CHEFS CHARLIE PALMER AND MICHAEL MINA TO HOST INAUGURAL SUPER BOWL CULINARY KICKOFF

LOCATED AT BOURBON STEAK FAIRMONT SCOTTSDALE PRINCESS

 GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST MICHELLE BRANCH TO PERFORM THROUGHOUT THE EVENING

San Francisco, CA (January 15, 2015)– Award winning chefs Charlie Palmer and Michael Mina will host their Inaugural Super Bowl Culinary Kickoff Thursday, January 29, 2015 at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak, a AAA Four Diamond contemporary steakhouse located at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess at 7575 East Princess Drive.  Grammy Award-winning artist Michelle Branch will perform throughout the evening, featuring hits “Are You Happy Now?” and “Breathe”.  The special event will be an exclusive evening for 150 guests including professional athletes, celebrities, musicians, culinary greats, top vintners, and sponsors.

The event will begin with a one-hour cocktail reception hosted by NFL players, alumni and celebrities bartending and pouring wine for guests.  Confirmed guests include Marshall Faulk, Ronnie Lott, Dwight Clark, Rich Aurilia, Shawn Estes, Dick Vermeil, Charles Woodson, Eric Sogard, Andre Wadsworth, Rich Eisen and others.  The cocktail reception will feature wines from various athlete vintners as well as a signature Bourbon cocktail. Following the reception, guests will be served a seated three-course dinner specially prepared by chefs Palmer and Mina paired with elite wines from the Sonoma County and Napa Valley; specifically highlighting Kosta Browne, Realm Cellars and Kistler Vineyards. The event will conclude with dessert and more wine by Adobe Road and a live musical performance accompanied by DJ’s Dave Kim and Chris Clouse. The event is being produced by The Delisle Group and will be an intimate affair to kickoff the Super Bowl weekend in style.

“I am thrilled to be able to combine so many things I love under one event. Supporting a great cause, cooking with talented chefs, and kicking off Super Bowl weekend. We are so honored to be a part of this inaugural event,“ says Chef Michael Mina.

A portion of the proceeds from the evening will support The Culinary Institute of America, where Chef Palmer serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chef Mina is a board member. “It is only fitting that such a prolific culinary event will benefit the aspiring culinarians of tomorrow,” says Chef Palmer.  “I’m looking forward to cooking with Michael and celebrating both the worthy cause of The CIA and the Super Bowl, my favorite event of the year.”

“We are honored to be a part of this inaugural event with brilliant chefs and vintners to kick off Super Bowl weekend amongst friends – old and new,” added Founder of The Delisle Group, Chrissy Delisle.

For more information on the Inaugural Super Bowl Culinary Kickoff and sponsorship inquiries, please visit the website at: http://events.thedelislegroup.com/product/culinary-kickoff/ or contact chrissy@thedelislegroup.com

From the event:

Thursday, January 29, 2015

You’re invited to join us for an inaugural event with Master Chefs Michael Mina and Charlie Palmer and friends.

Special guests to include NFL and other athletes, musical talent and celebrities.

This exceptional event will include a one-hour cocktail reception, followed by a three-course dinner* specially prepared by the chefs and paired with elite vintners and conclude with dessert during the after party which will kick off the weekend in style.

Event Schedule

5:30 – 7:00 PM Cocktail Reception with Celebrity Winemakers

7:00 PM 3-course menu prepared by Chefs and paired with elite vintners. Special musical performance during dinner.

10:00 PM – 2:00 AM Exclusive After Party including dessert and DJ performances

*Culinary Kickoff Dinner Availability Limited

Proceeds benefiting The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor’s degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world’s premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines & cultures through research and conferences. The CIA also offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.

About Chef Charlie Palmer:

Since the beginning of his celebrated career, master Chef and hospitality entrepreneur Charlie Palmer has received critical acclaim for his signature Progressive American cooking, a style built on rambunctious flavors and unexpected combinations with a lasting infusion of classical French cuisine. Charlie Palmer’s upbringing on a farm in upstate New York, along with his education in various kitchens in France and at The Culinary Institute of America, provided him with the inspiration to strike out on his own.  In 1988, he made a significant commitment to creating dishes featuring regional American ingredients at his sublime Aureole, originally situated in a historic townhouse off Manhattan’s Madison Avenue and now in a spectacular new location in the heart of New York City’s radiant theater district.

Over the years, Palmer combined his creative cooking spirit and flair for business to open dozens of notable restaurants across the country (with a string of steakhouses that includes that all-new Charlie Palmer Steak in NYC). Palmer also oversees a growing collection of food-forward wine shops and award-winning boutique hotels (the latest of which is St. Helena’s Harvest Inn) and is the author of five cookbooks.  Learn more at www.charliepalmer.com.

About Chef Michael Mina:

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Michael Mina’s story is one of two decades of influence, passion and achievement.  With the October 2010 opening of MICHAEL MINA, his eponymous signature restaurant in San Francisco, Michael is at the helm at the same location (formerly AQUA) and city where he first established his culinary reputation 20 years ago.

With accolades including James Beard Foundation “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage” inductee in 2013, Bon Appétit Chef of the Year 2005, San Francisco Magazine Chef of the Year 2005, as well as the International Food and Beverage Forum’s Restaurateur of the Year 2005, Michael continues to dazzle the culinary world with bold dining concepts that have contributed to San Francisco’s reputation as a world-class epicurean destination and made him an integral part of the dining scene across the country.

Michael’s culinary and business vision led to the founding of Mina Group, with partner Andre Agassi in 2002.  Under the auspices of Mina Group, he has opened 24 concept restaurants, a lounge and a market including MICHAEL MINA, BOURBON STEAK, CLOCK BAR, RN74, ARCADIA, STONEHILL TAVERN, STRIPSTEAK, WIT & WISDOM, PUB 1842, THE HANDLE BAR, MICHAEL MINA 74, PABU, THE RAMEN BAR, BOURBON PUB, Locale Market and will open BARDOT BRASSERIE in Las Vegas this winter. In addition, Michael recently launched the Michael Mina Wine Club as a way to bring many of the wines featured in his restaurants into the guest’s home.

About Michelle Branch:

At the tender age of 18 years old, Michelle released her debut album, 2001’s The Spirit Room, which became a platinum seller, spawned three hit singles (“Everywhere,” “All You Wanted,” and “Goodbye to You”), and sold four million copies worldwide. The album, as well as 2002’s “The Game of Love,” Michelle’s Grammy Award-winning smash single with Carlos Santana, established the Sedona, Ariz., native as a young musical artist with a very grown-up talent. Following the release of her darker, more ambitious 2003 platinum album Hotel Paper — which featured the hit “Are You Happy Now?” and “Breathe” — and the birth of her daughter, Michelle found herself at a crossroads. She put her solo career on hold to team up with Nashville singer/songwriter Jessica Harp to form the country music duo The Wreckers, an inspired vocal and songwriting collaboration that was nominated for both a CMA Award and a Grammy Award.

The Wreckers released their debut album, the platinum Stand Still Look Pretty, in 2006 and their popularity helped establish Michelle as a fixture on country radio, thanks to such winning tracks as the No. 1 “Leave The Pieces” and the Top Ten hit “My, Oh My.” But the pair decided to part ways just as their music was rising on the charts — an emotionally difficult time that Michelle documents on her deeply personal six-song EP, Everything Comes and Goes, which was released in August 2010 as a gift to fans as she focuses on recording the follow-up to Hotel Paper. Michelle is currently in the studio in Los Angeles working on her new album.

Michelle, a self-proclaimed chef groupie, met Michael in 2011 at Global Green’s annual San Francisco Gorgeous and Green Dinner Party and Fashion Show, where the two quickly formed a culinary bond, exchanging emails on local dining recommendations, cooking, food and family.  Michael, immediately drawn to Michelle’s love and obsession for food, saw her as the perfect co-host and apprentice for his new start-up, Cook Taste Eat. Michelle approaches cooking the same as her music so Cook Taste Eat served as an extension of her ongoing creative process.

 About Culinary Institute of America

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor’s degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world’s premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines & cultures through research and conferences. The CIA also offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.

 About The Delisle Group:

Inspired by over 15 years of connecting, creating and experiencing once-in-a-lifetime events in the world of sport, entertainment and culinary, The Delisle Group (TDG) was founded to re-inspire and to give back by helping others create their own unique experiences – personally or professionally.  Client retention, high-end VIP hospitality, philanthropy and connection to well-known talent in the entertainment, culinary and sports sectors are the cornerstone of TDG.  If you can dream it, we can deliver it.