mascarpone cheese," she said. When asked her assessment of the Cleveland food scene, she replied, "With the publicity generated by the Iron Chef, Michael Symon, and food author, Michael Ruhlman, we are in the beginning stages of becoming an exceptional culinary destination for everyone to enjoy."

Steve Schimoler, owner and chef of Crop Bistro and Bar on West 6th Street, will be demonstrating how to prepare the turkey. "My approach is to take the turkey apart before cooking because it will cook faster and be tender. I brine the turkey using a salt, sugar and water solution like a marinade to infuse the flavors into the turkey," he said. His demonstration is scheduled for Saturday from 12:30pm-3:00pm. He encouraged cooks to be strategic with their holiday menu planning. "If you plan well, you won't have to be stressing about the dinner," he advised, "so you can spend time with family and friends. Then you just focus on bringing the meal together."

You will feel like you are sitting in the wine cellars of California, Oregon, Italy, and France when you attend the Grand Tasting Pavilion where the Cleveland Wine School is hosting a wide selection of wine tastings. Visitors have the opportunity to taste and learn about wines from around the world and to find out which chardonnay will best compliment the turkey.

The Cleveland By Hand Show, co-locating at the I-X Center along with the Fabulous Food Show, will exhibit the work of nearly 200 fine artists and craftsmen – the perfect place to find that handcrafted gift for that special someone. The art show is free of charge to the public and open the same hours as the Food Show.

The Fabulous Food Show is open Fri 11/13 and Sat 11/14 from 10AM-8PM, and Sun 11/15 from 10AM-6PM. With good reason, an estimated 30,000 people attended the Fabulous Food Show last year. Visit http://www.FabulousFoodShow.com for more information.'''

From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul, who says the act of writing is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The challenge lies in getting the pieces to fit together and make sense.