CRAVE NW AT SPOKANE VALLEY, the Inland Northwest’s premier food and drink celebration, will be held June 15—18 at CenterPlace Regional Event Center, a state-of-the-art 54,000 square foot event facility at Mirabeau Meadows Park in Spokane Valley, Washington. Presented by the City of Spokane Valley, CRAVE NW is a unique culinary event that will showcase the creative talents of visionary chefs from around the region and highlight the flavors of the great Northwest.

In addition to an impressive lineup of award-winning local chefs and culinary professionals, CRAVE NW’s Culinary Director, Spokane chef and restauranteur Adam Hegsted is proud to announce the International Chefs Forum—a series of demonstrations and workshops by highly acclaimed, internationally recognized chefs. Participants include Bruce Sherman (North Pond, Chicago), Rick Moonen (RM Seafood, Las Vegas) Trevor Bird (Fable, Vancouver, Canada), Brian Duffy (Flying Fish Crafthouse, Philadelphia) and Mark Peel (Bombo, Los Angeles).  A special appearance and presentation by renowned ‘California Cuisine’ icon and farm-to-table dining pioneer Jeremiah Tower (Stars, San Francisco) will be held on Saturday, June 17, with copies of his book Start the Fire: How I Began a Food Revolution in America available for signing.

The complete schedule of CRAVE NW events, including the ‘International Chefs Forum’ series will be announced in early May. For more information, visit http://cravenw.com.

CRAVE NW INTERNATIONAL CHEFS FORUM

JEREMIAH TOWER—Stars, San Francisco

Internationally renowned chef Jeremiah Tower rocketed to culinary fame in the 1980’s with his highly acclaimed Stars restaurant in San Francisco, and later branches including Napa Valley, Manila, and Singapore.  He is noted as an icon of “California Cuisine” and a pioneer of farm-to-table dining. Tower recently served as Executive Chef at New York’s Tavern on the Green, and is the author of numerous books, including Start the Fire, Flavors of Taste, and California Dish. His first cookbook, New American Classics, won a James Beard Foundation award.

BRUCE SHERMAN—North Pond Restaurant, Chicago

Born and raised in Chicago, chef Bruce Sherman is noted for creating broadly influenced, subtle, seasonal flavors. Highlighting organic, local ingredients and utilizing influences from his travels in Paris, Southeast Asia and London, he produces contemporary French-American cuisine. Sherman has been honored seven times by Food & Wine Magazine as one of America’s “Best New Chefs,” and was nominated by the James Beard Foundation in the “Best Chef: Great Lakes Region” category. North Pond has been awarded a Michelin star in the guidebook each year from 2014 through 2017.

RICK MOONEN—RM Seafood & RX Boiler Room, Las Vegas

New York native and Culinary Institute of America graduate, Chef Rick Moonen is a famous advocate for sustainable fishing and seafood. His undying passion for conservation has made him an expert in the subject and an educator and role model for other chefs.  He is the author of Fish Without a Doubt, a practical guide to buying, preparing and cooking a wide array of sustainable fish, and is a contributing editor for Food & Wine Magazine. Moonen has made numerous TV appearances, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Top Chef Masters and Top Chef Las Vegas.

TREVOR BIRD—Fable, Vancouver, Canada

Chef Trevor Bird opened Vancouver’s acclaimed Fable in June 2012 in conjunction with his appearance on the Food Network’s Top Chef Canada.  Using local suppliers and making everything from scratch, Bird offers interesting and creative twists and food that always makes best use of the season’s local product availability. These are the core of his culinary concept and farm-to-table dining philosophy.

MARK PEEL—Bombo, Los Angeles

Chef Mark Peel, a founder of California Cuisine, was mentored by Wolfgang Puck and was tapped by Puck to be his opening chef at Spago. Chef Peel went on to create, co-own and serve as executive chef for the award-winning Campanile restaurant for more than 23 years. Just before opening Campanile, Chef Peel co-founded La Brea Bakery. While his career has been centered in fine dining, in 2015 Chef Peel opened Bombo, his first fast casual eatery in Downtown LA’s historic Grand Central Market. Chef Peel’s frequent television appearances have included: Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay, Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, Top Chef: Masters, Top Chef: Just Desserts and more.

BRIAN DUFFY—Flying Fish Crafthouse, Philadelphia

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Brian Duffy trained under James Beard award winning chef Jean-Marie LaCroix. After opening his first restaurant, Kristophers, he became known for helping to define modern pub fare, and refined ‘New Celtic’ cuisine. Chef Duffy’s upbeat, boisterous personality is a hallmark of his numerous TV appearances on Spike TV’s series Bar Rescue, the Food Network, the Today show and HGTV.