PA Farm Show Hosts Celebrity Chefs, Showcases PA Preferred™ Ingredients

Culinary Connection Stage to Feature Live Demos, Local Personalities

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An all-star lineup of chefs and local celebrities will entertain visitors at the 2014 Pennsylvania Farm Show as they create dishes from Pennsylvania-sourced products on the PA Preferred™ Culinary Connection Stage.

"The PA Preferred Culinary Connection brings the Farm Show full-circle, showcasing the final products that Pennsylvania's farm families grow for consumers," said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. "I'm looking forward to watching this year's special guests and chefs as they take the stage to celebrate this year's theme: PA Farms: Growing for You."

Highlights on the PA Preferred Culinary Connection stage will include:

• Saturday, Jan. 4, noon and 2 p.m. – Cooking demonstration by Nadia G., the "Julia Child of the Net Generation" and host of Cooking Channel's Bite This with Nadia G.;
• Saturday, Jan. 4, 1 p.m. – Chefs lead teams of local radio and television personalities in a challenge to create entrees that showcase PA Preferred products in the PA Preferred Chef and Media Cookoff, with the Philly Phanatic available for photos;
• Monday, Jan. 6, 1 p.m. – Pennsylvania First Lady Susan Corbett and Governor's Residence Executive Chef Barry Crumlich whip up a residence favorite;
• Tuesday, Jan. 7, noon – cooking demonstration by Andrew Aho, executive chef at POUR in Lancaster;
• Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2 p.m. – The PA Preferred Best Cheeseburger Showdown, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Beef Council and Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, pits teams of Pennsylvania celebrities competing for burger dominance using PA Preferred beef;
• Thursday, Jan. 9, 3 p.m. – Mrs. Christine Greig, wife of Secretary Greig, will create a pork and apple dish with Hilton Harrisburg Executive Chef John Reis; and
• Friday, Jan. 10, 2 p.m. – Former White House Chef John Moeller will make a potato entree.

The PA Preferred Culinary Connection stage, located in the Main Hall of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, features a unique theme every day, from apples to veal, offering visitors ideas for enjoying the food produced in Pennsylvania. Samples of every dish will be offered to audience members and a Pennsylvania wine will be recommended for pairing.

The days' themes are: first Saturday, Mushrooms; Sunday, Vegetables; Monday, Weis Markets; Tuesday, Pork; Wednesday, Beef and Veal; Thursday, Apples; Friday, Potatoes; second Saturday, specialty crops.

Visitors can find inspiration in the wide variety of dishes being prepared on the stage, then walk through the adjacent Pennsylvania Marketplace to find an array of items produced in the state available for sampling and purchase.

Products featured on stage are part of the PA Preferred program, the official brand of agriculture products made or grown in Pennsylvania.

"The blue keystone and gold checkmark of the PA Preferred logo make it easier for consumers to identify products made in PA and support our agriculture industry," said Greig. "PA Preferred makes a difference to your family, our farmers and our future."

The PA Preferred Culinary Connection is sponsored by Weis Markets, Thermador, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, Anolon and the Pennsylvania Winery Association.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program provides additional funding for the PA Preferred Culinary Connection. The program enhances the visibility and marketability of fruit, vegetable and tree nut products.

For a schedule of PA Preferred Culinary Connection events, including biographies and photos of chefs, visit www.papreferred.com and click on "PA Preferred Culinary Connection." "Like" PA Preferred on Facebook and find information, pictures and videos about PA Preferred members.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural event in the nation, featuring nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibitors. The show runs from Jan. 4-11 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. Admission is free and parking is $10. Visit www.farmshow.state.pa.us.

Media Contact: Will Nichols, 717-787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

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