Celebrity chefs at Culinary Vegetable Institute event

Paula Deen, celebrity TV chef and author will appear at the Food & Wine Celebration in Milan, Ohio.

Paula Deen is coming to northwest Ohio, thanks to the 2007 Food & Wine Celebration at the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio.

The annual event, which begins at 5 p.m. on July 21, benefits Veggie U, the institute's hands-on educational program for fourth-graders.

Ms. Deen, who is a celebrity television chef, restaurant owner, author, and Emmy Award nominee, will be joining three other guest chefs. Chef Walter Scheib III, who was the White House chef for 11 years, is the author of White House Chef (Wiley, $24.95). Chef Jeff Henderson of the Bellagio in Las Vegas is a public speaker and author and Lucinda Scala Quinn is editorial director for Martha Stewart's Living and host of Everyday Food on PBS.

The Grand Food & Wine Tasting, with more than 30 food stations and 12 wine stations, will be from 5 to 9 p.m.

At 5 p.m., Ms. Quinn will demonstrate Fresh Stuffed Tomato, a recipe from the July issue of Martha Stewart's Living.

At 5:30 p.m. Mr. Scheib will talk about his experiences as the White House chef and later will do a book signing.

At 6 p.m. Chef Henderson will demonstrate Chilled Avocado Soup Turkey Confetti with Dried Heirloom Tomatoes Petals.

Paula Deen, celebrity TV chef and author will appear at the Food & Wine Celebration in Milan, Ohio.

Ms. Deen will have a question-and-answer session with the audience at 6:30 p.m. and will sign cookbooks later.

At 7:30 p.m., a Star Chef Cook-off will feature Chef Kirk Gilbert of Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, N.C.; Chef Robert Gadsby of Noe Restaurants in Los Angeles and Houston, and Chef Brian A. Roland of Cru in Fort Myers, Fla.

In addition, about 40 other chefs will be on hand for the outdoor tasting event that begins at 5 p.m. They will feature the Chef's Garden heirloom vegetables and microgreens. Some of the recipes will be from the chefs' restaurants and some recipes will be new creations. For example, Chef Bob Waggoner of the Charleston Grill in Charleston, S.C., will make Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Wild American Shrimp Mousse; Chef Scott Crawford of the Georgian Room, Sea Island, Ga., will make Georgia Stone Crab with Heirloom Melon and Sweet Corn Sorbet, and Chef Don Yamauchi of Tribute in Farmington Hills, Mich., will make Tomato Tart with Cucumber and Sweet Corn Ice Cream.

Chef Ann Blackwood of Casually Elegant in Norwalk, Ohio, has a dozen dishes she plans to make, including Potted Crystallized Citrus Marigolds and Chili Chocolate Ganache Stuffed Yellow Teardrop Tomatoes with Micro Cilantro.

Walter Scheib III, former White House chef, will appear at the Food & Wine Celebration in Milan, Ohio.

This will truly be a gourmet delight.

Tickets are $145; a limited number are available. For information or tickets, call 419-499-7500.

Wednesday is the deadline to enter culinary competitions as part of the Family Arts & Crafts portion of the Ohio State Fair.

This year's new competitions include decorated egg, cookie canister, and gingerbread house, in addition to the baking, cooking, and preserving contests.

Among the additional competitions are "Smile and Say Cheesecake"; Cooking with Ohio Wine; Eagle Brand Great Baking Bonanza; Fleischmann's Yeast; Ghiradelli Chocolate Championship; Hidden Valley, The Original Ranch; Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust; We Want WOW Now Pork Recipe Rally; SACA Soup It Up, and Spam. All entries must be postmarked by Wednesday. To download a complete information, visit ohiostatefair.com.

Information: call 888-OHIO-EXPO.

Suzanne B. Conrad of Findlay is a runner-up winner in the Prize Tested Recipes Contest sponsored by Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Her recipe for Smoky Chesapeake Chicken Wraps will be featured in the section entitled Prize Tested Recipes in the July issue.

Mrs. Conrad won the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 2004 in Hollywood, Calif. She was the million-dollar winner with Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie.

Michael C. Gibbons, president of the Ann Arbor-based Mainstreet Ventures Inc., has been elected treasurer for the board of directors of the Washington-based National Restaurant Association for the 2007-2008 term. Mainstreet Ventures owns and operates 15 dining venues in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Florida. Local restaurants are Real Seafood Company, Zia's Ristorante at The Docks, and Carson's Steakhouse and Ciao! in Sylvania.