The bad news is that, unless you went VIP last Sunday, there was not much food to eat (or photograph) at L.A. Times Celebration of Food & Wine. Instead, general admission allowed access to the Paramount back-lot, where lines snaked around faux cityscapes for guests to redeem paper tickets at wine and spirit booths, or to pay for food truck eats, with Nom Nom taking the lion’s share of attention. Elsewhere, there was an exhibit on indie sodas, Ilan Hall served his bacon-wrapped matzoh at a Fiji store, and Q&A; sessions were held with Russ Parsons and chefs like Michael Voltaggio.
While something other than the booze tastings appeared to placate a sold-out crowd on this sweltering day, despite the lack of edibles or a truly cohesive “celebration,” there was little to sustain a prolonged visit other than the She & Him concert that capped the night off. Hopefully, any return event allows paying visitors to celebrate and experience actual food as much as it gets them loaded in the heat. Check out a few shots of the day’s highlights, whether it be Voltaggio giving his fans some face-time or Ilan looking downright exhausted, in our slide show of scenes from the event. Let us know if you thought it a good time or an epic fail in our comments.
