The LAWineFest is proud to be in its 10th successful year. This popular event blazed a trail in L.A. to bring wine and people together in a fun, inviting and accessible way. Now a local institution, we’re known to reliably deliver a sun-kissed event that balances fun, exploration and education. Our goal is to help people explore their taste in a festive environment. Our unofficial motto: Drink what you like; Like what you drink!
Dr. Joel M. Fisher – Founder & CEO
Joel M. Fisher, PhD writes or has written for the Culinary Connection of the Chefs de Cuisine Association of California, for the Beverly Hills Courier, and since 2010 for the Underground Wine Letter. From 2007-2009 he taught at Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. Prior to that, he was the wine instructor for the Culinary Arts Department of the Art Institute of California — Los Angeles for seven years and is a founding partner of the educational Wine Vine and Dine, which conducts programs throughout Southern California and Wine Discoveries. Net. A Sommelier for the Escoffier Association of Southern California, he is also a member of The Tasting Panel (formerly the Bon Appetit Tasting Panel) and is a Wine Host for CRN’s What’s Cooking Show.
Dr. Fisher is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, The Circle of Wine Writers (UK), and the International Federation of Wine and Spirits Writers. Awarded a Wine Enthusiast Media Scholarship for 2005 at the Culinary Institute of America, he is the author of the Wine Work Book, now in its 6th edition.
Dr. Fisher co-led a program for chefs and culinary students to the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany and to wineries in Burgundy and Champagne in 2005. In June 2006 he again led a program, “Wine and Cuisine of Iberia,” to Spain and Portugal. Future programs to wine regions are in the works.
Sara Fisher Chapin – Head of Program Development & Strategic Relationships
Sara Fisher Chapin is pleased to have joined the family business in 2012. She has an extensive history as a senior leader in small business development and brand marketing.
WWW.LAWINEFEST.COM
TOP CHEF, ILAN HALL - KNIFE FIGHT ON ESQUIRE IS BACK FOR SEASON 3
The Raucous After-Hours Cooking Competition is Back for Season Three. Leading this Gritty Cooking Experience is Innovative, Young Chef, Restaurant Owner and Winner of the Second Season of Top Chef, Ilan Hall.
Ilan Hall owns Gorbals L.A. and the new Gorbals Brooklyn, which is also serves as the venue for this season of Knife Fight. In each episode, two chefs go head-to-head, making at least two dishes in one hour from a combination of secret ingredients. Sixteen New York area chefs will compete to conquer mystery ingredients and each other, but only one will be left standing. Award-winning chefs battling include: Franklin Becker, Sean Telo, Joey Campanaro, Daniel Holzman, Einat Admony, Jonah Miller, Miguel Aguilar, Todd Mitgang, Vincent Chirico, Tony Maws, Dale Talde, Pete Lipson, Edi Fraueneder, Wolfgang Ban, Leah Cohen and David Felton.
Ilan’s culinary influences are as varied and far-reaching as the obscure ingredients the contestants on his show cook with. The child of Scottish and Israeli immigrants with roots in Eastern Europe, Ilan was exposed at an early age to foods in Europe and the Middle East, as well as South America and Asia. He got his first job working for Tom Colicchio at Craft, and went on to work at Casa Mono, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s celebrated Spanish restaurant, for three years.
KNIFE FIGHT BIO
Ilan Hall is one of the most innovative young chefs of our time. Best known for winning Season 2 of Bravo’s Top Chef, he is also owner of The Gorbals in Brooklyn. Now, he’s the host of KNIFE FIGHT, a gritty new cooking competition show on the Esquire Network, featuring after-hours cooking bouts between Ilan’s chef friends in The Gorbals kitchen.
Ilan’s culinary influences are as varied and far-reaching as the obscure ingredients the contestants on his show cook with. The child of Scottish and Israeli immigrants with roots in Eastern Europe, Ilan was exposed at an early age to foods in Europe and the Middle East, as well as South America and Asia. At seventeen, Ilan studied in Florence at the famed de Medici Cooking School. Then, he returned to the U.S. to receive his degree at the Culinary Institute of America, as well as a certification in baking and pastry arts at the CIA’s Greystone campus in Napa, California. He got his first job working for Tom Colicchio at Craft, and went on to work at Casa Mono, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s celebrated Spanish restaurant, for three years.
Ilan has cooked at a variety of events around the nation, including the Wine & Food Festivals in South Beach and Scottsdale, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, and the Sundance Film Festival. He has appeared on numerous television shows, including the Today Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and has been featured in Food & Wine, In Touch, Life & Style, The New York Times, Newsday, Daily News, New York Post, Time Out New York, Salon, Epicurious and Chowhound.
TV.ESQUIRE.COM/SHOWS/KNIFE-FIGHT